TODPNO, TIMM, the capital of Piedmont, residence of the King of Sardinia, and place of meeting of the national parliament, is situated in 45° 6' N. lat., T° 44' E. long., on the left bank of the Po (which here runs in a northern direction), and at the confluence of the Dora Itipuaria, in a wide and fertile valley, between the lower offsets of the Cottian Alps on the west, and the hills of Monfcrrato, which rise immediately above the right bank of the Po. The valley opens to the north-east into the wide plain of Lombardy. The population of the city is about 140,000.
Turin is one of the most regularly-built towns in Europe; most of the streets being in straight lines and intersecting each other at rights angles, and the squares being also of a regular form. The streets are washed during the night by water drawn from the Dora. Then buildings, though massive and lofty, are, generally speaking, plain, chiefly built of brick, and their appearance is uniform and monoto nous. The town is about one mile and a quarter in length, and little more than half a mile in its greatest breadth; it was formerly sur rounded by ramparts, which have been razed of late years, and additional buildings and promenades have been constructed in their place, and the city is still extending beyond its former limits. The citadel, which is regularly constructed, and one of the atrongest in Italy, lies outside of the town to the westward. The principal streets of Turin are those leading to the four entrances of the town, which are—Porta del Po, on the road to Aleasandria and Genoa; Porta Snaffle, on the western or Mont Cenis road ; Porta Nova, on the southern road to Salnzzo and Nice; and Ports Vittoria, leading to Ivrea, Vercelli, Novara, and the other northern provinces. Several of the principal streets and squares are lined with arcades.
The principal square is the Piazza Castello, in the centre of the town, so called from an old castle, or palace, which stands in the middle of it, and which was formerly the residence of the dukes of Savoy. It has a handsome facade, ornamented with sculptures. The northern side of the square is formed by the modern royal palace, a vast structure, with gardens at the back of it : the apartments are handsome, and contain a rich collection of Flemish and Italian paint ings and a library. Adjoining to the palace is the cathedral of San
Giovanni Battista, with the annexed handsome rotunda chapel, Del Sudario, cased with black marble, and adorned with gilt bronzes. On the eastern side of the 'Roue is the great theatre, one of the largest and finest in Italy, constructed by the architect Alfieri. Another remarkable building of Turin is the University, built by king Victor Amadeus at the beginning of the 18th century. It is a fine building, with a spacious court, surrounded by arcades, which are lined with ancient bessi-rilievi, and inscriptions fixed in the walls. The library of the university contains above 112,000 volumes and about 2000 manuscripts. The Gallery of ancicut Statues contains many remark able objects of ancient art. The Cabinet of Medals, one of the richest iu Europe, contains 30,000 pieces. The Egyptian Museum, which is in the building of the Royal Academy of Sciences, is one of the richest collections of the kind in Europe. It contains among others the colossal statue of Osymandyas, 15 feet high ; those of Thothmea II. and of Amunoph IL: and that of Remeses 11., or Sesostris, which is considered one of the handsomest specimens of Egyptian sculpture ; a collection of Egyptian paintings on stone, a quantity of utensils, articles of dress and ornaments, numerous mummies, and a vast collection of papyri and manuscripts on linen, found in the catacombs of Thebes : among others, n funeral ritual, 60 feet in length; and the fragments of a chronological table of the dynasties of the kings of Egypt previous to the 18th dynasty.
The University consists of five faculties--divinity, law, medicine, surgery, and arts. There are also belonging to the University a museum of natural history, a museum of anatomy, a chemical labora tory and hydraulic apparatus, and a rich botanical garden at the Valentino, outside of the town, near the banks of the Po. The Royal Academy of Sciences consists of forty members, besides non resident and corresponding members : it is divided into two classes, mathematical and physical sciences, and moral, historical, and philo logical sciences. The academy, which was instituted in 1783, has published many volumes of memoirs.