MEZILRES  , a

town *of northern France, capital of the department of Ardennes, 55 M . N.E. of Reims by the Eastern railway . Pop . (1906), town, 7007; commune, 9393• The town itself, the streets of which are narrow and irregular, is situated on the neck of a peninsula formed by a loop of the Meuse . The river separates it from its suburb of Arches and the town of Charleville on the north and from the suburb of Pierre on the south . Adjoining Pierre is Mohon (pop . 5874), with metallurgical works . The fortifications of Mezieres, as well as the citadel still dominating the town on the east, were built under Vauban's direction, but were dismantled in 1885 and 1886 . Immediately to the east of the citadel runs a canal, which provides river-traffic with a short cut across the isthmus . The parish church (16th cent.) contains inscriptions commemorating the raising of the siege of Mezieres in 1521 and the marriage of Charles IX. with thedaughter of the emperor Maximilian II . (1570) . The north and south portals, the Renaissance tower at the west end, and the lofty vaultings, are worthy of remark .

The church, which suffered severely in 1870-71, has since been restored . The prefecture and the hotel de ville, which contains several interesting pictures

relating to the history of the town, belong to the 18th century . Mezieres is the seat of a prefect and of a court of assizes, and there are manufactures of bicycles, and iron and steel castings for motors, railway-carriages, &c . Founded in the 9th century, Mezieres was at first only a strong-hold belonging to the bishops of Reims, which afterwards became the property of the counts of Rethel . The town was increased by successive immigrations of the people of Liege, flying first from the emperor Otto, and afterwards from Charles the Bold; and also by concessions from the counts of Rethel . Walls were built in the 13th century, and in 1521 it was defended against the Imperialists by the Chevalier Bayard, to whom a statue was erected in 1893 . The anniversary of the deliverance is still observed yearly on the 27th of September . In 1815 the Germans were kept at bay for six weeks, and in 1871 the town only capitulated after a bombardment during which the greater part of it was destroyed .