inely situated on an elevation in the midst of a fertile
and well-cultivated plain; and its commercial facilities are greatly
increased by the Canal du Midi, which widens out, as it passes the town,
into an extensive basin surrounded with wharves and warehouses for the
timber used in the upkeep of the canal. The principal buildings are the
law court, the hotel de ville, and the church of St Michel, dating from
the 14th century; none of these offers any feature of unusual interest.
There are a number of flour-mills, as well as manufactories of
earthenware, tiles and blankets; an extensive trade is maintained in
lime, gypsum, timber, grain, fruits, wine, wool, cattle and farm
implements, and the building of canal boats forms an important industry.
The public institutions include the sub-prefecture, tribunals of first
instance and of commerce, a communal college and a farm school.

Castelnaudary probably represents the ancient town of _Sostomagus_,
taken during the 5th century by the Visigoths, who, it is conjectured,
rebuilt the town, calling it _Castrum Novum Arianorum_, whence the
present name. Early in the 13th century the town was the scene of
several struggles during the war against the Albigenses, between Simon
IV., count of Montfort, and Raymond VI., count of Toulouse, and their
supporters. In 1229 it was deprived of its ramparts, and after these had
been rebuilt, it was captured and burned by the Black Prince in 1355,
but again rebuilt in 1366. In 1632 it was the scene of a cavalry
engagement in which the rebel Henry II., duke of Montmorency, was
defeated and captured by the royal troops.

CASTELSARRASIN, a town of south-western France, capital of an
arrondissement in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne, 12 m. W. of
Montauban on the Southern railway. Pop. (1906) town, 3189; commune,
7496. Castelsarrasin, situated on the left bank of the lateral canal of
the Garonne and about a mile from the right bank of that river, is
surrounded by promenades occupying the site of the old fortifications.
Its chief building is the brick-built church of St Sauveur, which dates
from the 13th century. The administrative buildings are modern. The town
has a sub-prefecture, a tribunal of first instance, and a communal
college. The principal industrial establishment is the metal-foundry of
Sainte-Marguerite, where copper, tin and other metals are worked; there
are also flour-mills, saw-mills and dye-works. Trade is in cattle,
agric