an important seaport, and the second naval arsenal of France, capital of an arrondissement in the department of Var, at the head of one of the best harbours on the Mediterranean, 32 miles E.S.E. of Marseilles, and 190 S.S.E. of Lyons. It occupies a fine situation, on a piece of ground rising gradually from the sea to the lofty ridge of Mount Pharon, which runs east and west, and sends out lower branches, enclosing the town and harbour on either side. The harbour forms a large and secure roadstead, nearly land-locked, and opening only towards the east. It is divided by two headlands, which approach very near each other, into an outer and an inner road; and on the north side of the latter are two artificial basins, the old or mercantile, and the new or naval harbour. These are formed by piers, and entered by narrow openings, admitting only one ship at a time; and they communicate with one another by a swing-bridge. The old harbour is surrounded with spacious quays, lined on the north side with good houses, among which are the town-hall; the new harbour is surrounded by the dockyards and other buildings connected with the naval establishment. The town itself consists of an older and a newer portion, the former on the lower ground close to the old harbour, and the latter higher up. There is also a suburb called La Malgue to the south-east. The houses are for the most part well built, but very crowded, the streets being narrow, and in the older parts irregular; and the squares, with the exception of the Place d'Armes, small. Toulon has few important public buildings unconnected with the arsenal. Besides the town-hall, which has two colossal statues by Puget, the principal are the cathedral and three other churches, none of them very good buildings; the exchange, court-house, and theatre. There are a college, several schools and hospitals, a public library, museum, observatory, and botanic garden. But the most conspicuous feature in the town is the arsenal, with the establishments connected with it, which are on a scale of almost unrivalled magnificence, occupying 87 acres of ground. On the north side of the naval harbour are the arsenal and storerooms, dockyards, and ship-building slips, various workshops, and naval schools; and beyond these a rope-manufactory, occupying a freestone building 2000 feet long. On the mole, to the east and south-east of the same harbour, stands the bagne or convict-house, with accommodation for 4000 or 5000 convicts; and west of the harbour is the artillery depot and government bakehouse. Various other basins and dockyards for ship-building have been formed in a different part of the town, east of the commercial harbour. Toulon is very strongly fortified. On the land side there are very complete defences, entered by two gates—that of France on the N.W., and that of Italy on the N.E.; and the town is still further protected by an entrenched camp, and various forts and outworks on all the commanding positions. The suburb of La Malgue is commanded by a fort of the same name; both the outer and inner roadsteads have forts at their entrances; and the old and new harbours are defended by bomb-proof batteries level with the water; so that altogether the place is considered nearly impregnable. Neither the manufactures nor the trade are of much importance, if we except the extensive business connected with the government establishments. Besides ship-building, the principal manufactures carried on are those of woollen cloth, hosiery, leather, soap, candles, and chocolate. The trade has increased considerably since the occupation of Algeria; wine, brandy, oil, fruits, corn, flour, and other productions of the fertile country round about, being the chief articles exported. Toulon is mentioned Toulouse, by the ancient geographers under the name of Telo Mar-tius; but it did not become important till modern times. To defend it from the African pirates, Louis XIII. founded a tower, which was completed by Francis I. To Henry IV. Toulon owes its mercantile harbour; and to Louis XIV. the naval arsenal and complete fortifications by Vauban. In 1707, it was assailed without success by the Duke of Savoy by land, and the English and Dutch by sea; but in 1793 the English and Spaniards, to whom it had been given up by the royalists, could not hold it against the armies of the Republic, in which Napoleon then served as an officer of artillery. Pop. (1856) 47,075.