TOULON. a eesport-town and naval harbour in France, on the coast of the Mediterranean, capital of the fourth arrondisseinent in the depart/beet of Var, 423 miles in a direct line S.S.E. from Peri', is situated In 43' 7' 18' N. lat., 5' 56' H. long., and has 45,570 Inhabitants in the commune. according to the 0001U1 of 1851.
Toulon ratites.' In the time of the Romans, and is noticed as • har bour In the Itinerary of Antonini's, under the name of Trio Mortius. The geographer of Ravenna calls it simply Tel° ; and from the 'Notitia D.gnitatum per Galli '1,' it appears that the principal government dye house In Gaul was here. (Bouquet, ' ltecngil des Illetorieus dea Gaules et de Is France,' tom. I.) A bishopric was established here in the 4th century, which continual till the Revolution : the bishop was a suffragan of the archbishop of Arles.
lo the middle ages Toulon was repeatedly ruined by the Saracens, and as often mayors.] from the d:saater. Louis XII., to protect it from the pirates of Barbary. commenced the erection of a large tower, which was completed by Francois I. In the year 1536 it was taken by the Con-table of Bourbon, then commanding the imperial army. Henri IV. strengthened the fortifications of the town, and formed a harbour fur merchant vessels. Louis XIV., designing to make it one of the harriers cf France on the side of Italy and the Mediterranean, establiehed the royal dockyard, and caused the whole town to be fortified by Vauban. It was attacked without success iu 1707 by the Duke of Savoy by land at the head of a formidable army, and by the combined English and Dutch fleets by sea. In 1703 it was occupied by a detachment of marines from the English and Spanish fleets then cruising oft the port, and was subsequently garrisoned by a strong force of the English and their allies and of the French royalists. It was soon besieged by the French, the artillery being directed by Napoleon Bonaparte. The capture of General O'Hara, and the takine. of Fort Eguillette, on a point of laud between the inner and the onto; road, obliged the allies to evacuate the town, after burning the arsenal and carrying away or burning nearly all the vessels in the harbour. The town, in consequence of its having been given up to the allies by the townsmen, lost its rank of capital of the department, which has never bean restored to it.
Toulon is open on the south side to the harbours and road, but is eh Renal on the north by the lofty Mount Pharon, and ou the east and west by bills of leas elevation : from its position, the heat in summer is very great. The road is an inlet of the Mediterranean,
having its opening towards the east ; and is divided into two parts, the inner and the outer road, by two headlands, which extend into the road on each side so as to form a narrow strait : on the north side of the inner road are the Old Harbour, or mercantile harbour, on the CAA constructed by Henri IV.; and on the west the Naval Harbour, constructed by Louis XIV. North of these two harbours is the town. These two inner harbours are separated from the inner road and from each other by moles or piere: they have each n narrow entrance, passable only by one vessel at a time ; and there is a passage cominu nie.eting between the two with n swing-bridge. The Old Harbour is surrounded by a large and handsome quay, along which, on the north or town side, are a number of good houses. The Now or Naval Harbour is surrouuded by the various buildings connected with it as • naval port. On the north aide are the dockyard and arsenal, con Witting the various storehouses for the navy; covered clips for building vessels; sailmakers' and other workshops ; armouries, in which is a fine collection of ancient arms; the naval school, with a flue library, and a collection of models of vessels of every kind ; the school of naval artillery ' • anal, on the north side of the dockyard, the rope manufac tory, above 2000 feet long, built of freestone, with a vaulted roof. On the east side of the naval port, and at the eastern extremity of the south aisle, are the bagne, or and the hospital for con victs : they are built on the moles which inclose the harbour, and usually coutain from 4000 to 5000 convicts. In the same quarter are three basins for the construction or repair of vessels. The dept of artillery is on the west side of the harbour, and is inclosed in one of the bastions of the town. Both town and harbours are surrounded, except towards the road, by a well strengthened by bastions, and by a ditch. Without the ditch, on tho west able, adjacent to the dock yard, It the government bakehouse. At the south-eastern angle of the town new basins, wet docks, and yards for the construction of steam-rs and sailing-vessels have beau formed : this quarter is entered from the quay along the commercial harbour by a now gate.