an ancient, large, and flourishing town of France, in the department of Gard, with a bishop's see, and an academy. The manufactures of cloth both of gold and silk, and of stuffs formerly known by the name of serge of Nismes, exceed that of all the rest of the province. There are several monuments of antiquity, of which the amphitheatre is the principal built by the Romans. The maison quarrée, or the square house, is a piece of architecture of the Corinthian order, and one of the finest in the world. The temple of Diana is in part gone to ruin. It was taken by the English in 1317. The inhabitants were chiefly Calvinists; but Louis XIV. demolished their church in 1685, and built a castle to keep them in awe. It is seated in a delightful plain, abounding in wine, oil, game and cattle. It contains a great number of venerable relics of Roman antiquity and grandeur, which it is not our business to describe, though it is chiefly remarkable for these and its delightful situation. Its population in 1800 was 39,300, of whom about 12,000 are Protestants. After the second return of Louis XVIII. in 1815, Nismes was the scene of some disgraceful outrages. The Protestants had been friendly to the Revolution, though they took no part in its atrocities; but the Catholics made this a pretext for treating them as rebels. In the city alone nearly 300 of the Protestants were murdered, and in the neighbouring districts as many more as made a total of 2000: a great number were obliged to fly; 2000 ransomed their lives by sums of money, and 150 houses were pillaged or burnt within the town. Money was collected for the relief of the sufferers in London, Edinburgh, and other towns in Britain. E. Long. 4° 26'. N. Lat. 43° 51'.