ETAPLES

etaples, a town of northern france, in the department of pas-de-calais, on the right bank of the estuary of the canche, 3 m. from the straits of dover, 17 m. s. of boulogne by rail. pop. (1906) 5136. etaples has a small fishing and commercial port which enjoyed a certain importance during the middle ages. boat-building is carried on. there is an old church with a statue of the virgin much revered by the sailors. the canche is crossed by a bridge over 1600 ft. in length. le touquet, in the midst of pine woods, and the neighbouring watering-place of paris-plage, 3-1/2 m. w. of etaples at the mouth of the estuary, are much frequented by english and french visitors for golf, tennis and bathing, and etaples itself is a centre for artists. antiquarian discoveries in the vicinity of etaples have led to the conjecture that it occupies the site of the gallo-roman port of _quentovicus_. in 1492 a treaty was signed here between henry vii., king of england, and charles