BARGES  , a

town of south-western France, in the department of Hautes-Pyrenees, in the valley of the Bastan, 25 M . S.S.W. of Bagneres-de-Bigorre by road . The town, which is situated at an altitude of 4040 ft., is hardly inhabited in the winter . It is celebrated for its warm sulphurous springs (75° to 111° F.), which first became generally known in 1675 when they were visited by Madame de Maintenon and the duke of Maine, son of Louis XIV . The waters, which are used for drinking and in baths, are efficacious in the treatment of wounds and ulcers and in cases of scrofula, gout, skin diseases, &c . There is a military hospital, founded in 1760 . The town was formerly much exposed to avalanches and floods, which are now less frequent owing to the construction of embankments and replanting of the hillsides . It is a centre for mountain excursions . The light silk and wool fabric called barege takes its name from the place, where it was first made .