NOYON is a town in France, situated on the delicacy of a hill of an easy descent, on the rivulet Vorse, which at a quarter of a league's distance falls into the Oise, in the isle of France, in E. Long. 3°, N. Lat. 49° 38', about 66 miles north-east of Paris. It is an ancient place, being the Noviodunum Belgarum of the Latins. It is a pretty large city, and is well situated for inland trade, which consists here in wheat and oats, which they send to Paris. They have also manufactories of linen-cloths, lawns, and tanned leather. There are eight parishes in it, two abbeys, and several monasteries of both sexes. It is the see of a bishop suffragan to the metropolitan of Rheims; he has the title of count and peer of France, and his income is said to amount to about 15,000 livres per annum. The principal buildings are the episcopal palace, a cloister where the canons of the cathedral dwell, and the town-house. The latter is regularly built in a large square, in the middle of which there is a fountain, where the water conveyed to it from a neighbouring mountain, runs continually through three conduits, and is received in a large basin built of very hard stone. They have also many other fountains, several market-places, and two public gardens. Noyon is particularly remarkable. VOL. XIII. Part I. able for the birth of the famous John Calvin, who was born here the 10th of July 1502, and died at Geneva the 27th of May 1564.