the ancient Lepurium, a first-class fortified city of France, in the department of Lower Pyrenees, and capital of an arrondissement of the same name. It is well built, and agreeably situated at the confluence of the Nive and Adour, about three miles from the sea. A bar at the mouth of the river prevents large vessels from entering except at high water, when at spring tides there is a depth of from 13 to 15 feet, and from 9 to 11 feet at neaps. The citadel is one of the finest works of Vauhan, and the cathedral is a small but elegant Gothic structure of the thirteenth century. Bayonne is the seat of a bishopric, and has courts of primary jurisdiction and commerce, an exchange, a mint, theatre, naval and commercial docks, schools of commerce and navigation, &c.; with distilleries, sugar refineries, glass works, &c. Its export trade is considerable, particularly in chocolate, liqueurs, cream of tartar, and hams. The Nive and Adour divide the town into three nearly equal parts, communicating with each other by bridges. The Bayonne, which lies on the left bank of the Nive, contains the old castle; Little Bayonne, where the new castle stands, is situated between the Nive and the Adour; and the suburb Saint Esprit occupies the right bank of the Adour. The last is not comprehended in the commune of Bayonne, but forms a separate commune in the department of Landes. The bayonet derives its name from this place, where it is said to have been invented. Bayonne, though often besieged, has never been taken, and is one of the few places that refused to participate in the massacre of St Bartholomew. Pop. of commune in 1851, 16,299. The arrondissement of the same name contains 8 cantons, 53 communes, and (in 1851) 88,185 inhabitants.