NARBONNE, is a city of France, in the department of Aude, with an archbishop's see, and is particularly famous for its honey. It is seated on a canal cut from the river Aude, which being but three miles from the sea, vessels come up it laden with merchandise, which renders
Narcissus renders it a place of some trade. But though it pre-
tends to the most remote antiquity under the Celtic
kings, in ages anterior even to the Roman conquests,
which under these latter masters gave its name to all
Gallia Narbonensis, and was a colony of the first con-
sideration, it is now dwindled to a wretched solitary
town, containing scarce 8000 inhabitants, of whom
three fourths are priests and women. The streets and
buildings are mean and ruinous; it has indeed a com-
munication with the Mediterranean, from which Nar-
bonne is only about three leagues distant, by means of
a small river which intersects the place; but their com-
merce is very limited, and chiefly consists in grain which
they export to Gette and Marfeilles. No marks of
Roman magnificence remain, except several inscriptions
in different parts of the city. It is divided into the
city and the town, which are joined together by a
bridge, with houses on each side, in which the richest
merchants live. There are several churches and con-
vents; the metropolitan church has a handsome steeple.
E. Long. 3. 6. N. Lat. 43. 11.