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TOULON

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 99 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TOULON , a seaport and first-class fortress and See also:

naval station of See also:France, See also:department of See also:Var, See also:capital of the See also:arrondissement of Toulon, on the Mediterranean, 42 M. E.S.E. of See also:Marseilles. Pop. (1886), J3,941; (1901), 101,602. The See also:bay, which opens to the See also:east. has two divisions, the Grande Rade and the Petite Rade; it is sheltered on the See also:north and See also:west by high hills, closed on the See also:south by the See also:peninsula of capes Sicie and Cepet, and protected on the east by a huge See also:breakwater, the entrance, 1300 ft. wide, being defensible by torpedoes. A See also:ship coming from the open See also:sea must first pass the forts of St See also:Marguerite, of Cap Brun, of Lamalgue and of St See also:Louis to the north, and the See also:battery of the See also:signal station to the south; before reaching the Petite Rade it must further pass under the guns of the battery of Le Salut to the east, and of the forts of Balaguier and L'See also:Aiguillette to the west. The Bay of La Seyne lies west of the Petite Rade, and is defended by the forts of Six-Fours, See also:Napoleon (formerly Furt Caire), and Malbousquet, and the batteries of See also:Les Arenes and Les Gaus. To the north of Toulon rise the defensive See also:works of Mont Faron and Fort See also:Rouge, to the east the forts of Artigues and St See also:Catherine, to the north-east the formidable fort of Coudon, and to the south-east that of Colle Noire, respectively dominating the See also:highway into See also:Italy and the valley of See also:Hyeres with the Bay of Carqueiranne. The See also:town, enlarged to the north under the Second See also:Empire, has on that See also:side a See also:fine See also:modern See also:quarter; but in the old town the streets are for the most See also:part narrow, crooked and dirty, and to their insanitary See also:state the See also:cholera epidemic of 1884 was attributed. The See also:chief buildings are the former See also:cathedral of St See also:Marie Majeure (from the 5th See also:century Toulon was a See also:bishop's see till 18o,, when it was annexed to that of See also:Frejus), the See also:church of St Louis, the naval and military See also:hospital, with a natural See also:history collection and an anatomical museum attached, a naval school of See also:medicine, a school of See also:hydrography, and large See also:barracks. In 1883–1887 a handsome See also:Renaissance See also:building was erected to accommodate the picture See also:gallery and the town library. The See also:monument in See also:commemoration of the See also:centenary of the See also:French Revolution was erected in 1890 in the See also:Place de la Liberte, the finest in the new town.

The imports are See also:

wine, See also:corn, See also:wood, See also:coal, See also:hemp, See also:iron, See also:sugar, See also:coffee and fresh See also:fish; the exports are See also:salt, See also:copper ore, barks for tanning and See also:oils. The See also:principal See also:industries, apart from the See also:arsenal, are See also:shipbuilding, fishing, See also:lace-making and wine-growing. Toulon possesses an See also:observatory and a botanical See also:garden. The interesting buildings and gardens of the hospital of St Mandrier stand on the peninsula of Cape Cepet, and near them is the See also:lazaretto. Toulon is the most important of the French See also:dockyards, and is the headquarters of the Mediterranean See also:fleet. The arsenal, which was created by Louis XIV.—See also:Vauban being the engineer of the works—lies on the north side of the Petite Rade. This is approached from the Grande Rade by passages at the north and south ends of a See also:long breakwater which extends from the direction of Le Mourillon towards the Cepet Peninsula. The See also:water space within the moles amounts to about 15o acres, while the quays approach 4 m. in length. Outside in the Petite Rade is a splendid protected anchorage for a See also:great fleet, the whole being commanded by many forts and batteries. There are four great basins approached from the Petite Rade—the See also:Vielle Darse, to the east, on the side of Le Mourillon ; the Darse Vauban, next to it; and the Darse de Castigneau and the Darse Missiessy, farther to the west. In the Darse Vauban are three dry docks, two of them 246 ft. long, with a See also:depth of water on the See also:sill of about 20 ft.; while the third is 283 ft. long, with a depth of over 24 ft. Three other dry docks are in the Darse de Castigneau, of which one is in two sections.

The largest of the docks is 385 ft. long, and the depth of water on the sill in all these docks averages 30 ft. In the Darse Missiessy are two dry docks, 426 ft. long, with a depth on the sill of over 32 ft. There are several building slips, and the yard is supplied with a See also:

gun foundry and See also:wharf, fitting-shops, See also:boiler works, victualling and other establishments, See also:rolling See also:mills and magazines. Le Mourillon is a subsidiary yard at Toulon, devoted chiefly to ship-building, and possessing large facilities, including five covered slips. The See also:Roman Telo See also:Martius is supposed to have stood near the lazaretto. The town was successively sacked by Goths, Burgundians, See also:Franks and See also:Saracens. During the See also:early See also:middle ages, and till conquered by See also:Charles of See also:Anjou in 1259, it was under lords of its own, and entered into See also:alliance with the republics of Marseilles and See also:Arles. St Louis, and especially Louis XII. and See also:Francis I. strengthened its fortifications. It was seized by the See also:emperor Charles V. in 1524 and 1536. See also:Henry IV. founded a naval arsenal at Toulon, which was further strengthened by See also:Richelieu, and Vauban made the new See also:dock, a new See also:enceinte, and several forts and batteries. In 1707 the town was unsuccessfully besieged by the See also:duke of See also:Savoy, See also:Prince See also:Eugene and an See also:English fleet. In 1720 there was an outbreak of the See also:plague.

In 1792 after great and sanguinary disorder, the royalists of the town sought the support of the English and See also:

Spanish fleets cruising in the neighbourhood. The See also:Convention having replied by putting the town " hors la loi," the inhabitants opened their See also:harbour to the English. The See also:army of the See also:republic now (1i93) laid See also:siege to the town, and on this occasion Napoleon See also:Bonaparte first made his name as a soldier. The forts commanding the town having been taken, the English See also:ships retired after setting See also:fire to the arsenal. The conflagration was extinguished by the prisoners, but not before 38 out of a See also:total of 56 vessels had been destroyed. Under the See also:Directory Toulon became the most important French military fort on the Mediterranean; here Napoleon organized the See also:Egyptian See also:campaign, and the expedition against See also:Algiers set out from Toulon in 1830. The fortifications have been strengthened by Napoleon I., Louis Philippe, Napoleon III., and since 187o. See also:Battle of Toulon.—This naval battle took place on the 11th of See also:February 1744, near the See also:port of Toulon. A See also:British fleet of See also:thirty See also:sail of the See also:line under command of See also:Thomas See also:Mathews, who combined the offices of naval See also:commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean and See also:envoy to the courts of See also:Sardinia and the See also:Italian princes, engaged a combined force of Spaniards under See also:Don Jose See also:Navarro and French under M. de See also:Court. They were in all twenty-seven sail. The See also:allies See also:left Toulon on the 9th of February. Mathews was at See also:anchor in Hyeres Bay to See also:watch them, for though France and Great See also:Britain were already engaged as allies on opposite sides in the See also:War of the See also:Austrian See also:Succession, there had been no See also:declaration of war between them.

It was known that the allies meant to See also:

transfer Spanish troops to Italy to serve against the Austrians, and Mathews had no hesitation in attacking them, Great Britain being at war with See also:Spain. He left Hyeres in very See also:light See also:wind with a heavy See also:westerly swell, and with his fleet in confusion. The British ships were straggling over a distance of ten See also:miles, but he put himself between the enemy and Toulon. Mathews was on See also:bad terms with his second in command, Lestock, who commanded the See also:rear See also:division and showed little disposition to support his See also:superior. By the See also:morning of the 11th the See also:interval between the See also:van and centre of the British fleet and its rear had increased in the light breezes, and also through the voluntary or involuntary misapprehension of Mathews's orders by Lestock. The allies were in a fairly well-formed line, heading to the south, and southward of the British. Mathews pursued, and at 1.30 p.m., when his leading ship was abreast of the centre ship of the allies, he attacked. Some hot fighting took place between Mathews and the Spaniards who formed the allied rear. The See also:action was notable as the last occasion on which an See also:attempt was made to use a See also:fireship on the open sea. One was sent against the " Real " (114), the Spanish See also:flagship, but she was reduced to a sinking state by the fire of the Spaniards, and blew up prematurely, with the loss of all on See also:board. At about five o'See also:clock, the French in the van turned back to support the Spaniards, and Mathews See also:drew off. One Spanish ship, the " Poder " (6o), which had surrendered was recaptured, and then set on fire by the allies.

Mathews made only a feeble attempt to renew the battle on the following days, and on the 13th returned towards the See also:

coast of Italy, which he said he had to defend. The British rear division had not come into action at all. The battle, though a miserable affair in itself, is of great importance in naval history because of the pronouncement of See also:doctrine to which it led. Mathews, who was dissatisfied with his subordinate, Lestock. suspended him from command and sent him See also:home for trial. Several of the captains had behaved See also:ill, and the failure ofa superior British fleet to gain a success over the allies caused extreme discontent at home. A See also:parliamentary inquiry was opened on the 12th of See also:March 1745, which on the 18th of See also:April, after a confused investigation, ended in a See also:petition to the See also:king to See also:order trials by court-See also:martial of all the See also:officers accused of misconduct. A long See also:series of courts-martial began on the 11th of See also:September 1745, and did not end till the 22nd of See also:October 1746. Several captains were sentenced to be dismissed the service. Lestock was acquitted, but Mathews was condemned and sentenced to dismissal. The finding of the court, which blamed the officer who actually fought, and acquitted the other who did not, puzzled and angered public See also:opinion. The technical points were not appreciated by laymen. The real evil done by the condemnation of Mathews was not understood even in the See also:navy.

Mathews was blamed on the ground that he had not waited to engage till his van ship was abreast of the van ship of the enemy. By this declaration of principle the court confirmed the formal See also:

system of naval See also:tactics which rendered all sea-fighting between equal or nearly equal forces so ineffective for two generations. See Beatson, Naval and Military See also:Memoirs, i. 197 seq. (See also:London, 1804), a full and See also:fair narrative. (D.

End of Article: TOULON

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