a town of France, capital of the department of Bouches-du-Rhone, is situated on the Mediterranean, 30 miles W.N.W. of Toulon, and 475 S.S.E. of Paris. This city was founded about the year 600 B.C. by a colony of Greeks from Phocæa in Ionia, and was called by them Massalia, which was afterwards changed by the Romans into Massilia, from whence was derived its modern name. (See Massilia.)

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Marseille was at different times under the power of the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, and Franks. In the year 720 the greater part of the town was taken and sacked by the Saracens; but the upper city held out until Charles Martel and his brother Childebrand came to the rescue and expelled the Saracens. After this period Marseille continued to increase in wealth and prosperity, though much harassed and threatened by pirates, especially during the reign of Louis le Débonnaire in the ninth century. Up to the time of William I., Viscount of Marseille, this city had preserved a republican form of government; but under that prince and his successors, till the twelfth century, the government was monarchical, though this change exercised no adverse influence on the progress of the arts, industry, and commerce of Marseille. For some time after the restoration of the republican constitution, Marseille formed one of a confederacy of similar small states, including those of Arles, Grasse, &c., and after a struggle for six years against the Counts of Provence, was finally obliged, in 1243, to recognise their authority. Soon afterwards, however, Marseille was involved in a war with Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX., which ended in its falling into the hands of that prince. Under the House of Anjou, Marseille continued until the year 1482, when Charles du Maine, the heir of the line of Anjou, bequeathed Marseille to Louis XI., with a stipulation that the time-honoured liberties of the city should be respected. In the year 1524 Marseille was besieged by the imperialists under the Constable de Bourbon, but the inhabitants made a desperate resistance, and succeeded in repelling their adversaries. Marseille was made by Louis XIII. a station of the French navy, and provided with a dockyard and arsenal; and the good effects of this were seen in the clearing the Mediterranean of the pirates which infested it. In the reign of Louis XIV., a sedition broke out here, of which the ringleader was Noiselles; but the "Great Monarch" having made his appearance in 1660, quelled the sedition, and deprived the city of its peculiar privileges, erecting at the same time the citadel of St Nicolas. In 1720 and 1721 Marseille suffered from a fearful visitation of the plague, which, although it had frequently made its appearance previously, had never been so destructive as on this occasion, when it carried off between 50,000 and 60,000 victims. Marseille hailed with joy the beginning of the first French Revolution, but the event did not correspond to the hopes entertained at the outset, and the commerce of Marseille was almost ruined in the commotions of that unhappy period. After the Restoration, however, the city recovered its former commercial importance, and is now daily increasing in wealth and magnificence.

The situation of Marseille is not only very convenient for commerce and navigation, but is extremely beautiful and picturesque. It is built on the slope of the hills which surround the excellent harbour in a semicircular form. The Marseille town consists of two distinct parts, an old and a new; the former, which occupies the site of the ancient Massilia, is situated on uneven ground to the N. of the harbour, and is irregularly and ill built, with narrow and dirty streets. The new town, on the other hand, consists of broad and straight streets, as well as splendid and elegant squares, which rival in magnificence those of Paris. The division between the old and new town is marked by a public promenade called the "Cours," lined with trees, and adorned with numerous fountains, and which, along with the streets of Aix and Rome, forms a thoroughfare extending in a straight line through the city, from the triumphal arch at the northern extremity, to an obelisk which stands near the gate by which the road from Rome enters Marseille. Another favourite promenade is the Rue de la Canebière, a broad street extending from the Cours to the harbour, and commanding a view of the shipping. The walls which formerly inclosed Marseille have been converted into boulevards; and beyond these the town has extended, and is still rapidly extending itself, in all directions. On a hill to the S. stands the fort of Notre Dame de la Garde; and the entrance of the harbour, formerly closed during the night by a chain, and hence called "La Chaîne," is protected by the Fort St Jean on the N., and St Nicolas on the S. The approach is still further guarded by the fortified island of If, which has long served as a state prison, as well as by the islands of Pomègue and Ratoneau, which are also fortified. The harbour of Marseille, which was in ancient times called Lacydon, is of a rectangular shape, and is about 1020 yards in length by 327 in breadth. It is secure and convenient, and surrounded by a number of excellent quays, which are always thronged with a busy crowd of men of all nations. Although the harbour can accommodate 1200 vessels, it has been found insufficient for the numbers of those frequenting it, and a new harbour has been accordingly constructed, called La Joliette, opposite to Fort St Nicolas. The neighbourhood of Marseille is extremely dry and barren; and although there are numerous bastides or country houses in the vicinity, the only attraction which these possess is the view of the sea, to which Marseille owes not only its wealth, but a great part of its beauty. The public buildings of Marseille are not so numerous as might be expected; and the view of the city from an eminence is remarkably destitute of spires, domes, and other indications of large and handsome buildings. The cathedral, which is called the "Major," or the church of St Victor, is of very great antiquity, but is by no means an elegant or imposing structure, and its castellated towers give it the appearance rather of a fortress than of a place of worship.

The Hôtel de Ville stands on the northern side of the harbour, and is a rather heavy building, said to be the work of the celebrated Puget, but which was in all probability executed by some inferior hand. One of the finest buildings in Marseille is the Hôtel de la Prefecture. The only others that deserve notice are the new market-house, the theatre, resembling the Odeon at Paris, and the Palais de Justice. In the neighbourhood is the chapel of Notre Dame de la Garde; which contains an ancient olive-wood statue of the Virgin, held in the highest veneration by sailors and fishermen, and a modern one of silver; besides many votive pictures. The church of St Madeleine, also in the suburbs, is an elegant building, and has two light steeples and a fine front. The town contains altogether about twenty Roman Catholic churches, two Greek ones, one Protestant church, and a synagogue. There is a museum and picture gallery, in the former of which are to be seen a few remains of the ancient city of Massilia, which are not of much interest, and do not ascend to a higher antiquity than the time of Julius Caesar. The number of pictures in Marseille, the gallery is about 150, and some of them are very good, though they are not hung in a favourable light. The public library of Marseille consists of about 80,000 printed volumes and 1300 MSS. Marseille has a royal college, occupying a building which was formerly a Bernardine convent, and attended by 300 or 400 students; a royal society of science, literature, and art; an observatory, with schools of navigation, geometry, &c., a good museum of natural history, and a botanic garden. There are at Marseille numerous charitable institutions. The Hôtel Dieu, founded in 1188, is one of the oldest hospitals in France, and is capable of accommodating 750 patients. The Hôpital de la Charité, for the aged, orphans, &c., contains generally from 600 to 650 persons. Situated to the N. of the city is the lazaretto, one of the most perfect establishments of the sort in Europe. This institution is rendered necessary by the frequency with which Marseille has been visited by the plague. The town also possesses public baths. There are published at Marseille three newspapers and several literary journals. The city has a tribunal of primary instance and one of commerce, a chamber of commerce, a council of prud'hommes, a syndicat maritime, and an hôtel des monnaies. Although Marseille is not famous for its manufactures, yet its industry in this department is considerable, and there are many important manufacturing establishments. In former times Marseille was much celebrated for the manufacture of coral into various articles; but this has of late much fallen off, and is now carried on to a greater extent at Genoa, Leghorn, and Naples. Soap-making is largely carried on, and affords employment to about 700 hands. Next in extent to the soap-works of Marseille are the refineries of sugar, sulphur, wax, and borax; the manufactures of steam-engines and machinery; the tanneries, which, however, have rather fallen off of late; the manufacture of hats, of which there are produced from 40,000 to 65,000 annually; the making of china, glass, bricks, &c. The Marseillais are also employed to a considerable extent in the salting of meat and fish, and in the pickling and preserving of various sorts of fruits. The fish and the flower markets are in general well stocked, and present a very animated appearance. An aqueduct has been recently constructed, with great labour and expense, for conveying the water of the Durance to the town. This gigantic work, one of the greatest of its kind in modern times, is remarkable for the bold and skilful engineering with which it has been executed; it is about 60 miles in length, and is carried through 15 miles of tunnels. Marseille, however, is chiefly remarkable as a commercial city, in which respect it is second to none in France, being the great emporium for all the southern parts of the kingdom. Its position is in many respects most favourable for trade, being situated on the shores of the Mediterranean, and having Spain on the right, Italy on the left, and Africa in front; while at the same time it communicates with the centre of France by the large and navigable River Rhone. The exports include all sorts of articles of home produce, such as silk, linen, and woollen stuffs; wines, brandies, &c.; oil, soap, refined sugar, perfumery, stationery, and gloves. Among the imports may be noticed sugar, coffee, &c., from the colonies; corn from Africa and the Black Sea; manufactured goods from England; cotton, hides, wool, tallow, timber, &c. The great advance of Marseille in trade dates from the French conquest of Algiers in 1830, since which time this town has had almost a monopoly of the trade with that country. It is also the chief station for the steam-packets on the line of communication with Malta, Alexandria, and Constantinople. The number of vessels belonging to the port in 1851 was 804, the tonnage 92,237; and in 1855 the number was 913, and the tonnage 130,860. The number of vessels that entered in that year was 5016; that left, 4483; and in 1856 the aggregate number entered and left was 10,183. The total value of the articles imported in 1853 has been computed to amount to Ls.8,000,000; and the exports are believed to be about equal in value. In 1855 the value of the imports was above Ls.11,000,000. The quantity of duties collected at Marseille in 1851 was Ls.1,227,000, being greater than the amount collected at any other port of France. The people of Marseille still preserve many traits of the ancient Greek character, and are noted for their superstitious observance of rites and ceremonies. This may be remarked in the votive offerings with which the chapels are hung round, and in the numerous religious processions, in which the gaiety as well as the superstition of the people find expression.

The Marseillais do not regard themselves as of the same country with the rest of the French, and manifest the same contempt for strangers that was characteristic of the ancient nations. The dialect which is spoken by the greater part of the inhabitants of Marseille is Provençal, which is made up of a mixture of Greek, Latin, Catalan, and French, with a great number of words whose origin can be traced to none of these languages. Marseille is distinguished as having given birth to many famous personages; among whom, in ancient times, the most illustrious was Pytheas the navigator; and in modern times, Puget the artist and architect, born in 1622; Mascaron the preacher, born in 1634; and Peysonnel the antiquary, born in 1700,—may be noticed. Pop. (1851) 185,082.