a town of France, capital of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, at the foot and on the slope of a hill, at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine, 60 miles N. of Nantes, and 190 W. by S. of Paris. The latter river traverses the town from E. to W., receiving the other from the N. To the south of the Vilaine stands the old or lower town, to the north the upper or new town, which is the finest portion, having been rebuilt since a conflagration which destroyed it in 1720. These separate quarters are connected by three bridges, and both are surrounded by an ancient wall and towers. Its narrow, crooked streets, and curiously-carved wooden houses, give to the lower town a very picturesque appearance; the other portion, though handsome, is uniformly built of a dull grey stone, and has a sombre aspect. One of the most attractive features of Rennes is its public walks, which are very beautiful: Le Mont Thabor, formed of the garden of an old abbey, commands a fine view over the city and the valley of the Vilaine; Le Mail extends between two canals to the confluence of the rivers. Besides these there are Le Mont de Madame and Le Champ de Mars, all of them being planted with shady trees. One of the ancient gates is still preserved; it is that by which the dukes of Brittany, after taking a solemn oath, entered the city to be crowned in the cathedral. This is now a modern building, large and heavy, with two square towers; the interior, in the Grecian style, is imposing, but has little of an ecclesiastical aspect. Some of the other churches are more tasteful in architecture. The most remarkable edifice of the new town, and almost the only ancient one that has escaped destruction, is the court-house, in which the estates of Brittany used to meet. It contains a large and handsome hall, decorated with paintings and other ornaments. Among the other buildings are the town-hall, a fine modern pile, containing the public offices, library, lecture-rooms, and schools of art and architecture; the theatre, episcopal palace, barracks, and arsenal. There are also in the town several schools, hospitals, and a house of correction. As a manufacturing town, Rennes is not of very much importance, though there is considerable variety in the articles produced. Linen, sail-cloth, hosiery, hats, cordage, fishing-nets, starch, glue, leather, paper, playing-cards, and pottery are the most important of these. The trade, however, is of more extent, and is much facilitated by the situation of the town and its means of communication, the Vilaine being navigable for barges up to this point, and being connected with the sea by canals leading to St Malo and Brest. Rennes is also connected by canal and railway with Nantes, and so by the latter with Paris. The chief articles of trade are the manufactures of the town, and butter, wax, honey, and poultry, from the surrounding country. Rennes is the seat of a bishop, of a high court of justice, and of a university-academy, besides inferior courts of law. There are large suburbs, which have much resemblance to the town itself. Condute was the ancient name of the place, and it was the capital of the tribe called Redones, from whom the modern appellation has been derived. After the fall of the Roman empire it fell into the hands of the Franks; and Clovis established here counts, who seem to have been subject now to the French kings, now to the kings or dukes of Brittany. When Nommoes, in the ninth century, established the independence of Brittany, Rennes was made the capital, and was fortified as a frontier town against the French monarchy. Along with the rest of Brittany, Rennes came by marriage to the French crown under Francis I. The town has been subjected to several sieges; and at the time of the Revolution was the scene of some conflicts, being always firmly attached to the popular cause. Pop. (1856) 38,945.