Toulon,

Toulon, a seaport and naval arsenal of France, in the department of Var, stands on the shore of the Mediterranean, 42 miles ESE. of Marseilles and 564 SSE. of Paris. It lies at the head of a deep double bay, and rises towards the north in the form of an amphitheatre. The port is divided into two parts, the old and the new—the former, on the east, appropriated to merchant shipping, and the latter, on the west, surrounded by the dockyard, slips, arsenal, cannon-foundry, &c. The dockyard covers 240 acres; and belonging to the arsenal, which is perhaps the finest in France, are the sailyard, armoury, museum, &c. The fortifications were greatly extended after the conquest of Algeria (1830), Toulon becoming the chief port of communication with Africa; and important works of defence have been added since 1880. A cathedral, founded in 1096, the hôtel-de-ville, and a large theatre are the chief buildings. The climate is dry and bracing; but the older portions of the town are still unsanitary, and it suffered much from cholera in 1884. Pop. (1872) 69,808; (1891) 74,144. The Greek Telonion and Roman Tclo Martius, Toulon suffered much from the Saracens, and first rose into importance as a naval stronghold towards the close of the 16th century. The English were defeated off here by the united fleets of France and Spain, 11th February 1744; and in 1793 Toulon was occupied for four months by the English (under Hood) and the Spaniards, who, however, were forced to evacuate the place after being fiercely attacked by the Republicans—a memorable siege as the first great achievement of Napoleon (q.v.). See Lambert's Histoire de Toulon (1886 et seq.).