a large, rich, ancient, and famous town of France, being the most considerable in the kingdom, next to Paris; with an archbishop's see, an academy of sciences and belles lettres, and an academy of arts and sciences settled here in 1736. It is seated at the confluence of the rivers Rhone and Saone; on the side of of it are two high mountains; and the mountain of St Sebastian serves as a bulwark against the north winds, which often blow here with great violence. It contains nearly 100,000 inhabitants; and the houses, in general, are high and well built. It has six gates, and as many suburbs. The town-house, the arsenal, the amphitheatre built by the ancient Romans, the hospital, and the numerous palaces, are worthy of a traveller's attention. The cathedral is a superb structure, and the canons that compose the chapter are all persons of distinction. It was a place of great trade, and was especially distinguished by its silk manufactures, which however have been greatly reduced by the Revolution. It derives vast advantages from the rivers near it; and is situated in E. Long. 4° 59'. N. Lat. 45° 46'. Lyons was the scene of some of the horrid transactions of the French revolution. See France.