one of the continental provinces of the kingdom of Sardinia, in the ancient division of Piedmont. It is bounded on the north-east by Ivrea, on the east by Asti, on the south by Saluzzo, on the south-west by Pinerolo, and on the north-west by Savoy, and it extends over 3200 square miles. A promontory of the Cotta Alps terminates a ridge of mountains on the north-west, the highest point of which on the border of Savoy is the Rochemalon. The rest of the province consists of gentle hills, small valleys, and some extensive plains, and a soil for the most part of high fertility. Its waters flow to the sea through the Po, which on its right bank receives the rivers Melevere and Bona, and on its left the Clusone, the Eisola, the Dora-Rigata, the Stura, the Orco, and the Dora Baltea. In the north-west division are some extensive woods, and in the mountains mines of iron and of vitriol, and quarries of marble and limestone. It is a country of good pasturage, and the fields produce abundant crops of wheat, maize, barley, and beans. The vineyards yield much wine, and the mulberry trees feed a vast number of silk-worms. It is a manufacturing district, making linen, silk, and cotton goods, hats, hosiery, chocolate, brandy, liqueurs, paper, pottery, china, glass, and some curious kinds of work in wood and in ivory. These articles form the basis of its trade with the surrounding countries, and furnish exports from the maritime towns to foreign kingdoms. The province contains twelve cities, fifty-four market-towns, and 347 villages; and in 1833 the inhabitants amounted to 808,526.
The capital is the city of the same name, which is also that of the whole kingdom. Turin is the residence of the monarch, the seat of the central boards of the government, and the see of an archbishop. It stands on a point of land formed at the junction of the river Dora-Rigata with the Po. It is surrounded with walls and deep ditches, and protected by fifty bastions and many outworks; and has a citadel on the south-west side, furnished with ravines, a regular pentagon, and said to be one of the strongest fortresses in Europe. The city is divided into the new and old town, has levelled straight streets crossing each other at right angles, with eleven plazas or squares, and, as far as regards the exterior, with many magnificent buildings. The most striking public edifices are the royal palace in the Piazzo di Castello, the old palace, that of Aosta and of Carignan, the Collegio di Nobili, and the council-house. Among the private edifices are more than thirty called palaces, belonging to the nobility. There is a fine Gothic cathedral, and forty-seven other churches, with sixty-seven chapels and many monasteries and nunneries. Among several hospitals, the most remarkable is the Carita, which is capable of receiving 2500 patients. The university, founded in 1405, and renovated in 1630, is a fine building, furnished with various museums, and a library of 60,000 volumes. For the enjoyment of the inhabitants, Turin has four theatres, a Corso, the public gardens of the palace, the walks on the Po called the Rondeau, and some others on the glacis, as well as the parade for carriages, called the Carettino. There are some manufactures carried on, the most extensive of which is that of silk, including velvets,