A Literary Tour de France
Nîmes
Summary
Population: | 49,000 in 1780. |
Book Trade: | eight booksellers and two printers. Guild, chambre syndicale, and inspector of the book trade |
Institutions: | bishopric and trade court. Royal subdélégation, sénéchaussée court of justice, and tax recette. |
Culture |
college of medicine, large college, learned academy, theater, reading cabinet, and newspaper (after 1786). Garrison town. High literacy (for entire département): male 57%, female 18%. Protestant bastion within a Protestant area. |
Communications: | major stop on post road from Lyon and Avignon, continuing to Montpellier. |
Economy: | booming economy based on textile production (silk, cloth, woolens, hosiery), and commerce in groceries, hardware, cloth and silk, and local produce (fruits and seeds). Close to Beaucaire, seat of one of France’s largest fairs. |