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DUNKIRK (Fr. Dunkerque)

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Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 681 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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DUNKIRK (Fr. Dunkerque) , a seaport of See also:northern See also:France, See also:capital of an See also:arrondissement in the See also:department of See also:Nord, on the Straits of See also:Dover, 53 M. N.W. of See also:Lille on the Northern railway. Pop. (1906) 35,767. Dunkirk is situated in the See also:low but fertile See also:district of the Wateringues. It lies, amidst a network of canals. immediately to the See also:west and See also:south of its See also:port, which disputes with See also:Bordeaux the See also:rank of third in importance in France. The populous suburbs of Rosendael and St Pol-sur-Mer See also:lie respectively to the See also:east and west of the See also:town; to the See also:north-east is the bathing resort of Malo-See also:les-Bains. The streets of Dunkirk are wide and well paved, the See also:chief of them converging to the square named after See also:Jean See also:Bart (See also:born at Dunkirk in 1651), whose statue by See also:David d'See also:Angers stands at its centre. See also:Close to the See also:Place Jean Bart rises the See also:belfry (290 ft. high) which contains a See also:fine peal of bells and also serves as a signalling See also:tower. It was once the western tower of the See also:church of St See also:Eloi, from which it is now separated by a See also:street.

St Eloi, erected about 156o in the See also:

Gothic See also:style, was deprived of its first two bays in the 18th See also:century; the See also:present See also:facade See also:dates from 1889. The See also:chapel of Notre-See also:Dame See also:des See also:Dunes possesses a small See also:image, which is the See also:object of a well-known See also:pilgrimage. The chief See also:civil buildings are a large Chamber of See also:Commerce, including the customs and port services, and a fine See also:modern town See also:hall. Dunkirk is the seat of a sub-See also:prefect; its public institutions include tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a See also:board of See also:trade-arbitrators, an See also:exchange, a See also:branch of the See also:Bank of France and a communal See also:college; and it has a school of See also:drawing, See also:architecture and See also:music, a library and a See also:rich museum of paintings. Dunkirk forms with See also:Bergues, Bourbourg and See also:Gravelines a See also:group of fortresses enclosed by inundations and canals. A See also:chain of forts to the eastward is designed to facilitate the deployment of an See also:army, concentrated within the fortified region, towards the Belgian frontier. The See also:harbour of Dunkirk (see See also:Dome) is approached by a fine natural roadstead entered on the east and west, and protected on the north by See also:sand-See also:banks. From the roadstead, entrance is by a channel into the See also:outer harbour, which communicates with seven floating basins about 115 acres in See also:area and is accessible to the largest vessels. The port is provided with four dry docks and a gridiron, and its quays exceed 5 M. in length. Its commerce is much facilitated by the See also:system of canals which bring it into communication with See also:Belgium, the See also:coal-basins of Nord and Pasde-See also:Calais, the rich agricultural regions of See also:Flanders and See also:Artois, and the See also:industrial towns of Lille, See also:Armentieres, See also:Roubaix, See also:Tourcoing, See also:Valenciennes, &c. The roadstead is indicated by See also:light-See also:ships and the entrance channel to the port by a lighthouse which, at an See also:altitude of 193 ft., is visible at a distance of 19 M. Dunkirk annually despatches a See also:fleet to the Icelandic See also:cod-See also:fisheries, and takes See also:part in the See also:herring and other fisheries.

It imports See also:

great quantities of See also:wool from the See also:Argentine and See also:Australia, and is in See also:regular communication with New' See also:York, See also:London and the chief ports of the See also:United See also:Kingdom, See also:Brazil and the far East. Besides wool, leading imports are jute, See also:cotton, See also:flax, See also:timber, See also:petroleum, coal, See also:pitch, See also:wine, cereals, oil-seeds and oil-cake, nitrate of soda and other chemical products, and metals. The See also:principal exports are See also:sugar, coal, cereals, wool, See also:forage, See also:cement, See also:chalk, See also:phosphates, See also:iron and See also:steel, tools and See also:metal-goods, See also:thread and vegetables. The See also:average See also:annual value of the imports for the years1901—1905 was £23,926,000 (£22,287,000 for 1896—1900), of exports f6,369,000 (f4,481,000 for 1896—1900). The See also:industries include the See also:spinning of jute, flax, See also:hemp and cotton, iron-See also:founding, See also:brewing, and the manufacture of machinery, fishing-nets, See also:sail-See also:cloth, sacks, casks, and See also:soap. There are also saw-and See also:flour-See also:mills, petroleum refineries and oil-See also:works. See also:Ship-See also:building is carried on, and the preparation of See also:fish and cod-See also:liver oil occupies many hands. Dunkirk is said to have originated in a chapel founded by St Eloi in the 7th century, See also:round which a small See also:village speedily sprang up. In the loth century it was fortified by See also:Baldwin III., See also:count of Flanders; together with that See also:province it passed successively to See also:Burgundy, See also:Austria and See also:Spain. In the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries its See also:possession was disputed by See also:French and Spaniards. In 1658 See also:Turenne's victory of the Dunes (q.v.) gave it into the hands of the French and it was ceded to See also:England. After the Restoration, See also:Charles II., being in See also:money difficulties, sold it to the French See also:king See also:Louis XIV., who fortified it.

By the terms of the See also:

peace of See also:Utrecht (1713) the fortifications were demolished and its harbour filled up, a See also:sacrifice demanded by England owing to the damage inflicted on her See also:shipping by Jean Bart and other corsairs of the port. In 1793 it was besieged by the See also:English under See also:Frederick See also:Augustus, See also:duke of York, who was compelled to retire after the defeat of Hondschoote. See A. de St Leger, La Flandre maritime et Dunkerque (See also:Paris, 1900).

End of Article: DUNKIRK (Fr. Dunkerque)

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