a town of Spain, capital of the partido of the same name in the province, and about 32 miles N.W. of the town of Barcelona. It lies on the left bank of the Cardonerio, and about two miles above the junction of that river with the Llobregat. The Cardonerio is crossed near the city by two bridges, one originally of Roman construction, and consisting of eight arches, the other of nine arches, erected in 1804. It is surrounded by walls, under which, on the bank of the Cardonerio, is the only public promenade of the town. There are about 2300 houses of from three to five storeys, mostly well built, and the streets are cause-

waved and provided with covered sewers. The collegiate parish church, of semi-Gothic architecture, is capacious, and remarkable for a fine and lofty spire of bold construction, and for the fine sculpture and carving it contains. Also of good architecture is the ex-convent of Carmelites, which has some paintings of merit; that of the Dominicans has lost almost all trace of its primitive construction, and now serves as a barrack. There are several well-endowed and well-attended schools; an hospital under the care of the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul; and a female orphan asylum. The town is supplied with water from the Llobregat by an aqueduct 4 leagues in length, and by the wells, of which there are many within the walls. There are manufactories of cotton, cotton thread, silk ribands, earthenware, cutlery, leather, and superior brandy. The cotton factory is one of the largest in Spain. There are also saltpetre and gunpowder works. In the neighbourhood are quarries of building stone that might supply the whole kingdom, and coal has been discovered, but remains unworked. Manresa suffered much in the war of independence; in March 1811 it was almost completely burnt to the ground by Marshal Macdonald. The population in 1845 amounted to 13,339.