ROYAN a town of France, in the department of Charente Inférieure, is situated on the right bank of the Gironde, where it joins the ocean; a branch line of 51, miles connects it with Saujon, on the Seudre Railway, which joins the Bordeaux-Nantes line at Pons. Royan, which in 1881 had a population of only 4573 (5445 as a commune), is one of the most frequented bathing resorts on the Atlantic seaboard, the visitors numbering about 80,000 annually. Royan owes this popularity to its charming neighbourhood, pleasantly watered by brooks and shaded by fine trees down to the steep rocky shore. The coast is divided into a number of small bays or “conches,” forming so many distinct beaches: to the east of the town is the “Grande Conche”; to the south the “Conche de Foncillon,” separated from the first-named by a quay which forms a fine terraced esplanade; beyond the fort of Royan, which protects the entrance of the river, follow in succession the conches “du Chay” and “de Grand Robinson,” and the most fashionable of all, that of Pontaillac. In the Avenue de Pontaillac stand a large new casino, a theatre, and a hydropathic establishment. Royan also has a race-course and a museum of natural history....