ABBEVILLE, a considerable city of France, in the department of the Somme. The river Somme divides it into two parts. It has a collegiate church and twelve parish churches, the most considerable of which are St. George's and St. Giles's; and it is the seat of two tribunals. It is a fortified town; the walls are flanked with bastions, and surrounded by large ditches. Never having been taken, from this circumstance it is sometimes called the Maiden Town; and hence too its motto, Semper fidelis. The number of the inhabitants in 1800 amounted to 18,052. The situation in the midst of a fertile valley is pleasant and healthy. It is famous for its woollen manufactory, established in 1665 under the auspices of Colbert. The stuffs manufactured here are said to equal in fabric and quality the finest in Europe. There is also a manufactory of fire arms, and a considerable trade in grain, lint, and hemp. It is about 11 miles east of the British channel, and ships may come from thence by the river Somme to the middle of the town. E. Long. 1. 50. N. Lat. 50. 7.