PARMA, the capital of the duchy of that name, is a city situated on the river Parma, which divides it into two parts,
and stands about three hundred feet above the level of the sea. It is surrounded with walls and ditches, protected by bastions, and it has also a citadel; but the fortifications are scarcely tenable against a serious attack. It is well built, and has broad, well-paved streets, with large palaces and houses; but few of them display much architectural taste, and even the ducal residence is not elegantly constructed. The opera-house is distinguished by its size; and some of the churches are large and magnificent. There is a university of ancient celebrity, an episcopal seminary, and a college for nobility. The inhabitants depend on their estates or on the court, and amount to 28,750 persons. Long. 10. 15. 14. E. Lat. 44. 48. 1. N.