MOULINS, a town of France, capital of the department of Allier, is situated on a plain on the right bank of the Allier, which is here crossed by a handsome stone bridge, 164 miles S.S.E. of Paris. The town has a cheerful appearance; and the streets, though not very wide or straight, are clean, well paved, and lined on each side with good houses, built chiefly of brick. It was formerly surrounded by fortifications, but the place of these is now occupied by public walks. The principal buildings in the town are,—the cathedral of Notre Dame, a building in the florid style of the fifteenth century, of which only the choir has been completed; the chapel of the college, which formerly belonged to the convent of the Visitation, containing the monument of the last Duke of Montmorency; the castle, formerly the residence of the Dukes of Bourbon, of which all that now remains is a square tower and some buildings erected by Catherine de Medicis, and serving as barracks; and the town-house. There are also in Moulins a court of first resort and one of commerce, a chamber of manufactures and arts, a normal school and school of design, societies of rural economy and of agriculture, a public library of 19,000 volumes, a museum of natural history, two hospitals, and a theatre. The manufactures are extensive, consisting chiefly of hardware, especially of cutlery, woollen and cotton stuffs, hosiery, glass, leather, silk, &c. There is an active trade in cutlery, corn, wine, cattle, timber, coal, charcoal, iron, &c. The history of the town can be traced as far back as the eleventh century; and in 1368 the Bourbon family took up their residence here. Moulins is also noted as the birthplace of Marshal Villars, the opponent of Marlborough at Malplaquet. Pop. (1856) 16,391.