St., a large manufacturing town of France, capital of a cognominial arrondissement, in the department of Loire, stands on the Furens, a small affluent of the Loire, 32 miles S.W. of Lyons. Pop. (1851) 53,741. St Etienne is indebted for its rapid rise and present importance chiefly to its being situated in one of the most productive coal fields of France. It likewise derives considerable advantage from the Furens, which furnishes water-power for its machinery. The chief manufactures are fire-arms and silk ribands. About 30,000 or 40,000 stand of arms are made here annually, besides about 30,000 fowling-pieces and 1500 pair of pistols. The ribands are unrivalled for richness of colour and beauty of pattern, and are exported to all parts of the world. The annual value of those manufactured here is estimated at 45,000,000 francs. The other manufactures are bayonets and cutlery, files, nails, anvils, and other iron and steel goods. St Etienne is connected by railways with Lyons and Roanne; whence, by means of the Rhone and Loire, the coal and other products find easy access to all parts of France. The town is irregularly built, but the modern part of it has some wide streets and spacious squares. The houses are built of fine white sandstone, which is soon tarnished and blackened by the smoke of the town. It is the seat of tribunals of primary instance and commerce, and has an ancient cathedral, a town-house, exchange, theatre, a handsome obelisk fountain, museum of local manufactures, national college, public library, council of prud'hommes, deaf-mute institution, and a mining school.