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THE UNIVERSITY 
. OF ILLINOIS 



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LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS 



OF THE ^ 

f 




lliiliililllliilliilllillililllllliMllililillllliillliiiliiiiliiiiiliiiiilJitliili^^^^^^^ 



THE EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS 



lyo 



THE 



UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY 



By ELISEE RECLUS 

EDITED 

By E. G. RAVENSTEIN, F.R.G.S., F.S.S., Etc. 



VOL. II. 

FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND 




ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND MARS 



y^ 



LONDON 
J. S. VIRTUE & CO., Limited, 294, CITY ROAD 



LONHON : 
IMtD BV J. S. V.KU'B AND CO., UMnH'. 




CONTENTS. 



FRANCE. 



CHAP. 
I. 



II. 



III. 



PAGE 
1 



iv 



VI 



VII 



23 



74 



Gexehai Aspects. The Country and its Inhabitants 

Geographical Position; Geology, p. 1. Climate; Rivers, p. 7. The Prehistoric Age of 
France, p. 13. The Inhahitants of France, p. 16. 

The Pyrexeks, the Landes, and the B.isin of the Garonne 

The P)Tenees, p. 23. The Landes, p. 39 The Adour, p. 45. The Garonne, p. 48. 
Topography. — Pj-renees-Orientales, p. 53. Ariege, p. 55. Haute-Garonne, p. 57. Hautea.- 

Pvrenees, p. 59. Basses-PjTenees, p. 62. Gers, p. 64. Tarn-et-Garonne, p. 65. Lot-et- 

Garonne, p. 67. Landes, p. 67. Gironde, p. 69. 
The Alps, the Rhose, and the Co.iST of the M' diterr.inean 

General Aspects : Mountains, p. 74. Provence, p. 75. Maritime Alps, 78. Cottian Alps, 

p. 78. The Alps of Dauphine, p. 80. The Alps of Savoy, p. 8t. The Rhon"- and other 

Livers, p. 89. Coast-line and Lagoons, p. 108. Climate, p. 114. 
Top,r/,-aph!/.—Auie, T^. 115. Herault, p. 117. Gard, p. 119. Ardeche, p. 122. Bouches- 

du-Rhone, p. 124. Var, p. 130. Alpes-Maritimes, p. 134. Vaucluse, p. 136. Hautes- 

Alpes, p. 139. Basses-Alpes, p. 140. Drome, p. 141. Isfere, p. 142. Savoie.p. 144. Haute- 

Savoie, p. 146. 
The Jlra and the B,vsin of the Saone (Franche-Comte and Blrgvndv) 

General Aspects ; Mountains, p. 148. Lakes and Rivers, p. 150. Inhabitants, p. 156. 
Topogniphy.—Ma., p. 157. Jura, p. 158. Doubs, p. 159. Belfort, p. 162. Haute-Saone, 

p. 163. Cote-d'Or, p. 164. Saone-et-Loire, p. 167. Rhone, p. 171. 
The PLATE.iu OF Central Fr.\nce (Gevavdan, Velav, Auvergne, Rouergue, Limousin, 

Perigord, Marche, Bovrbonnais) 

The Cevennes, p. 174. Mezenc and Vivarais, p. '177. Velay, p. 179. The Volcanoes of 

Auvergne, p. 181. Limousin, p. 186. Forez, Beaujolais, and CharoUais, p. 188. Inha- 
bitants, p. 188. 
Topography.— Lozere, p. 189. Ilaute-Loire, p. 189. Aveyron, p. 190. Tarn, p. 191. 

p. 193. Cantal, p. 194. Puy-de-Dome, p. 195. Correze, p. 197. Dordogne, p. 

Haute- Vienne, p. 199. Creuse, p. 200. Allier, p. 201. Loire, p. 204. 
Chaeente and Vendee (Anqoumois, Saintonge, Aunis, Poitov) 

General Aspects ; Hills, p. 206. Rivers, p. 207. The Coast, p. 208. 
Topography.— Q^HTenie, p. 212. Charente-Inferieurc, p. 214. Vienne, p. 218. 

Sevres, p. 219. Vendee, p. 220. 

The Bisin of the Loire -^-^ 

General Aspects, p. 222. The Loir.', p. 223. 
Topography.— Jsievre, p. 230. Cher, p. 232. Indre, p. 232. Loiret, p. 233. 

p 234. Euro et-Loir, p. 236. Indrc-ot-Lou'e, p. 236. Maine-et-Loii-e, p 

p S39. Mayennc, p. 242. Loiiolnfericuie, p. 242. 



14S 



174 



Lot, 
198. 



Deux- 



2'M. 



Loir-ct-Clier, 
238. Sarthe, 



A-'A^'^^ 



iy CONTENTS. 



on\p. 



^ PAOB 

Viii. Bkittanv (Buetaone) '^i6 

Genenil Aspects, p. 246. The Coast, p. 248. Inhabitants, p. 253. 
Topography. — Morbihan, p. 2o6. Finistere, p. 258. COtes-du-Nord, p. 2G1. Ille-et- 
VUaiuo," p. 264. 

IX. The Channel Islands 266 

Jersey, p. 266. Serk, p. 268. Guernsey, p. 268. Aldemey, p. 269. 

X. Lower Nohmanuv and Coje.stin 270 

General Aspects, p. 270. 
Topograph ij. —La Manehc, p. 272. Orne, p 275. Calvados, p. 276. 

XI. The Valley of the Seine 280 

The River Seine, p. 280. Upper Normandy, p. 287. The Coast, p. 289. 
Topography. — Yonne, p. 290. Auhe, p. 291. llaute-Marue, p. 291. Maruc, p 292. Scine- 
et-Mamo, p. 297. Paris, p. 299. Seinc-et-Oiso, p. 307. Aisne, p. 310. Oise, p. 314. 
Euro, p. 314. Scine-Inferieurc, p. 316. 
XII. Northern Fkance (Basins of the Sonlme and the Scheldt; Picardy, ^Vrtois, and 

Flanders) 322 

General Aspects, p. 322. 
Topography.— ^maic, p. 331. Pas-de-Calais, p. 334. Nord, p. 337. 

XIII. The Vosoes (Basins of the MtusE and the Moselle) 345 

General Aspects, p. 345. 
Topography. — Mcuso, p. 350. Ardennes, p. 350. Vosges, p. 352. lleurthc-ot-Mosello, p. 354. 

XIV. Statistics op France 356 

Population, p. 356. Agrieulturo, \>. 359. Slining, p. 304. Mauul'actiir.s, p. 365. Com- 
merce, p. 366. Social Statistics, p. 371. 

XV. Government and Administuaiion 374 

Local and Central Government, p. 374. JudiciiU Authorities, p. 376. Ecclesiastical 
Authorities, p. 376. Education, p. 377. .iVmiy and Navy, p. 377. Finance, p. 378. 
tVilouics, p. 380. 

Tabular Statement of Area and Population, p. 382. 

France ; its Departments, Natural KcgionB, and Principal Communes, p. 381. 



SWHTZERLAND. 

I. General Aspects. — The Ali-s 391 

II. The Jlra 409 

III. Glacial Period 414 

IV. UivEHS AND Lakes 419 

V. Climate, Fauna, and Fi.oka 434 

VI. The 1'eoi-le 442 

VII. Topography 452 

Ticino, p. 453. Valais, Vaud, p. 454. Geneva, p. 456. Fribourg, Ncuchatel, p. 459. 
Bern. p. •leO. Solothum, p. 464. Basel, p. 465 A.irgau, p. 467. Luzern, p. 471. 
Schwy;:, Uri, Unterwalden, p. 469. Zug, Ziirich, p. 470. Glarus, Orisons, p. 471. St. 
Gallen, p. 472. Appenzell, Thurgau, p. 473. SchaflFhausen, 474. 

Vin. Agriculture, Industry, ami Commerce 475 

IX. Government and Administration 490 

INDEX 497 




LIST OF ILLUSTBATIOJSrS. 



MAPS PRINTED IN COLOUES. 



PAGE 

1 . France, Geological ..... 4 

2. France, Political 53 

3. Mont Blanc ^ 86 

4. The Volcanoes of Central France • . 177 



5. Geological Map of the Paris Basin 
C. Switzerland ..... 
7. Mount St. Gotthard 



PACK 

301 
3i)l 
4b4 



PLATES. 



The PjTences, as seen from the Terrace of the j 

Castle at Pau .... To face pnyc '2S \ 

The Maladetta, seen from the Summit of the j 

Posets 31 

Panorama of Cier and the Valley of Luchon . 56 

Toulouse 58 I 

Peasants from the Valley of Ossau . . ' . 62 

Bayonne 63 

Bordeaux 69 

La Perte du Rhone at BeUegarde ... 89 

Carcassonne 116 

Marseilles 124 

Grenohle and the Alps of BeUedonne . . 142 
Mont Auxois and the Statue of Vercingetorix . 167 

Lyons 171 

Peasants of Auvergnr 1*<6 

Le Puy-en-Velay . . . • . . .189 
Valley of Mont Dore-les-Bains . . .197 



Limoges To face page 200 

Source of the Loiret 233 

Chambord Castle 235 

Nantes 242 

Mont St. Michel 252 

Paris 299 

Prospect from the Terrace of St. Germain . 308 

Rouen 317 

Lakes of Retoumemcr and Longemer . . 348 

Nancy 354 

Railway Viaduct of Morlaix .... 367 

Le Havre 370 

Mont Cer\an, or the Matterhom . . . 398 

The Jungfrau 401 

The Lake of Thun 427 

Geneva 4')6 

The WeUhom and the Rosenlaui Glacier . . 464 

The Lake of the Four Cantons (Axenstraase) . 470 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT. 



FRANCE. 
no. 

1. The Contour of Franco ... 

2. The Iliatorical High-roads of Franco 

3. Lithologic.-il Map of tlie British Channel 

4. Isothermal Lines of France 

5. Lines of Equal Winter and Summer Tern 

pcrature for Paris 

6. Comparative Area of the River B.tsins and 

average Surface Drainage 

7. Comparative Discharge of the Great Rivers 

of Franco . 

8. DoL - ER - Vekchant ok "Merchants' 

Table," near Locmauiakeh 
9 Dispersion of the Aryans . 

10. The Stature of Frenchmen 

11. Profile of the Pyrenees 

12. Slont Canigou . 

13. Puy de Carlittc 

14. Defiles of the Audo . 

15. The Isthmus between the CorbiC^rcs and 

the Ccvennes 

16. The Little Pyrenees . 

17. The Maladetta. 

18. Mont Perdu . 

19. Roland's B ieach . 

20. The Amimiitheatiik of Gavahnie 

21. Section of the Ancient Glacier of Argelfcs 

22. Ancient Glacier of Argoliss 

23. The Basques on the French Slope of the 

Pyrenees 

24. View in the Lanhes 

25. The Dunes and Landes in the Pays 

Bom 

26 The Basin of Arcachon . 

27. TTie Slope of the Landes . 

28. TTie .iVncient Coast of the Landes 

29. Successive Changes of the Bed of the Gave 

of Pau 

30. The Mouth of the Adour 

31. The Suhterranean Course of the Garonne 

32. Radiating River Courses of Gers 

33. Valleys of Gers .... 

34. The Plain of Riviere 
3.5. The Estuary of the Gironde 

36. The " Passes " of the Gironde . 

37. Section of the Passes of the Gironde 

38. Port-Vendres 

39. Bagneres-de-Luchon 

40. The Convergent Valleys of the Garonne, 

the Ariege, and the Hers . 

41. Toulouse 

42. Canal of the Neste .... 

43. Bagneres-de-Bigorre 
4 I. Tumuli of Ossun .... 
4.5. Bayonne and the Mouth of the Adour 

46. Roadstead of St. Jean-de-Luz . 

47. The Alluvial Plain of the Garonne, the 

Tain, and the Aveyron 



2 
5 
G 
8 



12 



13 



1.5 
17 
19 
24 

2.; 

26 
27 

29 
30 
31 
32 
3 J 
34 
35 
36 

38 
40 

41 
42 
43 
44 

46 
47 
48 
49 
50 
60 
51 
62 
62 
64 
66 

57 
58 
59 
60 
61 
63 
61 

60 



75 



FIO. 

48. Cap-Breton .... 

49. Bordoau.\ 

60. The Wine Districts of the Gironde 
81. The Invasion of PhyUoxera, 1»73 
62. Zones of Orvnges and Olives . 
53. The Mountains of the Moors . 

64. The Valli-y of the Arc 

65. The Veudon at (U'inson 

66. The Gorge, or " Clus," of the Verdon 

67. The Glacieus of Oisans 

68. AlOlILLE OF THE MeDJE 

69. The Glacieu of La Grave 

60. The "Forest" of Saou 

61. Le s Mouur£ . 

62. Mont Blanc as seen from Chamoni.x 

63. Ancient Lake Beds in Savoy 

64. Perte du Rhone and BuUegarde 

65. The Lake of Annecy 

66. The Lake of Bourgot 
07. Ancient Glaciers of tho Rhone and the 

Isero . . . • 

68. Plain of La Valloiro 

69. The Sorgucs of Vaucluso 

70. Pontd'.Vrc (\rdecho) 

71. I'oNT d'Arc 

72. The Roman Aqveduct over the Gard 

73. Tho Crau and the Canal of Crapponno 

74. The Canal of tho Verdon . 
76. The Delta of the Rhone . 

76. The Canal of St. Louis 

77. The Lagoons of Aigucs-Mortes 

78. The Delta of the Aude . 

79. Rigoles of tho Canal du Midi . 

80. The Mouth of the Herault and Cap 

d'Agde 

81. Leucate and the Roadstead of Fniuqui 

82. The Lagoon of Thau 

83. Bionomical Condition of the Littoial 

Region of Herault 

84. Etang de Berre • . . . 

85. The Canal of Caronte 

86. The Prevailing AN'inds at Aigues-Mortus 

87. The Port of La Nouvelle . 

88. Tho H.arhour of Cette 

89. The Protestant Congreg.ations in the South 

of France .... 

90. Beaucaire and Tarascon . 

91. The Invasion of the Phylloxera 

92. M.arscilles .... 

93. The Roadstead of Marseilles . 

94. The Mai-solevm at St. Rcmy 

95. King Rene's Castle at Tarascon 

96. Toulon 

97. Hyeres 

98. The Gulf of St. Tropez . 

99. Nice 

100. VUlcfranche .... 

101. The Caverns of BAOis.-i-Eov.'-SE 



0!S 

7 J 
71 
72 
75 
76 
77 
78 
79 
80 
81 
82 
84 
85 
86 
8S 
89 
90 
91 

93 

91 

9.5 

90 

97 

98 

99 

100 

101 

103 

104 

105 

107 

108 
109 
110 

111 
112 
113 
114 
116 

lis 

120 
122 
123 
125 
126 
128 
129 
130 
131 
132 
1.33 
1.15 
136 



LIST OV ILLUSTRATIONS. 



VII 



FIG. 






PAOt 


no. 


102. 


Baousse-Rousse .... 


. 137 


163. 


103. 


Cannes and the Isles of Lerins 


. 138 


164. 


104. 


AVIGNO.N 


139 


165. 


105. 


Col de Larche . 




140 


166. 


106. 


SiSTERO.N . 




. 141 


167. 


107. 


Valence . 




. 143 


168. 


108. 


Grenoble . 




. 144 


169. 


109. 


Passes over the Alps 




145 


170. 


110. 


Thonon . 




. 146 


171. 


HI. 


The Jura 




149 


172. 


112. 


The Forest of Chaux 




150 


173. 


113. 


The Lake of St. Point 




151 


174. 


m. 


The Lake of Chalin . 




152 


175. 


115. 


The Lakes of the Cluse of Xautua . 


152 


176. 


116. 


The Lower Valley of the Ain . 


153 


177. 


117. 


The Great Defile of the Doubs 


154 


178. 


118. 


The Falls of the DoUjS 


155 


179. 


119. 


The Combos in 1834 


156 


180. 


120. 


The Mountains of Jlorez and St. Claude 


158 


181. 


121. 


The First Terrace of the Jura, between 




182. 




Lons-le-Saunier and Salins 


160 


183. 


122. 


Besan(;on 


161 


1S4. 


123. 


BES.is<;oM 


162 


18.5. 


124. 


Belfort 


163 


186. 


125. 


Belfort 


164 


187. 


126. 


Vesoul 


165 


1S8. 


127. 


The "Wine District of Cote-d'Or 


166 


189. 


128. 


Le Creusot 


168 


190. 


129. 


Le Ckecsot 


169 


191. 


130. 


Lvons 


170 


192. 


131. 


The Enviions of Lvons . 


172 


193. 


132. 


The Mountains of Espinouze . 


175 


194. 


133. 


The Causse of Mi jean 


176 


195. 


134. 


The Defile of the AkdIche, xe.\ii 




196. 




EUOMS 


178 


197. 


135. 


The Hills of Coiron .... 


179 


198. 


136. 


LePuv 


ISO 


199. 


137. 


The Ply de l'Aiguillier, Moxt Doue 


1S2 


200. 


138. 


The Puy of Sancy and the Lake District 


183 


201. 


139. 


The Chain of the Puy de Dome 


184 


202. 


140. 


Volvic 


185 


203. 


141. 


The Meanderings of the Lot 


186 


204. 


142. 


The Rapids of Lalinde . 


187 


205. 


143. 


Roquefort 


191 


206. 


144. 


DecazevDle 


192 


207. 


145. 


Clermont and Montferrand 


195 


208. 


146. 


Thiers 


196 


209. 


147. 


Section of the Carboniferous Strata oi 




210. 




St. filov 


197 


211. 


148. 


Tayac and Lcs Eyzies, on the Vezere 


198 


1 212. 


149. 




201 


213. 


150. 


Vichy 


202 


214. 


151 




203 


215. 


152. 


The Head- Waters of the Tou^Te 


207 




153. 




2.8 


2! 6. 


154. 


Xoirmoutier ..... 


209 


217. 


155. 




210 


218. 


15-. 


The Ancient Gulf of Poitou . 


211 


219. 


157. 




212 


220. 


158. 


The Brandy Districts of Ch.arente . 


213 


221. 


159. 


Rochefort and the Lower Charente . 


214 




160. 


La Rochelle . . ... 


215 


222. 


161. 


La Rochelle 


216 


223. 


162. 


AhS-E.v-R^ 




217 


224. 



PAOl 

, The Gulf of Aiguillon . . . .218 

, Les Sables-d'Olonne .... 220 

The Bill of the -Ulier .... 223 

The Authion 224 

La Sologne 225 

, The Erdre 226 

The L^ke of Grand Lieu . . .227 

La Grande Briere 228 

Paimboeuf 229 

The Mouth of the Loire . . . .230 

Le Croisic and Batz 231 

Cleans 233 

Chartres 235 

Tours 237 

Angers 238 

The t-LATE QC.VRRIES XF.AR A.NGERS . 240 

Le Mans 241 

Nantes 243 

St. Xazaire 244 

The Landes of Lanvaux .... 247 

Morbihan 248 

The Peninsula of Quiberon . . . 249 
The Headland of Comouaille . . .250 
The Bay of St. Michel . . . .252 

Bketox Peasants 253 

Approximate E.\tent of the Breton Tongue 254 
WoMEX OF Cakcale .... 255 
Lorient and Port- Louis .... 257 

Concameau 259 

Brest 260 

Morlaix 262 

St. Malo and St. Servan . . .263 

View op St. SIalo 264 

The Channel Islands . . . .267 

The Forest of Andaine . . . .271 

Meadows of Normandy . . . .272 

The Sinks of the Aui-e . . . .273 

Cherbourg ...... 271 

The Beach at Grasville . . . 275 
Caen and the Mouth of the Ome . .277 

TrourUle 278 

The Ra%-uied Plateau of Upper Burgundy 281 
The Lake Reservoir of Settons . . 282 
The Source of the Seine . . . .283 
The Basin of Vitry-le-Francois . . 284 
Section of the Paris Basin . . . 285 
The Estuarj- of the Seine . . .286 

The District of Bray .... 287 

Da'.es on the Coast 288 

Cape de la HkvE 289 

The En%'irons of Langrcs . . . 292 

Chalons and its Camp .... 293 
The Bifurcation of the Grand Morin at 

Sezanne 294 

Reims and Epemay .... 295 

The Cathedral of Reims . . . 296 

Fontainebleau 297 

Paris and the Great Highways of France 298 
The Growth of Paris .... 299 
The Comparative Growth of London and 

Paris in Popluation .... 300 
The Areas occupied by London and Paris 301 

Notre-Dame 302 

The Louvre 303 



LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. 



no. 








PAoi: 




225. 


The New Opera Hov.'se, P.\k 


IS 




304 


Fin. 


226. 


Paris aud its Aqueducts . 






305 


280. 


227. 


Paris and its Forts . 






300 


281. 


228. 


St. Germain-cn-Laye 






308 




229. 


Laon .... 






310 


282. 


230. 


St. Qucntin 






311 




231. 


Compicgne 






312 


283. 


232. 


ChantiUy 






313 


284. 


233. 


Les Andelys 






315 


285. 


234. 


Rouen and its Environs . 






316 


286. 


235. 


Le Ha\Te . . . 






317 


287. 


236. 


The Cliffs of Etketat 






318 


288. 


237. 


Fecamp .... 






319 


289. 


238. 


Dieppe .... 






320 


290. 


239. 


The HiUs of Boulogne . 






323 


291. 


240. 


The Estuary of the 8ommo 






324 


292. 


241. 


The Ancient Gulf of Flanders 






325 


293. 


242. 


The Moercs of Dunkirk . 






326 


294. 


243. 


Section of the Strait of Dover 




327 


295. 


244. 


Strait of Dover and the Proposed 


Tunnel 


328 


296. 


245. 


Section of the Proposed Tunnel 




328 


297. 


246. 


Extent of the French and 


Flemish 




298. 




Languages .... 


. 


329 


299. 


247. 


The Coal Basin of Northern France 


330 


300. 


248. 


PfeHONNE-SUR-SOMME 


, 


331 


301. 


249. 


Amiens 


. 


332 


30i. 


250. 


Amiens Cathedral . 




333 


303 


251. 


Boulogne .... 


. 


335 


304. 


252. 


Calais 




336 


305. 


253. 


Valenciennes .... 




338 


306. 


254. 


Lille 




339 


307. 


255. 


Koubaix and Turcoing . 




340 


308. 


256. 


The Belfry op Beroues 


. 


341 


309. 


257. 


Gravelines .... 




342 


310. 


258. 


Dunkirk 




343 


311. 


259. 


Glaciers of the Vosges 




346 


312. 


260. 


The Lakes of Gerardmer and 


Longe- 




313. 




mer 


. 


347 


314. 


261. 


Meanderings of the Meuse 




349 


315. 


202. 


Charle\-ille and Slezidres . 




351 


316. 


263. 


Epinal 




352 


317. 


204. 


Nancy 




355 


318 


205. 


Increase of Population in the 


Principal 




319 




Countries .... 




357 


320 


260. 


Density of the Population in France 


358 


321 


267. 


Wheat Harvests 




359 


322 


268. 


Produce of the Vineyards 




360 


323 


269. 


Pastures and Meadows . 




362 




270. 


Average Value of Agricultural 


Produce, 




324 




with the Exception of Wine 




363 


325 


271. 


The Increase of Steam Engines 




365 


326 


272. 


The Railroads of France . 




367 


327 


273. 


Canals and Navigable Rivers . 


. 


868 


328 


274. 


The Commercial Marines of the World . 


369 


329 


275. 


The Navigation of French Ports 




370 




276. 


Map exhibiting the Educational Condition 




330 




of France .... 




372 


331 


277. 


View of Moxaco 


. 


370 


332 


278. 


Comparative .\reas of France and of her 








Colonies .... 


. 


380 


333 


279. 


The Languages of France 




. 


381 


334 



SWITZERLAND. 

PAOE 

Val Piora and the Lukmanior . . . 394 
Diagram showing the Slope of the Valleys 

South and North of the St. Gotthard . 395 
Sources of the Rhone, the Ticino, aud the 

Toce 396 

The lUgraben 397 

The Matterhom (Mont Cer\-in) . . 398 
Glaciers of the Bernese Alps . . . 400 
Blv.mlisali' Glacier .... 401 

The Diablerets 402 

The Windgalle 405 

Piz Bernina 406 

The Glaciers of Tschiorva and Morteratsch 407 
The Valley of Tra vers . . . .410 
The Cluse of Undervelier . . .411 

Meanderings of the Doubs at St. Ursanne 412 
The I^ake of Joux . . . . .413 

TheCatogne 416 

Ancient Glaciers of Eastern Switzerland . 417 
The Lake of Locarno (Lago Maggioro) . 420 
The Lakes of Lugano and Como .421 

The Aletsch Glacier 422 

The Lak(! of Geneva . . . .424 
Section of the Lake of Geneva . . 425 

The Lakes of Neuc hutel, Bienne, and Morat 426 
The Lakes of Brienz and Thun . . 427 

The Grindehvald Gl.icier . . . .428 
The Swamps of the Linth . .430 

The Sources of the Rhine . . .431 

Rain Map of Switzerland . . . 435 

An Ali'Ine Club Cabin .... 437 

Pfaffikon Lake 443 

The Pile Dwellings of Switzerland . . 444 
Ethnographical Jlap of Switzerland . 447 

C0STf.ME8 IN Uki 449 

Costumes in Frihouho .... 450 
Eastern Extremity of the Lake of Geneva 455 

Geneva 456 

The Lake of Morat 459 

Bern 461 

View op Bekn 462 

Interlaken 463 

Bienne and the New Bed of the Aar . 464 

Basel 466 

Porrentruy ...... 466 

Confluence of the Rhine, Aar, Eeuss, and 

Limmat ...... 467 

The Lake of the Four Cantons . . 468 
The Simmenthal ..... 476 

Industrial Map of Switzerland . . . 480 

The Ebexe Fluh 481 

Passes across the Alps .... 482 
The Devil's BkidijE and the Road of 

THE St. Gotthard .... 483 
, Railways of S^vitzerland .... 484 
The Tunnel of the St. Gotthard . 4,S5 

Diagram of the Tunnels of the Simplon 

and the St. Gotthard . . . .480 

The Pass of Maloggia . . . .487 

, The Mo.vch 488 








A UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY, 



FRANCE. 




CHAPTER I. 

GEXEKAL ASPECTS.— THE COTIsTEY AXD ITS DOIAniTAXTS. 

Geogkaphical Positiox. — Geology.* 

EAXCE occupies a medium extent amongst those countries of the 
■(vorld which have played a distinct part in politics and in the 
history of civilisation. Smaller in area than either China, Russia, 
the Brazils, or the United States, it is nevertheless for more con- 
siderable than that of either Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Holland, 
or even of England, all of which have left their mark upon the march of human 
history. Scarcely covering the 225th part of the habitable portion of the globe, 
its dense population has nevertheless enabled it to plaj' a part quite out of propor- 
tion to its area. 

It would be presumptuous if we claimed on behalf of France a sort of moral 
hegemony amongst the nations of the world. Still, within the comparatively 
small territory bounded by the iVlps and Britany, by the Pyrenees and Yosges, 
there have taken place events whose influence has made itself felt to the farthest 
corners of the world. In arts and science France has found worthy rivals since 
the beginning of this century, and there are other nations which claim to march 
at the head of civilisation. But this merely proves that the area of the civilised 
world has been enlarged — that there are other nations capable of giving birth to 
initiatory movements. But France has at all times performed her share of this 
work of human progress, and looking to the influence which her ideas have 
exercised throughout the world, it would be difficult to conceive a future history 
of nations with France blotted from the map of Europe. To a very large extent 

Dufrenoy et Elio de Beaumont, "Mumoires pour scrvir a ime Description gcologique do la 



France' 
VOL. 



ir. 



2 FRANCE. 

the inhabitants of France arc indebted for the eminent position they hold to Iho 
climate, the soil, and the geographical features of the country which they inhabit, 
and a faithful description of these will be our task in the following pages. 

It has often been said that Franco enjoys oxceptiomil advantages from its 
position between the Mediterranean and the open ocean. This position has made it 
the intermediary between the old coxmtries of the ^loditerranean and Northern 

Fig:. 1.— The Contovr ov FiiAxrn. 



5| tl J] a| /| o\or/t.n.yi i j \3 1» \5 . \s' 




,,^ftt AclatU iaundaty. ...... .^isrA diagonals cFJi-aat». 



Europe. Nowhere else in Europe is communication between the coasts of the 
Mediterranean and the Atlantic equally facile. The plains of Poland and Russia 
may offer fewer obstacles to intercommunication, but the Baltic and the Black 
Sea, which they unite, are remote inland seas. In Central Europe the Alps are 
an obstacle to the exchange of ideas and merchandise between the North Sea and 
the Adriatic, but in France great natural highways join the Atlantic and ]\Iedilcr- 
ranean ports and river basins. Mountainous Europe may be said to terminate at 



GEOGEArillCAL POSITION.- GEOLOGY. 8 

the foot of the Ceveimes, and the great diagonals of the ■western portion of that 
continent, yiz. that drawn from Germany to the Iberian peninsuhi, and that 
connecting Italy with England, intersect each other ■within the boundaries of 
France, ■which is thus marked out bj' nature as the great centre in ■which European 
thought may be elaborated, where North and South may exchange their ideas. 

The contour of France is distinguished by compactness no less than by a 
certain elegance. A meridian passing through the capital connects the two 
extreme points of the territory, dividing it into two symmetrical portions in such 
a manner as to form an octagon. Oceanic alternate ■with land boundaries, and 
these latter for the most part consist of mountain chains, ■n^hicli separate France 
very distinctly from neighbouring countries. The principal- of these natural, 
frontier ranges are the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Jura, the Yosges, and the 
Ardennes.* We may even include amongst these bastions the granitic heights of 
the xi.rmorican peninsida, which overlook the fields of Normandy and Anjou to the 
west. To these sterile hills France is probabh- indebted for not having been 
conquered by England, for if Britany had been capable of attracting hardy 
Anglo-Saxon settlers, it ■would have formed a link between Guyenne and 
Normandy, and these provinces might then have remained for ever in the jiosses- 
sion of the foreigner. 

Curiously enough, it is the highest amongst these frontier ranges which separate 
the French from nations of kindi'ed origin, ■whilst the less elevated ranges consti- 
tute the boundaries towards the Germanic countries. The Pyrenees, a most 
formidable barrier, hardly to be passed in winter, divide France from Spain ; the 
Alps, an obstacle almost equally formidable, separate it from Italj-. But farther 
north, the Jura and the Vosges, which are of comparatively small height, separate 
the French from the German-speaking populations, whilst in the north-east, in the 
direction of the ravined plateau of the Ardennes, the boundary in certain parts is 
completely open and quite conventional. The frontier there has varied much in 
accordance with, the fortunes of war, but the two conterminous races did not 
assimilate. In the south, however, had there not been the Pyrenees and the Alps, 
it is to be assumed that instead of three Latin nations — French, Spaniards, and 
Italians — each possessed of some special genius, there would now be but one. 

France is thus doubly privileged. Its southern mountain barriers have pre- 
served it from a premature fusion with other Latin nations, whilst in the north, 
where the frontier is open, it was preserved by the natural antagonism of race, and 
yet, owing to the facilities of communication, it rendered possible an extensive 
commerce and an exchange of ideas. Paris, placed close to this open frontier, was 
thus marked out by nature as the capital of the country : valleys and hills con- 
verge upon it ; it is the principal seat of commerce and industrj*, and whether in 
peace or war has always held the foremost place. 

The physical features of the interior of France arc harmonious in their very 

• Development of coast-line, not including imlentations of less than three miles, 1,030 miles 
(Channel C9fl, Atlantic S61, llediterranean 382 miles). Development of land frontiers, 1,319 miles 
(Belgium 286, Luxemburg 9, Germany 199, Switzerland 2-lG, Italy 255, Spain 351 miles). Tutal 
circumference, 3,288 miles. 

B 2 



4 FllANCE. 

contrasts. A grauitic plateau of a triaiigulav coiilouv occupies the centre of the 
countrj'. In the east it is bounded by tlie deep valley througb which flow the 
Saone and the Rhone ; on the south-west it is bounded by the valley of the 
Garonne, whilst its north-eastern boundary runs parallel with the Loire. The 
granitic mountain of Roucrguo and the heights of Morvan are attached to this 
plateau-like peninsula. Porphyries and lavas have been erupted through the 
granites forming the nucleus of this plateau, and on all sides it is enveloped by 
rocks of more recent age, as the bones of a human body are by flesh. 

This comparison may be carried even further, and we may liken the granites 
and other ancient rocks of the Alps and I'yrenecs, of Poitou, Britany, and Cotcutin, 
of the Vosges and Ardennes, to the skeleton, whilst the sedimentary rocks depo- 
sited in the valleys separating them represent the flesh. 

A zone of Jurassic limestones surrounds almost completely the granitic moun- 
tain mass of Central France, spreading out in the north-east along the foot of 
the Vosges and Ardennes, and bounding in the north-west the peninsula of 
Britany. A corresponding zone of cretaceous rocks extends along the northern 
foot of the Pyrenees, from sea to sea, whilst the crystalline rock niasses of the 
Alps rise above the strata of Jurassic formation. The s^Jacc occupied by rocks of 
more recent origin than the chalk and Jurassic limestones is of small extent. 

Geological formations and the relief of the soil divide France into a number of 
historical and geographical regions. The elevated granitic plateau of the interior, 
as well as the mountain barriers on the frontiers, must at all times have exercised a 
deterrent influence upon the surrounding populations, whilst the rich and fertile 
plains extending between them proved a powerful attraction. The rugged 
plateaux, however, offered a secure shelter, whilst the plains were open at all times 
to the incursions of enemies. Down in the valleys man struggled for the posses- 
sion of the land ; in the mountains he held it securely. The historical contrast 
between this barren central plateau and the surrounding lowlands is very evident. 
The valley of the Rhone in the east, the basins of the Garonne and the Charente in 
the west and south-west, and the huge bend of the Seine in the north, pulsate with 
life, and the number of mountaineers who descended into these inviting plains has 
been greater by far than that of the lowlanders who sought a home in the moun- 
tains, for men, like water, always travel downhill. 

The direction of the great historical highways of France has necessarily been 
influenced by the configuration of the soil thus indicated. From Paris i-outes 
radiate in all directions towards the north, the east, and the west, for there they 
encounter no obstacles, but to the south of the Seine and the Loire these routes 
had to accommodate themselves to the relief of the soil, and there are in reality but 
two of them, viz. the great Roman road which leads across the lowest part of the 
plateau of the Cote d'Or into the valley of the Rhone, and which Cscsar followed 
when he invaded Gaul ; and the great Iberian road, which passes to the west 
of the central plateau. A third natural highway joins the extremities of these 
two roads in the south. This latter skirts the southern slopes of the Cevennes, 
end joins the Mediterranean to the basin of the Garonne. Nearly all the towns 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNiVERSirr of ILLINOIS. 



GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.— GEOLOGY. 5 

which have phiycd a great part in historj' are situated along cither of these roads. 
"We need only instance Orleans, Blois, Tours, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Car- 
cassonne, Narbonne, IMontpellior, Nimes, Aries, Avignon, Lj-ons, Chalons-sur- 
Saone, and Dijon. It has been noticed that the larger towns along these roads are 
generally two stages apart, the intermediate stages being marked by places of less 
consequence. In fact, these towns were originally merely military stages, the 
distances being accommodated to the marching powers of infantry and cavalry. 



Fi'j. 2.— TiiF. IIisTonicAi. TIigii-ho.\ps of Fkance. 




7i <=: >' . >^ -^J 



.^-^ 



ME^t^^" 



v^ \i- yi V 



"Where exceptions occur, thc\- are due to special features of the soil or to the neces- 
sities of commerce. In our own days railways have almost annihilated space, and 
towns no longer grow up at such regular intervals. 

It would be interesting to ascertain the great routes of the migration of man 
and animals in prehistoric times. But this is a matter of no inconsiderable diffi- 
culty. Constant Prevost, Delessc, and others have attempted to construct maps 
exhibiting France during various geological epochs, but their value is merely 



6 FEANCE. 

conjectural, for, irrespective!}' of tlie uncertainty still existing with regard to the 
age of certain rocks, it is almost impossible to tell to what extent the more ancient 
formations have disappeared, owing to subsidence or denudation. 

In the Silurian age it would ajipcar Gaul consisted merely of an elongated 
peninsula extending from where the Aljis are now to modern Britany. Subse- 
quently a wide strait separated this peninsula from a few Alpine masses, then 
recently upheaved above the ocean, whilst newly formed land joined it to the 



Fig. 3. — LiTHOLOGICAL MaI" Ul' THE BllITISII ClIANNEL, SllOWINO THE AxClENI CONNECTION UETWEEN 

BlUTAXY AND ExOLAXD. 









According- to Dclesse. 










A" Ivo'E.orCr- vifo" ^' yn' 


■i-Un- 


l°|t»0' 






1 
i 


i":',f.|'::ri 

Mi 


li'l'tj" ■' m^-r" ^«t 


■>' '''O'' 






M 






"if 


p 




:m' 


^ 






. ,1 






1,1 ■ i 


' 


\ 








- '\^A 




■"IWofPons O" ."1 


■ ' '---.r 




... 



Land. 
Sea Bottom 



JfocAy. 



mil 



Sojid^- 



A 



Pj'renees and to England. The rocky bottom of the channel, as laid down on M. 
Delesse's lithological map, shows where the union between the two Britunics 
existed. When the liassic strata were being deposited in the gulfs of the sea, the 
contours of the great plateau of Limousin and its outer fringe, consisting of the 
Cevennes, the Forez, and the IMorvan, were pretty much as they are now, 
excepting that a deep strait intersected the southern portion. Four wide arms 
of the sea separated this plateau from the Ardennes and Vosges, the Alps, the 
Pyrenees, and Britany. The framework of modern France had thus become 



CLIMATE. -]RI\'ERS. 7 

apparent, and cacli subsequent formation helped to fill it up. Daring tlio 
cretaceous age the central plateau was finally united on the one hand to Britany, 
and on the other to the Vosgcs and the Ardennes : Uoulonnais rose like an island 
in the centre of the sea to the north. At the eonimcnccmcnt of the tertiary 
age this sea had become a gulf, the estuaries of the Garonne and the Adour had 
much diminished in size, lakes were drained or filled up by alluvial deposits, 
and at the time of the last glacial epoch, the date of which cannot be fixed even 
approximately, the contour and relief of France were nearly what they are now. 

The innumerable agencies, however, which change the surface of the land arc 
still at work : mountains are being washed away, lakes silted up, rivers change (heir 
courses, extend their deltas, or enlarge their estuaries, while secular oscillations of 
the land effect changes along the coast. As regards these latter an upheaval during 
historic times has been distincth' traced along the Mediterranean coasts. On the 
Atlantic seaboard the coast of the Landcs has subsided ; to the north of the Gironde 
we meet with incontestable proofs of an upheaval ; and along the British Channel 
there are again indications of a subsidence, which extends through the Netherlands 
as far as Denmark and the southern shores of the Baltic. These slow movements 
have resulted in changes which have exercised an appreciable influence upon the 
march of history. 

Climate.^Eivers.* 

There can be no doubt that the climate of Franco has undergone changes since the 
beginning of the historical period, although it would be difficult precisely to deter- 
mine their extent. The destruction of forests, the draining of swamps, and the 
embankment of rivers must necessarily have affected local climates. There exist 
no precise data in that respect, for exact meteorological observations are only of 
recent growth, but a few general considerations prove it inconfcstably. Certain 
plants can no longer be cultivated at the same altitude as during the Jliddle 
Ages: olive, fig, and orange trees have retired farther south; tlie vine no longer 
grows in Picardy and along the Channel. This retreat of certain plants, however, 
may be due to our improved means of communication with countries where their 
cultivation yields a richer harvest than under the inclement northern skies, and 
we cannot therefore conclude from it that the climate of France has detoriorated 
since the Middle Ages. But that changes in the climate have nevertheless taken 
place is amply proved by an examination of our fossiliferous strata, from which we 
learn that a sub-tropical and an arctic climate succeeded each other at intervals. 

France at the present moment is divided into two climatic zones by the gra- 
nitic masses of the great central plateau. The mean temperature to the north of 
that barrier varies between 50^ and 54^ F., whilst to the south of it it gradually 
rises to 50'^. The contrasts are still greater if we take into account the moistun^ 
of the air, rainfall, winds, and all those other meteorological phenomena which 
constitute climate. ^^'e (hen find that the northern Atlantic slopes of Finance 
• Bouilot, '■ Vuiialions de Liititude ct dc C'linmt." 



8 



FBAXCE. 



form a p^rrlon c f Western Europe, Trhilst tte soutliem M^ediferranean slopes are 
almost Airic-iii iz. their aspect. 

Eastern and Western France contrast likewise, though not in so marked a 
manner. The Atlantic coasts are exposed to the influence of the gulf-stream and 
of warm south-westerlv winds, and their temperature is more elevated than might 
be condoded from their latimdes. As we proceed inland the warm Atlantic 

Fig. 4. — IsoiHEKaAi. Leces of Fbxsce. 
BT5LP.«aoa. 




Erhard,. 



current giadnallr loses its power, westerly winds blow less frequentlr, and the 
mean temperature of Cherbourg is thtis nearly 3" higher than that of Terdun, 
in spite of its lower latitude. 

But this decrease in mean temperature is not the only contrast between the 
extreme west of France and the inland districts, for the seasons in these latter 
present greater differences. The climate along the Atlantic coast is essentially a 
maritime one, and the differences between the extremes of temperature are not 



CLIMATE.— EIVEES. 

vciy great. In tlic cast, where llic equalising influence of tlic ocean is less felt, 
the summers are warmer, the winters more severe tluin on the coast. The farther 
wo iirocccd inland tlic more will lines of equal winter and summer temperature 
be found to differ. Localities in Eastern France, whose mean annual temperature 
is inferior to that of localities on the coast, nevertheless enjoy a higher tempera- 
ture than the latter during summer. The influence which these varying con- 



Fig. 6. — Lines of Euial 'Winter and Simmeu TEMrEii.VTiRE roii Pauis. 




'I » " January 36 "n F. 

w V It July OS "i^ F. 



ditions of temperature exercise upon vegetation is apparent, for some plants 
require a comiJaratively high mean annual temperature, whilst others, like the 
vine, do not suffer from frost, but require a high summer temperature. 

The mean direction of the winds in France has been computed by Kacmtz and 
Martens at S. 88'^ W. ; that is to saj', they blow up the lower valley of the Loire. 
The proportions between easterly and westerly winds is as 100 to 102, that 



10 FEANCE. 

between nortlicrly and southerly winds as 100 to 103. The prejwnderanco of 
westerly and southerly winds w'ould be still more marked, did not the Pyrenees 
oppose an obstacle to their progress. Along the Atlantic seaboard north-westerly 
winds prevail, on the Channel south-westerly winds. Their direction, as a 
matter of course, is modified by local causes and the configuration of the land ; 
but thus much may be assumed as certain, that the atmosphere of France is being 
continually renewed from the west. 

In the valley of the Lower Rhone, which forms almost a world of its own as 
regai'ds climate, the direction of the winds is quite different : they blow up and 
down this narrow valley, either from the Mediterranean or from the north. 
Between the Spanish frontier and the Rhone, as well as to the east of that river 
as far as the Hyeres, north-westerly winds predominate, whilst along the valley 
of the Rhone itself the prevailing wind blows from the north, in the direction of 
the Mediterranean. Thus, whilst the Atlantic slopes of France are exposed to a 
preponderance of sea breezes, it is the land winds which prove victorious on the 
Mediterranean slopes. 

The configuration of the soil exercises as great an influence upon the distribu- 
tion of the rain as it does upon the direction of the winds. The country, in that 
respect, may be divided into three zones. Summer rains prevail in the north and 
in the centre, as also in Germany and nearly the whole of continental Europe ; 
autumn rains prevail in the west ; and on the Mediterranean slopes two rainy 
seasons can be distinguished, viz. one in the beginning of the year, the other in 
autumn : summer rains are rare there. 

The amount of rain varies exceedingl}^ in different localities. Along the sea it 
is gcnerall}' abundant ; the quantity decreases as we proceed inland, but the 
mountains in the interior of the country form a second region where the pre- 
cipitation is considerable, and on a map of France showing the distribution of 
rainfiill these mountain ranges stand out very distinctly. As a general rule the 
quantity of rain increases from west to east, and from north to south ; that is, in 
the direction in which the land rises. In the south, where the air owing to 
higher temperature is capable of holding a greater amount of moisture in suspen- 
sion, the rain after storms sometimes descends in torrents. Upon the whole, 
however, the rainfall near the Mediterranean is less than near the Atlantic, and 
the air there is drier, a feature sufficiently explained by the prevalence of land 
winds. 

There are onlj'- three stations in France at which the annual rainfall 
approaches eighty inches. These are the Pyrenees of Gavarnie, which inter- 
cept the moist winds blowing from the Bay of Biscay ; the mountains of the 
Tanargue, between the sources of the Ardeche and Loire ; and the Alps to the north 
of Gap. On the western slopes of the mountains and on the plateau of Limousin 
the rainfall exceeds forty inches. It is least in a district embracing Meaux, 
Troyes, Epernaj', and Compiegne, which is remote from the sea as well as from 
the mountain region, is badly wooded, and consists for the most part of chalk. 
At Dunkirk, likewise, it rains but little, for the winds prevailing there part with 



CLIMATE.-EIVERS. H 

their moisture whilst passing across Enghaud. From a careful computation made 
I'V 31. Delesso it appears that the rainfall throughout France averages 30-3 
inches. 

The number of rainy days varies quite as much as the amount of rain. At 
Abbeville rain falls on 175 days in the year, at Lille on 1G9 days, whilst 
Marseilles has only 55 and Hyeres 40 rainy days. As a rule the number 
of rainy days decreases as we travel towards the south-east, and where 
this is the case the rains are proportionately heavj'. Storms, which occur 
generally during summer, afflict as a rule the centre and the east of the 
country, and M. Becquerel has shown that they blow ordinarily along the great 
valleys. 

Speaking broadly. Franco may be divided into seven climatic regions, of which 
that of the great granitic plateau occupies the centre. Britany, in the north-west, 
is remarkable for its equable temperature ; the northern region, named after its 
principal river the Seine, is distinguished by a paucity of rain ; while in the region 
of the Meuse and the Yosges the extremes between cold and heat are greatest. 
The three southern regions are distributed in an analogous manner. The climate 
of the Gironde and of the Rhone is mild and humid ; that of the Mediterranean 
is changeable ; heavy rains alternate with periods of drought, and the winds 
are high.* 

The climate of a country is reflected to a great extent in its rivers. Unless 
these are fed oy glaciers or flow for considerable distances underground, they 
reflect the succession of seasons verj-^ faii'lj*. Great is the contrast between the 
torrents of the Mediterranean and the rivers and rivulets of hilly BritanJ^ On 
the southern slopes of the Cevennes, scorched in turn by the sun or lashed by 
showers of rain, the torrent beds, dry during the greater part of the year, are 
converted after rains into mighty rivers, sweeping before them vast masses of 
debris. These icadis of Languedoc differ most essentially from the quiet rivulets 
of Xormandy and Britany, which flow steadily throughout the year, and scarcely 
ever overflow their banks. 

The rivers of France flow in opposite directions towards the Atlantic and the 
Mediterranean. The Ehonc, rising In a glacier like the Rhine, and flowing 
through a large lake, takes Its course to the south. Where It traverses the plain 
which formerly was merely a gulf of the sea, it receives numerous tributaries 
descending from the Alps and the Cevennes, and when the alluvium brought 
down by it shall have filled up the Lion Gulf, It will number amongst Its affluents 

Climatic Regions. ^ Mean Temperature (F). 

...^uv i>co.u.»= Year. Summer. Winter. 

• Limousin (Limoges) .... .51-8 — — 

Britany (Brest) 5!1 62-2 41-8 

ITie Seine (Paris) 500 040 3"-9 

Vosges (Nancy) 500 65-1 35-2 

Gironde (Bordeaux) . . . .■ 5C-3 "M 430 

Rhone (Lyons) 53-2 70 371 

Mediterranean (Jlontpellier) . 58-3 71-6 42-4 

Average for France . . . . 51-8 G80 410 



Mean 
Direction 
of Winds. 


Rainfall, 
in. 


Days with Seasons 
Rain, of heaviest 
No. Raius. 


— 


3G 


— Autumn 


AV. 


23 


208 do. 


■\v. 


20 


154 Aut. and Sum. 


S.W., X.E, 


. 31 


120 Summer 


"W. 


32 


150 Autumn 


X. 


31 


110 do. 


x.w. 


20 


— • Spring i- Aut. 


AV. 


30 


HO Autumn 



12 



FEANOE. 



the Herault, Orb, Au'de, and other rivers of Roussillon, for all these, as well as tho 
rivers rising in Provence, converge upon that gulf. 

On tho other hand, the rivers flowing down the Atlantic slope take a divergent 
course, and a line drawn through their sources is much shorter than one con- 
necting tlieir estuaries. As to Britany, it constitutes a hydrographieal region 
apart ; and neither its commanding position nor its excellent harbours have 
countervailed the disadvantage of its lying outside the great river systems of 
France. 

Fig. 6. — CoMrARATivE Area op Riveu Basins an-d Aveuaoe Surface Drainage. 
Horizont,il Scale 1 : 20,000,000. Verticil Roale 1 : 50. 




; 2 : 20.000.000 





J8^o 


ii'--' 


So^o 


;. % 


Average/ Raifu Foil 










in/ Franxx^. 










A vera/^e^ XurFcu^^ 







ir^ France/' 




.■ i-:d 



Jifion£' 



Seine/ Glroiide/ 



Loire/ 



Formerly it was supposed that the waters discharged by large rivers like the 
Loire or Seine far exceeded in amount what could be derived from the rains, and 
their sources were consequently supposed to communicate with reservoirs fed by 
the ocean. Bernard Palissy and Denys Papin (1669 — 72) first demonstrated the 
erroneousness of this view, and careful observations have revealed the fact that 
only one-third or at most one-half the rain that falls throughout France finds its 
way back to tho sea by means of the rivers, the remainder being absorbed by the 
vegetation or evaporating.* 



Hirer. 



Length of 
Course. 
Miles. 



* Biver systems of Franco according to Delesse, Cli. Martins, Thoni^ de Gamond &c. 

Surface 
Drainage 
in Millions 
of cub. ft. 

6.3,500 (?) 
772,100 
223,600 (?) 
1,096,700 
106,000 
1,312,000 
247,200 (?) 
71,000 (?) 



Somme 133 

Seine 482 

Vileine 143 

Loire 009 

Charente 224 

Gironde 016 

Adour 187 

139 



Aude 

Ehone (with Saone 'J 

and Doubs) 3 

Moselle (in France) . 
Meuse do. 

Scheldt (Escaut, do.) 

France . . . , 



637 

194 

318 

75 



Area of 
Catchment 

Basin. 

Sq. m. 

2,144 
30,927 

3,707 
44,459 

3,860 
35,962 

6,564 

2,510 

38,096 

2,606 

2,898 

2,548 

200,315 



Average 

Kaiufoll. 

In. 

25-2 
24-8 
27-6 
27-2 
33-4 
32-5 
39-4 
27-0 

37-4 

29-.5 
28-3 
23-6 
30-3 



EainfaU 
in Millions 
of cub. ft. 

12.5,443 
1,646,380 

237,327 
2,089,356 

300,190 
2,022,290 

000,386 

160,690 

3,310,340 

178,770 

190,710 

140,858 

14,109,000 



1,915,430 

55,660 (.?) 
88,290 
63,500 
0,710,000 



Discharge 

per Second. 

Cub. ft. 

2.013 (?) 
24,510 

3,880 (?) 
34,786 

3,354 (?) 
41,600 

7,840 (?) 

2,225 (?) 

63,850 (?) 

1,770 (?) 
2,800 (?) 

2.014 (?) 
212 000 (?) 



THE PEEHISTOEIC AGE OF FEANCE. 13 

The rain which finds its way through rivers to the sea is one of the most 
powerful geological agents. The ravines and vallej-s of the Pyrenees, the C^vennes, 
the Alps, and the Jura exhibit its power of erosion : the la3-ers of sand and mud 
deposited along the banks of the Loire after floods testify to its giving birth to 
new land, and at the mouths of the Rhone we may see how a river causes the 
land to encroach upon the sea. The fecund soil of the Limagne, Touraine, 
Agenais, and Bigorre, those gardens of France, is entirely a gift of the rivers. 

The rivers, owing to the fertility of their banks, have proved the most power- 
ful agents of civilisation in France, as everywhere else. In former times they 
alone were available for the transport of merchandise and travellers on a 
large scale, and most of the great towns grew up on their banks. Towns not 
situated on navigable rivers, such as Nimes, Montpellier, Dijon, and Reims, were 
mere stages on the roads connecting these river highways. Roads and railways 
have to some extent deprived the rivers of the importance they enjoyed in former 
times, and considerable towns have sprung up far away from them, near mines, 
mineral springs, or line scenery. St. Etienne, Le Creuzot, and Bagneres-de- 

Kg. 7. — Comparative Discharqb op the Great Rite&s op Feanck, 
Horizoatal Scale 1 : 4,000. 




Shone Seinir Girondc' Xofre/ J%^mA/)l£,^/' Frana/. 



Luchon are of this class. The rivers, on the other hand, are being rendered 
more useful to man from day to day. Canals are dug to connect them or to 
irrigate the fields in their vicinity, embankments are thrown up to regulate them, 
and their water is rendered available as a motive power. Still most of their 
water is allowed to run to waste, and the day is yet apparently very distant 
when they will be exhaustively utilised in the service of man. 



The Prehistoric Age of France.* 

France had its inhabitants long before the events of history were placed on 
record. Human bones mixed with those of animals, rude imj)lements of peace 
and war, and rudimentary works of art amply prove this. "With Belgium and 
the basins of the Rhine it is probably richer in these prehistoric remains than 
any other country, and many caves and heaps of debris have become famous on 
account of them. 

Anthropologists are generally agreed that the most ancient examples of human 

• Hamy, " Paleontologie humaine;" Gabriel de Mortillet, "Tableau arcbeologique de la Gaule;" 
Lartet et Christy, " Reliquiie Aquitanicse ; " Broca, " Compte-rendu du Congrea intern, de Paris, 1867." 
VOL. II. C 



14 FRANCE. 

workmanship are the flint implements discovered by M. Bourgoing near Thenay, 
in the valley of the Cher. In the tertiary age, when the contemporaries of acero- 
therium and mastodon fashioned these rude implements, the aspect of France 
was very difEerent from what it is now, and there existed neither the same plants 
nor the same animals. 

Centuries passed away, and the men who dwelt in the plains bordering upon the 
Somme and the Seine, on the plateaux of Central France, and along the foot of the 
Pyrenees had learnt to fashion tlint implements of a superior kind, and with these 
they pursued the elephants, hippopotami, i-hinoceroses, and other animals which at 
that time roamed over the lands of the Gauls. At a subsequent period, when the 
rhinoceros had been exterminated, when man had expelled the bears from the 
caverns to dwell therein himself, and when the horse, with the mammoth, was one 
of the commonest animals, these stone implements began to be fashioned in greater 
variety, to serve the needs of hunters, fishing, and domestic labour. Later still, 
the bones and horns of animals were made use of, and frequently the figures of 
animals and even of men were engraved upon them. Artists must have lived at 
that time, though their names are for ever lost to us. Ornaments and figures 
which they engraved upon their stag-horns are the same in style as those met with 
subsequently on the vases dating back to the age of dolmens, on the arms of the 
ancient Gauls, and even on some GuUo- Roman monuments. 

Once launched upon the path of invention, man never turns back. Some sort 
of relapse appears to have taken place after the reindeer age, but this applies 
only to the ornamentation, and may be accounted for bj' an inflow of immigrants 
inferior in civilisation to the older inhabitants of the country. At the same time 
new weapons came into use ; man had acquired the art of polishing stones, and of 
making durable earthenware. Later still he learnt to cultivate the soil, and to 
train domestic animals. The old cave dwellings no longer sufficed for his wants, 
houses arose in the plains, and solid structures of stone were erected by the men 
of the neolithic age, wherein to deposit their dead. They threw up entrenchments 
as a defence against enemies, and those who lived along the margins of rivers or 
lakes erected their dwellings upon piles, thus securing themselves against unex- 
pected attacks. In France itself the^e lake dwellings are scarce, but they abound 
in Switzerland. No written record or tradition reaches back to that neolithic age, 
but we know from the objects discovered in tombs and dwellings that bronze had 
come into use. Imported from abroad, we find it applied to the most varied uses, 
either cast or wrought. 

A new era began with the introduction of iron, which was fashioned not only 
into weapons, but also into tools of every description. Thenceforth human art and 
industry took a rapid development. The numerous grave-hills scattered over the 
country abound in curious objects deposited there by the relations of the defunct. 
History begins to dawn, and we find ourselves in the presence of those tribes of 
various races formerly known as Gauls. 

There can be no doubt that the most populous districts of modern France were 
also the centres of civilisation of the Celtic, Iberian, and Ligurian ancestors of the 



THE PREHISTORIC AGE OF FRANCE. 



15 



modern French, although no traces of them have been discovered there. Their 
towns have vanished, ruins have succeeded ruins, until all remains of the ancient 
occupiers of the land have been reduced to dust. If we would find traces of them 
we must penetrate into the woods, and into those remote parts of the country 
where the population has at all times been thinly sown. The heaths of Britany 
and the plateaux of Poitou still abound in dolmens and menhirs ; in the woods of 
Franche-Comte grave-hills are met with in thousands ; on the granitic soil of 
Central France we may still trace the pits which formed the underground story 
of the Gallic houses ; whilst the pine woods of the Laudes abound in vast 
trenches {dotes), which mayhap sheltered the population of a village until it 
was driven forth b}' invading Celts or Basques. But these dwellings, remote as 
thev were from the centres of civilisation, can hardly convey an idea of the con- 
Fig. 8. — Dol-er-Veechaxt, oa Merchants' Table, at LocMABiAKEKr 




dition of the population of ancient France, any more than an idea of our present 
century could be obtained from the half-obliterated ruins of oui" out-of-the-way 
hamlets. 

Ever since the tertiary age the surface of France has been changing slowly 
through geological agencies, and without catastrophes. We may assume, there- 
fore, that the population of modern France has in its veins some of the blood of 
these ancient tribes. The invading conquerors of France have become amalga- 
mated with the tribes whom they found living there, and thus arose a race 
resembling a trunk with thousands of roots, and known as the French " nation." 
We cannot otherwise explain the astonishing variety of types met with in the 
difierent provinces of France. As M. Andr^ Sanson savs, " We are the intel- 
lectual sons of the Aryans, but not their carnal sons." 

c 2 



10 FEANCE. 

The most ancient human remains hitherto discovered in France date back to 
the quaternary epoch, for miocene man, who wrought the tools discovered at 
Thenay, has left no trace. To judge from the skulls discovered under the lava 
of Denise, near the Puy-en-Velay, in Auvergne, the men of that period were 
long-skulled, but towards the close of the age of the mammoth and the bear, 
short skulls are first met with. Archaeologists are agreed that the men who dwelt 
in the caverns of the Pyrenees, on the Vezere and the Aveyron, were kinsmen of 
the Laps, Samoj'cds, and Eskimos. Their mode of life, their weapons and imple- 
ments, and even their style of ornamentation, all appear to support that conclusion. 
An invasion of barbarians destroyed the civilisation then attained, but gave birth 
in the end to a new era of civilisation much superior in many respects. 

The IxiiABiTAXTS OF France.* 

The Iberians are the most ancient inhabitants of Gaul known to history. They 
were kinsmen of those of Spain, who traded with Pha-nicians and Greeks, and 
whom the latter looked upon as aborigines. These Iberians occupied the country 
between the Atlantic Ocean and the Garonne, as well as the valleys of the eastern 
Pyrenees. In the west they were associated with the Ligurians of the Mediter- 
ranean, and elsewhere they came into contact with Celtic or Kymric tribes. 
Though Latinised, they have in a large extent their race characteristics ; they have 
even retained their ancient appellation of Gascons and Basques, and near the 
Pyrenees they retain their old language. Basques, Bearnais, and Gascons can 
easily be distinguished from other Frenchmen ; they are full of natural grace, 
supple of limb and mind, gay when at work, brave, though boastful, talkative, and 
imaginative to the extent of sometimes allowing themselves to be carried beyond 
the bounds of truth. 

The Celts, a race quite distinct from the Iberians, occupied the country to the 
north of the Garonne. Most modern Frenchmen look upon these as their veri- 
table ancestors, though very little is known about them. Ancient authors can 
hardly assist us in elucidating this point, for they wrote about the regions 
beyond the Alps much as our ancestors wrote about Central Africa. Modern 
historians, led away by false patriotism or by a rage for classification, have still 
further obscured this question, which is only in recent times being cleared up by 
the discovery of arms, weapons, dwellings, and human remains hidden for ages 
beneath the soil. 

Williams, Edwards, and Broca have shown satisfactorily, from a comparison of 
skulls and bones thus discovered, that ancient Gaul was inhabited by two distinct 
types of man, in addition to Iberians. The first type is met with between the 
Garonne and the Seine. These Gauls, or Celts, as they were formerly called, were 
small of stature, of a brown complexion, and short- skulled, whilst the tribes in the 
north-east, whether we call them Belgse or Kymri, were tall, fair, and long-skulled. 

• A. Hovelaeque, "La Linguistique ;" Fustel de Coulanges, "Histoire des Institutions politiquee de 
I'Ancienne France;" Lagneau, "Bull, de la Soc. d'Anthropologie," Feb. 1868, Nov. 1874; "Re^oie 
d'Anthropologie," tome ii. 1873 ; Saint-Eene Taillandier, " Revue des Beux-Mondes," Dec. 1875. 



THE INHABITANTS OF FRANCE. 



17 



Ancient authors onlj' describe these latter, probably because they were the most 
warlike. The men described bj' Ammianus Marcellinus, like the Gauls repre- 
sented by Roman and Greek sculptors, rather resemble Scandinavians, and they 
were certainly not the direct ancestors of the present inhabitants of Central France. 
Subjected tribes of a diflFerent tj'pe may possibly have lived amongst these Gauls of 
ancient authors, and been numerically superior to them. At present the physical 
type of the populations of Southern Eurojie prevails almost throughout France. 
We can hardlj- assume that a slight change in the climate, brought about by time 
and cultivation, should have exercised an influence sufficient to account for this 
southern type. Taken as a body, the French are in reality a brown-complexioned 
people, with heads round rather than oval, with eyes varying between black and 

Fig. 9. — Presumld Dispersion of the Aryan ILices according to Ancient Authors. 




pale brown ; with a stature and muscular development rather below the average, 
but of strong constitutions and capable of resisting fatigue and privations. 

Of these ancient Gauls there now exist only geographical names and a few 
short inscriptions. To judge from these their language appears to have differed 
very much from the dialects spoken in Great Britain, and to have had more affinity 
with Latin. Still the Aryan nature of the language does not prove that the 
people who spoke it were of Asiatic origin. Omalius d'Halloy altogether denies 
that an exodus of Gauls took place from Western Asia, and the map of Aryan 
migrations prepared by Pictet, though of scientific value, cannot prove it. All we 
know is that the Gauls dwelt for some time in the valley of the Danube. 

There can be no doubt that we must trace the existing character of the popula- 



18 FRANCE. 

tion of France back to the tribes who inhabited the country anterior to the historic 
epoch. Still we must not lose sight of the influence exercised by immigrants of 
foreign races. The Phoenicians confined themselves to a few factories along the 
shore of the Mediterranean, and were succeeded hj the Greeks, whose colonies — 
Marseilles, Nice, Agde, and others — were of sufficient importance to enable them to 
exercise an appreciable influence upon the surrounding populations. Many Greek 
expressions have survived to our day, and the Marseillais have no doubt reason on 
their side when the}' boast of their Hellenic ancestors. 

The Romans, however, those merciless conquerors of the Gauls, exercised a far 
greater influence upon the formation of the French nation than did the Greeks. 
Italian colonists, many of them old soldiers, settled in the country, and this immi- 
gration, going on for six centuries, led to so considerable an infusion of Roman 
blood that several towns in the south could fairly be described as daughters of 
Rome, and the entire population as Gallo-Roman. These physical influences, 
however, were far surpassed by moral ones. It was the Romans who introduced 
the ideas and civilisation of the East, and more than all, they made Latin the 
tongue of the entire country. Language is the mould of thought, and must 
influence most powerfully the mind of a nation. The French, speaking a Latin 
tongue, must therefore bo ranged amongst the Latin races, in spite of their most 
diverse origin. Though belonging geographically to the Atlantic countries rather 
than to the Mediterranean ones, historically France forms a member of these latter, 
more especially since Algeria has become a French colony. 

Nevertheless, the barbarians, who after the fall of the Roman empire repeatedly 
invaded France, whether Franks from the Rhine, Northmen, or Huns from the 
plateaux of Asia, always came from the North. Scandinavian Visigoths established 
themselves in the south of France, and more especially in the Narbonnaise, and 
soon adapted themselves to their Gallo-Roman surroundings. The Germanic 
Burgundians, who occupied Eastern France, are described by their contemporaries 
as tall and strong, but at the same time good-natured. The Franks were far more 
harsh towards the tribes they conquered. In the end they gave a new name to 
transalpine France, and more particularly to that province of it which is known as 
He de France. 

M. Fustel de Coulanges does not think that those early German and Gothic 
invasions sensibly affected the character of the Gallo-Roman populations. The 
language and religion, social usages and political institutions, remained the same. 
But though the Germans never arrived iii bodies sufficiently large to change 
the character of the people, their immigration continued for centuries, and in 
the end their influence upon its phj-sique became very apparent. M. Broca, in 
his researches on the stature of Frenchmen, has shown this very clearly (see 
Fig. 10). 

The Normans, who settled in that portion of France now known as Normandy, 
likewise influenced the type of the inhabitants of Neustria. In the south of 
France " sea-kings " of quite a diflPerent kind put in an appearance. These were 
the Saracens, who maintained themselves for a considerable time on the coasts of 



THE INHABITANTS OF FRANCE. 



19 



Provence. In tke eighth century, when the Berbers invaded Europe in such 
overpowering numbers, these Saracens penetrated as far as the valley of the Loire, 
and perhaps even to Luxeuil and Jletz, and the inhabitants of Yerdun are said to 
have carried on a lucrative trade in slaves with them. Colonies of Saracens were 
established in many parts of France, and there can be no doubt that numbers of the 
Frenchmen now living in the basins of the Garonne and the Rhone are the remote 
descendants of Mussulmans. 

Fig. 10. — The Stature of Fhenchmen. 
By Broca. 




-r^ 






LU N°l - 26 



N? 27. bZ 



N?iJ. 86 



The departments are nvunbered according to the stature of their military conscripts. The small 
figures indicate the exemptions granted per thousand on account of small stature. 



Since those invasions of Normans and Moors, the ethnical character of the popu- 
lation of France has undergone no wholesale change, for the influence of English 
settlers in Guyenne, of German lansquenets and reitres who remained in the country 
at the close of the religious wars, and of the Spaniards in Flanders and Franche- 
Comte, has been quite of a local nature. On the other hand, the vast peaceable 
immigration which has been going on for some time past is certainly bringing 
about changes, and in the presence of the cosmopolitan population of some of the 



20 FEA2JCB. 

large cities, a stranger may well be puzzled to tell whether it is a Frenchman he 
has before him or not. It almost appears as if a European type were gradually 
coming into existence. 

In the meantime the population of France has been welded into a nation, and 
in certain respects this nation exhibits greater unity than any other. This 
cohesion is due not so much to the existence of a centralized government, but 
rather to historical events, community of interests and of language, and to the 
existence of a capital which is universally acknowledged as the common national 
centre. 

Ancient rivalries between the provinces of France have not, however, alto- 
gether disappeared. The Bretons, Basques, and Flemish have even retained their 
distinct language, and the peasants of some of the more remote districts can hardly 
be said to have been assimilated with the rest of the population. Throughout 
France, however, these local diversities are of a very subordinate nature, the 
influence of the great towns is increasing from day to day, and the landmarks 
between the old pro'V'inces have almost disappeared. 

Of all the inhabitants of France, those lining respectively in the north and the 
south differ most strikingly. This difference is accounted for by the nature of the 
country, diversity of historical traditions, and the memories of struggles carried on 
in a past age. In a great portion of Southern France the Provenfal and other dialects 
are still the dominant tongue, and about twenty years ago French was hardly 
known by the bulk of the population. But as a literary language these southern 
dialects have no future, and those even who speak them often hold them in 
contempt. 

On looking at the map it wiU be found that the dialects of Southern France, 
including the "langue d'oc" properly so called, Proven9al, Dauphinois, Lyonnais, 
Auvergnat, Limousin, Gascon, and Bearnais, occupy very nearly one-half the area 
of the country. Nearly the whole basin of the Rhone, that of the Garonne, and 
the upper tributaries of the Loire belong to this half, and in the direction of 
Switzerland it extends even beyond the French frontier and comes into contact 
with German dialects. The wide range of these southern dialects proves the former 
preponderance of Southern France in the work of civilisation, but the " langue 
d'o'il " is at present steadily gaining ground. 

Language constitutes the strongest tie between man and man. We may fairly 
say that the French language, the origin of which dates back a thousand years, 
gave birth to the French nation. Common woes may have engendered a sort of 
fellow-feeling amongst the diverse populations of ancient Gaul ; they nearly all 
combined in the time of Vercingetorix against their Roman oppressors. But Gaul 
was merely a geographical expression then, and modern France only dates from 
the time of the epic poems of the Middle Age. 

In the course of centuries this language, as well as the men who speak it, 
has undergone many changes. T7e can hardly conceive such a thing as an 
average Frenchman. Those who maintain that the national character has under- 
gone no changes ever since the Gauls appeared upon the stage of history are 



THE INHABITANTS OF FRANCE. 21 

decidedly in the wrong. There may still exist features which recall the Gauls 
of Caesar and Strabo, but can it be fairly said of modern French peasants what has 
been said of the Gauls, that " the}' are a people of war and uproar, running 
through the world with swords in their hands, less, it appears, from avidity than 
from a vague desire of seeing, knowing, and acting ? " 

If we would meet a typical Frenchman, we must search for him in a place 
offering every facility for his development. Such places are the large towns, 
and more especially Paris, to which original minds fly from the stifling atmo- 
sphere of small towns and villages. There the natives from every province come 
into contact and amalgamate : the babbling Gascons, ever in motion ; the men 
from the plateau, inured to hard work, and slow to make friends ; the people 
from the Loire, with their quick eyes, lucid intellect, and wcU-balanced tempera- 
ment ; the melancholic Breton, always living as in a dream, but full of tenacity 
in all concerns of real life ; the Norman, slow-speaking, circumspect, and prudent ; 
and the men from Lorraine, the Vosges, and Franche-Comte, who are quick- 
tempered and enterprising. All these Frenchmen mutually influence each other, 
and evolve what may be called the general character of the French people. 

It is no easy task to sit in judgment over a nation. Since the days of the 
illustrious Grimm, who denied " every truly moral sentiment " to Frenchmen, 
manv foreigners, from envy or ignorance, have painted them in odious colours. 
On the other hand, there have been writers who have sought to elevate France 
above all other nations. As to French writers, they have been charged either 
with being prejudiced in favour of the nation to which they belong, or with 
unfairly under-estimating its merits ; and, indeed, psychology is one of the most 
difficult subjects of discussion. 

Speaking broadly, the character of the French exhibits a combination of 
northern and southern qualities. The country itself is intermediate between the 
Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and its inhabitants form a link between the 
Roman civilisation of the South, and modern times. The most diverse tj'pes are 
met with amongst the French, but, as a whole, they present a new type, in which 
classical features are replaced by mobility of expression, one-sided energj' by 
varied aptitudes. As a rule Frenchmen, and more especially Frenchwomen, are 
most impressionable, and they are capable of fully reflecting the ideas conceived 
by other nations. It is thus that all the great movements of Europe have found 
a powerful echo in France, if they did not originate there. This explains too 
the universal character of the French revolutions. It was France which pro- 
claimed the "Rights of Man," and posterity no doubt will praise her for it; it 
is France which does not allow its progress to be stopped by matters of detail, 
but always seeks for principles. 

It is only natural that a nation holding the position of an intermediary of 
ideas should be eminently sociable. A feeling of iaborn goodwill attracts the 
Frenchman towards his fellow-men, a spirit of equity dictates his conduct ; he 
obliges by forethought and captivates by amiability. He is discreet in all things, 
pleasing in dress and manners, without outraging good taste, and excels in the 



22 FRANCE. 

art of conversation. The Frenchwoman is in these respects even a better repre- 
sentative of the national character. She is not only an excellent mother and 
housewife, but possesses social qualities of the highest order. She delights by 
her conversation, and constitutes the chief attraction of French society. It 
seldom happens that foreigners do not enjoy themselves in France, but a French- 
man scarcely ever feels perfectly happy in a foreign land, and no one feels more 
cruelly than he the bitterness of exile. 

The sons of Gaul are distinguished not only by quickness of comprehension 
and superior reasoning powers, but they are remarkable amongst all civilised 
nations for their tact and taste. For a long time they were looked up to as 
the arbiters in literature, and in certain departments of art they still stand 
unrivalled. Several of the neighbouring nations are indebted to them for a 
development of their art industries, and Paris still remains the high school of 
good taste. 

France is a busy beehive, as is shown by the immense quantities of French 
produce exported to other countries. In spite of the excessive subdivision of the 
soil, the peasant landowners have converted France into one of the most productive 
countries of Europe. Activity such as this not only testifies to the strength 
of family ties, but also to the personal worth of the workers. Moreover, the 
revivals which have succeeded each national disaster prove that the nation is still 
full of vigour, and fully capable of taking its part in the great works of humanity. 

But if Frenchmen have their virtues, they also have their faults. Their 
sociability often degenerates into undue familiarity ; clever talkers on every 
possible subject, they run the risk of becoming superficial ; men of taste and 
refinement, they are apt to sacrifice vigour and originalitj' ; too observant of 
social propriety, they sometimes stifle the voice of their conscience ; members 
of society or of " parties," they have not always the courage to assert their manly 
independence. But in these respects how many true men do we meet with in 
any nation ? 

But, in spite of all, France has exercised a most powerful influence upon the 
civilised world. Numerically the influence of Frenchmen grows smaller in 
proportion as the area held by civili.sed nations extends ; but moral and intellec- 
tual influences are not measured by numbers. The national life of France is 
as intense as that of any of her sister nations, and her past experiences will 
enable her to play an important part in the political and social evolution now 
impending. But even if France were to disappear from the world's stage, there 
would still remain the influence of the French language and literature. The 
vigour, grace, precision, and suppleness of that language have made it one of 
the most perfect vehicles of human thought. It has been propagated far be}'ond 
the territorial limits of the nation, and millions speak it, not only in the Latin 
countries, but in all other parts of the world. 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS, 



ll 

I I 'I 



l'lllllllll 




W 
H 

W 

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CHAPTER II. 
THE PYREKEES, THE LAKDES, AXD THE BASIN OF THE GARONNE. 

The Pyrenees.* 






r^^ 



HE region of the Pyrenees constitutes a distinct and separate portion 
of France, whether ve look upon its geology or the history of its 
inhabitants. From the very first they differed from those inhabit- 
ing the remainder of Gaul, and even now the Catalans of Roussillon 
and the Basques resemble in language and manners their neigh- 
bours of the Iberian peninsula. But it is principal!}' because the Pyrenees 
form the northern edge of the Iberian plateau, ■which is geologically bounded 
by the lowland of the Garonne, that they form a region apart. 

The lowland referred to extends from sea to sea, and up to the tertiary epoch 
was occupied by a strait connecting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. 
This ancient sea-bed has gradually been upheaved, and is traversed now bj- the 
Aude, the Garonne, and their numerous tributary rivers, joined more than two 
centuries ago by a navigable canal, affording communications between the two seas. 
This Canal dii JJidi may be said to form the southern limit of continental Europe, 
for the Pyrenees which rise bej'ond already belong to a world half African in its 
nature. 

The vast depression which separates the Pyrenees from the Cevennes is one of 
the great natural high-roads of France, which, however, is far less important than 
the great northern roads, which place Slarseilles and Bordeaux in communication 
with Paris. Still a region which can boast of towns like Bordeaux and Toulouse, 
which enjoys a mild climate, and possesses a fecund soil, must exercise considerable 
local influence. 



The Pyrenees and the Alberes, which bound this southern region of France, 
extend like a wall from sea to sea. As compared with the Alps, the geological 

• H. MagTian, " Jfateriaux pour unc Etude stratigraphique des Pyrenees ; " Companyo, " Ilistoire 
naturelle des Pj-renees-Orientales," 1861; De Chausenque, "Les Pj-renees," 1854; Kussell-Killough, 
"Grandcs Ascensions des Pj-renees;" "Bulletin de la Society Ramond," 1867, 1868, 1870, 1875; 
" Annuaire du Club Alpin fran<;ai8," 1876 ; Calvet, " Progrds rural dans lea P>'renee8 ; " P. Raymond, 
" Diet, des Basses Pyrenees." 



24 



FRANCE. 



structure of these mountains is of the simplest, and one might fancy that they had 
been suddenly ejected from a fissure in the earth's crust. Its mountain masses are 
not separated by low passes, as in the Alps, and there is no difficulty in tracing the 
direction of the main range, which runs almost in a straight line from Cape Creus 
to the lower mountains of the Basque countries. 

The geological features are equally simple. Granites, apparently not of erup- 
tive origin, occupy the centre of the chain, and form many of the summits of the 
main range. Schists and other ancient rocks connect these crystalline masses, 
whilst sedimentary strata succeed each other in regular order on both slopes, from 
triassic sandstones down to the alluvial soil deposited by the rivers. 

In spite of this general regularity, the chain of the Pyrenees presents a great 
amount of diversity if studied in detail. About its centre, where the head-waters 
of the Garonne take their rise, the main range consists of two parallel ridges joined 
together by a transversal chain. The northern ridge extends to the east, and 
forms the Mediterranean Pyrenees, whilst the southern stretches west towards the 



Fig. 11. — Profile of the Ptsenees. 
Horizontal Scale 1 : 4,000,000. Vertical Scale 1 : 400,000. 




— PYRE WEES 



— AiOBGC.- 



EI"CWBJKTiE .irvFTHCTEKS '- — 



.B^'PIHBffieS- 



Bay of Biscay, and constitutes the Atlantic Pyrenees. Of these two chains the 
eastern is the least elevated, and the granite there is nearly always exposed ; whilst 
the more elevated summits of the western Pyrenees consist of schists and lime- 
stones. This shows that denudation has been going on more actively in the 
former, and in a large measure accounts for the striking contrasts in the aspect of 
the two extremities of the chain, and for the great variety of landscape met with 
when travelling along their northern foot from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic* 
The Pyrenees rise steeply from the Mediterranean, which, at a distance of only 
twenty-five miles from Cape Creus, has a depth of over 500 fathoms. Close to that 
cape rises the group of San Pedro de Roda, resembling a detached outwork con- 
nected with the frontier range of Alberes by a rugged ridge. The frontier range 
named gradually increases in height from 660 to 5,000 feet, as we proceed from 
Cape Cerbere to the mountains of Prats de Mollo and Campredon, and is indebted 

• Length of PjTenee9 from Cape Creus to Cape Sainte-Anne, near Hendayc, 266 miles : average 
breadth, exclusive of Spanish foot-hills, 51 miles; area occupied, 13,563 sq. miles; average height, 3,940 
feet (?) ; volume, 1,650 cubic miles. 



THE PYEENEES. 



26 



for its name to the whiteness of its barren rocks. It rises steeply on the French 
side, but slopes down gently towards the south. Many roads lead across it, and 
have been used from the most ancient times. Near Amelie-lcs-Baius a wall most 
erroneously ascribed to Hannibal is pointed out; at the Col de Pertus (951 feet) 
Pompey erected a trophy in commemoration of his victories, and Visigoths, Franks, 
and Moors crossed there after him. Numerous fortifications bear witness to the 
strategical importance of these passes of the Alberes. Collioure in France, and 

Fig. 12. — Mont CAXioon. 
Scale 1 : 240,000. 




rhdrd 



5 Miles. 



Bosas in Spain, defend the road along the coast. Perpignan and Figueras defend 
the outlets of the defiles, and the French fort of Bellegarde secures the important 
gorge of Peitus. At the present time these passes across the eastern Pyrenees are 
no longer as important as they were when the Mediterranean was the centre of the 
civilised world, and must yield to the road in the west which joins Lisbon and 
Madrid to Paris.* 

• Altitudes in the AlWres :— Pic des Tennes, 3,618 feet : Col des Balistres, 853 feet ; Col de Banyuls. 
1,182 feet; Col de Fertus, 951 feet; Coustouges, 2,724 feet; Col d'Aies, 4,920 feet. 



FRANCE. 



Mountains of considerable elevation attach the Alberes to the main range of the 
Pyrenees, which is hidden behind the bold mass of Mont Canigou (9,141 feet). 
With its spurs and foot-hills this majestic summit occujjies the entire area between 
the upper vaUeys of the Tech and the Tet. It is perfectly isolated on three sides, 



Fig. 13. — PvY DE Carlittk. 
Scale 1 : 240,000. 









\..fii<- 



=5 \yi 



r^'"- 



^■■yfl - 









!hl,ie taji-rlVt/r '{ ' 



I if -'-^ -f 




.') Miles. 



and the summits which attach it to the main chain in the south are inferior to it 
in height. Its bold pyramid does not yield in grandeur to that of Mount Etna ; 
it is seen as far as Barceloua and Montpellier, and the astronomer Zach even 
claims to have seen its dark profile projected against the disc of the setting sun 
from Marseilles, a distance of 180 miles. Until recently it was held to be the 



THE PYRENEES. 



27 



highest summit of the Pyrenees. As a trigonometrical station it offers many advan- 
tages, and its slopes have proved a fertile tield of exploration to botanists. 

The Pyrenees, to which is attached the Cauigou, form one of the most barren 
and inaccessible mountain systems in the world. The passes leading across them 
are mere notches, cut to a depth of 600 to 900 feet at an elevation of about 8,200 



Fig. 14. — The DEyiLES of tub Aide. 
Scale 1 : 140,000. 




. i MUes. 



feet, and the mountains near them are almost devoid of individual features. Even 
the Puigmal (9,542 feet) rises but little above the extended rampart formed by the 
mountains. A deep depression, excavated in the granitic rocks by mountain 
torrents, separates it from another mountain mass farther north. This is the Col 
de la Pcrche (5,322 feet), guarded on the French side by Montlouis (3,940 feet), 
and on that of Spain by Puigcerda (Puycerda, 4,074 feet), built on a knoll of 



28 FRANCE. 

glacial origin ; and from it flow the rivers Tet and Segre, the latter a feeder of 
the Ebro. The sources of both these rivers lie on French soil, and the political 
boundary has been drawn in the most arbitrary manner. Some of the mountain 
valleys near the pass fairly deserve their cognomen of " paradise of botanists," 
for curious plants found nowhere else in the Pyrenees may be gathered there. 

The granitic mountains to the north of the fertile district of La Cerdagne, on 
the Upper Segre, rise from a huge quadrangular plateau which gives birth to the 
head streams of the Tet, Segre, Ariege, and Aude, and is separated in the west 
from Andorra by the much- frequented Pass of Puymaurens (6,293 feet). The 
highest of these summits is the Puy de Carlitte (9,561 feet). At its foot detached 
masses of rock are piled up in chaotic confusion, covered in places with moss, but 
for the most part still bare of vegetation. Lakes and lakelets are scattered over 
the plateau, and amongst these the Lanoux (black lake ?), 7,068 feet, is the 
largest, though by no means the most beautiful ; for its dark waters only reflect 
naked rocks and snows, whilst the lakes on the lower slopes are surrounded by 
verdant meadows and woods. Another lake, at the head of the Tet, emptied itself 
in the ninth century, and caused a fearful inundation. The mountaineers formerly 
looked upon the many lakelets scattered over the Carlitte as so many remains 
of the Flood, and Noah's ark they supposed to have stranded on the Puy de 
Priguo. 

The ground to the north and east of this granitic plateau descends gradually, 
sometimes forming terraces intersected by bold precipices. Some of these terraces 
are still covered with woods of beech-trees and firs, but elsewhere the forests have 
been destroyed, and the aspect of the mountains is forbidding. As in the French 
Alps, we meet with formidable defiles, or clits, excavated by mountain torrents 
to a depth of many hundred feet. The most famous of these is the defile of the 
Aude, which even impresses persons accustomed to mountains. If we descend from 
the Baths of Carcauieres into this abyss, we almost fancy we have penetrated into 
the very bowels of the earth.' 

Various passes lead across the spurs of Mont Carlitte. The Quillanne (5,644 
feet), thus named after the town of Quillan, connects the valley of the Tet with 
that of the Aude. Another pass farther east is dedicated to Jau, or Jupiter 
(4,964 feet), but is hardly used now. Lower still is the Pass of St. Louis (2,254 
feet), which joins the valley of the Aude to that of the Agly, and through which 
the road leads from Perpignan to Carcassonne. With it the Pyrenees terminate, 
for with the scarped Puy de Bugarach (4,038 feet), to the north of it, begins the 
region of the Corbieres, so remarkable on account of its geological formation, its 
coal beds, and bone caves, but deprived of verdure and running water, and difiicult 
to traverse in summer, when its bleached rocks reflect the rays of the sun. These 
hills long formed the boundary between France and Spain, and the fort of Salses, 
which defended the road leading along their eastern foot, as well as the ruins of 
many castles, recalls the struggle for the possession of this countrj', which only 
terminated in the seventeenth century. Mount Alaric (1,970 feet), to the north of 
them, and close to the Aude, bears witness to the still more ancient contests 



THE PYEENEES. 



29 



between Romans and Visigoths. It is one of the few remaining links of the 
transversal chain which formerly joined the Pyrenees to the Cevennes. 

The Pyrenees of Ariege, occupying the country of the ancient Sabartes, are far 
more regular in their structure than the eastern extremity of the range. From 
the Pass of Puymaurens (6,336 feet) to the gorge of the Garonne — a distance of 
110 miles — the main chain extends without a break. Its summits, amongst 
which the Pique d'Estats (10,305 feet) and the Montcalm (10,102 feet) are the 
most elevated, occupy in nearly every instance the axis of this sierra. Mont 
YalHer (9,312 feet), which forms so striking an object when seen from Toulouse, 
is no exception to this rule. Huge blocks of weather-worn granite cover the 

Fig. 15. — The Isthmts between the CoasiiuEs axd the Cevexxes. 
Scale 1 : 1,100,000. 



if 




. 20 Miles. 



western slope of this mountain. From a distance these look like grazing sheep 
turned into stone by some sorcerer, as the legends have it. 

The lakes which formerly lent a charm to this portion of the Pyrenees have 
long ago been drained. Only a few swamps are now left, and near these M. 
Garrigou has discovered the remains of pile dwellings dating back to the age of 
polished stone implements. But even without their ancient lakes these Pyrenees, 
with their simple profile, terraces, and verdant slopes, are a noble sight. They are 
typical of the entire chain, and hence the name biren or piren, which in the valley 
of the Ariege was formerly applied to a sheep-walk in the mountains, transformed 
into Pyrenees, became general. 

VOL. lu n 



30 



FEANCE. 



Two lateral chains run parallel witli the Pyrenees of Ariege, the most elevated 
of ■which ramifies from Mont Carlitte, and to the north of the valley of the Upper 
Ariege attains a considerable height. Its culminating point, the Peak of Tabe, or 
of St. Barthelemy (7,704 feet), stands forth prominently. The momitaineers look 
upon it with dread, and on its summit may still be seen the traces of ancient 
excavations made by seekers after enchanted treasure. An inferior chain, farther 
north, cannot boast of summits covered with snow far into the summer, nor of the 
mountain pasture, lakelets, and limpid cascades of the Pyrenees. It is monotonous 
of aspect, of inconsiderable elevation, and in parts almost resembles the walls of a 
fortress. M. Leymerie, the geologist, has named it the Little Pyrenees. 

These parallel ranges belong for the most part to the cretaceous formation, and 
have been pierced by the rivers which descend from the snow-clad crest of the 
Pyrenees. The Ariege, having passed to the south of the range of St. Barthelemy, 



Fig. 16. — The Little Pykenees. 
Scale 1 : 200,000. 



"".>.5\V.of Tjri 



0'\2i 







S Milei. 



the core of which consists of crystalline rocks, turns abruptly to the north, and 
enters the plain through the gorge of Tarascon. The Salat has excavated itself a 
passage through the granite of the gorge of Ribaouto, above St. Girons. The 
smaller rivers which rise on the northern slopes of the lateral chains likewise take 
their courses through gorges excavated in the tertiary soil, and one amongst them, 
the Arize, runs underground through the famous cavern of the Mas d'Azil (938 
feet), scarcely a thousand yards in length, and passable on foot, except when the 
river is in flood. On leaving this tunnel the Arize propels a few water-mills, and 
lower down passes through the picturesque gorge of Sabarat. 

The upper basins of the Ariege and the Salat abound in caverns. The 
" galleries " of Lombrives and Niaux pierce an entire rrountain to the south of 
Tarascon. Equally curious is the cavern of Bedeillac, the traditional burial-place 
of Roland. These caverns have proved a rich field of exploration to anthropologists 
and geologists. Bones of animals now extinct, as well as traces of prehistoric 



OF THE 

UNIVERSITY ef ILLINOIS. 



|i||||||(!|i|(!lflllWKi:!l:It:ipf^^^^^^^^ 



"I 



hiiiiiii 





THE PYEENEES. 



81 



man, have been discovered in them. Until rceentlj' many of these galleries were 
used as places of refuge. That of Ornolac, near Ussat, gave shelter to several 
hundred Albigenses, but the soldiers of the Inquisition built a wall across its 
entrance, and they all perished, as did the Greeks in the cavern of Melidhoni. 

To the zoologist these caves of the chalk mountains of the Ariege are more 
especially interesting, on account of the insects without eyes which have been 
discovered within them. 

The Central Pyrenees. — The gorge of Pont-du-Roi, through which runs the 
Garonne, separates the Eastern or Mediterranean from the Western or Atlantic 



Fig. 17. — The Maladetta. 
Scale 1 : 160,000. 




O°lio E.ofGr, 



3 Miles. 



P5'renees. Geologically this is the centre of the entire chain, which here consists 
of metamorphic rocks. The valley of Aran forms the marked feature of this central 
chain of the Pyrenees. Geographically this valley is part of the basin of the 
Garonne, but politically it belongs to Spain. To the west it is bounded by the 
giants of the entire range. From the hills around Bagneres-de-Luchon we are able 
to admire these mountains, with their forests, pastures, snow-fields, and glaciers. 
The latter resemble in every respect those of the Alps, but do not descend so far 
into the valleys. 

In the " amphitheatre," or Cirque d'Oo (9,850 feet), we even meet with floating 
icebergs similar to those of Spitzbergen or Greenland. Formerly the glacier of Oo 
was far more extensive than it is now, and its ancient moraine, 5,900 feet lower 

D 2 



82 



FRANCE. 



than the terminal face of the existing glacier, is 4,400 j'ards in length, on an 
average 1,640 yards wide, and 790 feet in height. 

The most elevated mountains of the Pyrenees rise within the Spanish frontier. 
The group of the Maladctta, or " cursed mountain," thus culled on account of its 
desolation, terminates in a serrated crest, the principal "needle " of which still 
bears its ancient Iberian name of Nethou (11,170 feet). This peak was first 
ascended in 184"2, but the region to the south of it was only revealed recently 
by an Englishman, Mr. Pucke, who discovered there tlie largest lake of the 
Pyrenees, that of Gregonio, and the delightful meadows of the Malibierne. Mont 



l"'ig. 18. — Mont Peudu. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 



2° ?^WofPaj 




2 Miles. 



Posets (11,048 feet), on the west of the valley of the Esera, rivals its neighbour in 
height. It was first ascended in 1856. From its summit may be enjoyed what is 
probably the grandest panorama in the Pyrenees. 

Mont Perdu, the "lost mountain," the third great mountain mass of the 
Pyrenees, rises likewise on Spanish soil. It was first ascended by the illustrious 
Ramond in 1802, and since then its amphitheatres or cirques have become the 
liaunt of tourists. The limestone pyramid of Mont Perdu rises from an irregular 
plateau, cut up into terraces bounded by precipices, and dotted over by curiously 
shaped masses of rock. To the west the group is bounded by the famous " Breach 
of Roland" (9,197 feet), said to have been cleft by the paladin's sword (Fig. 19). 



THE PYRENEES. 



83 



Glaciers occupj' the area enclosed between the rocky precipices. That between 
ilont Perdu and the crest of Estaube, to the north of it, covers an area of 1 -5 
square miles, and within it is enclosed a lake, frozen almost throughout the year. 

The waters descending from the plateau have excavated immense cavities, 
locally called oiih'i^, or "porridge pots," but more generally known as cirques. 
The largest of these amphitheatres is that of Troumouse, but the most admirable, 
the glory of the Pyrenees, is that of Gavarnie (Fig. 20), bounded on the one 
£iJe by a perpendicular precipice 5,500 feet in height, on the other by rocky 

Fig. 19. — The Breach of Roland. 




terraces. A magnificent waterfall, 1,384 feet in height, plunges down from the 
glaciers when the snow melts, but in winter this and the numerous minor cascades 
are converted into pillars of ice, which surround the amphitheatre like a colonnade 
of marble. 

The granitic peaks in this portion of the range are inferior in height to those 
formed of limestone. That of Xeouvielle (Pic d'Aubert), the most remarkable of 
the former, only attains 10,144 feet, whilst the limestone masses of Pic Long 
(10,479 feet), and Campbieil to the south of it, almost equal Mont Perdu in 



84 



FRANCE. 



elevation, and are joined in the east to the Pic d'Arbizon (9,286 feet) and other 
summits looking down upon the valley of the Aure, which rival the Pic du Midi 
of Bigorre (9,437 feet) in beauty. This latter is separated from the main range 
by a low saddle, over which runs the road of the Tourmalet, and being thus 
isolated, the prospect from its summit is one of the most magnificent, extending 
from the Pic du ^lidi of Pan (9,463 feet) to the pyramid- shaped Mont Vallier. 

Fig. 20. — The Amphitiieatue of G.WARNra. 




Neouvielle and the mountains in its vicinity are covered with boulders ; and 
the moraines of ancient glaciers bound the " lakelets " which fill depressions in 
the valleys. These glaciers have shrunk now to small proportions, but during 
the glacial epoch they covered a vast extent of country. The most important 
of them occupied what is now the valley of the Gave of Pau, as far down 
as Lourdes. Anciently it appears to have extended beyond Tarbes, but even 
if we credit it only with the dimensions given to it by MM. Martins and 



THE PYEENEES. 86 

Collomb, it had a length of 33 miles, and spread over 500 square miles. It 
covered the site of the modern village of Gavarnie to a height of 4,430 feet, 
was 2,590 feet thick in the basin of Argeles, and 1,180 feet above the site of 
Lourdes. In comparison with this gigantic river of ice, the seriieilhes of 
Mont Perdu and the ilabore, the glaciers descending from the dark flanks of the 
Vignemale (10,795 feet), the most elevated summit of the French Pyrenees, and 
the patches of ice to the east of formidable Bala'itous (10,421 feet), are of 
little note, for the whole of the existing glaciers of the Pyrenees hardly cover 
20 square miles, and in no instance do they descend beneath 7,200 feet above 
the sea-level. 

To the west of the Balai'tous the height of the Pyrenees decreases rapidly, 
and the Pic du Midi of Pau is the last of the great granitic peaks. With the 
pyramid-shaped Pic d'Anie (8,213 feet) begins the country of the Basques, who 
formerly believed that mountain to be inhabited bj' an evil spirit. Beyond Mont 
Orhy (G,618 feet) we only meet with hills traversed by numerous passes, amongst 
which the " Gate " of Roncevaux (3,600 feet) is the most famous. At the saddle 

Fig. 21. — Section of the Ancient Glacier of ArgelSs. 
Scale 1 : 50,000. According to MM. Martins and Collomb. 




■ 1 Mile. 



of Aldudes the political boundary turns abruptly to the north, leaving to France 
onlv low spurs and outlyiBg hiUs. One of these latter is the Rhune (2,950 feet), 
or " angular rock," affording a magnificent prospect over the Bay of Biscay. 

Although the difference of latitude between the two extremities of the 
Pyrenees does not exceed 1°, they differ strikingly in climate and aspect. Near 
the Atlantic the mountains are almost wholly covered with mould, and, where 
trees are not met with, the soil is at all events thickly covered with shrubs and 
furze. Towards the Mediterranean, on the other hand, the rocks are barren. In 
the Western Pyrenees we might fancy ourselves in Scotland, whilst the aspres 
of Roussillon and the secanos of Catalonia resemble the arid hills of Greece. The 
granitic rocks which prevail in the east partly account for these contrasts, but 
the principal cause must be looked for in the rains. In the Basque country it 
rains abundantly, near the Mediterranean hardly at all, the boundary between the 
two districts being formed by Mont Carlitte. The snow-line descends rapidly 
as we proceed to the westward, and in the Mediterranean Pyrenees we meet 



86 



FRANCE. 



neither with glaciers nor with perennial snows. The snow that falls there soon 
disappears before the rays of the sun, the winds, and a hot south wind resembling 
thefoehn of Switzerland, and locally known as aittan. 



Fig. 22. — The Ancient Glacier of Argel{:s. 
Scale t : 400,000. According to C. Martins, and Ed. Collomli 




K^iK/JeBe ' 














/■■ '-^if^'^- '3!fe?f*r-o,-,^rf %^^*fe,IS^^: o^ 



0°io Wnrr.T 



. 5 Miles. 



The contrast between the two slopes of the mountains is even more striking 
than that between their extremities. On the French slope we meet with snow, 



THE PYRENEES. 87 

ice, running streams, luxuriant meadows and forests, with numerous villages 
scattered over the plain ; on the opposite slope the eye alights upon naked 
rocks, poor pasturage, and heaps of stone serving as human habitations. To the 
mountaineers the French slope is known as bach or hatch — that is, "lower" or 
" shady " side ; the Spanish slope as soulaue, or "sunny side." On the latter the 
sun is more powerful and the rainfalls are less ; but man, by destroying the forests, 
has made himself an accomplice of a hostile nature. "Wild beasts are more 
numerous there. The chamois (isard) abounds there; wolves are plentiful, as 
likewise on the French slope ; and sometimes one hears of the mischief done by 
a bear. In the district of Capsir, in Eoussillon, the Ijtix, the genet, and the 
marten are still seen, but several animals, including the stag, which were common 
in the Middle Ages, have disappeared. A few wild goats still inhabit the valleys 
of Ordesa and ilalibierne, in Spain, but in France the last animal of the kind 
was killed in 1825. 

The geographical nomenclature of the French Pyrenees is Basque and Latin, 
but not Celtic, and we may conclude from this that the whole of the country was 
formerly inhabited by men of Euskarian race. The ancient language is still spoken, 
not in the less accessible portions of the Pyrenees, but in the open valleys of 
the west, where we meet likewise with gipsies, cagots, and cascarots living in 
separate communities. There are three dialects, xi?.. those of Labourd, of Lower 
Navarre, and of Soule. The Basque does not appear to have lost ground since 
the beginning of the Middle Ages ; but what the uncouth dialect of Beam failed 
to accomplish, French will no doubt succeed in, and no sooner will the Basques 
have learnt to speak two languages than they will neglect that one which proves 
least serviceable to them, f p to the present it was ignorance which protected 
Basque against the inroads of French, for one-half of the men and two-thirds of 
the women of the country are illiterate. 

Thousands of Basques migrate to the neighbouring towns of Bayonne, 
Bordeaux, and Toulouse in search of employment, or seek a home in the New 
World, where their number is probably greater than that of those who remain 
behind in the old country. Hostility to the conscription is one of the great motives 
of emigration, for the Basque, though fond of adventure, is averse to military 
service, and more than half the young men called out annually fail to put in an 
appearance. 

The Pyrenees to the east of the Pic d'Anie are inhabited by Frenchmen 
and Spaniards. The crest of the mountains does not, however, constitute the 
ethnological boundary, for in numerous instances the Spaniards have encroached 
upon the northern slope. Various circumstances account for this. The luxuriant 
pastures on the northern slopes naturally attracted the Spanish herdsmen inhabit- 
ing a sterile plateau, whilst the French agriculturists preferred remaining down in 
the plains. The political boundary, for the most part, conforms to these ethno- 
logical eccentricities, and the valleys of the Bidassoa, Carlos, and Aran have 
been assigned to Spain, though situated upon the northern slope. Nevertheless 
the Pyrenees constitute one of the most perfect political boundaries in the world. 



38 



FEANCE. 



Between the two railways which skirt the extremities of the chain, the one 
connecting Bayonne with Madrid, the other Perpignan with Barcelona, the moun- 
tains, for a space of 280 miles, are crossed only by two roads practicable for 
carriages. One of these runs over the Col de la Perche, to the east of Mont 
Carlitte ; the other through the Somport (" summit gate "), to the west of the 
Pic du Midi of Pau. All other passes are practicable only during a part of the 
year, and that for mules alone. 

The distribution of centres of population in the region of the Pyrenees is 
singularly regular. In the upper valleys, from the Alberes to the Rhune, we 
only meet with small villages, military stations, or watering-places like Bagneres- 
de-Luchon. Along a line connecting the outlets of these valleys have been 

Fig. 23. — The Basques on the French Slope of the Pyrenees. 
According to Broca. 




built the secondary towns of these regions, such as Oloron, Lourdes, Bagneres- 
de-Bigorre, Montrejeau, St. Girons, Tarascon, Prades, and Ceret, where the 
mountaineers procure their necessaries. Another twelve miles farther to the 
north, and along a line running parallel with the former and with the crest of 
the Pyrenees, we reach the more considerable towns, such as Bayonne, Pau, 
Tarbes, St. Gaudens, Foix, and Perpignan, all of them situated either in the 
plain or on low spurs readily accessible. No mining industry has caused towns 
to spring up in the very centre of the mountains, for mineral waters, forests, 
and pastures constitute the sole wealth of the Pyrenees. Breeding of mules and 
horses is carried on successfully in the Cerdagne and elsewhere, and the cattle of 
some of the eastern valleys enjoy a certain reputation, but as a rule the 
resources of the country are allowed to lie neglected, and an acre of meadow 



THE LANDES. 89 

land in the Pyrenees does not yield one-tenth, nay, one-twentieth, of what it is 
made to yield in the Swiss Alps. 

The low hills and plains to the north of the Pj-renecs are covered with debris 
and boulders transported thither by the ancient glaciers. Xliesc boulders diminish 
in size in proportion as we travel away from the mountains. At Pamiers, Tarbes, 
and Pau they are still as large as a child's head, but farther north we only meet 
with small pebbles and gravel, and finally enter a region covered with clay and 
sand, which heavy rains convert into mud. The quagmires of Lauraguais, 
between the Hers and the Aude, and of Armagnac, between the Garonne and the 
Upper Adour, have hardly their equal in France. 



The Landes. 

The vast plain of the Landes stretches westward of these deposits of glacial drift. 
Bounded by the ocean, the Adour, the cultivated heights of Lot-et-Garonne, and 
the vineyards of Bordeaux, this plain covers an area of 5,400 squai-e miles. It 
is evidently an ancient sea-bottom covered with sands of pliocene age, sometimes 
to a depth of 260 feet. At a short distance beneath the surface we meet with a 
layer of compacted sand, formed by infiltration, and sometimes as hard as iron, 
which is occasionally associated with it. This alios, as it is called, prevents the 
growth of trees, and being impermeable, after rains the whole of the plain would 
be converted into a swamp if cvasfes, or drains, had not been dug to carry off the 
water. There are several "sinks" (enfoniioirs), the most remarkable being 
that of Hucaou, on the water-shed between the Leyre and the Garonne. 

Formerly, before the Landes had been drained, the Landescots, or Lanusquets, 
could only traverse these solitudes on stilts, instruments supposed to have been 
introduced from England. Mounted on his stilts, the shepherd was able to cross 
swamps with impunity, and to look after his flock, a long wand serving him simul- 
taneously as a balancing-rod, a weapon, and an organ of prehension. This mode 
of locomotion is confined now to the more remote districts. 

In the beginning of this century the value of land in this region was ridicu- 
lously small, and for a few francs a shepherd might purchase all around him as far 
as his voice could be heard. At the present time, however, the Landes have kept 
their original aspect only in a few places. Shrubs, ferns, and golden-flowered 
broom are rapidly being replaced by fields and forests of Bordeaux pines. These 
trees are admirably adapted to the Landes, and have been cultivated there from the 
most ancient times, trunks of them having been found beneath thick layers of turf. 
In llaransin — that is, the southern portion of the Landes — the cork-oak is the 
favourite tree, and near Bordeaux we meet with woods equal to any park of 
Western Europe as to variety of foliage. These forests graduallj- prepare the soil 
for agriculture, but the shepherds, whose pastures they encroach upon, hold them 
in aversion. 

The dunes skirting the shore of the Atlantic formerly threatened to overwhelm 



40 



FEANCE. 



the whole of this region, for towards the close of last century they advanced 
to the east at a rate of 60 or 80 feet a year. This danger was created by man 
himself, who destroyed the forests which had sijontaneously taken root upon 
these hills of sand. The prevailing westerly winds then again drove the sand 
inland, and it encroached upon Landes and swamps, and even overwhelmed entire 
villages. The village of Lege twice retired before this invasion of sand, viz. 4,300 
yards in 1480, and 3,300 yards in 1660. Mimizan retreated likewise, and when 

Fm. 2i. — View in the Landes. 




measures were at length taken to stop the invasion of the dunes, these latter had 
again approached within a few yards of its houses. 

The first experiment to stop the advance of the dunes was made in the 
beginning of the eighteenth century. It succeeded, but it was only after M. Br^- 
montier had overcome the resistance of the inhabitants, whom he desired to enrich, 
that any serious progress was made. Seven hundred and twenty acres were 
planted between 1787 and 1793, and since then the whole of the region of the 
dunes, extending from the Gironde to the Adour, and covering 222,400 acres, has 
been converted into a pine forest. These plantations have exercised a happy 



THE L.1NDES. 



41 



influence upon the climate, if it were only by facilitating regulation of the sheets 
of water in the rear of the dunes. Swamp fevers (medoquines), which formerly 



Fie. 25. — The Di xf.s and Laxues in the Pays de Rorx. 



Scale 1 : 400,000. 







1" 30~1V of Paris 



& Miles. 



decimated the population, have disappeared, and the general health has improved 
in consequence of the increased wealth of the country. 

The ponds or lagoons which extend in rear of the dunes must be looked upon 



42 



FEANCE. 



as ancient bays of the sea, from which they became separated by a bar of sand. 
The salt water which they originally contained escaped through drains, and they 
became filled with fresh water. The largest of these lakes, that of Cazau, covers 
15,000 acres, and its surface lies at an elevation of between 62 and 66 feet above 
the sea-level, according to the season. By means of a canal running parallel 
with the coast the level of this as well as of the other lakes might be lowered, and 
a safe water-way obtained connecting the Garonne with the Adour. 

The basin of Arcachon, about half-way between the Adour and the Gironde, is 
the only lagoon which still communicates freely with the ocean, but the time is not 
far distant when it too wiU be disconnected by a bar of sand. This ever-shifting 

Fig. 26. — The Basim of Arcachon. 
Sciile 1 : 325,000. 




Sand X nuL^ whicJi^ vji^vtr 



DcfdJv OVfr- Ji t'ect 
(hjstcr Bed* 



■ 5 Miles. 



bar, as well as the violent tides, is the great obstacle to the conversion of this 
bay into a harbour of refuge, so much needed on the perilous coast of the Bay of 
Biscay. 

The rivers draining the Kttoral lakes of the Landes are turned to the south on 
entering the sea, for the coast current runs in that direction, and throws up a 
tongue of sand rmming parallel with the coast from north to south. The course 
of the river being thus virtually increased to the extent of several miles, its 
current grows sluggish, it performs its work of drainage less efficiently, the level 
of the lakes grows higher, and they encroach upon their banks. The eiforts of 
engineers to remove the obstruction to the unimpeded discharge of the rivers have 



THE LANDES. 48 

not generally proved successful. The drainage of lakes and swamps has been 
attempted, though not on the same scale as in the Netherlands. The most 
important instance is that of the Lake of Orx, near Bayonne, which was emptied 
in 1864. 

Man and nature thus combine to modifj' the physical aspect of the coast of the 
Landes, but the submerged portion of the coast has been subjected to changes on a 
much vaster scale. A sand-bank marked on charts of the last century as being 
situated 15 miles to the west of the basin of Arcachon has completely disappeared. 
Floating ashes and seaquakes noticed by mariners point to the Bay of Biscay as a 
seat of submarine eruptions. Thus much is certain, that the sea has been 
encroaching extensively upon the land, and if we extend the slope of the Landes, 
as shown in Fig. 27, it will be found that the ancient coast-line must ha^-e lain 
12 miles farther to the west than the existing one. 

In the time of Bremontier the sea gnawed away nearly 7 feet of the beach of 

Fig. 27. — The Slope op the Landes. 



The figures express the height or depth in metres (10 m. = 32-8 feet). 

Hourtin annually, and elsewhere its invasion was even more considerable, though 
there were not wanting localities where the land actually gained upon the sea. 

On first looking at the dunes facing the sea, it might be imagined that it is the 
land which is advancing. The waves and the winds are supposed to throw 
annually nearly 8,000,000 cubic yards of sand upon the beach of the Landes ; 
but this sand is derived neither from the hiUs to the south of the Bay of Biscay, 
nor from the coast of Saintonge, to the north. It is furnished by the Landes 
themselves, and by the submarine plateau upon which they rise, and in its minera- 
logical composition is identical with the pliocene formation occupying the interior 
of the country. 

Further proofs pointing to an encroachment of the sea are furnished by the 
remains of the ancient vegetation of the country and the traces of man which 
have been discovered on the narrow ledge bounding the eastern foot of the dunes. 
Nowhere are these traces more conspicuous than on the beaches of La Grave 
and Matoc, to the south of the basin of Arcachon, for we meet there with layers 
of alios, with turf-pits, and the trunks of trees still bearing the marks of axes, 
with bricks and broken pottery. 



44 



FBANCE. 



But not only is the coast being gnawed by the sea, it is also slowly subsiding, 
for traces of human residence have been discovered below high-water mark. The 

coast to the north of the 
Fig. 28.— The Ancient Coast of the Landes. 
Scale : 1,500,000. 



}" jWofTarir" 




WWofCr 



^— ^— ^— 20 Miles. 



The figures express the height above the sea in metres 
(10 m. = 32-8 feet). 



Gironde participates in this 
movement of subsidence, 
and not only sandy beaches 
have disappeared there, but 
also rocks. One of the best 
examples of this kind is 
furnished by the rock upon 
which stands the hne light- 
house of Cordouan, which 
illuminates the entrance to 
the Gironde. When Louis 
de Foix erected that build- 
ing at the close of the six- 
teenth century, the rock 
upon which it now stands 
was an island sufficiently 
large to admit of dwellings 
for the workmen employed. 
It is now completely covered 
at high water, and the dis- 
tance between it and the 
peninsula of La Grave has 
increased from 3-1 miles in 
1630 to 4-3 miles. Nu- 
merous villages named m 
old chronicles have been 
swallowed up by the sea or 
overwhelmed by the dunes 
marching before it. Soulac 
was an important town on 
the Gironde, below Bor- 
deaux, whilst the English 
held the country, but the 
Gothic church and the few 
walls which alone remain of 
it now stand upon the shore 
of the ocean, the dunes hav- 
ing passed right over them 
(see Fig. 35) . The Gironde 



itself would probably by this time have changed its bed had not the engineers 
prevented it by the construction of costly embankments. Nowhere else on the 



THE ADOUE. 45 

coast of i'rance does man struggle so arduously against the assaults of the 
ocean, and sometimes the issue is doubtful. Between 1818 and 1846 the Pointe 
de Grave, at the mouth of the Giroude, receded 236 feet towards the south-east, 
but the coast now is eihciontly protected by embankments. 



The Adour. 

The geological history of the Lower Adour is connected with Ihat of the Laudcs, 
but the two Gaves, with their principal tributaries and head-streams, belong to the 
region of the Pyrenees. 

The xVdour rises between the Pic d'Arbizon and the Pic du Midi of Bigorre, 
about 12 miles to the north of tlie crest of the Pyrenees. Though fed by abundant 
rains and melting snow, the drought of summer would cause it to shrink into 
a riviJet insufficient even for purjDoses of irrigation if it were not for the Blue 
Lake {Lac Bleu), a natural reservoir, the outflow from which is regulated by 
means of a submarine tunnel, and from which 71 cubic feet of water are dis- 
charged every second, a quantity sufficient for irrigating the valley and 
supplying the manufactories of Bagneres and Tarbes. This is a work of 
our contemporaneous engineers, but the canal of irrigation, ■which leaves the 
river where it issues from the mountains to rejoin it 25 miles lower down, 
dates back to the time of Alaric, the Visigoth. The island lying between this 
canal and the river forms one huge garden, in which maize grows to a height of 
15 feet. 

On approaching the region of the Landes the river sweeps round to the west, 
skirting the hills of Beam, the cultivated slopes of which contrast strikingly with 
the desolate plain on its right bank. At Dax, instead of flowing directly to the 
sea, the Adour turns towards the mountains, and, as far as its confluence with the 
Gave, winds between hills. 

The volume of the Gave is superior to that of the Upper Adour, but its current 
being rapid and its slope steep, the tide only ascends for a short distance, and is 
of very little service for purposes of navigation. The name Adour is therefore with 
justice applied to the lower part of the river. 

The Gave of Pau, in its ujjper valley, alternately forms cascades, flows tranquilly 
along the bottom of deep ravines, or spreads out over emerald meadows contrasting 
strikingly with rugged defiles. At Lourdes it leaves the mountains, but, instead of 
flowing north over the plain, it abruptly turns to the west, and pierces the hills of 
Beam, all covered with erratic blocks carried thither by the ancient glaciers 
from the high mountains in the south. Below the graceful bridge of Betharram it 
winds across a plain, but at Pau it again flows amongst hills, from which it finally 
emerges only 12 miles above its confluence with the Gave of Ossau. Throughout 
the whole of its course it retains the character of a torrent, and is useless for 
purposes of navigation. 

The debris piled up by glacial action at the mouths of the Pyrenean valleys 
have forced the Gaves repeatedly to change their course. The Gave of Pau 

VOL. II. K 



46 



FEANCE. 



originally flowed in the direction of Tarbes ; it then passed by way of Pontacq, and 
this outlet having been blocked up by the debris deposited there, the river opened 
itself a new passage through the defile of St. Pe. The bed of the Gave of 
Ossau has undergone similar changes. At first it joined that of Pau near the 
town of Nay ; subsequently it flowed north through the valley of Neez, and even 
now a portion of its waters finds its way to that valley through an underground 
channel 5 miles in length. 



Fig. 29.— Successive Changes of the Bed of the Gave of Pad. 

Scale 1 : 320,000. 



» " [ io' of Piri: 




U",i)\l9 L.otU 



5 Miles. 



The estuary of the Adour, below Bayonne, has undergone similar changes. 
In the fourteenth century its mouth was 12 miles farther north, where the 
Boudigau now enters the sea, and the geological boundary between the regions of 
the Pyrenees and the Landes must still be sought for at that spot. There are no 
Clio's to the north of the Adour, but the nummxditic limestones of Biarritz extend 
north, beneath the waves of the ocean, as far as a spot lying off the " Fosse " of 



THE ADOUR. 



47 



Capbreton, anciently an important seaport, whicli gave its name to the island of 
Cape Breton, in Xorth America. 

The first change in the course of the river took place towards the close of the 
fourteenth century, when a violent storm threw up a formidable bar, the river 



Fig. 30. — The Mouth of the Asour. 

Scile I : SSO.OOO. 




Sililis. 



flowing along the rear of the dunes as far as the hamlet of Vieux-Boucau, or " old 
mouth," 22 miles to the north of Bayonne. The present channel of the river 
was excavated by human hands, aided by a great flood which occurred in 1571, 
and swept away the last remaining obstacles. 

£2 



48 FEANCE. 

The ever-shifting bar at the mouth of the Adour is justly dreaded by mariners, 
and, in spite of the jetties which have been constructed, the narrow entrance to the 
river is occasionally obstructed. 

The Garonne. 

The Garonne rises on Spanish soil, on the southern slope of the Pyrenees. Its 
head-stream, fed by the snow and ice of Pic Nethou, is swallowed up by a sink 
known as Trou du Taureau ("bull's hole"), and after a subterranean course of 
2 5 miles, reappears again as a gushing spring at the Goueil de Joueou 
("God's eye"). At the hill of Castellcon this head-stream of the Garonne is joined 
by a second river of that name, which traverses the Spanish valley of Aran, and 
when it enters French territorj', at the marble defile of St. Beat, it is already a 
formidable river. 

The glacier-fed Pique of Luchon is the first considerable river which joins the 

Fig. 31. — Tub Subtebraneam Coukse ov the Uakonne. 



1:1500000 



o f a 3 4 SKilometrcft 

Garonne on the soil of France. Lower down it receives the Neste, which flows 
through the delightful valley of Aure, and its direct northern course being stopped 
by the masses of debris deposited by ancient glacial action, it turns abruptly to the 
east, and flows in a huge curve around that wonderful accumulation of shingle and 
gravel traversed by the radiating courses of the Gers, the Bayse, and numerous 
other rivers, all having their sources close to each other, as shown in Fig. 32. 
These rivers are gradually washing away the sediment deposited by glaciers, and 
nowhere else are we better able to study the influence which the earth's rotation 
exercises upon the formation of valleys. Almost without exception the western 
slopes of the valleys are gentle, whilst the rivers gnaw away the foot of the hills 
on the east, and a traveller who crosses over from one valley to the other in a 
westerly direction ascends by a gentle slope, but descends by a steep one. 

Very diflerent from these divergent rivers are the eastern or exterior tributaries 
of the Garonne, for their sources are far apart, they flow generally parallel with 
the equator, and, draining vaster areas, are more voluminous. One of them, the 
Salat, is thus named on account of the brine springs near its banks. Another, the 



THE GAEONNE. 



49 



Ariege, is not named thus because it carries gold {Atirigera), for its name is 
synonymous with Arega, Aregia, Ereya, and Arize, all of which simply mean 
river. 

Though draining a basin inferior to that of the Loire, the Garonne neverthe- 
less is a more voluminous river, thanks to the greater rainfall, the geological 
nature of the soil, and the snows of the Pyrenees, which feed many of its tributaries 
during summer. There are no torrent beds, as on the southern slope of the 
Cevennes, and the hills of Auvergne and the Pyrenees are amongst the best 
watered of all France. Floods, unfortunately, occur frequently, generally in May 
or June, when the snow melts and rain falls abundantly. 

At an epoch anterior to history the flow of the river was regulated by lakes. 



Fig. 32. — Radiating River Courses of Gers. 
Scale 1 : 1,876,000. 



1' W. of Pans 




C v^ ^ /\^; 



one of the most important of which occupied the fertile plain of Riviere. But 
these lakes have been silted up and drained, and the floods occur now very 
suddenly. One of the most disastrous happened in 1875, when the river rose 
40 feet above its ordinary summer level, sweeping away bridges, destroying nearly 
7,000 houses, and doing damage to the extent of £3,400,000. These floods might 
perhaps be prevented if forests were planted upon the hills, but to this the pastoral 
inhabitants of the Pyrenees have a deep-rooted objection. 

The waters of the Garonne are not employed for purposes of irrigation, as they 
might be, and there exist no canals comparable with that of Alaric, in the valley 
of the Adour. M. Duponchel, however, has conceived the grand project of construct- 



50 



FEANCB. 



ino- a system of canals or drains, by means of which the hills of Gers might be 
levelled, and a portion of the fertile soil of which they consist spread over the 
barren Landes of Gascony* 

A navigable canal, communicating ^^■ith the Canal du Midi, follows the course 
of the Garonne from Toulouse downwards as far as the head of the tide, whence 

Fig. 33. — Valleys of Gehs. 
Scale 1 : 1,160,000. 



•i° IWof l^ru 




0° ?0'E oi 1.1 



the river is navigable throughout the year. Eelow Bordeaux, its great coiumercial 
port, the Garonne rapidly increases in width, and the triangular peninsula which 
lies between it and its twin river, the Dordogne, is known as Entre-Deux-Mers, 
with reference to the sealike expanse of these great tidal rivers. Sea-going vessels 
ascend the Dordogne as far as Libourne, at the mouth of the Isle. The bore 

Fig. 34. — The Plain of RivituE. 

Scale 1 : 320,000. 




which rushes up that river is said to have become more intense since the Garonne 
has been confined within narrower limits. 

The united waters of the Garonne and the Dordogne form a vast estuary, 
known as Gironde, varying in width between two and six miles, and dotted 

• " Creation d'un sol fertile a la surface des landes de Gascogne." Montpellier, 1864. 



THE GAEONNE. 



51 



over with numerous islands. There are many mud-banks, which interfere with 
navigation, but the depth of the channel is nevertheless very considerable, and at 
the mouth of the river, between Royan and the Pointe de Grave, it is no less than 



Fig. 35. — The Esti-aky of the Gironde. 
Scale 1 : G40,0iXI. 




10 Miles. 



Erhard 



105 feet. This estuary is in reality an arm of the sea, and at Mechers, 6 miles 
above its mouth, there are salt ponds and oyster beds. Cetacea and sea-fish ascend 
the river with each tide, and porpoises gambol around the vessels as in the open 
sea. Among these visitors from the Atlantic the maigre (Scin'm aquih), a singing 



52 



FEANCE. 



fish, is one of the most curious, and the crews of many a vessel have been frightened 
by the sound it emits. 

The banks of the Gironde exhibit many traces of geological action still going 
on. The hills on the right bank terminate in cliffs, the foot of which is continually 



Fig. 36. — The "Passes" of the Gironde. 
Scale 1 : 350,000. 






3" I 20' W of Paris [~ 










^a 



•■Vn,\ 







f \A '^' 5;'% T 



fui:rgf^ 



^, 



■^$^m 




r^/n. 



1" |\V. ol' Cf. 



^-id 



Dep.h 0-16 feet. 



16-32 feet. 



over 32 feet. 



5 Miles. 



being gnawed by the waves, and several villages have disappeared there, including 
Gerioset, which occupied the summit of a hill to the east of Royan, and Talmont, 
which stood at the extreme point of a peninsula. 

Swampy plains of recent origin, such as the "polders" of Little Flanders, 



Fig. 37. — Section of the Passes of the Gironde. 



20 f' 





drained in the seventeenth century, and the old salt marshes of the Verdun, extend 
far into the peninsula of Medoc. The culminating point of the whole of this 
region, the hill of Jau or Jupiter, scarcely rises to a height of 40 feet, and a 
couple of centuries ago was an island. Ancient river beds can still be traced, and 



LISRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSiTV of ILLINOIS. 



TYEENEES OEIENTALES. 53 

•what is now the Pointe de Grave was lorincrly an island near the northern bank 
of the river. 

The submarine relief is likewise undergoing continual changes, which endanger 
navigation. The channel, or "pass," of the jrasfclier, which was the principal 
one about the middle of the eighteenth century, is now occupied by a formidable 
sand-bank known as La Mauvaise. The contours of the banks and the direction 
of the currents are for ever changing, and in the course of less than a century the 
bank of La Mauvaise has shifted o miles to the west, whilst that of La Cuivre 
moves in an opposite direction. Still, thanks to lighthouses, buoys, and beacons, 
vessels can at all times enter the Gironde with safety, and even at low water the 
depth of the northern pass is nowhere less than 40 feet. At each tide no less 
than 265,000 Ions of water penetrate into the estuary of the Gironde, a quantity 
in comparison with which the discharge of the Garonne and Dordogne combined is 
almost inappreciable, even during floods. 

TOPOORAPHY. 

Pyrenees Oriektales. — This department is almost a portion of Catalonia as far 
as its climate, its productions, and the language of its inhabitants are concerned, but 
has formed part of France since the middle of the seventeenth century. It includes 
the valleys of the Tech, the Reart, the Tet, and the Agly, all of which debouch upon 
the plain of Roussillon. Each of these valleys is well watered, but, upon the 
whole, naked rocks form the predominant feature of the department, which is 
therefore able only to support a small population. 

The valley of the Tech or Yallespir — that is, " austere valley " — is the southern- 
most of continental France. Its scenery is delightful, and the customs of its 
Catalan inhabitants full of interest. At its head are the pastures of Costabona, 
and on descending it we pass the sulphur springs of Preste, the old town of 
Prafs-de-Mo/lo (1,320 inhabitants), formerly famous for its cloths ; Aries (1,871 
inhabitants), the commercial centre of the valley, where rude cutlery is manu- 
factured ; Ceret (3,063 inhabitants) ; and the hot sulphur springs of Amelie-les- 
Bains. 

Across the naked range of the Alberes, defended by the fort of Bellegarde, the 
great Spanish high-road leads through the Pertus. This road is far easier than the 
one leading along the coast of the Mediterranean, through CoUiourp (3,446 inhabit- 
ants), frequented by fishermen, and Port-Vriidrcs (1,910 inhabitants), which boasts 
of an excellent harbour, much frequented by vessels in distress. Some wine is 
exported from here, including the sort known as " rancio," which only attains 
maturity after having been kept for ten years, and possesses tonic properties almost 
equal to those of quinine. 

The district of Aspres, which extends east of the Canigou in the direction of 
the Mediterranean, is sterile, as its name implies, but excellent wine grows upon 
its hills, and the lowlands, irrigated by the Reart, are of wonderful fertility. F/iir 
(2,463 inhatitants), the ancient Illiberri, subsequently named Helena in honour of 



54 



FEANCE. 



the mother of Const antine, is the only town of importance there ; its cathedral 
dates back to the eleventh century. 

The most important valley of the Eastern Pyrenees is that of the Tet ; the 
Col de la Perche at its head, and the roads to Perpignan, are defended bj' the 
fortress of Montlouis, constructed by Vaubau. Lying at an elevation of 5,250 feet 
above the sea, the climate of this place is most rigorous. Hot mineral springs 
abound in this portion of the Pyrenees, but only those of Vernef, on the northern 
slope of Mont Canigou, enjoy a world-wide reputation. Iron ores, suited to the 

Fig. 38. — Port-Vendres. 
Scale 1 : 15,000. 








laSIauAsqilt 



is 



r^v- 



\% 



--BaAiIj, 



Kdutarfe 



•>- 




Ui-iUniit a„ , 












•1 

I'Jiare Beal^ ''■ 




manufacture of steel, likewise abound. There are iron works at Pia, between 
the small fortified town of Villeneuve de Conflant and Prades, but most of the 
ore is exported to Germany. Prades (3,725 inhabitants), Vinga (2,093 inhabitants), 
IHe (3,222 inhabitants), and all the villages of the Riveral, to the very gates of 
Perpignan, are indebted to the fertilising waters of the T^t for their prosperity. 

Ferjngnan (24,379 inhabitants) is a fortress of the highest importance, for it 
commands all the passes over the Pyrenees from the sea to the Pass of La Perche. 



ARIEGE. 65 

Traces of Moorish architecture may be discovered in its huge citadel, in the 
Castillet, or little castle, and the "Loge," or old exchange of the Majorcans, but it 
is not in other respects a fine city. Its ancient industries have declined since 
Charles V. converted the town into a fortress, and its university, founded in the 
fourteenth century, only exists in name. The climate, however, is deliglifful, 
sub-tropical plants grow most vigorously, and the whole country might easily be 
converted into a huge garden of acclimatization. 

Wine is the great source of wealth of the country. Though ordinary roussillou 
is used merely for blending the lighter wiucs of Central France, tirst-rate wines 
are produced at Rivesaltes (6,077 inhabitants), on the Agly ; at Estagel (2,678 
inhabitants), higher up on the same river, and the birthplace of Arago ; and at 
Salses, the Salsulfc of the Romans, ilost of these wines are exported through 
Barcares, a port near the town of St. Laurent de In Salanque (3,990 inhabitants). 
The country likewise produces olives. The tract along the coast, known as 
" Salobres," is impregnated with salt, and hardly produces anything, but fair 
harvests of cereals are gathered in the tract known as " Salanque," which bounds 
it inland, the vine and olive being restricted to the hilly districts. 

Akiege.* — This department includes the old district of Couserans, the basin of 
Salat, and the county of Foix, comprising the basin of the Ariege. Nearlj' the 
whole of it is mountainous, and the main range of the Pyrenees forms the boundary 
towards Spain for a distance of 136 miles. The only plain is that of Paumiers. 
The popidation is thin and exceedingly ignorant. 

The small canton of Querigut or Donnezan, on the Upper Aude, which is only 
accessible to the rest of the department by the difficult Pass of Paillers, sheltered 
the fugitive Protestants after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, but is now 
^•isited only on account of its sulphur springs at Carcanieres. The upper valley of 
the Ariege likewise attracts strangers on account of its hot springs, amongst which 
those of Ajt (Aqua?^ are the most famous. Hematite iron ores, lead, copper, and 
manganese abound at Vic de Sos, in a side valley of the Ariege, but owing to the 
difficulties of access, the want of fuel, and the restrictions imposed by mediaeval 
guilds, the metallurgical industry is not very important.t At Tarascon there are 
gypsum quarries, and travelling still 10 miles lower down the valley, we arrive at 
Foix (5,127 inhabitants), with its famous old castle, the capital of the department. 
Below that town the Ariege passes through a series of gorges, and then enters 
upon a vast alluvial plain, where stands Pamiers (7,837 inhabitants), the most im- 
portant town of the department. Lower down still is Sarerdun ('2,596 inhabitants). 

The vaUey of the Hers joins that of the Ariege beyond the limits of the 
department. It is one of the most charming of the Pyrenees, the pine woods of 
Belesta, the intermittent spring of Fontestorbes, and the ruined castle of Monts^gur 
constituting some of its principal attractions, whilst Lavehinct (2,792 inhabitants) 
and Mirepoix (3,102 inhabitants) are noted for their manufacture of cloth. On 

• Berg^s, "Description du dip. do I'Aricgo ; " Bordes-Pagds, " Notice sur le Couserans;" Aetnic, 
"Mem. pour I'hiet. naturelle du Lang^iedoc." 

t In 1873, 6,040 tons of cast iron, 5,045 tons of wrought iron, and 889 tons of steel were produced. 



56 



FRANCE. 



the Arize, which flows direct to the Garonne, stands the busy little place of 
Mas d'Azil (1,278 inhabitants), near which the river flows through a subterranean 
channel. 

The western portion of the department, ancient Couserans, is drained by the 
Salat and its tributaries. The upper valleys of this region formerly constituted 
as many self-governing communities, and the inhabitants, until quite recently, 

Fig. 39. — BAGNiRES-DE-LuCKON. 

Scile 1 : 215,000. 



r UOWof Pan 




2 Miles. 



retained their ancient dress and customs. In winter they leave their inhospitable 
mountain homes in search of work in the more favoured plains ; and when bears 
were still numerous in the Pyrenees, many of them travelled as bear-leaders. 
Hot springs abound in these valleys, the most renowned being those of Aulus, 
accidentally rediscovered in 182'3, and deservedly popular on account of the 
delights of the surrounding scenery. St. Girons (3,993 inhabitants), the capital 




V5 

o 

a 

o 
p 



a 

a 

a 

a 

< 
O 






HAUTE-GAEONNE. 



57 



of the district, occupies a site at the confluence of the Lcz with the Sulut. It 
carries on a lucrative commerce with Spain, tho road leading through the Port do 
Saluu, and boasts of various manufactures. At St. Lizicr, which was tho ancient 
capital, may still be seen the ruins of Roman walls and of a Gothic cuthotlral. 
The old episcopal palace has been very appropriately converted into an asylum for 
lunatics. 

Haute-Gakoxxe. — This department includes portions of the ancient provinces 

Fig. 40. — The Cosveboest Vaij,ey8 of tub Gaiionne, tue Aui£o£, anu the litiis. 

Scale 1 : 600,000. 



i" ^.. E ,.rCi 




I**' \V..trl\iri.H 



10 Miles. 



of Ghucony and Languedoc, and is intersected from south to north, for a distance of 
150 miles, by the river Garonne, which has given it a name. It extends from the 
crest of the Pyrenees to the foot-hills of the central plateau of France, and thus 
exhibits a great variety in its scenery, climate, and natural productions. 

In the very heart of the mountains lies the most famous hot spring of tho 
Pyrenees, that ui Bagnkrea-de-Luchoit (3,982 inhabitants), the surrounding scenery 



58 



FRANCE. 



of which — its glaciers, woods, and mountain gorges — forms its great attraction to all 
admirers of nature. <S^. Gaudens (4,087 inhabitants) occupies a terrace overlook- 
ing the ancient Lake of Riviere (see Fig. 34). Its neighbourhood abounds in 
remains of prehistoric man, as well as in monuments of the Gallo-Roman age. 
Valentin, a busy suburb of St. Gaudens, on the Garonne, still bears the name of 
the Roman emperor who founded it, and higher up on the same river may be seen 
the ruins of the Roman city of Lugdunum Convenarum. 

Below the gorge of St. Martory, the Salat, thus called after the brine springs 
of Salies, joins the Garonne, which thence flows through a fertile plain extending 
to the neighbourhood of Toulouse. Its numerous towns and villages, amongst 

Fig. 41. — Toulouse. 

Scale 1 : fiO.OOO. 



O-ii'W of Paris 







1 ; J r ^.1 1 



1 MUo. 



which are Martres (the ancient Calagorris), Cazeres ('2,422 inhabitants), Rieux 
(1,452 inhabitants), Carbonne (1,658 inhabitants), Auterive (1,973 inhabitants), 
and Cintegabelle (819 inhabitants), present an appearance of wealth, for it is now 
many years since the Garonne inundated its banks. Muret (2,509 inhabitants), 
in the very centre of this plain, has become famous on account of the defeat of the 
Albigenses and Aragonese in 1213, which definitively placed Toulouse in the 
hands of the French. 

VillefrancJie (2,134 inhabitants), and the other towns of Lauraguais, to the 
south-east of Toulouse, as well as Grenade (2,674 inhabitants). Fronton (1,402 




p 
o 
>-) 

O 
En 



or Tht 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



1L\UTE-GAE0NNE. 



Fis 



inhabitants), and other places in the north, are mainly dependent upon agricul- 
ture ; whilst Vilkmur (2,3G7 inhabitants), on the Tarn, and Itiiel (3,782 inha- 
bitants), have some manufactures. 

Toulouse (120,208 inhabitants), the entrepot of the fertile plain of the 
Garonne, is one of those cities which cannot be dispensed with. Its favourable 
position for war and commerce at all times insured its prosperity, and when the 
Romans captured it they discovered in a sacred pond treasure valued at 15,000 
talents, or £3,000,000. This 
prosperity is perhaps greater now 
than ever it was before ; but 
though Toulouse has been the 
capital of the Visigoths for nearly 
a century (418 — 007), it carries 
on no direct commercial transac- 
tions with the Iberian peninsula, 
but is the great intermediary be- 
tween the Mediterranean and the 
Atlantic. Including the subiu-bs. 



■12. — The Canal of the Xeste. 
Scale 1 : 320.01X). 



;• Wofrara 




the red-brick buildings of the 
town cover an area of over 3 
square miles. The town-hall or 
Capitol, with its busts of illus- 
trious Languedocians, occupies 
the centre of the ancient city, 
which was superior to the towTis 
of Northern France in wealth and 
intelligence, until the henchmen 
of the Inquisition caused its 
street* to flow with blood, and in- 
stilled a spirit of ferocious ortho- 
doxy into the minds of its inha- 
bitants, who burnt Yanini at the 
stake in 1619, and in 1762 broke 
the limbs of Calas, the Protestant, 
upon the wheel. The church of 
St. Servan, the cathedral of St. 
Ltienne, and the ancient monas- 
tery of St. Augustine, now converted into a museum, are amongst the most 
interesting buildings of the town. The library, far inferior to what one might 
expect to find in an ancient university city, occupies another old monastery. 
Commerce and industry flourish. There are manufactures of paper, starch, 
tobacco, and textile fabrics, as well as foundries and saw-mills. The environs are 
almost bare of trees, and there exists no park deserving the name. 

II.vvtes-Pyrenees. — This department includes the whole of ancient Bigorre, 



60 



FRANCE. 



with portions of adjoining districts. More than half of it is filled with high 
mountains. Its principal rivers are the Neste in the east, the Adoiu- in the 
centre, and the Gave in the west. The alluvial hottom-lands are of exceeding 
fertility; hot springs abound in the mountains; there are famous marble quarries 
and busy manufactories ; but the j)opulation is still far from numerous. 

The valley of the Aure, or Upper Neste, is one of the most renowned of the 
Pyrenees, on account of its pretty scenery and grand perspectives. Arreau, its 
capital, is merely a village, and Sarracolin is only better known because it lies at 



Fig. 43. — BAGNkKES-DE-BlGORRE. 

Scale 1 : 380,000. 



'.;W of Pan J 



^^r^w~w _ . ::. (f.^=^ N 




5 Miles. 



tht head of the canal of the Neste, and boasts of marble quarries. The popula- 
tion, however, is more dense than might be expected, for hamlets and homesteads 
lie scattered in all directions. 

The valley of Campan, on the Upper Adour, is looked upon as typical of the 
beauties of nature ; but the men who inhabit it are repulsive, as most of them are 
subject to wens. At its mouth lies Bagneres-de-Biyorre (7,598 inhabitants), which 
has paper and saw mills, marble works, and manufactures of fancy hosiery, these 
latter giving employment to more than 2,000 women. The town is likewise the 



HAUTES-PYEENEES. 



(il 



seat of the Soci^te Ramond, which has undertaken the scientific exploration of 
the Pj'renees and established an observatory on the Pic du Midi of Bigorre. 

Turbes (11,080 iuhubitauts), the capital of the department, lies quite beyond 
the hills, and from the windows of its museum an unrivalled prospect over a 



Fig. 44. — The Timili or Ossux. 
AccortUng to Bourbier nud Letrone. Scale 1 : 62,000. 



2'l 2«'\V »I ?aa 




o-tc \v 



MUe. 



verdant plain, bounded by blue mountains in the distance, may be enjoyed. 
There are foundries, woollen-mills, and manufactories of felt, as well as a Govern- 
ment factoiy of small arms and a cannon foundry. The surrounding country is 
famous for ita breed of saddle horses. Com and wine are the leading agricultural 
productions. 

VOL. II. V 



62 FRANCE. 

The hilly country to the east of this smiling plain of the Adour, including the 
plateau of Lannemezan, consists to a great extent o-f heaths. The best-known 
village there is Capveni, with hot mineral springs. Heaths also occur to the west 
of the Adour, and one of them, near Ossun (2,400 inhabitants), is remarkable on 
account of its ancient entrenchments and tumuli. 

The basin of the Gave, in the west of this department, is perhaps more 
frequently visited by tourists than any other portion of the Pyrenees, and 
deservedly so, for it abounds in sublime scenery and natural curiosities. Its many 
thermal springs form one of its greatest attractions. The sulphurous waters of 
Bareges are efficacious in case of wounds, those of St. Sauceur are available 
against nervous disorders, but the various springs of Cautereta cure almost every 
disease that human flesh is heir to, and attract as many as 16,000 sufferers in a 
single year. The mouth of the valley of the Upper Gave is commanded by the 
old fortress of Lourdcs (4,577 inhabitants), become famous in our days through a 
miracle-working spring near which quite a town of churches and convents has 
sprung up. 

Basses-Pyrenkes. — This department includes Beam and the old " kingdom " of 
Navarre, with the districts of Soule and Lubourd in the Basque country. For the 
most part it is hilly rather than mountainous, though the Pyrenees to the south 
of the valleys of Ossau and Aspe still pierce the region of perennial snows. The 
ravined plateau to the north of the Gave of Pau consists of glacial drift. There 
are mines of iron, coal, and salt, many manufactories, and a great commercial port ; 
but upon the whole this 'is an agricultural department, the resources of which 
have not hitherto been developed as they might be. The touyas, or heaths, which 
cover 783,000 acres of the Pyrenean foot-hills, are quite capable of cultivation, but 
the peasants prefer to use them as pasture ground. It is only natural, under these 
circumstances, that the population should decrease. 

The Gave, on entering the department, flows past the church of Bethar- 
ram, an old place of pilgrimage, and then irrigates the fields of numerous 
villages, the centre of which is Nay (3,093 inhabitants), which boasts of numerous 
manufactures. Still following the river, we reach Pau (27,553 inhabitants), the 
ancient capital of Beam. It is built upon a terrace, and owing to the mildness of 
its climate has become a great resort of invalids. The terrace of its ancient castle 
commands a magnificent panorama of the Pyrenees. The entertainment of visitors 
is the great business of Pau, but there are also some manufactures of linen. 
Morlaas, the first capital of Beam, now an inconsiderable village, lies in the 
Landes, to the north-east ; and, proceeding still farther in the same direction, we 
reach the castle of Montaner, one of the strongest fortresses built by Gaston 
Phoebus. 

Orthez (4,727 inhabitants), on the Gave, below Pau, was formerly the seat of 
a universitj^ and is noted for its ancient bridge and the donjon of the old palace 
of the Dukes of Foix. There are numerous tanneries and other industrial esta- 
blishments, and amongst the exports of the town figure " Bayonne hams." 

The mountainous portion of the department belongs to the basin of the Gave 



OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITV of ILLINOIS. 



I'll [Itl 




BvVSSES-rYREXEES. 



03 



of Oloron, the capital of which is 0/oron Ste. JUarie (7,223 inhabitants), ut the 
foot of the ouly I'yrenean pass available for wheeled traffic, viz. that of Somport. 
There are cloth and cotton factories, and smuggling is carried on extensively. 
High up in the hills, at the foot of the Pic du Midi of Pau, lie the sulphur sprin"8 
o{ Hdiu-Jioiiius and E(uu-Cli(itu!es, and the vuUoy of Earctous, in the south-west, 
is famous for its cuttle. 

In descending the Gave we successively pass througli Navarreujr, an old 
fortress, and Sautftvrrc. At Oraas, near the latter, and at Sdlies (2,404 inha- 
bitants), there are salt works, now carried on by Government, but they arc far less 
productive than formerly. 

The villages in the interior of the Basque country arc remarkable only on 

Fig. 45. — Bavo.vnb axu the Moitu of the Adoir. 

Scale 1 : &l.l«.n>. 



JMl Wol'l'iir 




J,'. 7 



account of their picturesque position. At MauUon-Licharre, the old capital of 
Scale, are the ruins of a castle ; Hasparren (1,573 inhabitants), a very ancient 
village, has shoe and cloth manufactures ; the fort of St. Jean-Picd-de-Port 
commands the Pass of Roncevaux and two others. Near it is a colony of cagots, 
a despised race formerly, but nevertheless intelligent, and superior in physique to 
their neighbours. Most writers now look upon them as descendants of the 
Visigoths. 

Bayonne (22,307 inhabitants), though slightly inferior to Pau in population, 
is by far its superior in commerce and industry. It is a fortress, but gaily painted 
houses, open squares, and fine promenades give it the appearance of an open city. 
Its Gothic cathedral is one of the finest edifices in the south of France. Its 

F 2 



64 



FRANCE. 



position at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay and on the most frequented road 
between France and Spain marks it out as a great place of commerce ; but owing to 
the bar which closes the mouth of the Adour, it has not attained a position 
amongst the great commercial ports of France such as might have been expected, 
and the numerous Spanish and Portuguese Jews are intent rather upon bourse 
speculation than upon legitimate commerce.* As to the other harbours along the 
coast of Gascony, such as Guethary and St. Jean-de-Luz, they are at present 
of no commercial importance whatever. And yet the mariners from this coast 
frequented America long before Columbus, though not before the Normans. 
Great efforts are now being made to improve the harbour of St. Jean-de-Luz 



Fig. 46. — KoADSTEAD OF St. Jean-de-Luz. 
Scale 1 : 200,000. 




16 - 3i 



oxnj- I6A- F^UJuftns . 



(3,131 inhabitants), though that town can never again become a great place 
of commerce. Indeed, such importance as these coast towns possess is due 
entirely to their having become favourite seaside resorts ; it is this which has 
transformed the village of Biarritz (3,348 inhabitants) into a cosmopolitan water- 
ing-place, and is preparing a similar fate for Hendaye. 

Gers. — This department is named after a yellowish river which traverses it 
from north to south, and occupies the greater portion of the plateau of glacial 
drift piled up at the mouths of the Upper Adour and Neste, and cut up by 
torrents into numerous ridges of hills (see Fig. 32). It lies outside the usual 

• In 1872 there were 1,320 Jews. In 1875 1,460 vessels, of an aggregate burden of 164,324 tons, 
entered and cleared. 



TAEN-ET-GAEONNE. 65 

roads of traffic, but its vallej's are fertile, and a fair wine grows upon its hill- 
sides. 

The most fertile portion of Gers lies on the south-west, and is watered by the 
Adour. Immediately to the east of this valley rises the plateau of Armagnac, the 
wines of which are to a great extent converted into brandy, ranking next to 
Cognac. Cazauhon (760 inhabitants), Eauzc (2,062 inhabitants), Montreal (690 
inhabitants), and Vic-Fezemac (3,000 inhabitants), are some of the more important 
places in Lower or "Western Armagnac, separated from Upper Armagnac by the 
valley of the navigable Bayse or Baise, the more important towns of which arc 
Condom (4,933 inhabitants) ani.Mu-ande (3,230 inhabitants), the capital of Astarac. 

Audi (12,145 inhabitants),, the name of which recalls the ancient Ausques or 
Eskuaras who founded it, lies in the valley of the Gers. It is a fine town, with 
one of the most majestic cathedrals of France, an immense flight of stairs, leading 
to the terrace upon which it is buQt, and a mediajval tower dedicated to Caesar. 
Higher up in the valley lies the village of Saiixaii, which has become known 
through the paloDontological explorations of M. Lartet and others. The lower 
valley of the Gers is well cultivated, and the fields surrounding Fleurance 
(3,737 inhabitants) and Lcctoitre (2,963 inhabitants) are of great fertility. The 
patois spoken at the latter place is said to contain Greek words, and the rivulet 
formed by the fountain of Houndelie bears the Greek appellation of Hydrone. 

The towns in the extreme east of the department are in nowise remarkable, 
except for the ruins of mediaeval castles and abbeys. L'IsIe-Jounlain (2,248 
inhabitants) and Lomhez, both on the Save, are the principal centres of population, 
and carry on some trade in cattle and geese. 

Tarn-et-Garoxxe. — This department, one of the smallest of France, includes 
the hills of Eastern Lomagne, the alluvial valleys of the Garonne, the Tarn, and the 
Aveyron, and a hill region in the north and east which forms part of Quercy and 
Rouergue. Some of the soil is exceedingly fertile, and there are manufacturing 
establishments at Montauban and elsewhere, but the population is nevertheless on 
the decrease. 

Beaumont (3,608 inhabitants), the capital of Lomagne, as well as all the places 
on the left bank of Garonne, is decreasing in population, and Cmtel-Sarmsin 
(3,547 inhabitants), on the opposite bank of the river, does so likewise, but never- 
theless carries on a considerable commerce in wine and the products of the fertile 
plain, too frequently devastated by the waters of the Garonne. 

Montauban (19,790 inhabitants) stands majestically upon a lofty bluff of the 
Tarn, spanned there by a fine old bridge. Its position is a favourable one for com- 
merce, but its greatness as a city passed away when it ceased to be one of the four 
towns of refuge granted to the Calvinists. It gloriously withstood the armies of 
Louis XIII. (1620), but twelve years later it yielded to Eichelieu, and its civil 
liberties and industries were annihilated. Linen and muslin, earthenware and 
leather, are manufactured, but a spirit of enterprise capable of striking out new 
paths is altogether wanting. The town-hall contains a fine library and a collec- 
tion of paintings, many of them by Ingres, a native of the place. 



66 



FRANCE. 



Moissac (5,675 inhabitants), iu the alluvial plain and neai' the confluence of 
Garonne and Tarn, is one of the great grain markets of France, and possesses a 
mediteval church and cloisters, which contrast strangely with a modern aqueduct 
and an iron railway bridge. Valence d'Agcn (2,926 inhabitants), lower down in 
the valley, is wealthy and industrious. An old house is still pointed out there 
in which sat the inquisitors who condemned forty-three heretics to the stake. 



Fig. 47. — The Alluvial Plain of the Gahoxne, the Tarn, and the Aveyron. 

Scale 1 : 320,000. 



1°V. 




. 5 UUes. 



The plateau to the north of the Aveyron is but thinly populated, and the only 
town of any importance there is Caussade (2,438 inhabitants). The Aveyron, on 
entermg the department, passes through a series of picturesque gorges, bounded by 
limestone cliffs, the caverns in which have yielded numerous implements of palseo- 
lithic age. St. Antonin (2,520 inhabitants), the most considerable town in that 



LOT-ET-OAEONNE.— LANDES. 67 

part of the country, boasts of a town-hall built in the twelfth century, and of nume- 
rous private dwellings dating back to the thirteenth. 

Lot-et-Gakonxk. — This department is named after the two rivers which effect 
their junction within its limits. The hills of Lomagne form a steei) escarpment 
towards the vale of the Garonne, and a considerable portion of the south-west 
consists of Landes, but the northern half is occupied by tertiary hills of great 
fertility. As a whole, the department is one of the most productive of all France ; 
its race of cattle is highly esteemed, and poverty is unknown. 

Agen (17,806 inhabitants), the capital, lies on the right bank of the Garonne, 
at the foot of a hill covered with gardens and "sillas. It is famous for its cattle 
markets and prunes, the latter grown in the vallej' of the Lot. Three bridges and 
an aqueduct cross the river. 

Descending the Garonne, we first reach Port Stc. Marie (1,699 inhabitants), 
near which the valley of the Baj'se joins from the south, and up which leads the 
road to Nerac (4,975 inhabitants), an old Roman town, with the ruins of a royal 
palace. Nerac has recovered from the injury inflicted through the revocation of 
the Edict of Nantes, and now carries on a considerable commerce in wine and 
brandy. Iligbcr up on the Bayse is IfoiicrabeaK (681 inhabitants), the Gascon 
" head-quarters of liars, babblers, and boasters." Mczin (1,989 inhabitants), which 
has exported wines to London since the fourteenth century, stands on the Gclise, a 
tributary of the Blayse ; and lower down, near the same river, rises the castle of 
Barbaste, nov converted into a factory. Farther to the north-west, beyond the 
forests recently planted in the Landes, lies Casteijaloux (2,074 inhabitants), with a 
mineral spring and some manufactures. 

AguHlon (1,993 inhabitants), near the junction of the Garonne and Lot, is but 
a small place. Ascending the latter river, we pass Clairac (2,388 inhabitants), 
known for its "rotten" wines, which are made from overripe grapes; Castelmoron 
(1,028 inhabitants), Sfe. Livrade (1,404 inhabitants), and Villcncucc-sur-Lot (9,681 
inhabitants), a busy place, with an old abbej^, now used as a prison, the ruins of 
the castle of Pujols, and several mediaeval buildings, including a bridge. Penne 
(1,272 inhabitants). Fame/ (2,229 inhabitants), and Bonaijuil were known in former 
times for their citadels, that at the latter place having been one of the first con- 
structed to resist artillery. 

Returning to the valley of the Garonne, we pass Tonneins (5,803 inhabitants), 
entirely rebuilt since the Calvinistic wars, and Marmande (6,037 inhabitants), both 
of them driving a busy trade. Le Mas d'Agenais (1,245 inhabitants), and 3Icilhan 
(639 inhabitants), on the left bank of the Garonne, are mere villages. Nor are the 
few towns in the north of much importance, except, perhaps, Miramont (1,416 
inhabitants), with its orchards of prune-trees. 

Landes. — This department does not include the whole of the Landes of Gas- 
cony, though, on the other hand, it comprises, in the south and south-east, some 
of the foot-hills of the Pyrenees and of Armagnac. The resources of the depart- 
ment are small ; there are no extensive tracts of fertile land, nor harbours along 
the coast, and the population is therefore very thinly sown. 



68 



FBANCE. 



Dax (9,085 inhabitants), on the Adour, is the natural centre of Chalosse, the 
most fertile district of the Landes. It is an old town, with remains of Roman walls 
and baths. The steam arising from its famous sulphur springs is seen from afar. 
Thermal springs abound throughout the region, as at Pouillon (250 inhabitants), 
La Gamarde, Tercis, and Prevhacq ; rock-salt abounds ; asphalt is found in the 
valley of the Luy ; and the iron in the western Landes is utilised in the forges 
of Castets (937 inhabitants). Peyrehorade (1,786 inhabitants), on the Gave, at the 
head of navigation, is likewise a busj' f)lace. 

Cap-Breton, in former ages one of the most famous seaports of France, has 

Fig. 48.— Cap-Breton (1872). 

Scale 1 : 33.614. 




/>^UA /f^S 1 -tl 



U Miles. 



dwindled down into a poor village, but the harbour of refuge now constructing 
there may bring back some of its ancient prosperity. 

St. Sever (2,225 inhabitants) and Aire (2,906 inhabitants), both on the Adour, 
are quiet country tovms, though the latter is the seat of a bishop ; but Mont-de-Marsan 
(8,328 inhabitants), to the north of them, the capital of the department, is a busy com- 
mercial centre, from which are exported the brandies of ViUeneure (1,155 inhabitants) 
and Gabarret in Armagnac, the rosin of Roquefort in the Landes, and the wines and 
manufactured goods of Chalosse. Lahrit, the ancient capital of a duchy, is now 
merely a village, with the ruins of a castle built by Henri IV. 



1.I8RARV 

OF THE 

UNIVERSlTVofttilNOjS. 



GIRONDE. GO 

Some of the stations along the railway which connects Bordeaux with Bayonno 
are rising into importance. Ic/ioux has iron works, Lahouheijre (La Bouverie) is 
famous on account of its cattle fairs, and Ifoiretix promises to become a place of 
commerce. The ancient towns of the littoral region of Born, however, which were 
joined formerly by a Roman road, have dwindled into insignificance. Mimizan, 
the most important amongst them, attracts a certain nimiber of seaside visitors 
during the season. 

GiRONUE. — The Landes occupy fidly one-half of this department, as fiir as the 
Garonne and the estuary of the Gironde, and even extend beyond that river, but 
the whole of the district known as Entre-Deux-Mcrs, as well as the hills of the 
Fronsadais and Perigord, is an outlying portion of the plateau of Central France. 
Bordeaux, so happily situated at the mouth of the Garonne, and on the great 
high-road which connects Paris with Spain, is the natural centre of the department, 
and would insure it a pre-eminent position, even though its agricultural produc- 
tions, its early vegetables, and wines had no existence. 

Bazas (2,859 inhabitants), the ancient Xovcm Populana, and the seat of a univer- 
sity at the time of Charlemagne, is an unimportant place now, but the tumuli, the 
dotes, or remains of Gallic habitations, and the castle of Roquetaillude near it, 
are fall of interest to the antiquarian. The arrondissement of Bazas lies completely 
within the region of the Landes, but its inhabitants have made considerable 
advance in agriculture, they breed a highh' esteemed race of cattle, and at Yillan- 
draut, in the valley of the Ciron, the)' grow excellent wines. The names of 
Preignac, Barsac, Bomme, and Sauterne are known throughout the world, and 
there are certain growths, such as Chateau- Yquem, which are appreciated by 
every connoisseur. 

The towns along the Garonne and the Gironde know no other trade or industry 
except what is connected with wine and agriculture. Castds, at the head of the 
tide, is a busy port ; Laiigoii (3,903 inhabitants) and the old city of <S7. Macaire 
(2,252 inhabitants), opposite, are still more busy. La Reolc (3,498 inhabitants), 
higher up on the river, is a curious mediaeval place. Near Monsegur, to the north- 
east, is a district formerly known as that of the scoundrels (Gavacherie), because 
it was repeopled, after the great plague of L524-25, by colonists from Poitou and 
Angoumois, who were at that time very much despised by the men of Gascony. 

Descending the Garonne, we pass Cadillac (2,257 inhabitants), with an old castle 
now used as a refuge for women, and Cerons, well known on account of its quarries 
and white wines. Villas and gardens tell us that we are approaching Bordeaux. 
Soon we find ourselves facing the Maritime Railway station and the busy suburb 
of Paludate, we pass beneath the iron railway bridge, and land at the quays of the 
town. Towers rise above the multitude of houses, in front we look upon a fine 
stone bridge, and beyond appear the masts of innumerable vessels filling the 
crescent-shaped harbour. 

Few other cities can rival this capital of Aquitania. Founded by the Celtic 
Bituriges, but peopled for the most part by Iberians, the ancient Burdigala was 
already a great town during the dominion of the Romans ; but of the many monu- 



70 



FRANCE. 



mental buildings which existed at that time only a few ruins remain. The Middle 

Ages are represented by numerous churches, one of which, that of St. Michael, 

has a steeple of 350 feet in height, and a crypt with mummified corpses : the Gothic 

cathedral has a belfry erected by Archbishop Pe3'-Berland, Amongst modern 

public buildings the theatre and the town-hall are the most remarkable, but it 

is principally the magnificent private houses in the streets radiating from the 

Place des Quinconces which impart a monumental character to the city. 

The quays are far from sufiicient for the hundreds of vessels which crowd the 

Fig. 49. — Bordeaux. 
Scale 1 : 95,000. 



J" iS'W'ofPir,. 




O" 35"Wof&i 



IMile. 



river, nor can vessels having a considerable draught lie alongside them. In order 
to remedy this inconvenience capacious docks are now being constructed in the 
suburb of Bacatan. But even these will not always be accessible to the larger 
steamers, which are frequently compelled to discharge a portion of their cargo at 
Pauillac before they are able to come up to the city. But, in spite of all these 
drawbacks, Bordeaux is the third port of France, and about 12,000 vessels of over a 
million tons burden enter annually. 

The exportation of wine (28,000,000 gallons in 1874) is the great business of 



GIEOXDE. 



71 



Bordeaux. For centuries the wines of Bordeaux were more highly appreciated 
abroad than in France itself, and as early as the thirteenth century they were 



Fig. 50.— The Wine Districts of the Gikonbk. 
Scale 1 : fOii.ooo 




w jm 



'Wovdi 



exported to London. It is only since the middle of last century that they have 
come into fashion throughout France. The town has dockyards and other esta- 



72 



FRANCE. 



blishraents connected witt shipping, sugar refineries, potteries, foundries, steam 
mills, and establistments for the preservation of provisions. 

Bordeaux, between 1206 and 1451, was virtually a free city, and an English 
soldier was hardly ever seen there, except in time of war. It is only since 1789 
that the town can be said to form an integral portion of France. Its local tradi- 
tions, however, are strong, and its citizens are by no means ambitious to imitate 

Fig. 51.— The Invasion of the Phylloxera. 

Scale 1 : 460,000. 




I' -' •! Stale of Plague m IB" 5 

J)evelopemeul in 18"'*' 
Developement in 1875 



5 Miles. 



Paris. They support a museum, a public library, and numerous scientific institu- 
tions and educational establishments. 

Not only the villages near Bordeaux, such as Begles (4,161 inhabitants), Talence 
(3,578 inhabitants), Mirignac (2,030 inhabitants), Cauderan (3,816 inhabitants), and 
Le Bouscat (3,226 inhabitants), but also more distant places, share in the prosperity 
of the great city. Arcachon (4,934 inhabitants) is one of these, for most of its 



OIEONDE. 73 

villas have been erected for the accommodutiou of visitors from BorJeiiux. Arca- 
chon and La Teste de Biteh (4,596 inhabitants), near it, are moreover famous for 
their oj'ster parks, which in 1874 yielded 84,000,000 of these delicious molluscs, 
valued at £120,000. The basin of Arcachon (see Fig. 2G) likewise abounds in 
fish, and leeches are bred in the surrounding swamps. 

Both banks of the Garonne and Gironde, below Bordeaux, must bo looked upon 
as dependencies of that city. Pauillac (2,044 inhabitants) is the advanced port of 
Bordeaux. Le Verdoii, at the mouth of the river, is a roadstead, where a hundred 
vessels may sometimes be seen at anchor, waiting for the tide or a favourable 
\\'ind. The narrow slip of land below Blaiiquefort (2,294 inhabitants), known as 
JSIedoc, produces annually some 2,000,000 gallons of superior wine, including such 
growths as Chateau-Margaux, Chateau-I;affitte, and Chateau-Latour. The dreaded 
phylloxera, which has committed such ravages in other parts of the department, 
has hitherto spared the vineyards of Medoc, owing, perhaps, to the sandy nature of 
the soil and the prevailing westerly winds. Lesparre (2,442 inhabitants), in the 
Lower Medoc, has a curious old tower ; and OM Souhic, at the mouth of the river, 
boasts of an ancient Byzantine church, now surrounded by hotels for the accom- 
modation of seaside visitors. 

Blatje (3,801 inhabitants) is the chief town of that portion of the depart- 
ment which lies to the east of the Gironde, defended there by Forts Pate and 
Medoc. Blaye as well as Boiirg (1,494 inhabitants), on the Dordognc, has 
important quarries, but its chief trade, like that of all the towns of the valley of 
the Dordogne, is in wine. The most important of these towns is Libourne (1^,872 
inhabitants), verj' favourablj- situated at the mouth of the Isle ; others are Ste. 
Foy-la-Grande (3,910 inhabitants) and Cantillon. The " Cotes," or hill wines, 
which grow to the north of the Dordogne, enjoy a high reputation, those of St. 
Emilion being among the most famous. The great wine districts of the Gironde 
are shown on Fig. 50. They yielded, in 1875, 110,160,000 gallons of wine, valued 
at £3.600,000. 




CHAPTER III. 
THE ALPS, THE Rh6nE, AND THE COAST OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. 




General Aspects. — Mountains.* 

HEN the PhcEnicians first navigated the Lion Gulf and established 
their factories near the mouths of the Rhone, that portion of 
France which lies at the back of the mountains sloping towards 
the Mediterranean was still wrapped in mystery. At a later date, 
when Greek art and poetry flourished in the Hellenic settlements 
on the Mediterranean, the barbarous populations in the interior still practised 
human sacrifice. The Greeks sought to civilise the tribes which surrounded them, 
and the youthful Euxenos married the fair daughter of a barbarian king ; but 
when the Roman succeeded to the inheritance of the Greek, the work of civilisa- 
tion had made but little progress. The Roman, however, was not content with 
merely holding the seaboard, and Caesar, by availing himself of the almost 
unbounded resources of a wealthy empire, succeeded in conquering the whole 
of Gaul. 

The boundaries of Mediterranean France are not as well defined as are those 
of Italy and the Iberian peninsula. True it is almost entirely enclosed by moun- 
tains — by the Cevennes in the east, bj' the Alps in the west ; but two huge gaps 
in these barriers have enabled nations and armies to overcome these obstacles. One 
of them opens out between the Pyrenees and the Cevennes, and leads into the 
basin of the Garonne ; the other is reached by travelling up the Rhone, and 
opens a way, on the one hand, into Burgundy and the valley of the Seine, on the 
other to the Lake of Geneva and the basin of the Rhine. 

The valley of the Rhone is, indeed, the great historical high-road of France. 
When Rome was still the mistress of the world, it was through this valley that 
her legions marched to Northern Gaul. At a subsequent date, when Rome 
had fallen from her high estate, a movement in a contrary direction took place, 

•Marion, " Geologie de Provence" {Sevue Scientifique, 2l8t of December, 1871); Whymper, 
"Scrambles amongst the Alps," 1860—69; Ladoncette, " Hautes- Alpes ; " " Annuaire du Club Alpin- 
Fran^ais;" Surell, " Iiltude eur lea torrents des Hautes- Alpes ; " Ch. Lory, "Alpes de la Savoie et du 
Dauphine ; " A. Favre, " Recherches geologiques sur le Mont Blanc." 



GENERAL ASPECTS.-MOUNTAINS. 



75 



and the fair regions of Languedoc and Provence fell a prey to tlie power- 
ful military nation which had established itself in the north of France. This 
conquest was not accomplished without much bloodshed, but it finally gave 
France her true geographical limits, with a seaboard on the Mediterranean, 
and enabled her to play the part of mediator between the Xorth and the South. 
The countries watered by the Rhone and its great tributary the Saono differ 
widely as regards climate, geological formation, and inhabitants. Great are the 
contrasts between Burgundy and Provence, Franche-Comte and SavoJ^ Never- 
theless these countries, belonging to the same river basin, form a geographical 
unit, and this fact is reflected in their histor}'. Geographically this basin 
consists of two regions, viz. the southern pro\ince, through which runs the 

Fig. 52. — Zones op Oranges and Olivss. 



3Z 



h 






5'| r...fi' 



r 




e/itvy 



Ovan^e^ 



impetuous Rhone, and the departments of Central France, which are di-ained by 
the tranquil Saone and its aflluents. 

Prorence. — The coasts of Provence remind us oftentimes of Tunis or 
Algeria. The promontories of limestone, porphyry, or granite, the sub-tropical 
vegetation, the glittering villas embosomed in thickets of olive-trees, and the 
radiant sky are the same as on the opposite coast of Africa, and it is there- 
fore not without reason that naturalists include the coasts of Provence and 
Southern Spain within a region which embraces likewise the African countries to 
the north of the Atlas. Moreover, the most advanced group of mountains 
between the Lion Gulf and Genoa, that of the Moors (2,556 feet), is quite distinct 
from the Alps, and rather resembles the mountains of Corsica. This group of 
granitic hills is named after the Moors or Saracens, who maintained themselves 
in its recesses during the ninth and tenth centuries. There are here vast forests 
of chestnut-trees, pines, and cork-trees, but the soil, as a rule, is sterile, and the 



76 



FEANCE. 



number of inhabitants small. Yet, on account of its delicious climate, its orange 
groves, its palms, its fine beaches and bold promontories, it is one of the most 
attractive districts of all Provence. The islands of Hyeres rise to the south of 
these hills, that of PorqueroUes, named after the wild boars which formerly 
roamed over it, being nearest to the peninsula of Giens, which was formerly an 
island, but is now attached to the continent by a neck of land, enclosing brackish 
ponds abounding in fish. 

Another small group of mountains, that of Esterel, rises to the north of the 

Fig. 53. — The Mountains of the Moors. 
Scale 1 : 600,000. 




I mMT 06 Fai/wituf. 

10 Miles. 



valley of Argens and the Bay of Frejus, and, like that of the Moors, is completely 
severed from the Alps. An old Roman road leads across these hills, which are 
barren and rugged, but form a succession of porphyry and red sandstone promon- 
tories, amongst which Cap Eoux is one of the most magnificent on the Mediterranean. 
The mountains which rise immediately to the north of these two groups show 
by their strike and geological formation that they, too, do not belong to the 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— MOUNTAINS. 77 

Alps. Amongst tbcm arc the heights of Ste. Baume (3,421 feet), which 
terminate between Mar.seilles and Toulon in the superb promontories Bec-de- 
I'Aigle, Cap Canaille (1,364 feet), and Cap Tiboulen, and the Chaine do I'Etoilc, 
with a miniature Mount Olympus (2,605 feet). Other ranges rise to the north 
of the valley of the Arc, which was a gulf of the sea at the commencement of 
the tertiary epoch. The eastern extremity of this valley forms a magnificent 
amphitheatre, bounded in the noith by the wooded heights of Ste. A'ictoiro 
(3,283 feet). It was here Marius destroyed the Teutonic hosts, and the village 
of Pourrieres recalls the Campi Piifn'di upon which thousands of the slain were 
left to putrefj'. AH these limestone ranges exhibit a lino more or less parallel 



Fig. 54. — The Valley of the Arc and the IIeiguts op Ste. Tictoire. 
Scale 1 : 240,000. 



W^" 



■v^;< 



3" lo V. of P»r.» 



r-^ - .v:\A-TJvrr-' — .^'~ 



r-i^iH:>i ,,rj'. 



y^vi 



! Al\ 




, — • - "*/i*i.' . '* _.'-tA.' 



S' i» a » of . 



J Miles. 



with the granitic nucleus of the mountains of the Moors ; but the serrated chain 
of the Alpines or Alpilles (1,614 feet), which farther east rises above the stony 
pasture lands of La Crau, alreadj' belongs to the sj'stem of the Alps, being in 
realit}' only a prolongation of the chain of the Lcberon, from which it is separated 
by the valley of the Durance. A small volcano, now extinct, rises in the midst 
of these hills. 

The parallel ranges stretching towards the valley of the Var, in Eastern 
Provence, are also ramifications of the Alps. Some of these Jurassic ranges 
resemble the interior slope of a bastion ; others contrast by their barrenness with 
the smiling gardens of the Ilesperides at their feet, irrigated by the fertilising 

VOL. II. Q 



78 



FRANCE. 



waters of the Siagne. The highest summit of these ranges is Mont Cheiron 
(5,834 feet). 

The Maritime Alps. — The promontories which are reflected in the blue 
waters of Nice and Mentone, to the east of the Var, belong to the Maritime 
Alps. The bold terrace of the Tete-de-Chien, or " dog's head," at Monaco, with 
its steep precipices, bears a high tower dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, the 
"conqueror of all the nations of the Alj^s," and forms a good natural boundary 
between French and Italian Liguria. The political frontier between these two 
countries, however, as drawn in 1860, lies farther to the east, and follows an 
arbitrary direction. 

The Maritime Alps extend from the Pass of Tenda In the east to the Pass of 

Fig, 55. — The Vehdon at Quinson. 




Larche (6,480 feet) in the north. Their most elevated summits are covered with 
perennial snow. The torrents to which glaciers and numerous small lakes give 
birth on the Mediterranean slope, force their way through narrow defiles cut 
through lime and sandstones. Similar gorges, or clus, are met with in the lime- 
stone hills extending westward to the Durance, pne of the most remarkable being 
that of the river Verdon, above Quinson.* 

The Chtfian Alps. — Monte Viso (12,586 feet), which was looked upon for a 
long time as the highest summit of the Alps, and has only recently been 
ascended by Mr. Mathews, an Englishman, forms a connecting link between the 
Maritime Alps and the Alps of Dauphine. The geological features of these 
mountains differ widely from what we meet with in other parts of the Alps. 

* Highest summits in the Maritime Alps : — Clapier de Pagarin, 9,994 feet ; Mercantourn, 10,391 feet. 



GENKRAL ASPECTS.— MOUNTAINS. 79 

Monte Viso itself consists of serpentine. Granite is met with on the Italian 
slopes, but schists and limestones predominate on those of France as far as the 
valley of the Durance. This district, with its gorges and piles of rock, lias not 
inappropriately been termed Qiicyras, or "land of stones." 

The roads which connect the valley of the Durance and Provence with the 
valley of the Po lead across these Alps of Qucyras and Monte Viso, collectively 
known as Cottian Alps. One of these paths crosses immediately to the north of 
Monte Tiso at an elevation of 9,821 feet. A tunnel, or iraccnctte, excavated 
as long ago as the fifteenth century, renders its passage practicable at all seasons, 
in spite of avalanches, mists, and storms. The Pass of Mont Geuevre (6,067 feet), 

Fig. 56. — The Gouge, oh " Clis," of the Yerdon. 
Scale I : ISO.OOO. 



i" K or I'd 




fc> 



?\iajiini 



Is. ^_ 



now practicable for carriages, was first used by Hannibal and his army. These 
and other passes, however, are only of local importance now, and are frequented 
almost exclusively by Piemontese who cross over into France in search of work. 
During the iliddle Ages they were important, too, as military highways, and the 
mouths of the valleys leading up to them were guarded by fortresses, some of 
which are still maintained — as, for instance, Embrun (2,809 feet), Mont Dauphin, 
and Brian^on (4,333 feet), on the Durance. The inhabitants of these remote 
valleys might have maintained their independence if the country had not so 
frequently been overrun by armies. On both slopes of the Alps they speak the 
same dialect, and long before the Reformation they separated from the Roman 

G 2 



80 



FRANCE. 



Churcli. lu spite of massacres we there still meet with many Waldenses, or 
7audois, St. Veran (6,592 feet), the most elevated village in all France, 
bein"- one of their principal seats. These Waldenses were formerly distin- 
guished for their superior education, and in winter as many as a thousand of 
them came down to the towns of the E,h6ue valley, and taught the mysteries of 
reading and writing in return for a miserable pittance. The establishment of 
village schools has put an end to this pursuit, and many of the natives have sought 
a new home in Algeria. 

The Alps of Dauphine. — Another Alpine group, that of Oisans, rises to the 
west of the valley of the Durance, which, with its southern ramification, the 



Fig. 57. — The Glaciers of Oisans. 
Scale 1 : 250,000. 




5 Miles. 



Champsaur, lies wholly within France, and is bounded in the north by the deep 
valley of the Romanche and the Pass of Lautaret (6,792 feet), in the east and south 
by tributaries of the Durance, and in the west by the Drac. This mountain 
group consists of granite, encircled by Jui-assic and cretaceous rock. Mont 
Pelvoux (12,773 feet) is the most prominent summit of this group, but the Barre 
des :6crins (13,462 feet), and the Aiguille, or "needle " of Medje (13,078 feet), the 
latter immediately to the south of the valley of the Romanche, exceed it in height. 
Glaciers cover about one-third of the area of this mountain groujj, and fairly rival 
those of Switzerland. The most considerable amongst them, that of Mont de 
Lans (5,293 feet), covers an area of 8 square miles, and when making the tour of 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— MOUNT.VDfS. 



81 



the upper valley of Yeiieon, passing the glacier of La Grave and the Aiguille of 
Olun (12,740 feet), we walk for a distance of 35 miles over ice and snow fiolds. 
The most remarkable of these glaciers are, perhaps, those which descend from the 
slopes of Mont rdvoux and the Poiute des Arsiucs, and meet in the upper valley 
of the Vallouise. One of them, the " Black Glacier," is covered completely with 
rocks and earth so as to almost resemble a stream of mud, whilst the other, the 
" White Glacier," is of dazzling whiteness, and giscs birth to a torrent of bluish 
water. None of these glaciers reach very far down into the valleys, and we are 

Fig. 68. — Aioi'iitE op THE IfEnjB. 




not, consequently, charmed by the contrasts between verdant woods and ice, such 
as delight the ej-e in Switzerland. Indeed, there are but few trees left in these 
mountains, though there exist luxuriant pasture grounds, notably near the wealtliy 
village of Venose, the inhabitants of which export rare Alpine plants as far as Russia 
and America. 

A few Protestan'L congregations still remain, but the Waldenses, who formerly 
inhabited the fine valley of Vallouise, have been wholly exterminated. The present 
population of the country is wretchedly poor, and cretinism prevails. The famous 



82 



FEANCE. 



cliurcli of La Salette stands high above the valley of the Drac, in the midst of 
luxuriant pastures ; and near it, in the narrow valley of Godemar, there existed 
until recently traces of a more ancient worship. In spring, when the sim first 
appeared above the crest of the mountains opposite, the villagers of Andrieux used 
to walk there in procession, and sacrifice pancakes in honour of the conqueror 
of winter. 

Chaotic masses of mountains occupy the whole of the region bounded by the 

Fig-. .19. — The (tlacifr of La Grave. 




Durance and the Isere, and extend down into the valley of the Rhone. Going 
west from Mont Pelvoux, we reach the plateau of Matheysine (3,050 feet), covered 
with small lakes, pierced by crystalline mountains, and bounded by the precipices 
overhanging the waters of the Eomanche and the Drac. Crossing the latter, we 
reach the Quatre-Montagnes, or " four ranges," separated by affluents of the Isere, 
and running parallel with the Pennine Alps. In the north, beyond the Isere, the 
mountains of the Grande Chartreuse (6,847 feet) extend in the same direction, and 



OENEKAL ASPECTS.— MOUNTAINS. 83 

in the south they are joiued to tlio mountains of Yercors (7,695 feet), uU three 
having the same geological formation. The latter are hardly Aljjine in their 
character, their great beauty consisting in the contrasts afforded between open 
valleys and sombre gorges through Avhich torrents escape in picturesque cascades, 
in the southern aspect of their sunny slopes, and the bold outline of some of their 
rocky declivities. 

The formidable Pass of Lus-la-Croix-IIaute (4,920 feet) separates the Vercors 
from a mountain group known as Di'voluy, a name which etyraologi.sts derive from 
the Latin decoliitnin, with reference to the immense masses of rock which have 
" tumbled down " into the valleys and gorges. The base of the great Peak of 
Aurouze (8,905 feet) is completely surrounded by mounds of detritus, which, seen 
from afar, have the appearance of white marble buttresses. Other mountains 
resemble huge piles of rocks. Of this kind arc the Obiou (!),1G0 feet) and 
Faraud, which a local legend " transforms into hostile giants \\ho hurled huge 
rocks at each other. This excessive weathering of the mountains is accounted for 
by their geological composition. As a rule, strata of hard rocks alteriuite with 
deposits of soft earth, and no sooner have rains, torrents, and frosts disintegrated 
or carried away the latter than the superimposed rocks slide down into the valleys, 
together with the villages which are built ujion them, or tumble into fragments. To 
a great extent, however, the improvidence of man is responsible for this rapid dis- 
integration of the mountains, for it was he who destroyed the forests which 
formerly covered and sheltered them. These forests, however, are gradually being 
replanted.* 

The mountain ranges which ramify to the south, towards the confluence of the 
Rhone and the Durance, resemble those just noticed in geological composition, and 
present the same white rocks and barren slopes. The forest of Saou (5,223 feet) 
has long since succumbed to t.he woodman's axe. Farther south rise the rampart- 
like mountains of Lure (5,095 feet), attached by a transversal chain to the rugged 
Leberon (^J.tiOU feet), the reddish flanks of which arc covered with patches of copse. 
Atmospheric influences acting upon rocks possessing such different degrees of 
resistance have resulted in some curiously grotesque formations. Thus to the 
north of Forcalquier may be seen a group of mushroom-shaped rocks known as 
Leis Jloiirrc, the tops of which consist of blocks of compact limestone supported 
upon stalks composed of clay marl. 

Farther west rises a mountain appropriately called Ventoux, or the " windy " 
(6,273 feet), which, owing to its isolated position, impresses the spectator 
more than its height would warrant. Its lower slopes are covered with a belt of 
verdure, and an ascent to its summit affords an opportunity for studying successive 
belts of vegetation. The paheontological discoveries made in this part of France 
shed much light upon ancient flora and fauna. The miocene strata of the 
Ventoux and Leberon abound with the remains of lions, gazelles, hipparions, and 
other animals now extinct. The miocene gypsum near Aix, on the other bank of 
the Durance, has yielded fish, insects, plants, and even feathers of fossil birds. 

• Between 1861 and 1871 234,760 nrres were plimtcJ wilh forest in the Froiidi Alps. 



84 



FEANCE. 



The fossil fisli discovered there prove conclusively that the Mediterranean formerly 
communicated with the Indian Ocean. 

Thanks to an agricultural discovery of great importance, the districts of the 
Yentoux and Leberon are now being rapidly planted with woods. Joseph Talon, 
a poor mushroom gatherer, discovered in the beginning of this century that this 
coveted fungus grew more luxuriantly in the vicinity of oaks. He quietly planted 
acorns in the retired sjoots to which he was in the habit of resortiag, and for many 
years he kept his secret. It is only since 1856 that this new industry has spread, 
and since that year no fewer than 1-18,000 acres have been planted with oak in the 
department of Vaucluse alone. This department and the adjoining one of the 
Basses-Alpes now supply nearly one-half the mushrooms gathered throughout 



Fig. 60. — Tiir. '■ Forest " oi- Saou. 
Scale 1 : 160.000. 



■.'VEof Pans 



Cvp^t 






K' 



S.Vilftiui/ 




/'/-•,. ' 





'4^> 



. 2 Miles. 



'-1 



France, and exported under the deceptive appellation of " truffles of Perigord." 
The indirect advantages which have accrued to the country through the introduc- 
tion of this industry are very great, for the flinty slopes and marls which are best 
suited to the growth of these mushroom oaks are not adapted to agriculture, and 
the newly jjlanted forests cannot fail to exercise a happy influence upon the 
climate, and put a stojD to the ravages caused by torrents.* 

T/ie Alps of Savoy. — The famous chain of Maurienne, across which lead the 
principal roads that connect France with Italy, separates Mont Pelvoux and the 



* In 1S75 32,000 cwts. of mushrooms were gathered throughout France, valued at £610,000. Vau- 
cluse yielded 8,000 cwts., the Basses- Aloes 7,000 cwts., and Lot 6,000 cwts. 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— MOUNTAINS. 



85 



\ipi3er valley of the Durance from Savoy. The Romans availed themselves of the 
easiest passes of that region, and on the summit of that of the Little St. Ber- 
nard may be seen a cromlech which thcj' dedicated to Jupiter, and which is still 
known as the column of Joux (Jove). At a subsequent date the Pass of Mont 
Cenis (6,885 feet) became the great highway between France and Italj^ ; but the 
fine carriage road which connects Lans-le-Bourg with Susa has been very little used 
since 1871, in which year the great railwa}' tunnel constructed by ilessrs. Grattone, 
Grandis, and Sommellier beneath the Pass of Frejus was thrown open for traffic. 
That tunnel connects Modane with Bardonneche ; it has a length of 40,092 feet, 
and its summit lies at an elevation of 4,-380 feet above the sea-level. 

The mountains of Mauricnne hold an intermediate position between the fine 
summits of Switzerland, with their forests and luxuriant pastures, and the arid 



Fig. 61. — Leis MourrS. 




slopes of the Devoluy and the .^Ups of Dauphine. In some of the valleys, and 
notably in that of the Arc, which constitutes the district of Maurienne proper, wc 
meet only with arid slopes. The ancient forests have been destroyed there, and 
the upper limit of vegetation seems to have retired in consequence. JIan will 
have to struggle hard if he desires to reconquer the ground that has been lost 
through his own improvidence. 

Though very inferior in height to ilont Blanc, and even to the group of 
Oisans, this chain of Maurienne, with its numerous raniiflcations, is of very great 
importance. Vast masses of ice have accumulated in its rock-surrounded amphi- 
theatres, and give rise to four considerable rivers, the Isere, the Oreo, the Stura, 
and the Arc. Formerly, when these mountains were yet unexplored, it was 
thought, on account of these snows, that Mont Iseran, in their centre, must attain 



86 



FEANCB. 



a very considerable heiglit ; but )no]if, in the patois of the country, simply means 
" pass," and that of Iseran lies at an elevation of only 8,034 feet. The Grande 
Casse (12,740 feet) and the Aiguille of Vanoise (12,675 feet) are culminating 
summits on French, and Mont Paradis (13,271 feet) on Italian soil. 

Valleys penetrate deeply into these mountains, and some of the more sheltered 
amongst them are permanently inhabited to a height of nearly 6,000 feet. The 
half-buried houses of Bonneval (5,900 feet), at the foot of Mont Iseran, are cut off 

Fig. 62. — Mont Blanc as seen trom Chamonix. 




from the rest of the world for several months in winter, and barley and rye take 
fourteen or fifteen months to ripen there. The want of pure air in these valleys, 
the long and severe winter, and the deep shadows thrown by the mountains during 
summer are popularly supposed to produce goitre and idiocj% which Dr. Grange 
ascribes to the magnesian limestone of the country. He estimates the number of 
persons suffering from goitre in Maurienne at 30 per cent, of the total population, 
and in certain localities of the Tarentaise the proportion is still higher. The long 



LISRAHY 

OF THE 

UNlVERSfTK of ILLINOIS, 




MONT 


















r 







s 



I'r.H 






... '.• ij'slliiili'hi* 



t.-s^ 



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/c./Vo/w 












$-.^i^: 






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U■«ll.l^^tllfM^ '• 






f 






4 






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f ■ *;, \i-i i'onlaiiiiiu' 



/•i ^^', ^ "i*^!^".'- <tii <M.ul«' 

f^^^^ ' 



r y^ff' 



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A)2> ' -"^ l'U<-ier 






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LONDON. J. S.' R 










le t;° GoKpi 







Knlre dou.isj 



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tgff ■■'■V-.x •> v.iun.i 



l^ la Huuw 



U E & C LIMITED. 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— MOUNTAINS. 87 

winters, however, enable these mountaineers to acquire some education ; and 
formerly many Savoyard teachers were to be found in tlie towns of the IthOne 
valley. 

The granitic ranges to the west of Muurionne run in a direction conformable 
to that of the Jura, and are intersected by the rugged gorges through which the 
Isere, the Romanche, and the Arc iind their way to the west. The group of the 
Grandes Eousses (11,910 feet) is the highest summit here. Farther west, above 
Grenoble, rises the thrcc-peakcd Belledone (0,778 feet), from the summit of which 
we look down upon the verdant valley of Graisivaudau and the limestone moun- 
tains which bound it on the west. 

From a geological point of view the mountain mass of which Mont IJlanc 
(15,777 feet) is the centre is but a norlliern continuation of these western ranges 
of Savoy. Its relief, however, marks it ofV verj' distinctly. Tlie enormous 
mass of talcose granite or protogine of which it is formed is separated by the 
Passes of the Little St. Bernard (0,897 feet) and Bonhomme (8,151 feet) from 
the other mountains of Savoy in the south ; sinks down steei^ly into the vallej^ of 
the Ehonc on the north ; presents steep, glacier-covered slojjes towards Italy ; and 
descends more gently towards the French valley of Chamonix. At an anterior 
period, when Mont Blanc was several thousand feet higher than it is now, it 
formed but a single mountain mass with the Aiguilles-Rougc?, now separated from 
it by the valley of Chamonix. 

The area occupied by Mont Blanc and its buttresses cannot compare with 
certain mountains of Switzerland, nor docs it give rise to any great rivers, for only 
the Arveiron, or Arve, and the Dora Baltea rise on it, the one flowing to the 
Khone, the other to the To. Its glaciers and snow-ticlds, however, are without a 
rival in Europe. They cover 104 square miles, of which 64 drain into the valley 
of Chamonix. The most famous of these glaciers is the Mer de Glace, or " sea of 
ice," which slides down the valley at a rate of 828 feet annually, and gives birth 
to the Arve. 

Discovered as it were by two Englishmen, Pococke and "Wyndham, about the 
middle of the eighteenth century, and ascended for the first time by Jacques 
iSalinat in 1780, Mont Blanc has since become one of the great attractions of all 
admirers of nature. Chamonix (3,444 feet), at its foot, has grown into a town of 
hotels; and other villages in its vicinity, sucli as St. Gervais and Cormayeur 
(4,007 feet), particijjate in the profits derived from tourists. 

The mountains in Northern Savoy, which occupy the region between Mont 
Blune, the Rhone, and the Lake of Geneva, form a sort of link between the Alps and 
the Jura, and from a geological point of view it is sometimes difficult to determine 
of which of either of these systems a certain mountain may be assumed to form 
a part. The cretaceous and Jurassic ranges generally run from the south-west to 
the north-east ; that is, parallel with the Jura. Such is the direction of the pine- 
clad ranges of the Grande Chartreuse (Chamechaude, 6,847 feet), of the parallel 
ridges of the Beauges (4,996 feet) to the north of Chambery, and of the ranges 
of Saleve (4,523 feet) and Voirons, near Geneva. 



88 



FRANCE. 



Most of the valleys of this region are of considerable width, and not mere eortres 
as in the Jura. There still exist, however, many defiles bounded by steep preci- 
pices, as if they had been cut by a sword, and amongst these none are more striking 
than those cut by the Rhone and its tributaries, Usses and Fier, through rocks 



belonging to the lower cretaceous formations. 



The transversal disposition of the mountain ranges of Western Savoy naturally 



Fig. 63. — Ancient L.\ke Beds in Savoy. 
Scile 1 : 200,000. 



i" 4o' E. oi' FarU. 




6° UoE of Gr 



led to the formation of numerous lakes. But most of these pent-up sheets of 
water have long since disappeared, and there now exist only three of any extent, 
viz. the Lakes of Annecy, Bourget, and Aiguebelette. In the valleys of the Arve, 
the Giffre, and elsewhere, however, many old lake basins can still be traced. The 
agency of water likewise accounts for the numerous caverns which pierce the 
mountain sides of Savoy, as well as for frequent landslips. That of the Granier, 



' l " >l ■ 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVEfis;TY<rf«.LINOIS. 







C5 
W 

a 

<o 
H 
M 

P 

O 

H 
H 
« 



THE RHONE AND OTHER RIVERS. 



SO 



in 1248, buried a town and five villages near Chambery. Earthquakes, too, are 
trequent, and may be due to subterranean strata settling down. 



The Rhone and other Rivkus.* 

Most of the heavy rain and snow which descend on the French slope of the 
jVlps find their way into the Rhone. TVTiere that river leaves the Lake of Geneva 
it is already of considerable size. Gliding along slowly at first, it gradually accele- 
rates its course, and at the mouth of a picturesque gorge it is joined by the Arve, 
fed by the glaciers of Jlout Blanc. This latter, when in flood, is superior in 

lijT. (11. — Perte du Ehoxe ani> Bellegardk. 







i-6u' Eof Or. 



;:cile 1 : lu.uuo. 

volume to the Rhone, the flow of which is regulated by the Lake of Geneva. 
When the snows melt in the Alps no less than 38,850 cubic feet of water are dis- 
charged into that lake in the course of a minute. But this water spreads over the 

• Surell, " Etude sur le« torrents des Hautes-AJpcs ; " Ch. Martins, " Aigues-Mortcs ; " E. Desjardins, 
'•Apcr<;a historique sur Ics embouchures du Rhone, 1866;" Adrien Germain, "Rapport 6ur I'etat de 
I'embouchure du lihSne en 18;2 ; " Ch. Lentheric, " liCs ^-illes mortes du golfe do Lyon." 



Hhdne (with 
Doubs) 


UilfB. 

Sadne- 1 „~- 
63/ 


Area of 
Ba^in. 
Sq. m. 

38,096 


Discharec in 
Max. 

llToO 


Tons 
Uin. 

5-39 


Avemse 
Average minfliU. 
per 6ec. In. 

16-86 37 


Surface 

diuiuage. 

In. 

22 


Aude 


138 


2,062 


29-43 


4-9 


61 29 


15 


Orb 


90 


591 


24-53 


2-4 


25 (f) 35 


20(?) 


H^rault 


122 


1,119 


26-30 


(?) 


60 (?) 39 


22(F) 


Argens 


C3 


1,243 


(?) 


12-8 


50 (?) 31 


19(?) 


A'ar 


75 


880 


39-23 


27-4? 


42(?) 3o 


24(?) 



90 



FBANCE. 



whole surface of tlie lake, and issues only gradually tlirough the Rhone, the banks 
of which, as far down as Lyons, suffer in consequence but rarely from inundations. 
The Arve, on the other hand, possesses no such regulating reservoir, and frequently 
carries destruction along its valley. 

The Rhone, below its confluence with the Arve, crosses a district formerly 
covered by the Lake of Geneva, and then penetrates into a deep gorge, bounded by 
the eastern declivities of the Jura and by Mont du Vuache, or Chaumont, and 

Fig. 65. — The L/ike of Annecy. 
Height 1,453 feet, area 10 square mUes. Scale 1 : 230,000. 




defended by Fort I'lJ^cluse, which overhangs it. The river rushes through this 
gorge with great violence. At one spot it almost disappears beneath the rocks 
which have tumbled down from the precipices that overhang it. This is the 
" Perte du Rhone." A bridge there spans the abyss, and a short distance below it 
is joined by the Valserine, passing through a gorge almost equally grand. The 
great motive power of the river has been ingeniously utilised at that spot. A 
tunnel conveys the water upon tourbine water-wheels erected in the bed of the 



THE rh6ne and other rivers. 



fll 



Tnlserine, close to the confluence, and these wheels set in motion iron cables 
communicating with the mills of Bellegarde, built several hundred feet above. 
Thousands of tons of fossils are being ground there into dust, to be used as 
manure. 

At Bellegarde the Rhone abruptly turns to the south, flowing along the eastern 
foot of the mountain chain which terminates in the Grand Colombier (5,033 feet), 
overlooking the dried-up lake basin of Culoz. Within this portion of its course 



Fig. 66. — The Lake of Bocrget. 
Height 770 feet, area 16 square miles. Scale 1 : lUU.OOO. 




1 Mile. 



it ia joined by two rivers, the Usses and the Fier. The former, having passed 
beneath the famous high-level bridge of La Caille, enters the Rhone near Seyssel, 
a place well known on account of its beds of asphalt. The Fier, ri.sing in the 
neighbourhood of Mont Blanc, receives from a side valley the water discharged by 
the Lake of Annecy. This lake consists of two distinct cavities or basins, and its 
depth nowhere exceeds 100 feet. In many places its banks slope down gently, 
a circumstance favourable to the construction of pile dwellings, the remains of 



92 PEANCE. 

many of which have been discovered. Elsewhere, however, they are steep, and 
on the west the hike is commanded by the Semnoz (5,572 feet), or Rigi of Savoy. 
The existing emissary of this lake appears to be of artificial formation. The old 
outlet took its course farther east through a swampy plain. 

At Seyssel the Rhone becomes navigable, and soon afterwards spreads out in 
numerous channels enclosing sand-banks and willow-covered islands. It crosses, in 
fact, the bed of an ancient lake, of which the Lac du Bourget is the last remnant. 
Anciently the great glaciers of the Rhone and the Isere met in this depression, 
which subsequently was converted into a huge lake, fed by the Drac, the 
Romanche, the Isere, and the Rhone, The glacial drift and erratic blocks, which 
cover the mountain slopes to a height of 1,600 feet, sufficiently prove this. The 
Lake of Bourget has been immortalised by Lamartine's verse, and although its 
shores are comparatively barren, the bold grey wall of Mont du Chat reflected in 
its blue waters when the sun is about to set, and its wooded peninsulas, afford 
superb contrasts. 

On leaving the swampy plain of Chautagne and Lavours, with its sluggish 
ditches and coveys of wild ducks, the Rhone for the last time takes its course 
through a narrow gorge, overlooked in the north by the old Chartreuse of Pierre- 
Chatel, perched on the summit of an isolated limestone rock. Having received 
the Guiers from the south, the river turns abruptly to the north-west, and as far as 
the jDlain of the Ain flows along the western foot of the Jura. Throughout this 
portion of its course the Rhone has frequently changed its bed, and there is reason 
to believe that it formerly flowed west across the shingles and gravels deposited by 
ancient glaciers, and joined the Saone to the south of Lyons. The relief of 
this portion of France has undergone a rapid transformation ever since these 
glaciers retired from the vicinity of Lyons. In the valley of the Drac erratic 
blocks are scattered over the hillsides to a height of 4,260 feet above the river, 
and near Lyons up to 1,150 feet. Rock-groovings, locally known as marcs, or 
mud terraces, abound throughout these hiUs. 

Below its junction with the Ain the Rhone spreads out and forms innumerable 
islands, its bed near the hills of Miribel being no less than 2 miles wide. But 
soon after it loses its lacustrine character ; its waters are confined to a single bed ; 
and at Lyons it joins the Saone, and thence flows majestically southwards towards 
the Mediterranean. 

A sail down the Rhone from Lyons is a source of great delight to the traveller. 
Swiftly carried along,* he passes ever-varj'Lng scenes of beauty. Without much 
swerving to the left or right, the Rhone, overcoming every obstacle, flows due 
south, and ]\Iichelet aptly likens it to a " furious bull rushing from the Alps to 
the sea." Rapidly do we pass black rocks and willow-clad islands, woods, crum- 
bling ruins perched upon bold jDromontories, and populous towns. Looking up the 
tributary valleys, we now and then get a peep at the distant mountains, the white 
summits of the Alps on the left, the burnt- out volcanoes of Central France on the 

* Length of the Rhone, from the confluence with the Saone to the sea, 201 miles ; total fall, 532 feet, 
or 32 inches per mile. 



THE RHONE AND OTHER RIVERS. 



98 



right. In front the powerful mass of the Ventoux gradually grows in size until it 
shuts out one-half of the horizon. We are approaching a southern clime. Olive- 
trees appear in the vineyards, and the rocks assume that calcined appearance 



Pig. 67. — AscrexT Glacifrs op the Rhone asd the IsiiiB. 
Scale I : ssaooo. 




lu Miles. 



which is 80 characteristic of Greece and Sicily, At length the wide plain bounded 
by the Cevennes and the foot-hills of the Alps stretches out before us, only a few 
isolated hillocks rising above it like islands. 

The glacier-bom Isore is the fir^t, great tributary which joins the Rhone below 

VOL. II. H 



94 



FEANCE. 



Lyons. "Where it leaves the valley of Tiges it is a considerable torrent, whicli the 
accession of the torrents of the Tarentaise and of the Arc convert into a powerful 
river. Formerly the Isere fed a huge lake, but now it takes its course through the 
valley of Graisivaudan, the bed of an ancient glacier river wide enough to accom- 
modate a Nile or a Ganges. Formerly the Isere, when in flood, could spread itself 
over this vallej-, but embankments now confine its bed to a uniform width of 367 
feet. These embankments sufficiently protect the country on ordinary occasions, 
but inundations, when they do occur now, prove all the more formidable to 
Grenoble. Close to that town the Drac joins from the south, its principal tribu- 
tary, the Romanche, rising in the glaciers in the west of the mountain mass of 
Oisans. In the twelfth century a landslip converted a portion of the valley of the 
latter into a lake, and when the barrier broke in 1219, the freed waters carried 
destruction before them, and even the inhabitants of Grenoble had to flee for their 
lives. Among the smaller rivers which join the Isere lower down, the Fure is the 



Fig. 68. — Plain of La Valloire. 
Scale 1 : 400,000. 







3°lE of Taris 



'■J^r07Tns/ 



/ SiTlin'; 




IMUe. 



most important. It rises in the Lake of Paladru, fiimous for its pile dwellings. 
As to the rivers which disappear in the swallows {avaloirs) of the plateau of 
Bievre, and passing beneath the huge moraine of Antimont, reappear again through 
the "eyes" [chiires) near St. Rambert, they flow direct to the Rhone. The 
discharge of the Isere varies exceedingly according to the seasons, and, owing to 
the grey tint imparted to its water by the triturated rocks suspended in it, can be 
traced for several miles below the confluence. A few barges navigate this large 
river, but the traffic is of no importance whatever. 

The Drome traverses several small lakes formed in the fifteenth century by 
landslips, or clajjiers, but not being fed by glaciers, its volume varies much 
according to the seasons. And the same may be said of the other rivers rising 
in the foot-hills of the Alps ; they are mere torrents, almost dry in summer, but 
carrying destruction before them after heavy rains. 

Very different from these are the rivers which cross the fertile plains of Car- 
pentras and Avignon, for they are fed from subterranean reservoirs in the lime- 



THE imuNE AND OTHER RR'ERS. 



05 



stone liills, and their springs do not dry up, even in the height of summer. Fore- 
most amongst these rivers is the Sorgues of Vaucluse, which rises a considerable 
river from a cavern surrounded by barren precipices. Flowing past a monument 
dedicated to Petrarch, it debouches upon the plain, and ramifies into numerous 
canals, which carry fertility wherever they go. Formerly the plain lying between 
the mountains and a range of limestone hills separating it from the Rhone valley 
was covered with lakelets and swamps, but drainage works have transformed it 
into a most productive district. 

The proximity of the mountains of Vivarais and of the C^vennes to the western 
bank of the Rhone has prevented the formation of long rivers, but the torrents 
which rise in these mountains rival even the Mississippi in volume when flooded. 



Fig. 69.— The Sorci-es of Vauclvse. 
Scale 1 : 260,000. 



|3' JO E. u ll*. 




fit- } tiu^luie 



io fc. ol C,r. 



: Miles. 



M. ilarchegay has calculated that on the 10th of September, 1857, the Doux, the 
Erieux, and the Ardeche, all of them lying within the limits of a single department, 
discharged everj* second 494,000 cubic feet of water into the Rhone. This is more 
than the discharge of the Ganges and Euphrates combined. Fortunately the floods 
occurring on both sides of the Rhone valley never coincide, for the western slope of 
the Alps is sheltered from the moisture-laden winds which precipitate torrents of 
rain upon the ilediterranean slopes of the Cevennes. If this coincidence existed 
the lower valley of the Rhone would be converted into a pestilential swamp. As 
it is, the damage done by inundations sometimes amounts to millions, and in 1840 
the whole of Camargue and the plains on both banks of the Rhone were converted 
into a fresh-water lake 25 miles wide. 

The erosive power of these torrents is wonderfully great. The Ardeche more 

II 2 



96 



FEANCE. 



especially, rising seventy and more feet when in flood, has done maryels iu that 
respect. At one spot it has atandoned its ancient bed, forcing itself a fresh 
passage through a wall of rock. This is the famous Pout d'Arc, or the " Arch," one 



Fig. 70.— Pont d'Aro (Ard^che). 
Scale 1 : 400,000. 



2°|5"E.of Pari.i 




:■" 2J'F,.of r.r. 



1 Mile. 



of the curiosities of the valley, which boasts, moreover, of columns of basalt and of 
remarkable canons. 

The valleys of the Ceze and the Gard, or Garden, likewise abound in natural 
beauties. The latter disappears for a short distance between the rocks. Where it 
debouches from its gorge it is spanned by a beautiful Eoman aqueduct, which 
formerly supplied Nimes with water. It is a work of imposing grandeur, but 
the modern railway bridges and viaducts, close by, need not dread comparison 
with it. 



TILE RHONE AND OTIIEK EIVEES. 



97 



The Durance, which joius the Rhone a short distance below Avignon, is sup- 
posed by geologists to have formerly emptied itself into the Bay of Fus, to the east 
of the mouths of the Rhone. Subsequently it excavated itself a passage, severing 
the Leberon from the Alpines ; and this much is certain, that the canal of the 
Alpines is an ancient bed of it. The Durance, like the Iserc, is a son of the Alps, 
and though its head-stream, the Clairee, is not fed by glaciers, several of its 
tributaries are. These glaciers, however, are not very extensive, and the river, 

Tig 71. — Pont d'.:Vkc (AnnicHE). 





down to its mouth, has the character of a torrent, reduced at one time to a thin 
thread meandering amongst craiis, or fields of shingle, at others more voluminous 
than all the rivers of France together. The geological work performed by this 
river has been immense. .tVmongst the ancient lake beds now silted up, that 
extending from Sisterou to the mouth of the Verdon is one of the most remarkable, 
because of its earthy slopes of Mees, curiously carved into obelisks and pillars. In 
spite of its length of 236 miles and an average discharge of 12,2G0 cubic feet per 



98 



FEANCE. 



second (maximvim 320,000, minimum 1,906 cubic feet), the Durance is not navi- 
gable. During the Middle Ages vessels were able to proceed up to Pertuis, and we 
may conclude from this that there then existed lakes or barriers in its upper course 
which regulated its flow. But though not navigable, the Durance is invaluable 
for purposes of irrigation. The 18,000,000 tons of mud annually carried down it 
are computed by M. Herve-Mangon to contain as much assimilable nitrogen as 
100,000 tons of the best guano, and as much carbon as could be supplied annually 
from a forest 121,100 acres in extent. On leaving the gorge of Mirabeau, where it 
is spanned by a bridge only 490 feet in length, the Durance enters upon a broad 



Fig. 72. — The Roman Aoueduct over the Gabd. 




valley, which would be scorched by the sun if it were not for the fertilising 
waters derived from it. 

One canal, that of Marseilles, taps it near Pertuis, and crossing the valley of 
the Arc at Roquefavour on a magnificent aqueduct, irrigates the gardens of 
Marseilles before entering the Mediterranean. Another canal, that of Crapponne, 
leaves the river lower down, and ramifies into numerous branches. It was 
excavated in the sixteenth century, and has converted the whilom barren tracts 
through which it leads into one of the most productive districts of France. A third 
canal skirts the Alpines on the north, and a fourth extends north in the direction 



THE Rh6nE and other EIVEES. 



90 



of Carpentras. Ou an average these four canals absorb about 2,440 cubic feet of 
water every second. Quite recently, iu 1875, tbo Vordon, one of the principal 
tributaries of the Durance, was tapped, and now supplies Aix with 210 cubic feet 
of water everj- minute. It passes throuf^h two tunnels, the one 13,000, the other 
16,000 feet iu length. Several dams have been thrown across the gorges of the 
Upper Durance and Verdou to regulate the floods, and the conversion of the small 
Lake of Alios, near the source of the Vcrdon and at an elevation of 7,200 feet, into 
a huge reservoir, has been talked about. Next to the huertas of 8pain and the 



Fig. 73. — TuE Crau ant) the Canal of Ckapponxe. 
Scale 1 : 630,000. 



"iSoE.of Pnri'.. 













.^*" 



■ '\ ^ 




.lit! 




'If __ V , \' ^ 






H. I ii 11 i' 


^^j 


^ ' '-^ ,\ :■ 


'^^j- 




i|B^:.:„ ^ 


....rJ:- I' ' 






■ V,', ycj.J'crf'r' 



vwyff 




-^»*\ 

♦ "ISoEoTOr. 



/rriyale^ 



MUes. 



plains of Lombardy, the valley of the Lower Durance is oven now the best-irrigated 
district of Europe. 

By means of these canals, planned by Adam de Crapponne, the whole of the 
stony desert known as Crau might bo converted into fertile land in the course of 
three hundred and twenty j-ears. This district, about 131,000 acres, is comi^letely 
covered with flints, some of them embedded in hardened mud. Six-sevenths of 
these flints have been deposited by the Rhone, the remainder by the Durance. The 
pudding-stones upon which they rest arc of marine origin, and the Crau has 



100 



FRANCE. 



altogether tlie appearance of an ancient bed of the sea. Formerly this waterless 
waste was visited only by baijles, or herdsmen, but the canals which now traverse it 
are skirted by trees and cvdtivated fields. Some of the rain which falls upon this 
tract finds its way through subterranean channels to the vicinity of the sea, and 
there reappears again in plenteous springs. More than three hundred such gush 
forth to the north of the lagoon of Galejon. They are known as Laurons, a name 
frequently given to springs in other parts of France. 

At some future time the Rhone itself may be utilised for purposes of irrigation, 
more extensively than at present. This river, owing to its rapid current, is 
of but little use as a navigable high-road, and since the completion of the railway 
from Lyons to Marseilles the sixty-two steamers which formerly navigated it 

Fig. 74. — The Canal of the Verdon. 

Scale 1 : 240,000. 




■"' 1' "11' Paris 



^( --nrtfe'^ 



F^.^ 



i^^i 







'K<f. 




a',)0' t. ofGr. 






have dwindled down to six or eight. It is a pity that this great natural high-road 
should be thus deserted, and works to render it navigable throughout the 
year for steamers of 300 tons have actually been begun, and are to be completed 
in 1882. Vessels will then be able, by making use of canals, to proceed from 
Havre through the centre of France to the Mediterranean. 

It has likewise been proposed to utihse the Rhone for purposes of irrigation 
by carrying a huge canal along the left bank of the river from Vienne to Mornas, 
where it would cross to the right bank by means of a gigantic siphon, and after 
having irrigated the districts of Nimes, MontpeUier, and Beziers, terminate at 
Narbonne, in the basin of the Aude. The total length of this canal would amount 
to 280 miles, and, besides supplying the towns and villages along it with water, it 
would suffice for the irrigation of 494,000 acres. 



THE EHONE AND OTHER EIVEES. 



101 



At Fourques (the Forks), 8 miles below the bridge of Beaucairc, the Rhone 
bifurcates and its delta commences. The Little Rhone flows south-west across the 
alluvial soil of the ancient Gulf of Beaucaire, whilst the Great Rhone flows straight 
to the south, and constitutes the principal high-road of coramerco. The former is 
supposed to have been the main branch in bygone ages, and as far south as the 
saline swamps near Montpellier do we meet with flints of Alpine origin, carried 
thither by the river. Even during historical times the branches of the river have 
undergone numerous changes. Ancient authors speak of two, three, five, or even 
seven mouths ; but if we include all gnuis, or minor channels, we may arrive at the 
latter nimiber even now. Pliny enumerates three mouths, the main or Massa- 
liotic branch being in the east, as at present. The western branch was known as 
On Hisjxiniense, or " Spanish arm," because it flowed in the direction of Spain ; and 



Fig. 75. — The Deit.^ of the Rhone. 



.1' E.of Patls 




H>'E of CirT 



even during the Middle Ages there existed a navigable branch which led into the 
lagoon of Thau. >!. Erailien Dumas has pointed out that each ramification of the 
river led to corresponding changes in the coast-line. When the Rhone first 
bifurcated at the Forks the beach extended to what is now the northern part of 
the deltoid island of Camargue. Since that time the fauna of the Mediterranean 
has undergone some changes. The Panopwa Aklrovandi, which is now fomid only 
on the coast of Sicily, was then common on the Lion Gulf, and the Pecfen maximus, 
at present very rare, abounded. 

The delta formed by the two main branches of the river wholly consists of an 
alluN-ial deposit of mud. It covers an area of 185,000 acres, about one-half of 
which is included in the island of Camargue, dusty in summer, half drowned 
in winter, and almost without inhabitants. If we may judge from the Roman 



102 FEANCE. 

ruins discovered there, the country was formerly more salubrious. The embank- 
ments which now confine the Rhone are probably the cause of this insalubrity, for 
they prevent the drainage of the stagnant, fever-breeding pools in their rear, 
besides preventing the deposition of fresh alluvium. In the northern portion of 
this island there are a few fields, cutlivated by peasants who brave the fever, 
besides extensive pasture grounds, roamed over by white horses, half- wild cattle, 
and manacles of buffaloes {Bos buhahis), which figure on the racecourses of the 
towns of Southern France. The " Little Sea," or lagoon of Vaccares, in the south, 
with its fringe of marshes and tamarisk thickets, is an ancient arm of the sea, from 
which it is separated now by a chain of dunes. Near it are saline tracts {san- 
ionires) void of all vegetation, and rarely visited by man, but the resort of num- 
berless migratory birds. Even flamingoes are occasionally seen, and the beavers 
which have built their lodges in the embankments lining the Little Rhone are not 
interfered with. A beautiful tree, resembliug the aspen, grows on the more 
elevated sites of the Camargue, and the canals that traverse its northern portion 
are fringed with willows, poplars, and elms, but the forests which anciently covered 
the whole of its interior have disappeared. Scarcely one-fifth of the area of the 
Camargue is under cultivation now, and although the cold mistral interferes 
with the success of certain plants, the delta of the Rhone might nevertheless bo 
converted into a region equalling in fertility the delta of the Nile. No less than 
27,500,000 cubic yards of alluvial soil are annually swept into the sea, instead of 
being utilised, and a bar closes all access to the river by large vessels. An artesian 
well near Aigucs-Mortes, in the Little Camargue, though bored to a depth of 
330 feet, only passed through such alluvial soil, without reaching the solid rock. 
The delta of the Rhone has gained upon the sea ever since the time of the Romans. 
A watch-tower built at the mouth of the Great Rhone in 1787 now stands five 
miles above it, thus showing that the annual rate of growth since that date has 
amounted to 175 feet. Altogether between 80 and 120 square miles of land have 
been added to the delta of the Rhone since the Gallo- Roman period. 

We have seen above that the mouths of the Rh6ne are obstructed by bars, the 
formation of which is promoted by the almost entire absence of tides, the flood 
in the Lion Gulf only rising 16 inches. The embankments which have been 
constructed have failed to remove the obstacles to navigation, and vessels drawing 
more than 10 feet can scarcely ever venture to enter the river, even though the 
wind should be favourable. In the time of the Romans Aries communicated with 
the sea by a chain of lagoons and canals constructed by Marius, and hence known 
as Fossw Mariana'. But the canal of Aries, which replaces this ancient water-way, is 
navigable only for small vessels. At length, in 1863, thanks to the persever- 
ing advocacy of M. Hippolyte Pent, a ship canal 20 feet deep was constructed 
between the tower of St. Louis and the Gulf of Fos. This canal leads into a huge 
basin covering 34 acres, by the side of which a new commercial town is 
springing into existence, and a railway wlU soon establish rapid communications 
between this new port and the remainder of France. In spite of the vicinity of the 
marshes the mortality at St. Louis is not greater than at Aries, and might be very 



THE RHONE AND OTHER RIVERS. 



103 



luucli reduced by a proper attention to sanituiy laws ; and if the place has not 
prospered hitherto, this is due to the jealousies of Marseilles and of the powerful 
railway company, the one dreading the loss of its monopoly, the other the develop- 
ment of an important river traffic. One danger, however, threatens the prosperity 
of this canal — the Gulf of Fos is gradually being silted up ; but this danger 
might he removed by diverting the waters of the Great Rhone into the "Grau," 
or lagoon, of Roustan. 

The changes in the course of the Little Rhone are historically as important as 
those of the Great Rhone. St. Gilles, accessible now only to canal boats, was 

Fig. 76. — The Canal of St. Louis. 




formerly one of the great ports of Southern France, at which most of the pilgrims 
going to Palestine embarked during the twelfth century. Aigues-Mortes, lower 
down on the same branch of the river, sprang into existence subsequentlj'. But 
about the middle of the sixteenth century the Little Rhone took a more easterly 
course, and it now enters the sea through the Grau of Orgon, near which is the 
fishing village of Saintes-Maries, separated by vast sands and swamps from all 
other centres of population. There, as well as farther east, at the lighthouse of 
Faraman, the sea is gaining upon the land. 

The town of Aigues-Mortes, thus called on account of the stagnant waters 



10-1 



FEANCE. 



which surround it, has frequently been cited in proof of a remarkable encroach- 
meut 6i the sea, but erroneously in our opinion. The local guides point out the 
spot at which St. Louis is said to have embarked for the Holy Land, though it 
has been proved conclusively that he did so at a point five miles to the south-west of 
the town. The vessels which were to convey the crusaders cast anchor at the spot 
marked A upon our plan, close to the mouth of an old canal, still known as Grau 
Louis. The remains of embankments and the vestiges of a crusaders' burial- 
ground enable us to trace the direction of this canal, which anciently connected 

Fig. 77. — The Lagoons of Aigces-Moeies. 

Scale 1 : lOO.nOO. 







»<":.•. '-%. 














■s %.\ 3'-' ' ' \t O'nuiiin (lii 

in , -_'---\^ 




i-l lo E.of Gt 



A A. *' Foreign " Roadstead where the crosaders embarked. 

B. Site of Port in thirteenth century. C. Site of Port, thirteenth to eighteenth century. 

1 Mde. 



the town with its port at Grau Louis. Since then the lagoons have undergone 
many changes, partly owing to the alluvium deposited by the Ehone and other 
rivers, partly in consequence of the construction of a new canal by Louis XV., 
which enters the sea at the Grau du Eoi. If any further jDroof were wanted in 
support of the assertion that the sea along that part of the coast has not encroached 
upon the land, it would be furnished by the existence of four lines of dunes, which 
mark as many conquests of the land over the sea. The town of Aigues-Mortes 
undoubtedly occupies a site which was anciently covered by the floods of the 



THE Eh6nE and other ElVEES. 



105 



ireditcrranean. The outermost of tlieso lines of dunes, that of Boucanet, only 
supports a few tamarisks, but the innermost is covered with a forest of maritime 



Fig. 78.— The Delta of the Auuk. 
Scale 1 : 225,000. 




pines, which impart a character of mournful grandeur to the landscape. This 
fcSylve Qodesque, however, has been reduced to very small dimensions in our 
day. 



106 FEANCE. 

A careful examination of this portion of the coast-line enables us to assert that 
it will remain stable for centuries to come. The Little Rhone annually carries 
about 5,232,000 cubic yards of sediment to the sea, but nearly all this is deposited 
near the lighthouse of Espiguette, to the east of the Gulf of Aigues-Mortes ; and 
supposing this point to continue to encroach upon the sea at its present rate, no less 
than two thousand years will have to elapse before the gulf is converted into a 
lagoon. The roadstead at Aigues-Mortes is, moreover, sheltered from the dangerous 
south-easterly winds, and the construction of a harbour of refuge at the Grau du 
Roi has consequently been advocated by competent engineers. Aigues-Mortes, 
which now hardly imports anything but the oranges of Valencia and of the 
Balearic Isles, might then become an important seaport. 

The rivers which flow from the slopes of the Cevennes into the Mediterranean 
may be considered as belonging geologically to the basin of the Rhone. Even the 
Aude, the first river to the north of the Pyrenees, bears a certain family likeness 
to the torrents of the Rhone valley, although only its northern tributaries rise in 
the Cevennes. Like all other Mediterranean rivers born in these mountains, the 
Aude presents all the features of a torrent, its volume fluctuating according to the 
seasons between 180,000 and 106,000 cubic feet per second. On leaving the gorges 
of Capsir and the forest of Sault the Aude flows due north until, below Carcassonne, 
it is joined by the Fresquel, when it curves round to the east. The delta of this 
river is proportionately more extensive than that of the Rhone, for it covers 50,000 
acres, and between its two arms is enclosed the ancient mountain island of La 
Clape. No less than 2,224,000 cubic yards of mud are annually carried down the 
river, most of which is deposited upon the inland swamps, the mountain barrier at 
the mouth of the river preventing it from being carried into the sea. In the time 
of St. Louis there were salt-pans on the swamp of Capestang. It is now sepa- 
rated from the sea by 9 miles of solid land. The swamp of Montady has been 
converted into dry land since the middle of the thirteenth century. The site of 
Lake Rubrensis, which extended to the walls of Narbonne, is now occupied by 
fields ; and the lagoons of Gruissan and Bages, which formerly were one, are 
now separated by a strip of alluvial land. 

The Canal du Midi, or Great Southern Canal, with its branches no less than 
339 miles in length, accompanies the Aude during the greater part of its course. 
Its supply of water is principally derived from the Alzau, Lampy, and other small 
rivers rising in the Cevennes. These are intercepted by a canal (Rigole de la 
Montagne) leading into the lake-like reservoir of St. Ferreol, holding 6,254,000 
tons of water, whence another Rigole leads down to the navigation canal. Unfor- 
tunately, this great work of the seventeenth century, which connects the Rhone 
with the Garonne, has fallen into the clutches of the Great Southern Railway 
Company, and is but little used for the conveyance of merchandise. 

The Orb enters the sea to the east of the Aude. It discharges its waters 
through a single mouth now, that of Grande Ma'ire having almost become oblite- 
rated, and dwindles down into an insignificant stream during summer. The H^rault, 



THE RHONE AND OTHEE EIVEES. 



107 



its neiglibour, and the most important river between the Aude and the Rhone, on 
the other hand, is fed by plenteous springs rising in wild limestone gorges. The 
river is navigable for sea-going vessels throughout the year as far as Agde, and 
Richelieu began the construction of a breakwater at its mouth, which has never 
been completed, the engineers having since then devoted the whole of their 
energies to the creation of an artificial harbour at Cette. 

Amongst the small rivers between the Herault and the Rhone the Lez is the 
best known, because it flows past Montpellicr, but the A'idourle is far more tj-pical 
of the torrents descending from the Cevennes. During the dry season it does not 

Fig. 79. — RiGOLES OP THE Cax.^l du Mioi. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 



I lu; W . of P 



Q n e . . ■ *■ 




a- Ejo[ Or. 



i iiiles. 



even reach the Mediterranean, but when iu flood its volume exceeds that of the 
Seine at Paris thirty times, and the inhabitants then utilise it for irrigating the 
reed-banks of the lagoon of Repausset, near Aigues-Mortes, the produce of which 
ia converted into manure or used for covering chairs. 

The Argens is the only French river to the east of the Rhone which can 
fairlj- claim that epithet. Like many other rividets in that limestone region, for a 
portion of its upper course it passes underground, but long before it falls into the 
shallow Bay of Frejus it becomes a placid stream, maintaining a fair volume 
throughout the year. There are several underground rivers along this Provenfal 
coast, which only rise as springs beneath the waves of the Mediterranean. 



-108 



FEANCE. 



Perhaps the most remarkable of these is the spring of Port-Miou, near Cassis, 
which originates in the ancient Lakes of Aubague and Gemenos, drained by King 
Rene, and gushes forth with sufficient violence to create a veritable current. 

The Var, which for a long period formed the boundary between France and 
Italy, though longer than the Argens, remains a current down to its embouchure, 
being reduced at one time to a mere streamlet, at others rushing down with such 
violence as to overflow its embankments, though these are 2,600 feet apart. 



Fig. 80. — The MoniH op the Herault and Cap d'Agde. 
Scale 1 : 70,000. 



r 10 E ot I'jTis 







I.et.F? 




|J' Jo £ ^i Cr 



o-J^i Fa/Aorna . 



2%- S FcuOuiTns 
IMile. 



Over S Pathoma . 



Co.iST-LINE AND L.4.G00NS. 

The difference between the configuration of the coast on both sides of the 
Rhone delta is most striking. In Provence we meet with bold cliffs and promon- 
tories, whilst to the east of the river we find ourselves in the presence of a beach 
formed of sand carried down from the granitic mountains in the interior of the 
coimtry. In Provence the cliffs sink down almost precipitously into the sea. 
and molluscs are found there only in a few sandy creeks, whilst on the coast of 
Languedoc the sea deepens gradually. This difference of physical configuration 
accounts to a great extent for the history of the two provinces. In the one case 



COAST-LTNE AND LAGOOXS. 



109 



towns were built close upon the sea, in tlie other they arc remote from it, and 
Languedoc thus possesses the characteristics of an inhind country rather tlian of a 
maritime one. 

In its details the beach of Languedoc is not without beauty. It is broken up 
by mountains, hills, or masses of rock into a number of sections. One of these 



Fig. 81. — Lkvcate Axn the R(hiistkai> op Fkansii. 
Scale 1 ; &S,UOO. 




S'll ol Or 






i'.i-f 



S~lo 

- 1 Mile 



Ovtr io FaUlom» 



extends between the Point of CoUioure and Cape Leucate ; a second sweeps round 
from the latter to the Cape of Agdo ; a third reaches thence to Cette ; whilst the 
fourth and last stretches from Cette to the sandy flats of the Khone delta. The 
promontories afford some shelter to vessels endangered by the dreaded tempests of 
the Lion GhJf, but the most secure anchorage along that coast, that of Franqui, to 



vol.. II. 



110 



FRANCE. 



the nortli of the peninsula of Leiicate, has not yet been converted into a port, 
although possessed of special facilities for the construction of one. 

With the exception of the Cape of Agde, which is an extinct volcano, the 
ancient rocky islands along that coast, now joined to the mainland by alluvial 
deposits, are composed of cretaceous or Jurassic limestone. The ancient crater of 
Agde has been converted into a vineyard. Streams of lava extend from it in all 
directions. A few minor volcanoes are near it. 

The ancient coast, such as it existed before the volcano of Agde had become a 
portion of the mainland, can still be traced by following the contours of the hills 



Fig. 82.— The Lagoon of Thau. 




. 5 Miles. 



bounding the alluvial plains. Lagoons, or etangs, extend along the whole of 
the coast, from the very foot of the Alberes ; and where no sediment-bearing rivers 
flow into them, they are of considerable area and depth. That of Leucate is a case 
in point. No river flows into it, but close by, at the foot of a limestone rock, rise 
the remarkable springs of Salses, now known as Font-Dame and Font-Estramer, 
discharging streams of water having nearly the same chemical composition as that 
of the ocean. At the side of the Font-Estramer grows a species of reed — Phrag- 
mites gigantea — which is not met with anywhere else in Europe. 

The lugoon of Thau (Taphrus), between the volcano of Agde and the hills of 



COAST-LINE AND LAGOONS. 



Ill 



La GartUole (774 feet), is the most important of all, on account of its great depth 
and tlie towns which line its shores. This little sea of 18,500 acres is separated from 
the Mediterranean by a narrow strip of land. A narrow clianncl, furnished with 
locks, and forming the eastern termination of the Great Southern Canal, connects it 
with the open sea. Another canal, nearly 40 miles in length, places it in communica- 
tion with the delta of the Rhone. The lagoon is thus of considerable importance 
to navigation. Its waters are as salt as those of the sea, except after heavy rains 
and near the mouths of some of the rivers which enter it. A bounteous spring. 

Fig. 83. — BioN'OMiCAL Condition of the Littoiial Region of Hkkaii.t. 




The drclea Indicate proportionaJly to what extent the mean age at death is inferior to that 

throngboat France. 
The asterisk denotes a locality where the mean age is higher than the average throughout France* 



known as the " Abize " (abyss), rises from the bottom of the lagoon in the north, 
and not far from it there is an intermittent spring which discharges fresh water 
during winter, up to April, but swallows up the water of the lagoon, a phenomenon 
similar to what has been noticed at Argostoli, on the island of Cephalonia. The 
lagoon of Thau is public property, and supplies annually £40,000 worth of 
fish and shells. Oysters are said to have abounded in it formerly, and an old 
bed has been dbcovered at a distance of 500 yards from the modern beach, but an 
attempt to breed oysters there has failed signally. 

There can be no doubt that these lagoons might easily be drained and converted 

i2 



112 



FEANCE. 



into fertile fields. Experiments on a small scale, which were made at Narbonne 
and Vic, have been attended by the most perfect success. This is not merely a 
question of converting 60,000 acres of lagoon, at present producing only fish, 
willows, and reeds, into productive arable land ; it is still more important in its bear- 
ings upon the salubrity of the climate. M. Regy has calculated that these swamps 
shorten the lives of the people who reside near them to the extent of ten, fifteen, 
and even nineteen j^ears. More than half the children at Mireval and Yias die before 
they have attained their sixth year, and strangers who settle in the country almost 



Fig. 84. — Etang de Berre. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 




. 5 Miles. 



invariably suSer from marsh fever. Those lagoons which are over 3 feet in 
depth do not injuriously affect the health of the people who live near them, and 
the mortality at Cette and other places on the lagoon of Thau is hardly greater 
than in the rest of France. But when the water, owing to its shallowness, attains 
a temperature of 82° F., it becomes dangerous to health. These shallow lagoons 
ought, therefore, either to be suppressed, or be made to communicate freely with 
the open sea. In the case of the lagoon of Mauguio the latter has already been 
done, and the same treatment would prove eiBcacious with those of Vic and 



COAST-LIXE AND LAGOONS. 



lid 



Frontignaii ; but il. Rt^gy is of opiuion that all others, being very shallow, sliould 
be converted into polders without loss of time. 

The changes in the configuration of the lagoons have led, within the historical 
period, to a di>placement of the principal towns. Astruc, more than a century 
ago, observed that the names of the towns on the hills were Celtic, whilst those 
near the coast invariably bore Greek or Latin appellations. It may fairly bo 
inferred from this that the coast became habitable only at a comparatively recent 
epoch. The encroachment of the land upon the sea enabled the inhabitants to 
found quite a chain of new towns, including Agde, Cette, Frontignan, and Aigues- 
Mortes. Maguelone, however, which formerly stood upon an island, now joined 
to the mainland, appears to be of ancient foundation. It was a busy place of 
commerce as long as the Saracens held it. After their expulsion by Charles 
Martel it again rose from its ashes, but having become a place of refuge of the 

Fig. 85. — Tub Canal op Cabontb. 
Scale 1 : 8S.00O. 




Protestants, it was finally destroyed by order of Louis XIII., and there now only 
remains an ancient church, forming a prominent object in the midst of the sands. 



The only lagoons to the east of the Rhone which originated in the same 
manner as those on the Lion Gulf are those of Valduc, Engrenier, and several 
others, which formerly communicated with the sea through a channel, now closed 
by a bar, and known as the lagoon of Estomac (Stoma-Limne). As to the lagoons 
of Valduc and Engrenier, they are shut oflf from the Mediterranean altogether, 
and, owing to an excess of evaporation, their level, on an average, is about 
30 feet lower than that of the sea. They are miniature Caspians, and yield a con- 
siderable amount of salt. 

The large inland sea known as Etang de Berre is not a Ugoon, but a gulf, 
separated from the Mediterranean by a rocky ridge. The Romans had a port on 
this gulf, but it is now only frequented by a few fishermen, and not a single town 



114 



FRANCE. 



rises from its shores ; and yet, by deepening the canal of Caronte, which joins it to 
the Mediterranean, this great natural harbour might be rendered accessible to the 
largest vessels. If the Etang de Borre belonged to England, it would long ago 
have been converted into a great commercial and naval depot. Vessels at anchor 
within it are not only beyond the reach of an enemy's guns, but, being hidden by 
the coast range of Estaque, the)' are actually out of sight. The owners of the 
fisheries, or bonligiies, are bound to dredge the canal of Caronte to a depth of 
39 inches. AYere they to neglect doing so, it would quickly become choked, 
and the Etang de Eerre shut off from the sea. 



Climate.* 

Ho■^^'EVER striking the differences between the littoral regions on both sides of the 
Rhone, they enjoy the same climate, alwaj's excepting the fever-stricken neigh- 
bourhoods of the swamps. This 
Fig. 86.— The Preyailixo Winds at Aigues-Moetes. climate differs essentially from 

what is met with in the remain- 
der of France, for land winds 
predominate here, whilst sea 
winds prevail in all the depart- 
ments beyond the Cevennes and 
the wide valley of the Rhone. 
The air is drier, and it rains less 
frequently, though, as a rule, iu 
heavy showers. 

No visitor to the south of 
France can have failed to notice 
the gusts of north-westerly wind 
which blow from the Cevennes, 
and are jiroduced by local causes. 
This violent wind is known as 
" mistral " [mofjis traou) or 
" master," and it fully deserves that epithet, for its velocity sometimes equals that 
of a hurricane. Strabo tells us that this " black norther" lifted men off their cars 
and carried away their clothes, and in our days it has overturned railway trains. 
Not a tree in the plains of Avignon and on the islands of the Rhone but exhibits 
traces of its violence. The originating cause of this wind must be looked for in the 
great contrast between a sandy beach scorched by the raj^s of the sun and a snow-clad 
mountain range. The heated air above the former rises, whilst the cold mountain 
air rushes down the hillsides to establish an equilibrium. The gieater the 
difference between the temjjerature of these two atmospheric strata, the greater the 
violence of the wind. In the night, when the beach has cooled down by radiation, 




On the rains in Herault see a paper by M. Ch. Martins, in Mem. de I'Ac. de Montpellier, riii. 1872. 



ATJDE. 115 

there is a lull, and at some distance from the land it is hardly felt at all. In 
spite of the dread it inspires, the mistral is a welcome visitor, for it purifies the 
air of the to\ms, which are not always remarkahle for cleanliness. 

The contrasts existing between the coast regions and the mountains, and the 
winds resulting therefrom, account for the frequency of thunder-storms in the low 
lands. As long as the mistral and the sea wind are not engaged in a conflict, the 
clouds drift towards the mountains, and there descend in rain. But when the 
mistral, blowing in the higher strata of the atmosphere, is mot by the cloud-laden 
sea breeze, an exchange of electricity takes i)luce between them, and the rain 
descends in torrents. As a rule the rainfall increases as we proceed from the coast 
towards the mountains, and is most copious in autumn. There are, however, 
many exceptions to this rule, and there have been years when it rained most 
heavily in February, and scarcely at all in autumn. This capriciousness of the 
climate appears to be reflected in the character of the " Gavaches " of the Cevennes 
and the " Franciaux " of Dauphin^. They, too, have their bursts of passion, but 
quickly calm down, being not unlike, in this respect, to the mistral or to a 
thunder-storm. 



Topography. 

Ai'DE. — This department, named after its principal river, is eminently a land 
of passage, bordering upon the Mediterranean, but partly lying within the basin 
of the Garonne. It is almost exclusively an agricultural country, manufactures 
existing only in the to\NTis and in the upper valley of the Hers. Less than one- 
third of its area is under cultivation, and although its vineyards are of some 
importance, the population is far from dense. 

Castelnaudary (7,628 inhabitants), on the water-shed between the Mediter- 
ranean and the Atlantic, has played a great part during the civil wars ; but the 
frequent sieges which it has undergone have prevented it from becoming a great 
commercial town. "Windmills now occupy the sites of its ancient forts, it is the 
busiest ship-yard on the Canal du Midi, and manufactures coarse cloths, like most 
other towns of that part of Languedoc. Bclpcch (978 inhabitants), 6Vc. Colomhe, 
and Chalabre (1,792 inhabitants), all of them to the south, on the Tipper Hers, 
are likewise noted for their cloths and linens. 

The river Aude enters the department thi-ough the terrible gorge of Car- 
canieres. Lower down it flows past QidUan (2,286 inhabitants), a busy place, 
with saw-mills supplied with fir-trees from the forest of Sault, in the Pyrenees. 
There are several noted mineral springs in the vicinity, including the suljjhur 
springs of Gino/cs, in the south-west ; the ferruginous springs of Eennes-les-Bains, 
in the valley of the Sals, to the north-east ; and those of Couiza and Alct, on the 
banks of the Aude. Alet was the seat of a bishop during the Middle Ages, and 
its ancient episcopal palace still overtowers all its other houses. Still following 
the Aude, we arrive at Limoux (6,037 inhabitants), on the white hills of which 
is grown a wine known as hianqiiette. Its manufactures of cloth and felt are 



116 



FBANCE. 



of little importance now. Carcassonne (23,517 inhabitants), the capital of the 
department, occupies a favourable site at the elbow of the Aude, and on the 
high-road connecting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. The mediseval " city " 
occupies a hill, and its walls and towers, erected between the fifth and the four- 
teenth centuries, as well as several remarkable old buildings, still remain to it. 
The lower town, however, is h\ far the most populous. Its fortifications have 
been razed to gain space for houses and manufactures. Carcassonne, besides 
manufacturing much cloth, carries on a considerable commerce with wines and 
agricultural produce, and also exports the fine marbles of Caunes (1,998 inha- 
bitants) . 

Narbonne (18,325 inhabitants), the maritime capital of the department, was 
of far greater importance during the dominion of the Romans, when it boasted 

Fig. 87.— The Port or La Nouvelle. 
Scale 1 : 3,000. 




1,000 Yards. 



of 80,000 inhabitants, and of magnificent public buildings, of which only few 
traces exist now. The church of St. Just is the most remarkable amongst 
its medifEval buildings. The geographical position of Narbonne is excellent, 
but, owing to the silting up of the lagoons and canals, it no longer enjoys the 
advantages of a maritime citJ^ The canal which connects it with its port of 
La Nouvelle is only navigable for fishing-smacks, and possesses no importance 
whatever. The environs of the city, however, have been brought under cultivation, 
and there is a busy trade in wine. 

The most important towns of the arrondissement of Narbonne are Lizignan 
(4,402 inhabitants), with numerous distilleries, and Sigcan (3,510 inhabitants), on 
a hill overlooking the lagoon and its salt works. Gruissan (2,382 inhabitants) is 
hardly more than a village of salt-makers and fishermen, whilst Coursan (2,507 
inhabitants), in the valley of the Aude, stands in the most fertile district of the 




■•4 
'A 

O 

03 
CO 

P3 

u 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

^INIVERSITY of ILLINOIS, 



HERAULT. 117 

department. Annii<saii, in the mountains of La Clape, has limestone quarries 
which have j-ielded the fossil bones of saurians and batrachians, which lived 
here at an epoch when a vast lake occupied the greater portion of southern 
Languedoc. The village of Bizc, in the defiles of the Ccsse, has become famous 
through its caves, in which bones and stone implements have been found. Durban, 
in the hills of the Corbieres, noted for their honey, has a few coal mines. 

Herati.t is one of the wealthiest departments of France. Its coal mines are 
annually increasing in importance ; its lagoons are more productive than any 
others along the Mediterranean ; its vineyards supplj' between 4,000,000 and 
7,000,000 gallons of wine annually ; and railways traverse it in all directions. 
Unfortunately the ravages of the phylloxera threaten destruction to one of the 
great sources of wealth of the dcijartment. In some of the invaded districts the 
peasants have taken to the cultivation of Javanese hemp, a plant said to yield 
a fibre " finer than cotton, stronger than flax, and as brilliant as silk." The 
density of population is about equal to the average throughout France, although 
the barren mountains in the north are only thinly peopled by " Gavaches," who 
leave their homes in the autumn to assist in the vintage. 

The village of Minerce has given its name to the entire region drained by 
the Cesse and by other tributaries of the Aude. The romantic spot at which the 
Cesse is joined by the Brian was formerly dedicated to Minerva, and although 
the heathen deity has since been superseded by St. Rustique, her name still 
lives in the village and in the castle which commands it. This castle was 
captured in 1210 by Simon de Montfort, who had its defenders burnt alive. 

St. Pons (3,358 inhabitants), the chief town in the eastern portion of the 
department, lies at the mouth of a much-frequented gap of the Cevennes. Like 
its smaller neighbours, Riols (1,121 inhabitants) and St. Chinian (2,690 inha- 
bitants), it carries on the manufacture of cloth, an industry which likewise forms 
the chief support oi Bedaricux (7,372 inhabitants), on the Upper Orb. The latter, 
however, has also cotton-mills, dye works, tanneries, paper-mills, and glass works. 
Near it are the coal-pits of Graissessac (2,632 inhabitants), yielding nearly 300,000 
tons a year. Copper and argentiferous lead are found in the neighbouring hills, 
and close to the town, in the valley of La Malon, tliere are hot and cold sjjrings, 
similar to those of Yichy. 

Beziers (36,928 inhabitants), on the Lower Orb, is one of the historical cities of 
France. Its inhabitants still call themselves "Biterrois," from Bsterra:, the old 
name of their town. The latter has frequently been burnt down, but has always 
risen from its ashes, and is now one of the great wine and brandy marts of France. 
There are scarcely any traces of Roman buildings, but amongst the mediaeval 
churches is that of the Madeleine, in which took place, in 1209, an indiscriminate 
massacre of heretics, whose wives and daughters were divided amongst the 
Aragonese soldiery. Of modem structures the most remarkable is the aqueduct of 
the Canal du Midi. 

The basin of the Herault can boast of no town the equal in population and 
commerce to Beziers, but it abounds in factories. Lodei^e (10,198 inhabitants), on 



118 



PEANOE. 



the Ergue, has huge cloth-mills, much of the wool used being grown on the neigh- 
bouring plateau of Larzac and on the heaths of the Cevennes. 

Clermont-t HevauU (5,685 inhabitants) and several other places lower down on 
the same river are likewise engaged in the woollen manufiicture. Ganges (4,345 
inhabitants), on the Herault, and close to the frontier of the department, has silk 
and cotton mills. The river thence passes through a picturesque gorge abounding 
in natural curiosities. At Aniane (3,457 inhabitants), with its old abbey converted 
into a penitentiary, and Gignac (2,653 inhabitants), with an old chapel much fre- 
quented by pilgrims, we enter upon the region of vineyards. Pezcnas (7,570 
inhabitants), on the Lower Herault, has been known from the time of the Eomans 
for its excellent wooUen stuffs, but it has also many vinegar works, distilleries, and 

Fig. 88. — The Harbour op Cette. 
Scale 1 : 35,350. 



l'S.'53'£ of P. 




cooperies, and almost monopolizes the trade in acetate of copper, a substance much 
used in the manufacture of colours. 

Agde (7,728 inhabitants), the natural outlet of this industrial district, might 
have become a great emporium if its harbour had afforded better facilities. It is 
more remarkable now for its black houses, built of blocks of lava, than for its com- 
merce, which has deserted it in favour of the modern town of Cette (28,152 inha- 
bitants). This town stands on a channel connecting the lagoon of Thau with the 
Mediterranean. It is the terminus of the Canal du Midi, and although it has not 
realised the expectation of its founders, it has become one of the great ports of 
France. Its exports consist mainly of salt procured from the neighbouring 
lagoons, wine, coal, and ores. There are numerous factories, but not a single 



GAED. lig 

building of note, and owing to the absence of irccs, the aspect of the country is far 
from inviting. Jlarscillaii (3,885 inhabitants), Meze (6,501 inhabitants), Bottzigncs, 
a fishing \'illage, and Bahnuc, with hot mineral springs, lie on the lagoon of Thau, 
and constitute outposts of Cette. Froiifii/iinii (2,ni0 inhabitants), famous for its 
muscatel grown on the slopes of Gardiole, lies to the north of Ccttc, and is joined 
to it by an embankment. 

Moiifpcllier (51,838 inhabitants), the most populous town of the department, the 
head-quarters of the civil and military authorities, wa.s known in Gallo-Iioman 
times as Sextautio, and then stood on the left bank of the Lez, on a site now 
occupied by the village of Castelnau. After the destruction of this ancient town 
by Charles Martel its inhabitants established themselves on the Moiis Pessulaiiiis, 
on the other bank of the river. MontpcUier may justly boast of its schools, its 
museums and scicntitic collections, and its botanical gardens, the oldest in all 
Europe, in which Tournefort and A. de Jussieu created their systems. Its phy- 
sicians became famous in the twelfth century, thanks to the influence exercised in 
Langucdoc by tlic Moors. Tlie names of Nostradamus, Eondclet, Hauhin, and De 
CandoUe are associated with its schools, and there was a time when Montpellier 
rivalled Paris as a seat of learning. There is a citadel, but no enciente hems in 
the town, and from the delightful walks of the Peyrou the eye ranges freely over 
the whole of the country from the Cevennes to the sea, and looks down upon the 
noble aqueduct which conveys to this the waters of the springs of Boulidou. 
Blankets, soap, and candles are manufactured, and there is a considerable trade in 
wine. The town, unfortunately, has no port of its own, for the Lez is navigable 
only for barges, and PaJavaii, at its mouth, is accessible only to fishing- smacks. 
Formerly the town exported its products through Laitcs, on the lagoon, or 
through Jfagueloiie, on the Mediterranean, but at present it avails itself of the 
facilities afforded by Cette. Amongst the smaller towns near Montpellier may be 
mentioned Sf. Gcon/rs d'Orqncs and LiincI (8,024 inhabitants), both of which 
produce excellent wines. 

Gard. — This department is named after the river Gard, or Garden, which flows 
through its centre. It extends from the Rhone to the crest of the Cevennes, and 
even beyond, and borders upon the Mediterranean only for a small distance. The 
natural resources of Gard are very considerable. It produces coal, iron, and salt, 
as well as silk (about 5,000,000 lbs. a year), but its vineyards have been almost 
destroyed recently by the invasion of the phylloxera. The number of Protestants 
in the department is still very considerable, for the Cevennes aiiordcd them a place 
of refuge in times of persecution. Religious animosities arc not yet dead, and in 
periods of political excitement they still come to the surface. Even at Nimes, where 
the Protestants constitute rather more than a fourth of the population — about the 
proportion throughout the department — they inhabit a separate quarter of the 
town, and Meyerbeer's Huguenots has never been heard there. 

Le Vigan (4,340 inhabitants), the capital of that portion of the department 
which belongs to the basin of the Herault, carries on the manufacture of gloves 
and silk caps, as does also its neighbour, Suiiiine (1,972 inhabitants), and owns 



120 



FRANCE. 



coal-pits and quarries of lithographic stones. The towns in the valley of the 
Vidourle and of the plains of Vaunage, which extend thence towards Nimes — such 
as St. Hippohjfe-lc-Fort (3,960 inhabitants), Saure (2,070 inhabitants), Sommieres 
(3,588 inhabitants), and Gallargues (1,947 inhabitants) — are for the most part 
inhabited by Protestants engaged in the manufacture of woollen, cotton, and silk 
stuffs. Sauve is known for its wooden forks, and Gallargues, until quite recently, 
prepared wrappers for Dutch cheeses by a very nasty process, hapf)ily superseded 
through the discovery of aniline. 

La Salle (1,934 inhabitants) and Andiize (4,250 inhabitants), on the "Western 
Gardon, have some manufactures, but the great industrial centre of this portion of 



Fiff. 89. — The Pkotestant Conoreg.4tions in the South of France. 




the Cevennes lies between Alais (16,726 inhabitants) and GmmV Comhe (5,342 
inhabitants), where coal abounds, and iron works, foundries, lead and copper works, 
machine shops, glass and chemical works, have sprung into existence. Another- 
coal-field lies to the north, in the valley of the Ceze, its centres being Besseges 
(7,953 inhabitants), BoUac (4,290 inhabitants), and St. Amhroix (3,410 inha- 
bitants). The coal won in these two districts is already competing with English 
coal in the ports of the Mediterranean. Alais, moreover, is one of the great raw- 
silk marts in France.* 

The arrondissement of Uzes, which comprises the valleys of the Lower Ceze and 
Gardon, and extends in the east to the Rhone, has a few silk-mills and other manu- 



lu 1875 the department produced 1,692,000 tons of coal, and 85,800 tons of pig-iron. 



xiiTES. 121 

factories, but is chiefly noted for some remarkable buildings. Uzh (4,8G5 inha- 
bitants) has an old cathedral ; at Remoulins there is a remarkable Roman 
aqueduct over the Gard ; and Pout St. Esprit (3,882 inhabitants) is famous for its 
bridge over the Rhone, which is 2,75G feet in length, and was constructed 
between 1265 and 1309. Bagiwh-stir-Ceze (3,868 inhabitants) is a busy place of 
commerce. 

Kimcs (60,804 inhabitants), next to Marseilles and Toulon the largest town of 
Southern France, lies in an arid plain far away from any navigable river. It 
arose probably around the sanctuary of Xemausus, a god of the ancient Celts, to 
whom the Romans likewise subsequently raised altars. Formerly, before a canal 
supplied the town with water from the Rhone, the citj' was dependent for its water 
upon a single " fountain " yielding only sixteen pints a minute, and the washer- 
women then travelled every morning to the Rhone, 15 miles distant, to clean their 
linen. But in spite of want of water, Is imes, owing to its being situated on the 
high-road between the Rhone valley and the western shore of the Lion Gulf, has at 
all times enjoyed a considerable amount of prosperity. It abounds in Roman 
remains, but with the exception of a temple of the age of Augustus, now used as a 
museum, and of a huge amphitheatre occasionally visited by Spanish toreros, they 
are in ruins. X imes is a busy manufacturing town. About the middle of last 
century it was noted for its silks ; but most of its workmen are engaged now in 
the production of shagis^velvet-pile carpgivand silk pocket-handkerchiefs. The 
industry of the town has suffered, however, through the loss of the American 
market, and the competition of Aubusson and Beauvais, and living is no longer as 
cheap there as it used to be, mainly in consequence of the destruction of the vine- 
yards. Efforts are, however, being made to create fresh industries. Chinese 
bamboos have been acclimatized with success, and are converted into fancy furni- 
ture, which already forms an article of export to Great Britain. 

Beaiicaire, the ancient Ugemum (7,956 inhabitants), at the head of the Rhone 
delta, and united with its sister town of Tarascon by a suspension bridge, is the 
commercial port of Nimes. Raj-mond YI. of Toulouse did well when he built a 
fort at that place in 1217, and established a fair there, which formerly attracted 
as many as 300,000 strangers from Italy and every part of France. This fair is still 
held annually, but it is attended by pleasure-seekers rather than merchants, and its 
business transactions have declined from £1,200,000, in 1836, to £80,000 in 1874. 

St. Gi/lcs (5,705 inhabitants), on the Little Rhone, was a busy port during 
the twelfth century, but the canal which connects it with the sea is onlj- navigable 
now for barges, and its streets wear an aspect of desolation. Aigues-Mortes (3,167 
inhabitants) is actually the only maritime port of Nimes and of its wealthy neigh- 
bour Vaurert (3,935 inhabitants), but it is even more forsaken than St. Gilles. 
On looking at its crenellated walls, we might fancy ourselves transplanted to 
another age. These walls, however, frequently protect the town against being 
invaded by the floods of the Rhone. The inhabitants of Aigues-Mortes depend 
mainly upon their fisheries, their salt works, and the cultivation of reeds, for thero 
is hardly any foreign commerce. 



122 



FRANCE. 



Ardeche lies to tlie aorth of Gard, between the Ehoue and tlie Cevennes, and 
almost corresponds with the ancient province of Vivarais. Nearly all its rivers flow 
to the Ardeche, or direct into the Rhone, but Mont Gerbier de Jones (5,092 feet), 
which gives birth to the Loire, rises within its limits. Geographically the depart- 
ment consists of two regions, separated by the limestone range of Coiron. The 
basin of the Ardeche resembles Gard as to its aspect, productions, and indus- 
tries, whilst the northern portion of the department, traversed by the Erieux, the 
Doux, and their numerous tributaries, recalls Forez and the Lyonnais. Ardeche, 

Fig. 90. — Beaixaike and Takasoon. 
Scale 1 : 80,000. 



2°|ao £of Paria 







, 1 Mile. 



the native country of Olivier de Serres, the agriculturist, is one of the best-culti- 
vated districts of France. Even its mountain slopes are laid out in terraces, whilst 
the high slopes are covered with chestnut forests. This department, too, has 
suffered from the ravages of phylloxera and from disease amongst its silkworms. 

Laryentih-e ("2,374 inhabitants), the capital of the western arrondissement, has 
lost every importance since its silver mines have become exhausted, and Auhenas 
(5,082 inhabitants) is at present the leading town of the valley of the Ardeche. 
The neighbourhood produces much silk, and there are silk-mills, paper-mills, and 
tan-yards. About 5 miles to the north of that town, and close to the extinct 



ARDi:CHE. 



123 



volcano of Vivarais, are the mineral springs of Vals (1,785 inhabitanto), which 
have recently become very popuhir. 

Viiiers (2,003 inhabitants), on the Rhone, the ancient capital of the Vivarais, 
and still the seat of a bishop, has now only a. magnificent cathedral and fortifica- 
tions to remind us of its days of grandeur. At Aps, a village in the valley of 
the Escoutay, which debouches at Vivicrs, are Roman ruins, and the site has 



Fig. 91. — Tub Inv.\siox of tiik riivLLOxEiiA. 




Fla^tK, in. iC6a 



Tloffue- in. i8j3 



Pla^foe. in iSj4. 



been identified with Alba Augusta of the Romans. JBoiirg St. Amli-ol (3,800 
inhabitants), below Viviers, has a few mills propelled by the water of the fountain 
of Toumes, and F)-eil (1,771 inhabitants), above it, exports annually thousands of 
tons of hydraulic lime. 

Following the Rhone upwards, we pass the old castle of Rochcmaure, and, 
turning off to the left, arrive at Pricas (5,932 inhabitants), the capital of the 



124 FEANCE. 

department, witli silk and clotlt factories, tan-yards, and other manufactures. At 
Chomerac (1,131 inhabitants), close by, there are limestone quarries, and near 
the village of St. Priest most productive iron mines. The ore procured 
there is conveyed to the ii.'cn works of La Voulte (3,982 inhabitants) and Le 
Pouzin (2,611 inhabitants), both on the Rhone. Again following the river, we 
reach Valence, the capital of Drome, opposite to which are the magnificent ruins 
of Cnissol, as well as the rlneyards of St. Peraij (1,762 inhabitants), the growth 
of which is frequently sold as " Ermitage." Tournon (4,947 inhabitants), higher 
up on the river, which is there spanned by the oldest suspension bridge in France, 
is close to the hill which priiduces veritable Ermitage. 

Annonay (13,738 inhabitants), in the north of the department, is one of the 
great manufacturing towns of France. Goat-skins are dressed there in vast 
numbers, and felt, silk stuffs, and paper are manufactured, the motive power being 
supplied by a canal fed by a huge reservoir. It was from this town that Mont- 
golfier ascended in a balloon, and an obelisk has been erected to commemorate the 
event. 

Boucites-du-Rhone (" Mouths of the Rhone "). — This department comprises 
the delta of the Rhone and the country to the west of it. It is the natural outlet 
of the entire Rhone valley, and Marseilles, its capital, has thus become one of the 
great commercial centres of the world. In other respects, however, the depart- 
ment is not favoured by nature. There are extensive stony wastes, the hiUs are 
for the most part barren, and about one-third of the area is unproductive. Irriga- 
tion, however, is carried on successfully, and in addition to olives, grapes, and other 
products of horticulture, the department yields salt, coals, and Hgnite, engages 
successfully in manufactures, and carries on a most extensive commerce. These 
sources of wealth account for the relative density of its population. 

Marseilles (234,690 inhabitants), the leading commercial port of the Mediter- 
ranean, has during all periods of its history maintained its pre-eminent position. 
Greek and Roman authors credit the Phocians of Asia Minor with having 
founded the city, though ancient remains prove that the Phoenicians preceded 
them. Marseilles became in course of time the most flourishing of all Greek 
colonies, and down to the present day it has preserved the municipal feelings so 
characteristic of ancient Greece. Its geographical position has prevented it from 
becoming the centre of a political system, but it is nevertheless the true capital of 
Southern France, and whilst Paris looks to the north and the west, Marseilles 
keeps its eyes upon the south and the east. 

Ancient Marseilles, or Massilia, occupied the hilly peninsula to the north of the 
old port, which then extended farther inland, whilst the cliffs facing the sea have 
been gnawed away, since the days of Caesar, to the extent of 820 feet. Its port 
would have been silted up long ere this, if dredging machines were not kept 
constantly at work. It now covers an area of 60 acres, its average depth being 
20 feet. 

The sanitary condition of Marseilles was deplorable in former times, for there 
was neither water nor proper drainage. Every stranger who settled in the town 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY af ILLINOIS. 



Marseilles. 



126 



had to pass through a dangerous period of acclimatization, and the plague was a 
frequent visitor. The canal, which supplies the city with the water of the 
Durance, has proved a real blessing to the inhabitants, for it suflices not merely 



Fi'a-. 92. — Mauseillfs. 




5° UiE.of Gr 



Old cit7 in the time 

of Julias Csesar and 

in the thirteeath 

centiuy. 



Extent of < he city in 



Increase up to 1S72 



IMUe. 



for domestic purposes, but has also converted thirsty fields into productive 
gardens, and supplies the manufactories of the towTi with a cheap motive power. 
Other improvements on a vast scale have been carried out. The ancient 
fortifications have fallen, and the city has expanded in every direction. Xew 

\OL. 11. K 



126 



PRANCE. 



docks have been opened, and the construction of a huge breakwater is under con- 
sideration. The islands of Ratonneau and Pomegue afford, however, some shelter 
to vessels making for Marseilles, and it is there the quarantine has been established. 
Near them, on a small island, stands the castle of If, famous as a state prison. 

The city has not only been pierced by huge avenues, but many buildings with 
some claim to architectural merit have been erected, and the Marscillais can no 
longer be reproached with concentrating all their attention upon the soap and the 
oil they deal in. One of the most characteristic of those structures is the Museum 

Fig. 93. — The Koadstead of Marseilles. 



°|i7 K.«.r t>r. b°\ui 



S°|>i' 



C^ Janet 



Ra de 

d e 

Marseille 



li 




■atf 



j.a'P'd-Jf., 







^■^p 



% ■ 



% 






aft57'E.i»fPai-i3 z'W 



T33 



of Longchamps. The best view of the city is obtained from the tower of the 
Byzantine church of Notre-Dame, which crowns the most elevated hill to the south 
of Marseilles. The public promenades, including the Prado, lined with magnificent 
trees and numerous villas, and the Corniche, which follows the sinuosities of the 
coast, are a great ornament to the town, and afford magnificent prospects of the 
harbour and the picturesque promontories which bound it. 

Marseilles, besides being a great commercial town, may boast of numerous 
manufactories. In its metallurgical establishments the ores imported from abroad, 
and more especially lead ores, are smelted. There are huge corn and oil mills and 



MARSEILLES. 127 

tanneries. Provisions arc preserved and salted for the use of the navy. The 
manufacture of soap (1,020,000 cwts. in 1875) equals that of the whole of the 
remainder of France. The supar retineries, too, are of great importance. 

The merchants of Marseilles own a fleet of 783 vessels (including 210 steamers), 
measuring 194,500 tons, most of these being built at Ciotut, La Seyuc, and even 
at Genoa. In 1875 8,757 vessels of 2,527,200 tons burden entered the harbour, 
the imports were valued at £34,781,000, and the exports at £35,485,120. 
Cereals constitute the principal articles of import, and next to them cattle, cotton, 
wool, and iron ores from Algeria, Spanish wines, tea, silk, petroleum, timber, 
hides, guano, sugar, coflfee, and oil seeds. Unfortunately most of the vessels are 
obliged to leave in ballast, for the high tarifls of the railway companies prevent 
Marseilles from exporting the coal of the Cevennes and the building stones of the 
Alps. 

Marseilles, in spite of the competition of Brindisi and Trieste, still remains the 
great intermediary for tha conveyance of passengers and costly merchandise 
between the north-west of Europe and the East. This superioritj', however, it is 
sure to lose whenever Saloniki and Constantinople become connected with the 
railway sj-stems of the rest of Europe. It will then have to seek compensation 
for this loss elsewhere. In this respect Algeria holds out much promise for the 
future. In 1874 Marseilles imjwrted thence 400,000 tons of ore, 200,000 tons of 
com, 50,000 tons of alfa, and 1,000,000 head of cuttle. At the same time it will 
be necessary to develop the railway connections of this great port, which is at 
present dependent upon a single line for its communication with Paris, and has no 
direct intercourse at all with either Cette or Bordeaux. 

The smaller towns in the neighbourhood may almost be looked upon as suburbs 
of the great city. Cassis, beyond Cap Tiboulen, produces the best wine of Pro- 
vence, but likewise manufactures muscatel for exportation. At Ciotat (8,104 inha- 
bitants), a little farther in the same direction, are the ship-yards of the Messa- 
geries Maritimes, which usually employ 3,200 workmen. Auhagne (5,087 inha- 
bitants), an inland town, has cement works; whilst Auriol (2,453 inhabitants), 
Jioqiiecaire (1,749 inhabitants), and Pet/pin, in the upper vaUey of the Huveaume, 
have coal mines, plaster works, potteries, and soap works. 

Crossing the hill knovni as La Yiste, to the north of Marseilles, we reach the 
valley of the Arc, the only important town in which is Au (23,407 inhabitants), 
the residence of a sovereign during the Middle Ages. Aix, in spite of its ancient 
Academy, its Court of Appeal, and an archbishop, is a decaying place. It may 
carry off the honours, but Marseilles has possessed herself of the wealth of Pro- 
vence. The famous springs are no longer fashionable. The town, nevertheless, is 
most interesting on account of many of its ancient buildings, including the Roman 
baths of Sextius ; it carries on a considerable commerce ; and the olives grown in 
its plain, irrigated by a canal derived from the Yerdon, furnish an oil of world-wide 
reputation. In the upper valley of the Arc, at Gardanne (2,268 inhabitants), 
Futeau (2,253 inhabitants), and Trets (2,694 inhabitants), there are coal mines 
yielding above 300,000 tons annually. 

k2 



128 



FEAXCE. 



An ancient Roman road conducts us from Aix to Salon (5,085 inhabitants), on 
the margin of the Crau, the fields of which are irrigated by the canal of Crapponne, 

and thence to Arks (15,563 inhabitants), after Xarbonne the most ancient Roman 



Fig. 94. — The Mausoleum at St. Eemy. 




f^/s.;^el^/fe^^ I 



colony on GfaUic soil. The position of this town at the head of the Rhone delta 
insures its prosperity. It attained the height of its power in the thirteenth cen- 
tury, when its flag was seen in aU the ports of the ^Mediterranean, but dissensions 
amongst its ruling families led to its fall. The town is rich in Roman remains. 



ARI.KS. 



129 



inclii(Hn<> an ampliithcatro, and in modiieval buildinjjs, and its women arc famous 
for tboir beauty and jjood taatc. Alios carries on a considerable conimorco in agri- 
cultural produce, cattle, horses, and sheep. A bridge connects it with the suburb 
of Trinquctuilles, in the Camarguo, a district formerly described as the " granary 
of the Roman army," but now a region of pestiferous swamps. In this district is 
the hamlet of Huiiitcs-JIdricti, before the church of which stood formerly two marble 

Fiar- 95.— Kino Rx.sfi's Castlb at Tauascok. 




lions, in allusion to which the neighbouring gulf is said to liuve been named Lion 
Gulf(Golfedu Lion). 

Like Aries, the neighbourhood abounds in ancient remains. At Fonfricile (2,237 
inhabitants) there are huge artificial caverns, which served as places of sepulchre 
in prehistoric times. liaiij; on the Alpines, has an old baronial castle hewn out 
of the solid rock, and .S7. Riiiii/ (3,490 inhabitants), beyond that range of beauti- 
fully contoured hills, boasts of a fine mausoleum of the age of Caosar. 

Tarascon (7,777 inhabitants), the sister city of Beaucaire, has at all times been 
a great place of traffic. Up to the thirteenth century it stood upon an island, but 



130 



FEANCE. 



when King Rene built the castle, the massive proportions of which challenge 
admiration, the channel separating this island from the left bank of tlie river had 
been filled up. 

Var, most absurdly called after the river Var, which lies outside its boundaries, 
mifht more appropriately become known as Argens, from a river flowing right 
through its centre. It is a mountainous country, half of its area being covered 

Fig. 90. —Toulon. 
Scale 1 : 128,000. 



lT»r.-F tt f..r,. 








2'/i FaOwm. Line 
10 



■ 2 Miles. 



^^'X 



with forests. The most flourishing towns lie on the coast, but those in the interior 
likewise manufacture cloth, felt, paper, and earthenware. 

Toulon (61,382 inhabitants) enjoys the double advantage of having an excel- 
lent port and of lying on the high-road connecting France with Italy. The 
excellent shelter afforded by its port has caused Toulon to be chosen as the 
great naval station of France in the Mediterranean. The arsenal and dock- 
yards, begun by Vauban in the seventeenth century, cover an area of 667 
acres, and have cost no less than £6,400,000, although much of the work was per- 



TOULON. 



181 



formed by convicts. Forts occupy everj' point of vantage, and render Toulon one 
of the strongest fortresses in Europe. In commerce and industry, however, it 
ranks very low, in spite of its excellent harbour, on the western side of which are 



Fio;. 97.— HvKnr.s. 
ScaUe 1 : 100,000. 



s-iti K. of r 




OOJ^FH pE r.lE^S.S 





Si.lln 




,1, ,. 


J- 

<- 

■\ 
\ 

\ 





I^ADE D' JIYERKS 



<'1 



' Kadc dr /Cicns 



Ra<ie de la Badine 







tic Houliiind ■ 



e'liQ- F. . ot Cr 



o-S 



S-ij 



EI3I 

2J-SS 

1 MUe. 



e-3 



the bu.sy ship-yards of Ln Sei/iie (8,1.'J2 inhabitants), employing several thou- 
sand workmen. S(. Nazaire (1,537 inhabitants) and Bandols, to the west of Cap 
Sepet, may be looked upon as outposts of Toulon : they export agricultural 



132 



FEANCE. 



produce, and at the former of these villages there is a tunny fislierj-. Every town, 
like every individual, appears to have its destiny. Toulon became a place 
of war, but failed to attract visitors like its neighbours, Nice, Cannes, and 
Mentone, although its climate is equally delightfLd and its environs abound in 
picturesque sites. 

Ht/eirs (6,797 inhabitants), up to the fourteenth century, was more important 
than its neighbour Toulon. The river Gapeau facilitates communication between 
its fine roadstead and tlie fertile fields of Ciiers (3,683 inhabitants) and Sollies- 
Pont (2,239 inhabitants). It was formerly a favourite winter residence, but being 
separated from the sea by salt marshes, and exposed to the mistral, it is now some- 
what neglected in favour of its rivals of the Alpes-Maritimes. The gardens sur- 
rounding the town produce peaches, almonds, and a great variety of exotic plants. 

Fig. 98.— The Gulp of St. TRornz. 
Scale 1 : 165.000. 




A few palm-lrees flourish, and early vegetables are exported. As to the pic- 
turesque islands of Hyeres — Porquerolles, Port-Cros, and Le Titan — they support 
onlj' a few inhabitants, and are scarcely ever visited. 

St. Troppz (3,230 inhabitants) occupies a delightful spot near the eastern 
termination of the mountains of the Moors. It exports timber, cork, and chestnuts, 
supplied by the villages in its vicinity, amongst which Garde-Freinct (1,947 inha- 
bitants) enjoys some reputation as having been one of the great strongholds of the 
JSIoors or Saracens. 

The valley of the Argens, to the north of the mountains of the Moors, affords 
the easiest communication between the east and west of Provence. Since the 
terrible day on which the Teutonic hosts, about to cross over from the valley of 
the Arc, were annihilated at Pourrieres, that valley has frequently been traversed 
by armies. St. Maximin (3,150 inhabitants), near its head, is the point of con- 



FRfiJUS. 



133 



ffengence of manj' roads, and the relics in its fine Gothic church formerly attracted 
numerous visitors. Bri(jiioUes{^),\i.'A iiflKihitants), farther east, has (an-yai'ds, silk- 
twist factories, distilleries, and brick-kilns. Lc Luc (-3,148 inliubitants) and 
Vidauhon (2,415 inhabitants), on the railway, are flourishing market towns. 
Lorgucs (3,030 inhabitants), embosomed in elms, has cloth factories, and at Drn- 
(junjnan (8,029 inhabitants), the capital of the department, there are numerous 
factories, the motive power being furnished by the Xartuby, a tributary of the 

Fig. 99.— Nice. 




Argens. The town itself is void of curiosities, hut its neighbourliood abounds 
in picturesque sites. 

Frtjim (2,791 inhabitants), the Roman Foro Julicnsis, near the mouth of the 
Argens, is a decayed town. Its famou^; port, which sheltered the fleet of Actium, 
is now dry land, and the town lias luver been able to recover from the disasters 
of war which have overtaken it. Close by, on a hill, there are Roman ruins, 
which testify to its former iinportance, and the aqueduct which conveyed 
hither the water of the Siasnole is tli' most considerable ruin of that class in all 
J^ ranee. 



134 FRANCE. 

Alpes-Maritimes. — The greater portion of this department was ceded by Italy 
in 1860. French is spoken in the valleys of the Var and Tinee, Italian in the 
basiu of the Roya and as far as Nice, whilst the local dialect of that town is a 
curious jumble of Provencal French and Italian. The entertainment of visitors 
is the great business of the department. Oil, wine, fruits, and scents are exported, 
but upon the whole agriculture is in a very backward state. 

iV/Vc (Nizza, 46,083 inhabitants), the " Victorious," founded by the Phocians 
of Marseilles in commemoration of a victory won over the Ligurians, is one of the 
most characteristic cities of France. On a high, rocky eminence, an ancient island 
now attached to the continent, may still be seen the remains of the walls of 
what was formerly one of the strongest fortresses on the Mediterranean seaboard. 
One quarter of the town lies in the plain to the east of that rock, but the veritable 
Nice lies to the- west of it, being bounded by the torrent of the PaiUon, beyond 
which extend the modern suburbs, with wide streets intersecting each other 
at right angles. Numerous villas peep out from the verdure-clad slopes of the 
surrounding hills, and cover the terrace of Cimies, upon which stood the Roman 
town of Cemenelum. Tlie climate of Nice has been extolled in all ages. The 
mountains in the north shelter it against cold winds, and the temperature only 
rarely descends below freezing point. At the same time Nice is exposed to violent 
gusts of wind. In early spring the mistral whirls up clouds of dust ; the damp 
sirocco, blowing from the south-east, produces a feeling of languor; and the 
westerly winds formerly carried thither the miasmata bred in the swami^s of the 
Lower Var. Since these have been drained this wind has lost its danger, besides 
which the plantations of eucalyptus and other trees now form a screen around the 
town, which up to the beginning of last century was frequently invaded by the pest. 

As we journey along the coast to the east of Nice the country becomes more 
and more picturesque. Crossing the promontory bounding the Bay of Nice, we 
descend to the fine roadstead of VUhfranehe (Villa Franca, 1,933 inhabitants), 
where, sheltered by the encircling cliffs, exotic plants luxuriate. We traverse the 
olive groves of Beaulieu, pass through numerous railway tunnels, and reach 
Monaco (1,200 inhabitants), perched on an isolated rock at the foot of the cliffs of 
La Turbie. This, too, is an old Greek colony dedicated to Hercules. The sove- 
reign rights of its prince have been respected, and he has availed himself of them 
to establish a gambling hell in the delightful grounds of Monte Carlo. Roque- 
brunc is merely a village ; but Mciifone (6,891 inhabitants) is a town of importance, 
and the rival of Nice, the " pearl of France." Lemons, oranges, and other exotic 
plants grow near the shore, olives on the slopes of the hills, and pines on the 
mountains which shelter the town in the north. Its houses are dotted over the 
hills, and are frequently accessible only by stairs ; its climate is mild and equable. 
To the east of Mentone, on Italian soil, are the famous caverns of Baousse-Roussi, 
in which human skeletons and stone and bone implements have been discovered. 

To the west of Nice there are other favourite winter resorts. At Antihes (5,546 
inhabitants), an old fortress, the charming promontory of La Grarouppe projects 
into the Mediterranean, and beyond it opens the small Bay of Jouan, where 



CANNES. 



185 



Napoleon landed after his escape from Elba. Vallauris (2,956 inhabitants), the 
"golden vale," lies a short distance inland. Cannes (13,519 inhabitants) lies 
beyond ; its hotels and houses extending to the river Siagne. It enjoys a mild 



FiiT. 100. — VlLLEFRANCHE. 
Scale 1 : 14.400. 



£.iifP*w» 








:;':.:^- 


' .-■ / \'i llef'rnnch, 


:•'.-..>* 


/ " ■> 




;H^- 


,- :? . "■" 


•^ ^, 


^^ . 





1*1105* de'^Irfi'aiich' 





^ 'J .T 



>; A IS 



T\2. V- 



■^--iS", 



pvtr ^ FaUuffs. 



I Mile. 



climate, and though its vegetation is less luxuriant than that of Nice, its serene 
sky and distant horizons render it a most delight ful residence. The isles of Lerins 
lie ofE its bay, the largest of them, that of Ste. Marguerite, being famous on 
account of its prison-fort, from which Marshal Bazaine effected his escape, as the 



130 



FEANCE. 



" Iron Mask " had done before him. On St. Honorat are the ruins of a monas- 
tery which was destroj-ed by the Mooi-s in 725. Cannes, in spite of its shallow 
harbour, is next to Nice the busiest seaport of French Liguria. It is the jDort of 
Grasse (9,673 inhabitants), l3'ing about 10 miles inland, the vicinity of which 
produces the best olives of Provence, besides roses, jasmines, and other flowers. 
The manufacture of perfumery and liqueurs has one of its great centres at Grasse. 

Fi». 101. — The Caverns of Baousse-Rousse. 




These seaside towns of the Alpes-Maritimes possess immense advantages as 
summer resorts, and might be converted into sanatoria for the whole of France. 
They are supplemented by mountain villages, such as St. 3Tartin-Lantosque 
(1,956 inhabitants), Eoquebilliere, and others, within easy reach of the coast, and 
admirably suited for summer stations. 

Vaucluse, though lying inland to the north of the Rhone delta, is essentially 
one of the Mediterranean departments of France. Its western half consists of an 



AVTOXON-. 



137 



alluvial plain intersected by numerous canals, very productive, and abounding in 
industrious towns. 

Arigiion (33,1!^!) inhabitants), at the confluence of the Durance and lllione, 
was a prosperous town in the time of the Romans, and as an independent common- 
wealth it ranked amongst the first cities of the south during the twelfth century. 
The religious wars of the thirteenth century destroyed its wealth. Between 1309 
and 137G it was the residence of the popes, and from that epoch in its history date 
its most striking buildings, its tui-roted walls, its cathedral, and its fortress-like 
palace on the rock of the Doms, or "lords." From that rock we look down upon 
the verdant plain, with its plantations of olive and nuilberry trees, its towns and 
villages, and upon the swiftly flowing waters of the lihone, spanned here by a 



Fig. 102.— Baous8£-Rou6s£. 
Accordmg to M. Rl^^^rc. Scale I : 3,000. 




r°|33' E. gf Cr 



_ Ear/A 
fi — ^^ EarUiy SUpfS 



Ir^""^ Rocky Slojies 
Carems 
', Bone Brcccux^ 



*' Hearths 
SS^ Railroail 
I 1 ho^t^ol oTond. Hjocks 

lUO Ytuds. 



su.spension bridge, which replaces an old stone bridge built by the " Devil and 
St. Benezet" in 1188, but destroyed by a great flood in 1669. Avignon remained 
the property of the Pope until the great Revolution ; but though it abounded in 
monasteries, grass grew in its streets, and industry was a stranger to it. But 
since it has belonged to France it has become one of the busiest towns of the 
south — spinning the silk grown in the neighbourhood, manufacturing agricultural 
machinery, and colours from madder, and extending its commerce to the highest 
valleys of the Alps. The department has not only suffered much from the invasion 
of the phylloxera and the disease of silkworms, but its cultivation of madder is 
jeopardised through the invention of aniline colours. 

The towns and villages lying at the foot of the Leberon and of the hills of 



138 



FEANCE. 



Vaucluse are surrounded by verdant fields. CavaiUon (3,906 inhabitants) is 
environed by gardens irrigated by canals derived from the Calavon and the 
Durance. L'Ide (3,795 inhabitants) and Thor (1,667 inhabitants) are supplied 
with water from the fountain of Vaucluse ; Femes (2,801 inhabitants), Monteux 
(2,262 inhabitants), and Carpentras (8,127 inhabitants), have likewise their canals 
of irrigation. The latter, though proverbially a dull provincial town, is in reality 



Fig. 103.— Cannes and the Isles of Leki.vs. 
Scale 1 : 60,000. 



f iio F of ra,-L. 




sSpriHii .U 



V 






i !. 



i, {■: KINS 



;:^*?n{o'^^ir- 






TIE.of Ci- 



rt: JO VAN 


\ {-■■': J 


i 




r^ 


i 





Iv \ 



Echellc d'> i:fipooo 



o 5. 



S-z-j, 



Tir.i 



sj-i5o, Over iSq Fajthoms 

— 1 Mile. 



a bustling place, supporting a library and museum, and proud of its Roman 
triumphal arch, its modern town-hall, and its aqueducts. 

Orange (6,782 inhabitants), the ancient Arausio, and formerly the capital of a 
county, is the rival of Carpentras in trade and industry, and boasts a Roman 
amphitheatre and a triumphal arch, which are amongst the finest ruins of that 
kind in France. Vaison (3,330 inhabitants) has a Roman bridge over the Ouveze, 



HAUTES-ALPES. 



139 



and is partly built with the stones of Gullo-Roman buildings. Malauceiie (I.GIO 
inhabitants) has a Roman aqueduct; Bollinc (3,168 inhabitants) has potteries, 
and Vdlreas (4,705 inhabitants) carries on a considerable trade in raw silk. Both 
these towns are surrounded by old walls. Perl ii is (4,905 inhabitants), thus called 
because of its situation near the gorge, or pcrtuis, of the Durance, has a few 
factories, but the mountain region beyond it is very thinly inhabited. Apt (4,278 
inhabitants), the only town in the mountains, has sulphur mines and pits of plastic 
clay, from which its potteries are supplied. 

Hautes-Axpes. — The two departments on the Upper Durance constitute the 

Kg. lOi. — AVIG.NOX AND THE PAl_iCE OF THE PoPES. 




poorest and most desolate district of France. Hautes-Alpes, though enjoying the 
advantage of more extensive forests and pasture grounds than its neighbour 
Basses- Alpes, ranks, nevertheless, very low as to its agricultural produce ; and its 
resources not being sufficient to support its population, many of the inhabitants 
annually descend to the plains in search of work. 

Brian(O)) (■2,321 inhabitants) defends, with its seven forts, the road over the 
Mont Genevre, and is the most inhospitable garrison town in France. Descending 
the Durance, we pass the mountain fort of Mont Baiip/iin and Embrun (3,287 inha- 



1-40 



FRANCE. 



bitants), likewise a fortress, the most prominent building within which is a prison. 
Gap (7,249 inhabitants), the only large town of the department, and its capital, 
lies about 6 miles to the north of the Durance. The ores and marbles which 
abound near it have not hitherto been worked. 

Basses-Alpes is a country of naked mountains, lying almost completely within 
the basin of the Durance. It is the least-populated department of France, but by 
planting forests its resources might be considerably developed. 

Barcelonnette (1,921 inhabitants), on the Ubaye, and at the foot of the Col de 

Fig. 105. — Col de L.^kche. 
Scale 1 : 80,000. 












■i;■^!,lu'^.'nJ.S^t^ 



l'-Ai-|ji'r\lT^V(- 



SuTtiint'^d 




^..-r 



;I 



Larche or of Ai-gentiere, is the chief town of the most elevated arrondissement, but 
otherwise insignificant. Sisferon (3,7G8 inhabitants), lower down on the Durance, 
is a picturesque town, with an old citadel. Manosque (5,162 inhabitants) enjoys a 
southern climate, carries on a considerable trade in wine, oil, and fruits, works a 
coal mine, and has several manufactories. It is the most important town of the 
department, superior by far to Forcalquier (1,816 inhabitants), the capital of the 
arrondissement within which it lies, and even to Digne (5,540 inhabitants), the 
departmental capital. This latter lies on a winter torrent, the Bleonne, 2,098 feet 



de6me. 



141 



above the sea, but nevertheless produces excellent fruits, which ils confectioners 
convert into confitures. Thero are likewaso efficacious sulphur springs. 

Colmars and Castellannc, on the Vordon, are of no iniportanco whatever. At 
lilez (Colonia Augusta llcioruiii, ^',.'370 inhabitants) and at Vitlemolea (■■2,182 inha- 
bitants), botli on tributaries of that river, and at GrtouLi; near its mouth, Uonian 
ruins have been discovered, and at the latter there are sulphur springs. 



v\s. lOi;.— Si 




Drome* has been cut out of ancient Dauphine, and is named after a river that 
flows through it towards the Rhone, which forms its western boundary. Its 
climate and productions are similar to those of Ardeche, on the other side of the 
Rhone ; but Drome is the more mountainous of the two. 

Nyons (2,4G2 inhabitants), the capital of the southern arrondissement, lies at 
the mouth of a gorge, from which a cold wind, known as pontias, blows every 



vol.. 11. 



• Scipion Gras, " Statistique minSralo de la Dr6ine." 
L 



142 FRANCE. 

night. Its olive-trees perished ia the cold winter of 1829, and the vineyards then 
pLmted have recently been attacked by the phylloxera, which has likewise invaded 
the lowland district of Tricastin, of which St. Paul (1,G57 inhabitants) is the 
capital. 

Montelimar (9,512 inhabitants), at the confluence of Jabron and Roubiou, and 
not far from the Rhone, carries on a brisk trade in agricultural productions and 
the manufactures of the Protestant town of Dieu-lv-Fit (3,072 inhabitants), on the 
Upper Jabon. To the south-west of it, on the Lez, rises the sumptuous castle of 
Gfi(jn(in, kno^vn as the residence of Madame de Sevigne. 

Crest (4,8-18 inhabitants) is the most important town on the Drome. Its old 
castle has frequently seen Protestants and political offenders within its walls. Die 
(3,427 inhabitants), higher up the river, carried on considerable industry before 
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 

Lirron (1,874 inhabitants) and Lon'ol (2,181 inhabitants), at the mouth of the 
river, are indebted for theii- prosperity to the railway. 

Valence (20,476 inhabitants) maintained its municipal liberties until the thir- 
teenth century, and with its suburb, Bourg-les-Valence (2,o74 inhabitants), is now 
the seat of a considerable textile industry. ChuhcuU (1,300 inhabitants), near 
it, has likewise a few factories, but lioiiiaiis (11,024 inhabitants), on the Isere, and 
its suburb, Bourg-de-Peage (4,151 inhabitants), are at present the great industrial 
centre of the department, where cloth, silks, cottons, felt, and leather are being 
manufactured. 

Tain (2,381 inhabitants), on the llhone, lies close to the granitic hill which 
yields the famous " Ermitage," and an acre of which is worth £1,000. St. Vallicr 
(3,035 inhabitants) and the railway junction of St. Rambert are in the extreme 
north of the deiDartmcnt. 

IsEEE, named after its principal river, was formed out of the northern portion 
of the Dauphine. It is essentially a mountain country, the soil capable of cultiva- 
tion being confined to its western half, descending in terraces towards the Phone. 
About half the area of the department consists of cultivated land, one-fifth of 
heaths and barren rocks, and nearly the same proportion of woods. The breeding 
of cattle and manufacture of cheese are carried on extensively in its Alpine portion ; 
there are coal and iron mines, and even gold mines were worked not long since. 
Industry is increasing, and the paper-mills are the most important of France 
(produce in 1873, 105,650 cwts.). 

Alkvard (2,015 inhabitants) is the only town in the interior of the department, 
and is indebted to its sulphur springs for the position it holds. Orenohle (43,054 
inhabitants), at the confluence of the Isere and Drac, occup^'es the centre of a mag- 
nificent amphitheatre of mountains. It is the focus of much intellectual activity, 
with colleges, libraries, and museums, and the seat of a considerable industry, 
the manufacture of gloves alone occupying 20,000 hands in the town and the 
neighbouring villages. 

VmUe (3,539 inhabitants), on the Eomanche, has numerous factories, but is 
better known in connection with the refusal of the delegates of the towns of 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of tl-UNOIS. 



IsfeRE. 



1-13 



Dauphiue, in July, 1788, to pay taxes not voted by rarliaiucut. Botiry-d' Oimns 
(1,400 iuhubitauts), higher up ou the Romauchc, is tho contro of ouo of tbo finest 
Alpine districts of France. Tho monastery of tho Grande C/iartrcim; in tho hillf 
to tho north of Grenoble, is famous throughout tho world for its liqueur. 



Fig. 107.— Valence. 
Scale 1 : TS.OOK. 



3'l30'E.«r P«ru 







Pf JtoiunreA- 



»'iW E.of Or 



»'l>!> 



IMUc. 



At Voiron (7,909 inhabitants), to the north of the elbow of the Isere, as \<ell as 
at the neighbouring villages of Rkcs (1,471 iuliabitanl.s) and La Cote S(. Andrr 
(3,49G inhabitants) there are niunerous paper-mills, steel works, and tan-yards, and 
most of tho peasantry engage in linen-weaving. The towns on tho Isere, TiiH'nis 
(3,398 inhabitants), Vinai/ (1,692 inhabitants), and ;S/. Marcellin ('..',839 inhu- 

L 2 



144 



PRANCE. 



bitants), are indebted for their prosperity to the fertile fields wbich surround 
them. 

Vienne (22,950 inhabitants), on the Rhone, was a very important place in 
Roman times, but had dwindled down to 11,000 inhabitants in 1789. Since then 
the population has increased rapidly, and thousands find employment in the cloth 
factories, silk-mills, paper-mills, foundries, glass works, and other industrial esta- 
blishments which have sprung up here, being supplied with coal from the mines of 
St. Etienne. A temple, a pyramid, several aqueducts still in a serviceable 
condition, and other ruins recall the age of the Romans. Bourgoin (4,309 inha- 
bitants, inclusive of Jaillon), to the north-east of Vienne, manufactures cards for 

Fig. lOS. — Gkenoblb. 
Sc.ilc 1 : 00,000.. 



E...IP. 




E. 01 Gr. 



W^ 



1 Wile. 



combing flax and other articles. Near it are productive turf pits. La Tonr-du- 
Pin (2,731 inhabitants) is remarkable only as the capital of an arrondisscment. 

Savoie (Savoy). — This department only includes a portion of the old duchy of 
Savoy, ceded in 1860 to France. It consists of three geographical regions, viz. 
Savoy proper, including Chamb^ry and the Lake of Bourget ; the Tarentaise, or 
valley of the Upper Isere ; and the Maurienne, or valley of the Arc. Only about 
one-third of its area is under cultivation, but fine pasture grounds extend from the 
valleys up to the barren rocks and snow-fields. Agriculture and cattle-breeding 
are the principal occupations. There are a little industry and much traffic, pro- 
duced by the international tunnel of Mont Cenis, but the country is nevertheless 



SAVOY. 



145 



incapable of supporting its population, and thousands of Savoyards annually 
leave their mountain valleys in search of work, generally returning in winter with 
their savings. 

Chamhi-ry (16,486 inhabitants) is the only town worthy of the name. It boasts 
of an academy and other scientific institutions, but to strangers its chief claim to 
notice consists in its delightful environs. Silk-spinning is carried on there, and at 
the neighbouring village of Cognin. At Challes there is a mineral spring con- 
taining iodine and bromine, but its fame is eclipsed by that of the thermal sulphur 
springs at Aix-Ies-Baim (2,689 inhabitants), on Lake Bourget. 

Following the railway up the valleys of the Isere and the Arc, we pass 



Fig. 109. — Passes over the Alps between the Gek^vre and Cot, de Frejus. 

Scale 1 VVi..mn. 



k'InW. olPnri.. 




. '-M. 

^t^-:. 



5 Miles. 



Mouhnelia)), nn old fortress; St.Ficrrc-d'Alhignij; St. Jean, i\Q capital of the 
Maurienne (2,023 inhabitants) ; Jfodaiie (1,322 inhabitants), at the entrance to the 
tunnel ; and Lam-k-Bourg, at the foot of the pass leading over Mont Cenis. 

The Tarentaise is less sterile than the Maurienne, but the stature of its inha- 
bitants is less than in any other part of Savoy, and they are supposed to be the 
descendants of the Ceutrons, a southern tribe mentioned by ancient authors. The 
principal towns are A/bcrtvi/k (3,835 inhabitants) and Moiitiers (1,946 inhabitants), 
the latter with salt works yielding annually 3,500 cwts. of salt. Higher up, in the 
side valley of the Doron, are the sulphur springs of Brides, in the midst of mag- 
nificent Alpine scenery. 



146 



FRANCE. 



Haute-Satoie consists of several districts known hj local names. The Gene- 
rois includes that part of Savoy which slopes down to the Rhone ; Faueignij com- 
prehends the high Alps, traversed by the Arve, and dominated by Mont Blanc ; 
while Chahlaia extends along the Lake of Geneva. Only one-half of the area of the 
department consists of fields and pasture lands, but agriculture, the breeding of 
cattle, the making of butter and cheese, and industrial pursuits suffice to support a 
population more dense than that of Franco at large. 

Thones (1,059 inhabitants) is the only town on the Fier which flows through 



Fig. 110.— Thonon. 
Scale 1 : 125,000. 




6°l3oT!: of Gt- 



Ertiard 



the southern portion of the department. Annecij (10,360 inhabitants), the capital, 
stands on the Thioux, a tributary of the Fier, and at the foot of the lake named 
after it. It is an ancient citj"-, carrying on the manufacture of textile fabrics, hats, 
paper, and iron. Rumilly (2,916 inhabitants), on another tributary of the Fier, 
manufactures woollen stuffs ; and near Faverges (1,537 inhabitants) there is a large 
sUk-mill belonging to a Lyons company. Formerly that place had iron and 
copper works. 



SAYOT. 



117 



There arc no towns in the valley of the Arvc. Chamonix (Charaouni, -101 inha- 
bitants) is merely a village of hotels, and St. Gervais a huge bathing establishment. 
At Salltaiches (1,594 inhabitants) one of the finest views of l^font Blanc may bo 
enjoyed. At C/kscs there is a school for watchmaking, and many of the inha- 
bitants of Bonneville (1,842 inhabitants) and of St. Julien (1,250 inhabitants), the 
latter in reality a suburb of Geneva, are engaged in watchmaking. 

Tlionon (•j,9-j3 inhabitants), the capital of Chablais, occupies a jnagnificcnt site 
on the banks of the Lake of Geneva, and to the west of the alluvial delta of tho 
Dranse. Tho castle of Ripaille is close to the town, whilst Evien (2,028 inha- 
bitants), a favourite spa embosomed in woods of chestnut and walnut trees, lies to 
the east of the Dranse. Still farlhcr oast the greyish cliffs of (he Jleilleric rise 
boldly above the lake. Most of tho houses arc built of stone quaniiil there. 




CHAPTER IV. 



THE JURA AND THE BASIN OF THE SAONE. 

FaANCHB-CoMTfi AND BUUGCNDY. 




m HE boundaries of this region of France are more or less conventional, 
for though the paraUcl ridges of the Jura and the vallej' of the 



^ijS> Saone are well defined, there are also included in it several outlying 
districts. The valley of the Saone is essentially a country of 
transit. In the south it leads to the Rhone, which it joins at 
Lyons; in the north-west numerous passages through the Cote d'Or connect it 
with the basin of the Seine ; in the north-cast the gate of Belfort opens commu- 
nication with the Rhine ; and intercoiu-se with the Loire in the west meets with no 
obstacles. The climate and vegetation of Northern and Southern France become 
blended in this valley, and whilst the pine forests in the Jura are quite northern 
in their aspect, the bleached rocks of Cote d'Or, on the other side of the vallej^ 
recall the foot-hills of the Cevennes and the Alps. Even the inhabitants, a mixture 
of Celts, Ligurians, Romans, and Teutonic Burgundians, exhibit the strength and 
earnestness of men of the north, in combination with the passionate temper of men 
of the south. 

The ranges of the Jura belong geologically to the same orographical system as 
do certain mountain masses of the Dauphino and of Savoy. They at first extend in 
a northerlj' direction, but by degrees curve round to the north-east, until they pass 
over into Switzerland. The Jura, very unlike other mountain systems, consists of 
a series of parallel ranges, rising from a platform sloping down towards the west 
and north-west. Looked at from an elevation, they resemble a series of parallel 
waves approaching a coast. Each of these ridges is intersected by one or more 
transverse gorges, or closes, and there are also combes, or valleys of erosion, at the 
bottom of which lie sparkling lakes or rivulets. 

The strata composing the Jura have been folded by exterior pressure, the ridges 
being formed of anticlinal, the valleys of synclinal folds. Denudation, however, 
has so much afiected the surface of the country that out of one hundred and sixty 
ridges there are but thirty the tops of which consist of Jurassic limestone, this 
having been carried away, exposing the lias and trias which underlie it. The 



THE JCTEA AND THE BASIN OF THE SAUNE. 



110 



limestones of the Jura are rich in fossils, and even ancient atolh have been dis- 
covered. 

The Jura abounds in forests : that of Chaux, covering nearly 50,000 acres, lies 
at the foot of the Jura, and consists principally of oaks and beeches. Firs cover 
the superior slopes ; and in the woods of Ilautc-Joux trunks 100 feet in height 
and over 3 feet thick abound. Tho moisture of the atmosphere, as well as the 
calcareous nature of the soil, promotes the growth of grass and herbage, and 



Fig. 111.— The .Tura. 
Scale 1 : S45,00O. 



♦ " i. of Paris 




10 Miles. 



cattle-breedinw and the makinjj of butter and cheese are carried on with much 
profit. The cows of the same district always pasture together, and co-operation is 
practised in the making of cheese. 

The numerous rivulets of the Jura supply motive power to a host of manufac- 
tories, besides which the mountaineers engage largely in sedentary industries, such 
08 watchmaking. 

The emancipation of the peasantry during the French Revolution and the con- 
struction of roads have wonderfully aided the material prosperitj' of the Jura. 



150 



FEANCE. 



Not very long ago there existed no carriage roads at all, but at the present daj^ no 
less than three railroads and twenty carriage roads, some of them masterpieces of 
engineering, facilitate intercourse between the opposite slopes of the mountains.* 

Lakes and Rivers. 

The lakes of the French Jura are much inferior to those of Switzerland, but 
geologically they are full of interest. A few of them occupy the longitudinal 
valleys ; others are bounded by the steep walls of the cluses, these being the most 
picturesque ; others, again, occupy the combes referred to above. 



Fig. 112. — The Fokest of Chaux. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 



j"|J« K. ol I'ans 




. 10 JEles. 



The Ain is the most characteristic river of the Jura. Born of plenteous springs 
issuing from mysterious caverns, the river winds through narrow defiles and 
cluses, and frequently disappears between the masses of huge rocks which have 
tumbled down from the surrounding precipices. Being bounded for the most 
part by two parallel ridges of the Jura, the Ain receives only a few tributaries, but 
these, being the effluents of lakes, are more abundant than might be expected. 
Amongst the tributaries are the emissary of the Lake of Chalin, the Bienne, and 
the Oignon, rising in the Lake of Nantua. Of the numerous waterfalls of the 

* Heights in the Jura :— Grande Colomtier, 5,033 feet ; Credo , 5,545 feet ; Reculet, 5,644 feet ; CrSt 
de la Neige, 5,657 feet; Pass of LaFauoUle, 4,356 feet; Col des Verrieres, 3,084 feet. 



LAKES OP THE JURA. 



161 



Ain that near the bridge of Poitte is one of the most considerable. It is 52 
feet high, and its tumultuous waters supply the iron forges of La Saisso with 
motive power. Champagnole is the only town in the narrow valley of the Ain, 
which only widens out as it approaches tho Rhone, near which the river winds 
through the fertile and populous district of Valbonne, an ancient lake basin. 

In most mountain countries the water-shod runs parallel with the mountain 
ranges. Not so in the Jura, the ridges of which gradually decrease in height as 
we travel north or south from tho culminating summits on tho frontier between 
France and Switzerland. In the Jura the line which parts the waters flowing to 



Fig. 113.— The Lake or St. Point. 
Scale 1 : 115,7:i|. 






^^' 



'■■yv 



U: 



T^/- 







1 Mile. 



the Mediterranean from those wending their way to tlic north runs transversely 
across the whole system of ridges. Even tho Doubs, which finally finds its way 
to the Mediterranean, appears to have formerly flowed to the Rhine, and if a barrier 
were to be placed across the defile of Stc. Ursannc it might possibly do so 
again. Historically and geologically the Saone is tho main artery of the valley of 
the Rhone, and if its volume equalled that of the latter, its name would prevail 
down to the Mediterranean. The Doubs, however, though spoken of as a tribu- 
tary, is in reality the main branch of the Saone. It flows at first in a north- 
westerly direction. Having traversed the Lake of St. Point, it enters the narrow 
gorges of Pontarlier, where mills occupy every available spot. At the small Lako 



152 



TRANCE. 



of Chailleson the river reaches the Swiss frontier, which it follows for a consider- 
able distance. It there gathers itself up, and then leaps over a precipice 89 
feet in height, forming the famous Falls of the Doubs. The course of the river 



Fig. 114. — The Lake of Chalin, 
Scale 1 : 83,000. 



p 3Q 




(ft 'Jl vf. 



■Fqatcf u>\> ^ 



1 Mile. 



is most erratic, but at length it turns abruptly to the west, piercing one chain 
of the Jura after the other. Below St. Ilippolyte the river turns to the north, 
forcing itself a passage through the mountains of the Lomont, and approaching 



Fig. 115. — The Lakes op the Cluse of Nai'tua. 
Scale 1 ; 80,000. 



E. "1 Gr. 



^^r^. 



//, 



■=??° 



7— ^^^^77-7-^1^1 






|S"40 






i;?. -i 







>J^' 



'A 



•%'"'^- ^^^ 



^'1'^^ 



1 5-20 -Et"! P. 



1 Jlile. 



the gap of Belfort, through which runs a canal connecting the Doubs with the 
Rhine. Thenceforth the general course of the river is south-westerly until it joins 
the Saone, but it winds about much, passing alternately between steep precipices 



THE SAONE. 



158 



and over undulating valley plains. The course of the Louo, whicli is tlie principal 
tributary of the Doubs, is almost equally erratic. At Pontarlier the Doubs in 
summer was formerly shallowed up in sinks, and flowed uudcrj^round. But the 
mill-owners, who were much iiieuuvonieuced by this occasional disappearance, have 
built walls around the mouths of these sink-holes, and the water power furnished 
by the river is now available throu{>;hout the year. 

Manv of the tributaries of tlie Saouo likewise flow for considerable distances 



Fig. UC. — The Lower Valley ok the Am. 
Scale 1 : ieO,000. 




^. 




^ lUpovrrsw 






\,|,i 



naijs 







% 



\.\\\ 



S jl^l- t- ^.A 1. 



u 



— lUUe. 



underground. Near Yesoul there arc several rivulets of this kind. They reappear 
again in the spring of Champdamoy, and when the subterranean channels are full 
to repletion, a supplementary spring, about a mile higher, begins to flow. 

The Saone rises in the chain of the Faucilles (" sickle mountains "), and ha>'ing 
received numerous tributaries from the Vosges and the plateau of Langres, it flows 



154 FEANCE. 

in a direction parallel to the hills which produce the famous wines of Burgundy. 
The canal of Burgundy connects the Saone with the Seine ; that of the Centre 
with the Loire. The Saone, for 407 miles out of a total of 732, has a fall of only 
5'67 inches a mile, and is therefore excellently suited for navigation. Below 
Chalons it flows through the silted-up basin of an ancient lake, which towards the 
close of the tertiary epoch extended from the foot of the Jura to the promontories 
of Charollais and Beaujolais. 

To the east of the Lower Saone lies the remarkable clayey plateau of the 
Dombes, abounding in cavities filled with stagnant pools, and surmounted by a 
few isolated hillocks locally known as poi^Jcs, or paps. Most of these pools are 
of recent origin, for in the fourteenth centuiy the greater portion of the country 
was mider cultivation. But feudal wars led to the desertion of entire villages, the 

Fig. 117- — The Gueat Defile (Percee) of tue Doobs. 
ScoJe 1 : 3,750,000. 



W. ,1P 






V<^^ 



4, 



I » • -J 




^ ^ - - '' -• ...--^'— V^"^ 



U 

Sc gneie^ e 






"af>' 







|r-2o- 



channels of the rivulets became obstructed, and the stagnant waters occupied every 
depression in the soil. Subsequently a peculiar system of rotation got into vogue, 
which consisted in alternately inundating and draining the fields, which neverthe- 
less yielded but poor harvests, whilst the fevers bred by the numerous swamps 
annually decimated the population. At length, about a quarter of a century ago, 
the reclamation of this forsaken part of France was taken in hand. A railway 
and roads were constructed, and up to 1870 no less than half the swamps, or 
25,000 acres, had been drained. The effect upon the health of the inhabitants 
was almost iumiediate. The population in twenty years has increased 30 per 
cent., and the mean age is now thii-ty-five years instead of twenty-five as before. 

The Saone, to the west of the plateau of the Dombes, continues its peaceable 
course for some distance longer, and the peasants say with unconscious pride — 

" From Villefranche to Anse — the finest mile ia France." 



THE SAONE. 166 

But soon afterwards the progress of the river is stopped by a raugo of hills. 

Fig. 118. — The Fails op the Doi-ns. 




Twisting about to the east, the Saone is swallowed up by the gorge of Roehetaillee, 
widened, it is suid, by Roman engineers, and finally joins the lUiOno at Lyons, 



156 



FRANCE. 



On an average the Saone discharges 8,830 cubic feet every second, the discharge 
of the Rhone at Lyons amounting to 23,000 cubic feet. The Saone is usually in 
flood after the autumn and winter rains, whilst the Rhone, fed by the ice and 
snow of Switzerland and Savoy, carries the greatest volume in summer, a circum- 
stance most advantageous to the Lyonese. 



Fig. 119. —The Dombes in 1834. 
Scale 1 : IGll.OOO. 






















j^g^ E of ( 1 




, 2 Miles. 



Inhabitants. 

The men of the Jura are the taUest of all France. The pure race of Franche- 
Comte only exists on the Jui-assic plateau, and is distinguished by a short trunk, 
broad shoulders, long arms, and long legs. Families are numerous in the villages, 
and emigration goes on steadily, Comtois being met with in every town of 
France. Formerly, when Franche- Comte formed a part of the vast domains of 



AIN. 157 

Charles V., no less than 20,000 of them lived at Madrid, and at Rome they occu- 
pied by themselves the so-called Burgundiun quarter. 

Powerful, silent, and circumspect, the mountaineers of Franchc-Comte have 
at all times been distinguished for their industry and tlieir spirit of independence. 
Until crushed by Louis XIV., who conquered tho country and converted its 
peasants into serfs, they enjoyed the privileges of self-government, Franchc- 
Comte only became truly French through the Revolution, but since that time has 
contributed more than its proper share to tho work achieved by tho entire 
nation. 

Topography. 

Am. — This rectangular department, enclosed between the Rhone and Saone, 
has been named after the river Ain, which runs through it from north to south. 
It comprises a level region in the west, and a mountainous tract in the east. Tho 
former includes the districts of Rrcsso and the Pombes, the latter abounding in 
small lakes and marshes. The district of Bugey lies on the Fi'ench slopes of the 
Jura ; that of Gex bej'ond these mountains, to the north of Geneva. Agricidturo, 
cattle-breeding, and the manufacture of cheese are the leading occupations. 

Gcx (1,469 inhabitants) is but a small place, but to those who first behold it on 
descending the Pass of Faucillc it will for ever be identified with the marvellous 
panorama of the Lake of Geneva. On that same route lies Ferney, associated with 
Voltaire ; and to the north of it is Nivonne, with its hydropathic establishments. 

Tracing the narrow valley of the Rhone downwards from the Lake of Geneva, 
we pass Collonges, the fort of L'Evhise and BcUcgarde (p. 89), and Sci/hscI, known 
through its asphalt. 

BeUeij (4,105 inhabitants), the old capital of Bugej', not being either on a 
river or on a railway, is doomed to dccaj', whilst Amhcricu (1,770 inhabitants), a 
railwaj' station at the mouth of the valley of the Albarine, St. Raiiihcrt-dc-Jou.r 
(1,571 inhabitants), and Tenay (2,459 inhabitants), higher up in that valley, are 
instinct with life. Naniua (2,940 inhabitants) is the only place of importance in 
northern Bugey, and carries on some trade with the cheese of Valromey and the 
lithographic stones of the Forest of Montreal. 

Bourg (14,289 inhabitants), tho old capital of Bresse, is actually the capital of 
the entire department. The mausoleum of the Dukes of Savoy, budt in the six- 
teenth century, is its most remarkable building. Bourg is a busy mart for agri- 
cultural produce. It was the birthplace of Lalande and Edgar Quiuet, and Bichat 
was bom in a neighbouring village. Pont-de-Vaux (2,910 inhabitants), lower 
down on the Reyssouze, the river of Bourg, is a small manufacturing town, the 
inhabitants of which differ essentially from those of the surrounding country, and 
are believed to be descended from Saracens. Trcroiix (2,217 inhabitants), the old 
capital of Bresse, had' its own Parliament formerly, as well as a mint, now repre- 
sented by a few jewellers' shops, and is mentioned in the history of literature as 
the place where the Jesuits printed their famous Dictionarj' and other works. 
Sathonay (3,958 inhabitants) is a military camp rather than a village. It was 

VOL. II. M 



158 



FRANCE. 



here tlie battle of Lyons was fought in 197, which gave the dominion of the world 
to Septimius Severus. 

Jura. — This portion of the old Franche-Comte is occupied to the extent of one- 
half by ridges of the Jura, but these are by no means the most elevated in France. 
It is one of the wealthiest districts of the Jura. More than a third of its area is 
covered with forests, and it has iron works and other industrial establishments. 

Fig. 120.— The SIountai.vs of Mouez and St. Ci.attik. 
Scale 1 : 147,123. 



f:/i 



rm' B. Ill ■ 






J^> 



'r.'.^'\^- 



r-'M^ 



m 



W'^ 



> ^ 







^Ajt^S/v^yffiumh •/.■; 



y 









2 lilies. 



S(. Claude (6,632 inhabitants) is a mountain town at the foot of the Pass of 
La Faucille, the inhabitants of which depend on wood-carving and lapidary's 
work for their existence, and export the cheese known as " Septmoncel," from a 
village in the neighbourhood. The old abbey has disappeared, but on a plateau 
to the north may stiU. be traced the ruins of a Gallo-Eoman city. Morez (5,375 



DOUBS. 1E9 

inbabitants), bigbcr up in fbe samo vaHoy, depends solely upon its mauufucturc of 
■watches, jewellery, glasses for spectacles, itc. 

Loiis-le-Saunier (11,2G5 inbabitants), at tho foot of tbo first terrace of tbo Jura, 
exports the produce of its vineyards and gardens, wood and cheese procured from 
the mountains, spectacles, articles in copper and iron, and textile fabrics manufac- 
tured in the town. At Montmorot, close b}-, are brine springs yielding annually 
nearly 10,000 tons of salt. Excellent building stones are quarried in the vicinity, 
as also at St. Amour (1,911 inbabitants), half-way to Bourg-en-Bresso. 

The terrace lying to tho east of tbo clifl's bounding this terrace of tbo Jura 
abounds in ancient remains. At Orgcht there ai'c bai'rows and stono walls of 
defence ; on the road thence to St. Claude a Roman bridge spans the Ain, and 
pile dwellings have been discovered on the small Lake of Clairvmix. Voiteur and 
Poligixj (4,783 inbabitants) occupy sites analogous to that of Lons-le-Saunier, 
and Poligny, like its more populous neighbour, has its vineyards, quarries, 
and brine springs. Arbois (4,809 inhabitants) is noted for its wines, but tho 
best growths of the department are the white wines of Chateau- Chalons, below 
Voiteur, and the red ones of tho hills of Arsures, near Mouchard. Sci/iiis (5,577 
inhabitants), in a mountain gorge and on the banks of a river, appropriately called 
La Furieuse, is best known on account of its springs of brine, a portion of whicK 
is conveyed to the salt works of Arc and Senans, In addition to wine, salt, and 
cheese, Salins exports iron ore, plaster of Paris, lime, building stones, and timber. 
At Cliampaynolc (3,342 inhabitants), about 13 miles to the south, there are iron- 
mills and manufactures of tools. 

Bole (12,009 inhabitants), on the Doubs, occupies tho extremity of a range of 
hills, and commands an extensive plain. It was the old capital of Franche-Comt^, 
the scat of a university and of a Parliament, and valiantly defended its ancient 
liberties against the armies of Louis XL It is in every respect a more important 
place than Lons-le-Saunier, possessing not only libraries and museums, but also 
numerous industrial establishments, including corn and saw mills, machine shops, 
and manufactories of agricultm-al implcnieuts. On the Upper Doubs, at Runs and 
Fraisans, there are important iron works. 

Dorns. — Nearly the whole of this department drains into the Doubs. It is 
essentially a mountain country, the inbabitants of which depend largely upon 
watchmaking and other industries for their subsistence. Excellent " Gruyero " 
is made in the upper valleys. 

Pontarlier (5,1G3 inhabitants), the highest town on the Doubs, enjoyed its 
municipal liberties until 1G78. It is mainly indebted for its prosperity to its 
trade with Switzerland, with which two lines of railway connect it. Near it, on a 
precipitous rock, stands the fort of Joux, within tho walls of which Toussaint- 
Louverture, the negro patriot, perished from cold and miser)'. Mortcau, about 
20 miles lower down, and near tho famous Falls of the Doubs, is the centre of 
French watchmaking, and a school has been established there to encourage this 
important industry. The vicinity of this busy hive abounds in natural curiosities, 
savage defiles, caverns, and waterfalls. 

M 2 



160 



FRANCE. 



"Where the Doubs emerges from the gorges of the Jura the aspect of the coun- 
try changes, and we enter upon a region of hills sloping down towards the great 
gap of Belfort. All along the river, at Ponf-de-Roidc (2,363 inhabitants) and 

Fig. 121. — The First Terrace of the Jvra, between Lons-le-Satjnier and SALiNa. 

Scale 1 : 230,000. 



E iP 



3 iO 




<: y.Or 



5 '50 



Audincourt (4,258 inhabitants), factory succeeds to factory, until we reach Monthi- 
liard (7,625 inhabitants), the natural centre of this busy region, where textile 
manufactures and watchmaking constitute the leading industries, llontbeliard, 
up to the French Eevolution, belonged to Wiirtemberg, and this circumstance 



BESANqON. 



ICl 



accounts for its large Protestant population. The strong castle has been converted 
into a prison, but the town, for all that, has lost none of its ancient strategical 
importance. A monument has been erected to Cuvier, tho most famous of its sous. 
Near it are ruins of ;i Roman city. 

Below Montbc'liard tho Doubs enters a second defile, within which is situated 
the small town of Buume-ks-Bamcs (2,497 inhabitants), thus named after a convent 
occupied by ladies of noble birth, whoso furo in Lent has passed into a proverb. 

Besainon (42,808 inhabitants), the largest town in Franchc-Comte, stands on 

Fig. 122. — BES.VX90N. 
Scale 1 : Jj.OOO. 



3° 4s' EofParis. 



fonJ'^.'.r..-, 




L, M,.vj,ll, 




L/ 




l5c<olUc. 



'Al)l«.l.K 



Ckan.: 



MS 11, ..|>': 



\ I'h.ll 




Ei'hai'J 



iMilc. 



one of those sites marked out by nature as a place of strength. A rock 410 feet 
in height rises boldly from the narrow neck of the peninsula occupied by the town. 
It is crowned by a citadel, and detached forts placed upon the surrounding hills 
render Besan^on a formidable fortress even -when attacked by modern artillery. 
Amongst tho public monuments of the town are a Roman gate, a cathedial, a 
mansion built by Granvelle, the famous chancellor of Charles V., but now devoted 
to the objects of the numerous scientific societies of the town. There are colleges, 
a rich library, a gallery of paintings, and several museums. Tho town has at all 



162 



FRANCE. 



times been, jealous of its liberties, and only surrendered to Louis XIV. on his pro- 
mising to maintain its municipal institutions. Victor Hugo, Charles Fourier, and 
Proudhon are natives of it. Watchmaking is the great industr}' of Besancon : 
in 1875 419,984 watches ■were manufactured there, and in the French Jura, and 
only 2,050 in all the rest of France. But there are also important metallurgical 
establishments, and iron forges are numerous on the Doubs and its tributary, the 
Loue. At Miscrc)/, to the north of the town, there are brine springs. Ontans 
(3,033 inhabitants) on the Loue, is a manufacturing town, and the cherries 

Fig. 123. — Besancon, as seen fkom La MouiLLtu'E. 




grown in its orchards are converted into a favourite liqueur. Near it, m the pic- 
turesque valley of the Lison, are the ruins of the Roman city of Alesia (Alaise), 
where Ca3sar is believed to have finally overthrown the forces of the Gauls. 

Belfort. — The gap between the Vosges and the Jura is defended by the 
fortress of Belfort, which offered so valiant a resistance to the German besiegers. 
French is spoken iu three out of the four cantons depending upon the town ; 
Gei-man and French in the fourth, that of Delle. Belfort has lost somewhat of its 
strategical importance since Metz has become a German fortress, but it still closes 
one of the great gateways of France. Its citadel was built by Vauban, and other 



IIATJTE-SACNE. 



1C3 



fortifications of more recent date crown tlio surrouuding heights. The only 
remains of mediicval works of defence are the " Citizens' Tower," in the town itself, 
and the " Stone " of Lu Miotte, on the snniniit of a hill, occupied by one of the 
luodoru forts. Military rule, as usual, has i)reventcd the growth of industry, and 
the only manufacturing place of the territory is Giromaijiii/ (3,058 inhabitants), on 
the Upper Savoureuse, where there are cotton-mills. 

HAtTE-SAoxE comprises nearly the whole of the upper basin of the JSaoue. 
From the gi-auitic " Ballons " of the Vosges the department slopes down towards 



Fig. 124. — Belfout. 

Scilc i : 10«,C«0. 




! lIUcs. 



the south-west. Nearly one-third of its area is wooded, and the villages are 
embosomed in orchards. There are no large towns, but though agriculture is the 
chief pursuit, we meet also with coal, iron, and salt inincs, iron works, potteries, 
and other industrial establishments. 

Ilcricoiirl (3,402 inhabitants) is the only town in that portion of the department 
which lies within the basin of the Doubs. It is mostly inhabited by Protestants 
engaged in the cotton industry. 

Lure (3,S00 inhabitants), near the Ognon, the capital of the eastern arrondisse- 
mont, is a place without importance, surpassed in industry by lioiic/i(imj)s (1,895 



164 



FRANCE. 



inhabitants) and Chcunpagney (2,080 inhabitants), occupying a valley of the Vosges, 
and surrounded by coal mines yielding 200,000 tons annually. Luxeuil (4,047 
inhabitants), a famous watering-place, not yielding to Plombieres in the abun- 
dance of its springs, lies to the north-west, in the midst of a delightful country. 
Near it is FougeroUcs (1,282 inhabitants), a large village embosomed in cherry 
gardens. 

Vesoul (9,097 inhabitants), the capital of the department, lies in the verdant 
valley of the Durgeon, and being the junction of four railways, is a bustling place, 

Fif?. 125. — Belfoet, from the Port La BIiotte. 




though exceeded in that respect by its rival, Graij (7,345 inhabitants), which, in 
addition to railway communications, possesses the advantage of lying upon a 
navigable river, the Saone. Gray is a great corn market, and has numerous corn- 
mills. 

Cote-d'Or. — The department named after the range of hills producing the 
famous wines of Burgundy is one of the most important coimtries of passage in 
France, belonging partly to the basin of the Saone, and partly to those of the 
Seine and the Loire. The whole of it formerly constituted a portion of the pro- 
vince known as Burgundy (La Bourgogne), and consists geographically of several 



cOte-d'ok. 



1C5 



well-defined didsions. The granitic hills of tlio Morvon, with their woods, ponds, 
and sparkling rivulets, form one of these. The plateau of the Auxois, farther cast, 
intersected by numerous deep river valleys, is another. The plateau of Langrcs 
extends thence in the direction of the Vosges. It, too, is wooded, but the most 
extensive forests arc met with on the limestone plateau of Chatillounais. Tho 
most fertile region of tho department lies to the east of the famous raugo known as 
Cotc-d'Or. The department, in addition to its wines, exports iron and marble. 

Un the Saone, which flows through the plaiu in the south-west of tho depart- 
ment, there are no large towns. Aiuoiiiie (4,904 inhabitants), an old fortress, 



Fig. 126.— Vesovl. 

Sc-Uo 1 : 60,000. 



3'|6t 




tj" iti t uf Or 



, Haifa Mile. 



carries on some trade in agricultural produce; but St. Jean-de-Losne, at the 
mouth of tho canal of Bourgogne, and Scurre (2,514 inhabitants), lower down, 
exceed it in activity. 

Dijon (4.5,G07 inhabitants), the old capital of Burgundy, is most favourably 
situated for commerce. The canal of Bourgogne connects it with the Saono and 
the Seine, and it is the principal town on the road between Paris and Lyons. It 
carries on a considerable trade in corn, possesses a variety of manufactures, and 
its mustard, gingerbread, and sweetmeats enjoy a wide reputation. Dijon is one of 



I'oO 



FEANCE. 



those provincial towns which have not taken Paris for their pattern. It has produced 
many men of eminence — St. Bernard, Bossuet, Raraeau, Guy ton de Morveau, 
JoutTroy, and Rude ; and its scientific establishments, its schools of art and music, 
its libraries and museums, are amongst the most important of France. The old 



Fig. 127.— The Wine Distrkt op Cotb-d'Ok. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 



L ^ I 

i " -J 



2° f E of r 







10 Miles. 



raniparts have fallen, but there still remain many fine old churches and mansions, 
which impart originaUty to the town. The old palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, 
erected in the fifteenth century, is now used as a town-hall and museum, the 
guard-chamber containing the tombs of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless, 



LIBRARV 

OF THE 

UNIV£RaTyof«UNOIS. 




>5 



SAOXE-ET-LOIEE. 1G7 

and other works of art. In the old Charter-liousc arc preserved the statues of tho 
prophets, tho work of Claux Sluttcr, u sculptor of tho fourteenth century. The 
public park was laid out by Le Notre. 

The famous white slopes of Cote-d'Or begin almost immediately to the south of 
Dijou. In succession we pass here the hills of Chanibcrtin, Chambolle, and the 
famous "clos" Vougcot. The best wines are produced on Oxford clay, and they 
have undoubtedly influenced the temperament of the people who drink them. As 
Stendhal says, " Logic alone does not suffice to make superior men ; a fiery tem- 
perament, too, is requisite ; " and that temperament the wines of Burgundy arc 
supposed to give. Knits (3,003 inhabitants) is the farthest point reached by the 
Germans during the late war. In the monotonous plain to the east of it stands 
the old abbej' of Citeaux, upon which formerly depended three thousand convents 
and monasteries, but which has been converted into an agricultural penitentiary. 
Beaunc (10,G96 inhabitants), the second town of the department, the seat of a 
Parliament before Dijon, and long its rival, is an interesting old town, with a 
hospital built in the fifteenth century by Flemish workmen, and famous, too, on 
account of its wines, Pommard, Yoluay, Montrachct, and !Meursault (2,550 inha- 
bitants) being nearr it. Nolai/ (2,355 inhabitants), the birthplace of Caruot, is the 
last place noted for its wines, for to the west of it hardly any vineyards are met 
with. 

ChatiUon-sur-Seine (4,89-1 inhabitants), the principal town of the uortheru 
arrondissement, was a place of some importance formerly, but its schools exist no 
longer, and the manufacture of cloth is of verj' little note now. There exist, how- 
ever, important iron works. One of these, near the village of Ste. Colombe, is 
surmounted bj' Mont Lassois, upon which Gerard of Eoussillou, one of the heroes ol 
romance, built himself a castle. 

Commercially the valley of the Oze is far more important than that of the 
Upper Seine, for the railway from Paris to Dijou runs along it, passing Mont Auxois, 
upon the slope of which stands the village of Alise Ste. Peine, which has been 
identified with A/esia, where Vercingetorix oflercd his final resistance to the legions 
of CaDsar. A colossal statue of the Gallic chief has been erected hero, although the 
learned are by no means agreed as to the site of ancient Alesia. In a side vallej' 
close by, near the village of Bmisij-k-GramJ, there is a famous castle. Soon after 
the Brenne and the canal of Bourgognc join from the south. At Jloxfl/ard (2,427 
inhabitants) the mansion in which Buffon was born is pointed out. Below Mont- 
bard the Brenne joins the Arman9on, and proceeding up the valley of the latter, 
we reach SeiiiKr (4,022 inhabitants), a curious old town, with a castle perched 
upon a rock of granite, and an ancient Gothic church. Studicu (3,113 inhabitants), 
the ancient Sidolocus, farther south, lies upon the granitic plateau of Morvan. It 
exports timber, cattle, and wine casks. 

S.\6xE-Er-LoiRE. — This department lies partly between the two navigable 
rivers after which it has been named. The plain to the east of the Saone is a 
contiimation of that of La Brcsse, and ascends gently towards the foot of the Jura. 
A more varied country lies to the west of the Saone, being boui^ded by the hills of 



168 



FRANCE. 



Autunais and CharoUais, whicli form the water- shed between, the Atlantic and the 
Mediterranean. The wooded mountains of Morvan rise to the west of Autun, and 
the valleys of Brionnais, sloping down to the Loire, are occupied b}^ magnificent 
meadows. The department ranks high as an agricultural country, and the coal 
mines around Autun have led to the creation of flourishing manufactures. 

Louhans (3,498 inhabitants) is the only town to the east of the Saone, the 
great centres of population having sprung into existence on the banks of that 
navigable river. Chalons-tiur-Saone (20,571 inhabitants) is the most important 



Fig. 128.— Le Crevsot. 
Scale 1 : 23,000. 



2° 1 6' K. of Paris 




1."TJ6'F. of (n- 



nalf-illile. 



town of the entire department historically, and only cedes in population to the 
modern upstart, Le Creusot. Formerly a great river port, and a station of a 
Roman admiral, it is now a most important railway centre, and exports corn, iron, 
and wines. There are ship-yards, and barrels in large numbers arc made. Chagny 
(3,950 inhabitants), on the Canal du Centre, which joins it to Chalons, has recently 
developed into a busy place of traffic. 

Travelling down the Saone, we pass Tournus (4,412 inhabitants), the birthplace 
of Greuze, and reach Macon (16,579 inhabitants), the capital of the department. 
In the upper town, formerly inhabited by priests and nobles, Lamartine was born. 



LE CREUSOT. 



1G9 



In the lower town tlicre are manufactories and huge wine vaults, in which the 
famous growths of TJiorins and Romaneche aro stored. St. Laurent, a suburb 
on the other side of the river, is famous on account of its fairs. The country 
around Macon abounds in places of interest. Archnoologists will seek out the 
village of Solurre, where the fossil skeletons of a hundred thousand horses have been 
discovered. The castles of Montceau-les-Mines (4,375 inhabitants), Milhj, and 
Si. Point allure the admirers of Lamar tine's poetry, whilst the famous abbey 
of Chinij (4,007 inhabitants) must ever attract historians and artists. 

Autini (I1,3-jS inhabitants), in the north-western angle of the department, the 
Augustodunum of the Romans, has fallen from its high estate, and its buildings 
now hardly cover two-thirds of the area enclosed by its ancient walls. Its Roman 
ruins are of small importance, some of the most interesting amongst Ihem haA-ing 
been utilised in the construction of modern buildings. The 3Iiddle Ages are 
represented by the fine church of St. Lazarus, with one of the best pictures of 

Fig. 129.— Le CracsoT. 




Ingres. Mont Beurray (2,GG0 feet), one of the highest summits of the Morvan, 
rises about 12 miles to the west of Autun. Upon its summit may be seen 
the remains of an ancient city, identified with the Bibracte of the Romans, 
but evidently of much older date, as is proved by cromlechs and entrenchments. 
Annually in May a fair is held on the summit of this raoimtain. 

The country to the west of Autun is purely agricultural, but to the cast of 
that town lies one of the great manufacturing centres of France. At Epinac 
(1,G70 inhabitants) there are coal mines, yielding annually about 150,000 tons, 
and bottle works. Couchcs-les-Miiies (1,597 inhabitants) produces iron, lime, and 
gypsum ; but the great centre of industry lies still farther south, near the old 
Charbonniere. This is Le Creimt (26,432 inhabitants). A cannon foundry, 
glass works, and iron works existed there at the close of last century, but it is only 
since 1837 that the place has rapidly grown into importance. Its coal mines now 
extend to a depth of 1,300 feet, and their produce is utilised in innumerable iron 



170 



FEANCE. 



Avorks, forges, and locomotive workshops, a considerable portion of the iron ore and 
coal consumed being imported from abroad. Other places to the south of Le 
Creusot participate in its industrial prosperity. Montchanin-Ics-Mincs (3,-33-l 
inhabitants) has vast brick-kilns. Blanzy (1,88G inhabitants) has the most 
productive coal mines of the district. Montceau (4,375 inhabitants) has iron 
mines. 

Charollcs (2,969 inhabitants), a sleepy town, is the capital of Charollais. Tliat 
district, as well as Brionnais, adjoining it on the south-west, is engaged in the 

Fig. 130.— Lyon'S. 

SVile 1 : 80,000. 







4°Uo F. of Gr 



. 1 Mile. 



fattening of cattle. Cliauffailles (1,993 inhabitants), in that part of the country, is 
becoming of importance on account of its coal mines. Digoin (2,721 inhabitants), 
on the Loire, carries on a considerable commerce. Bourhon-Lancij (1,604 inhabit- 
ants) has been noted from immemorial times for its saline springs. Paraii-le-Monial 
(2,895 inhabitants) has an abbey modelled after that of Cluny, and has recently 
become known through the visions of Marie Alacoque, which led to the " worship 
of the Sacred Heart." * 

* In 1874 the department produced 1,110,000 tons of coal. Le Creusot, in 1872, employed 15,500 
persons, and produced 330,000 tons of iron and steel, 308 locomotives, &c., valued at £620,000. 



LIBRARV 

OF THE 

UNIVERS/TYofftUNOIS, 



i' 1 

I 



I 







LYONS. 371 

Ehoxe. — Tills department includes the slopes of the hills of Lyonnais and 
Beaujolais (3,320 feet), and is bounded by the rivers Saone and Rhone on the cast. 
It is one of the smallest departments of France, but owing to its industry, the 
great centre of which is Lyons, one of the wealthiest. 

Li/oiis, or Lyon, as it is called by the French (322,G12 inhabitants), occupies a 
most favourable position at the confluence of the Saone and Rhone, and is marked 
out as a natural intermediary between north and south. The surrounding heights 
oflTer excellent sites for forts. The great advantages of Lyons have been recognised 
from the earliest times. L. Munatius Plancus planted a Roman colony upon the 
height overlooking the confluence of the two rivers ; and Lugdioicnnis is spoken of 
by Strabo as the " heart of Gaul." It remains to this day the primatial city of all 
France, and the wealthiest societ}' for propagating the Catholic faith has its seat 
there. The force of tradition still exhibits itself in the veneration with which 
the Lyonesc regard the hill of Fourvieres and its old church, built upon the site 
of the old Forum [Fore tieux) of the Romans. Another church, that of Ainay in 
the lower town, is partlj- constructed from the materials of the temple which sixty 
tribes of Gaul constructed in honour of Augustus. 

The lowest quarter of the existing city, that of Perrache, only dates from the 
last century, and bears the name of the engineer -who converted its site into dry 
land. It suffers more from floods than any other part of the town, and the fogs 
are densest there. In it are situated tho arsenal, a huge goods station, gas works, 
and the docks for vessels navigating the Saone. Every one of the other quarters 
of the town has a distinctive character. The centre of the town, around Place 
Bellecour, is the seat of wealth and luxury. The business quarter lies at the foot 
of the hill of La Croix-Rousse, itself occupied by the dwellings of the workmen. 
Brotteaux, to the east of the Rhone, is inhabited by clerks and tradesmen, and 
adjoins the beautiful park of Tete-d'Or. La Guillotiere, to the south of it, is a 
workmen's quarter. Vaise, beyond the Rhone, abounds in manufactories. Suburbs 
extend in all directions. The traces still existing of the dominion of the Romans 
are limited to the remains of three aqueducts, baths, amphitheatres, and other 
structui'es. The Palace of Arts, one of the most sumptuous buildings of modern 
Lyons, aboimds not onlj' in Roman antiquities, but contains likewise a valuable 
collection of paintings, a library of 70,000 volumes, and a natural history collec- 
tion. The busts of celebrated men born in the town, including those of Ampere, 
Bernard de Jussieu, Flandrin, Delorme, and others, have been placed within it. 
The Exchange and Merchants' Hall contains an industrial museum modelled upon 
that of South Kensington. Public monuments abound. Science is represented by 
colleges and schools, by a public library of 180,000 volumes, and by numerous 
societies, including one of agriculture, which possesses a model farm on the heights 
of Ecully. 

Lyons is one of the great industrial centres of the world. There are machine 
shops, chemical works, and manufactories of paper-hangings ; but the town is most 
famous for its silks. The latter industry was introduced by Italians, whom 
Louis XL encouraged to settle in the town. The revocation of the Edict of 



172 



FEAKCE. 



Naates threatened destruction to this industry, but it survived the blow then 
inflicted, and, in spite of wars and revolutions, Lyons has maintained its pre- 
eminent position. In 1872 there were 120,000 looms in the department, 240,000 
persons were employed in the silk industry, and the average value of silk stuffs 
produced annually is estimated at nearly £20,000,000 sterling. Most of the 
weavers work at their own homes, and their demeanour and character differ very 
favourably from those of ordinary factory hands. At the same time the solitary 



Fig. 131. — The Envikons of Lyon'S. 




Seal 



e oiiu^ooo 



, 10 Miles. 



life which most of them lead nourishes a spirit of mystical exaltation which rises 
to the surface whenever there is a revolution. 

Formerly nearly all the weavers lived in the town, but the manufacturers, 
desirous of weakening their unions and of obtaining cheaper labour, have trans- 
planted the silk industry to most of the neighbouring towns and villages. Villcur- 
hanne (8,163 inhabitants), Venissiciix (1,943 inhabitants), Ste. Foy (4,337 inha- 
bitants), Oullins (4,886 inhabitants), St. Genis (2,246 inhabitants), Caluire et Cuire 
(7,207 inhabitants), and Neuville (3,207 inhabitants) are inhabited to a large 



LYONS. 178 

extent by weavers. Nay, the great industry of Lyons extends far beyond the 
limits of the department, for the looms of Chamb^ry, in Savoy, work on account 
of Lyonese houses. 

L'Arhreslc (3,091 inhabitants), to the west of the liills of Lyons, has quarries, 
lime works, and, at St. Bel, almost inexhaustible deposits of pyrites, which supplj' 
nearly all France with the material required for the manufacture of sulphur and 
sulphuric acid. The village of C/icssi/-/es-Mi)ics, close by, was formerly important 
on account of its copper mines. Tararc (13,563 inhabitants), on the railway to 
Roanne, enjoys a high reputation for its muslins and embroidery, its plush and 
velvets. Aniplfjmis (4,047 inhabitants), Tliizij (3,170 inhabitants), and Coiira 
(3,897 inhabitants), near it, are likewise manufacturing places. 

Beaujeu (3,043 inhabitants), which gives its name to the district of Beaujolais, 
ViJlffranche (11,994 inhabitants), and Belleville (2,691 inhabitants), have some 
manufactures, but agricultural pursuits predominate in that portion of the depart- 
ment. The wines of Beaujolais enjoy a high reputation, the most famous growths 
being produced on porphyritic granite. 

Giiors (10,856 inhabitants), on the Rhone, to the south of Lyons, is a dependency 
of St. Etienne rather than of the city just named. Its iron works, glass works, 
and brick-kilns are supplied with fuel from the neighbouring coal mines. The 
famous wine known as Cote-Rotie grows on the slopes of sunburnt Mont Pila, 
close by. 




vor.. 11 



w 



CHAPTER V. 

THE PLiTEAU OF CENTRAL FRANCE. 
G£vAUDAN, Velay, Auvergne, Roueroue, Limousin, Peihgoud, Marche, Bourbonnais.* 



The Ceatinnes. 




51 HE granitic protuberance in the centre of France, wtence the rivers 
radiate towards the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, has not inaptly 
been called a " pole of divergence," from which the people emigrate 
in all directions, and more especially towards the basin of the Seine, 
within which lies the "pole of attraction." The plateau under 
consideration covers an area of 31,000 square milesi and interposes a barrier 190 
miles in length between the north and south of France. Its heights had to be 
scaled before the people dwelling on its opposite slopes became one, and although 
this national fusion was not accomplished without wars and bloodshed, it led in 
the end to the common enjoyment of the blessings of civilisation. 

The plateau, as a whole, slopes down gently towards the north-west, and is 
boimded in the south and east by steep mountains. The Cevennes constitute the 
most important portion of the semicircular chain of mountains which envelop the 
plateau on the south-east, and form the water- shed between the Mediterranean and 
the Atlantic. They begin with the Montagne Noir (" black mountain," 3,970 feet), 
to the east of the gap of Revel, through which runs the railway connecting Castel- 
naudary with Castres. The valley of the Thore, tributary to the Tarn, separates 
these Black Mountains from the moimtain rampart of Espinouze (4,198 feet), 
rising almost precipitously above the valleys of the Jaur and Orb, but sloping 
down gently towards the north-west. In the east this portion of the Cevennes 
terminates in a savage mountain mass, where granites and sedimentary strata 
intermingle in strange confusion, and which has been pierced in several places by 
volcanic eruptions. It almost apjsears as if a subterranean lake of lava extended 
in former times from the dome-shaped mountain of Auvergnc to the shore of the 
Mediterranean ; that is, along a line where the contrasts between north and south 
are most striking. On one slope of the mountains we have rivulets, meadows, and 

* Poulett vScropc, "Volcanoes of Central France;" Eames, "Geogenie du Cantal;" A. Jullien, 
"Des Phenom^nes Glaciaire dans le Plateau Central de la France ; " Burat. " Geologie de la France." 



THE CfiVEXNES. 



175 



forests ; on flic other, stony torrent beds, odoriferous herbs, and rare trees. Tlio 
contrast between the inhabitants is equally great, and the dweller in tho plain, 
proud of his ancient civilisation, looks with disdain upon tho Gavacho inhabiting 
the plateau, though tho latter does not yield to him in industry. 

In the cast of the Orb the Garrigues — thus named from tho kcrmes oaks, or 
ffarnis, which cover their slopes — form tho southern edge of a scries of lime- 
stone plateaux known as causses, from the Latin caU, lime. The most southern 
of these is that of Larzac (2,9S0 feet), but tho most typical is the Cuussc of ^Mejeau 
(4,200 feet), a huge mass of limestone 100,000 acres in extent, and bounded on 
all sides by steep precipices. There can bo no doubt that these causses were 
formerly continuous, though separated now by deep cailons, which excite the 



Fig. 132.— The Mountaixs op Espinouzb. 
Scale 1 : 240,000. 



Jo? 30' E. ol Paris 




:?5o-E. ofGr. 





Miles. 



admiration of geologists. No running streams are met witli on these limestone 
"tables," the rain disappearing almost immediately beneath tho surface. The 
inhabitants carefully collect tho rain-water in cisterns ; and in summer, when the 
supply fails them, they are obliged to descend into the canons in search of it. 
Springs of sparkling water abound there ; and the shrubs and trees which flourish 
near them contrast most strikingly with the barren rocks around. The causses 
are covered with herbage, and the inhabitants, very few in number, confine them- 
selves to the cultivation of oats, barley, and potatoes. The herbage, however, 
scanty as it is, supports thousands of sheep, which furnish excellent wool, and 
from whoso milk is manufactured the famous cheese known as Eoqiicfort. In 
winter, when these plateaux are covered with snow to the depth of several tvct, and 

N 2 



176 



FRANCE. 



most of the inhabitants have deserted them, it is sometimes dangerous to cross 
them. 

Dohnens abound on these limestone plateaux, whilst scarcely any are met with 
in the crystalline region which adjoins them. It has been concluded from this 
circumstance that the ancient inhabitants of the plateau differed in origiu and 
religion from their neighbours. Even at the present day the dwellers on the 
limestone plateau of the Lozere differ in many respects from the men inhabiting 
the district of granitic hills which slopes down westward in the direction of the 
Aveyron, and cidminate in the Levezou (3,785 feet). On the one hand we have 
sweet herbage, a little barley, and oats ; on the other the granitic slopes are covered 



Fig. 133. — The Causse or Mejean. 
Scale 1 : 315,000. 



l'?E.ofP. 




3»20'E.ofCc; 



5 Miles. 



•with shrub, and rye-fields, or s4galas, extend along their foot. The peasant of the 
Gausses, or Caussenard, who eats bread made of barley or oats, and drinks clear 
water, is tall and bony, and far stronger than his neighbour of the granitic 
district, who lives upon rye and chestnuts, and drinks cider. 

To the east of these Jurassic limestone plateaux lies the principal mass of the 
Cevennes, surmounted by the Esperon (4,658 feet) and the superb granite dome of 
Aigoual (5,141 feet). This is one of the wildest districts of France; but the bears, 
stags, and wild boars which formerly inhabited its forests have disappeared, and 
there now remain only wolves. 

A rugged granite region, anciently known as Gevaudan, occupies the south- 
eastern corner of the department of Lozere, and expands farther north into a 



L13RARY 

OF THE 

•JNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



THE VOLCANOES 



Ai'BtrssoA^^ 



m 



yy 



c^' ^" 



v* 



I i 

'■■■J' / ji ,^B^ 



cs 















Wf^^i. 






•?■ ' ''^■^j^.S'f^^'^^ "a^ 'kill 



«/a<)j 




CENTRAL FRANCE 




Trias 



Clmlk 



Tertiatrv 

I 1 



/\lhl\-i»riii 



E i C" LIMITED. 



MEZENC AND VIVAEjVIS. I77 

dome-shaped mass of granite 116 square miles in extent, and attaining in Mont 
Finieils a height of 5,638 feet. The limestone, which to all appearance formerly 
covered this plateau, has been removed by denudation. Even the crystalline rock 
has been subjected to erosive action. "We meet with huge blocks of >Trauite, and 
every cavity is tilled up with shingle or coarse gravel. There are few vilk'^-es, and 
their inhabitants are very poor. 

Whilst the south-eastern portion of Lozere is diversified by mountains, that 
part of the department which lies to the north of the Lot is one of the most 
desolate regions of all France, consisting of barren plateaux traversed by a few 
sparsely wooded granitic ridges, such as the hUls of the Goulct (4,918 feet), the 
forest of Mercoirc {4,92^ feet), the mountains of La Margeride (5,098 feet), and 
the region derisively called " King's Palace " (■1,'212 feet). 



Mezenc and Vivarais. 

TiiE volcanic region of Mont Mezenc and Coiron, to the east of this granitic 
plateau, separates the southern Cevenucs from the northern prolongation of that 
mountain chain, terminating in the pyramid of Mont Pila (4,703 feet), from the 
summit of which the view extends across the Rhone valley to the snowy heights of 
Mont Blanc. The diversified eastern slopes of the Cevennes, with their mulberry 
plantations, vineyards, and chestnut forests, contrast most strikingly with the 
elongated slopes stretching towards the north and west. 

The first volcanic cones are met with immcdiatelj' to the north of Mont Tanargue 
(4,785 feet), a buttress of the plateau of Vivarais. The southernmost of these 
extinct volcanoes is that of Jaujac, the slopes of which are for the most part covered 
with chestnut trees, which here, as in Italy, flourish most on disintegrated basalt. 
Streams of lava extend from the old " cup," or cratei*, northwards into the valley 
of the Lignon, which flows between cHfis of basalt and granite. Lower down on 
that river, where it joins the Ardeche, rises the " Gravenue " of Souillols. The 
village of Thueyts, higher up in the valley of the Ai'deche, stands upon a stream 
of lava terminating in a magnificent range of basalt 100 feet in height. Close by 
rises the regular cone of the Gravenne of Montpezat, surroimded with fields 
of lava, tlirough which the Ardeche and its tributaries have cut themselves 
a passage. The crater, or cup, of Aizac (2,126 feet), which rises in solitary 
grandeur in the valley of the Volane, is better known than any other of tho 
volcanoes of Lower Vivarais, o\ving to its proximity to the cold mineral springs 
of Vals. Spiings discharging mephitic gases have been discovered farther 
west. 

But these six old volcanoes hing at the foot of the granitic plateau of Vivarais 
are very insignificant in comparison with the volcanic mountain range which forms 
the water-shed between Rhone and Loire, and in the centre of which rise the three 
" teeth " of Mont Mezenc (5,755 feet), surrounded by subsidiary cones, amongst 
which the Gcrbier de Jones (5,124 feet) is remarkable as giving birth to the river 
Loire. The phonoUthic lava of Mont Mezenc must have burst forth in a high 



178 



FRANCE. 



state of fusion, for it spread rapidly over the granitic plateau, and tte height of 
the volcanic cones here is less than that of the Cantal and Mont Dore, although 
the latter rest upon a much lower basis. Mr. Poulett Scrope even thinks that the 
lava currents extended as far north as the phonolithic cones of Meygal (4,717 feet). 
These lava beds would thus oversijread an area of 154 square miles, their average 
thickness being 390 feet. They arc now for the most part clothed with forests of 

Fig. 134. — The Defile of the Ardeche, near Euoms. 




oak and firs. Other streams of lava flowed towards the east, covering the granitic 
hills of Coiron (3,380 feet), and even descending into the valley of the Rhone. 
This latter, since the last eruption of lava, has been scooped out to a depth of 
nearly 1,000 feet, whilst the hills of Coiron, protected by their cap of lava, 
offered a greater resistance to the destructive action of geological agencies ; but 
they, too, are gradually being destroyed, and huge blocks of basalt sometimes 
slide down into the valleys, the castle of Rochemaure being built upon one 



VELAY. 



179 



of them. These hills are remarkable, moreover, on account of their promon- 
tories formed of columnar basalt, and resembling the castles of an ancient race of 
giants, 

Velay. 

Tiiii deep valley of erosion scooped out by the Loire separates the volcanoes of 
Mdzenc from the volcanic plateau of Velay, covered with basaltic lavas vomited 
from at least a hundred and fifty craters, most of which can scarcely be distin- 
guished now. Streams of luva have frequently blocked up the valley of the 



Fig. 135. — Tiir. Kills of Comoif. 

Scale 1 : HW.W. 




b ilUc-B. 



Loire and of the Allicr, but these rivers have scooped themselves out new 
channels, frequently laying bare magnificent columns of basalt. One of the 
grandest of these defiles is that of the Loire at Chamalieres, excavated in 
granite and basaltic lava to a depth of 980 feet. The volcanic formations in 
the vicinity of Le Puy (O.OIO foet) are bettor known than any others in this 
region. They include columnar basalt, sheets of lava, and dykes. Close to the 
black houses of the town the " Needle " of St. Michel, an obelisk of lava, and the 
rock of Corneille (2,484 feet), raise their heads. Beyond the dismantled walls of 
Polignac, in the north-west, we reach the columns of basalt of La Dcnise, known 
as the '• Cross of Straw " and the " Organ " of Espaly. It was here M. Aymard 



180 



PEANCE. 



discovered the fossil remains of animals whicli roamed over this region when the 
surrounding volcanoes were yet in a state of eruption. Two human skeletons have 
likewise been discovered, dating back, in all probability, to the same epoch. The 
flora of the country does not appear to have changed since then. Fine garnets 
and sapphires abound in the basalt of EsjJaly. 

Around Le Puy every available sj)ot is covered with vegetation, but the plateau 
which extends thence to the south is of grievous uniformity. It consists of a wide 



Fig. 136.— Le Puy. 
Scale 1 ; Uu.OOO. 




plain covered with turf or stunted trees, over which are scattered the black 
cones of extinct volcanoes, the largest amongst which, that of the wood of 
L'Hopital (4,663 feet), rises but little above the general surface. A cavity pro- 
duced by the escape of a prodigious bubble of gas is occupied by the Lake of 
Bouchet (3,926 feet). The Lake of Limagne, farther north, is supposed to have 
originated in the same manner ; but the old Lake of Bar (3,828 feet), now drained 
and converted into a beech wood, occupied the crater of an extinct volcano. 



THE VOLCANOES OF AITVEEGNE. 181 

The Volcanoes of Auvergne. 

A THIRD volcanic region, that of Auvergne, lies to the east of the deep vullcy 
of the Allier and of the granitic spur of Margcride. The volcanic nature of this 
region has at tdl times been kuown to the peajuuts liviug there, and many of 
the mountains are called by them Peyre Arse ; that is, " burnt mountain ; " but 
Guettard, in 1751, was the first who revealed the existence of these French 
volcanoes to the world of science. The southermost volcanic group of the 
Auvergne occupies the granitic plateau of Aubrac (4,825 feet), rising steeply 
above the valley of the Lot, and covered for the mo^t part with pasture grounds, 
which support in summer about 30,000 cows and 40,000 sheep. Dolmens, locally 
known as " fairy bowers " or " magicians' castles," are scattered over the plateau, 
but the only human dwellings met with are the clusters of burons inhabited 
by cheese-makers. The people of this remote part of France have preserved 
their ancient manners, and even something of their ancient religion. On the 
second Sunday of July, as in the time of Gregory of Tours, they walk in procession 
to the Lake of St. Andeol, bathe in its turfy waters, and throw into it the 
clothes of the sick and propitiatory offerings. The extinct volcanoes of Aubrac 
possess no special features, but to the north of them rise the hot springs of Chaudes- 
Aigues, yielding a supply of water amply sufficing for all domestic purposes as 
well as for heating most of the houses in winter. The principal of these springs 
has a temperature of nearly 180^ F., and the soil in the neighbourhood is so warm 
that in spite of the elevation of the town (2,130 feet), snow never remains on the 
ground. 

Crossing the valley of the Truyere, we reach the most considerable volcanic 
group of France, that of Mont Cantal, which can faiiiy compare with Mount 
Etna and other great volcanoes. The various summits of the Cantal form 
collectively an isolated cone 95 miles in circumference, and resting upon a 
base of granite. Up to the tertiary epoch the centre of this granitic base was 
occupied in part by huge fresh-water lakes. The first eruptions took place in 
the miocene age, the last and most terrible of all during the quaternary period. 
The lava then ejected enveloped all the cones which existed at that time ; it over- 
whelmed the forests, converting them into a thin layer of coal, and HUed up the 
valleys to a depth of nearly 400 feet. The old volcano probably rose to a 
height of 8,200 feet, but there remain now only the shattered and worn 
fragments of its semicircular ridge, the most elevated points of which are the 
Plomb du Cantal (6,025 feet), the Puy Mary (5,863 feet), and the Puy Cha- 
varoche (5,722 feet). Valleys, scooped out by ancient glaciers, some of which 
had a length of nearly 20 miles, and by torrents, radiate in all directions 
from the central heights. Those of Cere and Alagnon are connected near their 
summits by the two tunnels of Lioran, which pierce the mountain at a height 
of 3,870 and 3,800 feet respectively, and are traversed by a road and a rail- 
way. Those deep valleys lay open the geological structure of the mountain, 
and exhibit beds of gravel, carboniferous sandstones, and granite, subsequently 



182 



FEANCE. 



covered by currents of basaltic lava. The slopes of the Plomb du Cantal, and 
especially those exjjosed to the moist westerly winds, are covered with forests of 
beeches and firs. In the east the forests are confined to the valley bottoms. The 
currents of lava there form a monotonous treeless plateau known as Planeze, and 
terminating in promontories of columnar basalt, upon one of which is perched 
the old capital of Upper Auvergne, St. Flour (2,903 feet). The Alagnou separates 

Fig 137. — The Puy de L'AicriLLiEn, Mont Dore. 




the Planeze from another basaltic plateau to the north of it, which terminates 
likewise in curious columnar formations. 

The basaltic plateaux of CezaUier, stretching from the Dordogne to the Allier 
in the east, separate the Mont du Cantal from the most ancient and conspicuous 
volcanic mass of Auvergne, that of Mont Dore. Though covering a smaller area than 
its neighbour of Cantal, it is here that the highest moimtain of Central France, 
the Puy de Sancy (6,180 feet), raises its head, surrounded by other peaks hardly 
inferior to it in altitude, such as the Puy Ferrant, the Puy de TAiguillier (5,076 



THE VOLCANOES OF AUVERGNE. 



183 



feet), and the Cacadogiic. No regular crater can now be traced, but one probably 
existed in the vicinity of Mont Doie (3,a30 feet), a trachytic cone, near wliich 
the Dordogno and the Couzo of Chumbon take their rise. The bods of lava 
descend from this mountain, often in uninterrupted sheets, until tlicy reach and 
spread themselves round its base. At a later period Mont Dore had its cap of ice, 
and glaciers descended from it to a distance of 25 miles. 

AVhcn the great central volcano of Mont Doro became extinct, other vents 



Fig. 13S. — The Ply of yANcv axd the Lake Distuict. 
Scale- 1 : 80,000. 



Ilich.' 





'■^r 



I ^' 



^itcvt^i/l*e^ 



\ Milr. 



opened in its vicinity, and amongst these Mont Tartaret (3,156 feet) discharged 
its lavas, now covered with beeches and pines, right across the valley of the 
Couze, and, by drawing up the waters of that river, led to the formation of the 
Lake of Chambon ('2,887. feet), the most delightful sheet of water in Auvergne, 
surrounded by meadows and trees, and having several small wooded islands. 



184 



FEANCE. 



Fig. 139. — The Chain of tub Pcy de Dome. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 



|S;^ 



:m 



#• 







( /rr/noM cf 



;?'^:- 



The plateau to the north of Mont Dore is covered with volcanic cones 
of comparatively recent origin. Two of these, the Montsineyre (4,372 feet) 
and the Montchal (4,628 feet), are mirrored in smaU lakes, the one formed by the 
damming up of a rivulet, the other occupying an old crater. Amongst the many 
other lakes which fill depressions of this plateau, that of Pavin (3,925 feet) is dis- 
tinguished by its aspect of solemn grandeur. The inhabitants formerly dreaded 

it as the seat of evil spirits, but having been 
stocked with trout, it has lost its terrors. 
Its depth is 308 feet, and it is fed by sub- 
terranean streams. 

Thermal and mineral springs abound in 
this region, those of Mont Dore and of La 
Bourboule, near the source of the Dordogne, 
being the most frequented. The springs of 
St. Nectaire are the best known of those 
on the eastern slope, their water resembling 
that of Ems. Altogether there are no less 
than 200 springs, carbonate of soda asso- 
ciated with chloride of sodium predominat- 
ing in the hot springs, whilst the cold ones 
are almost without exception charged A^'ith 
carbonic acid. 

A chain of volcanic ptii/s rising from 
the granitic plateau bounded by the valleys 
of the Allier and Sioule forms the termina- 
tion of the volcanic region of Central France 
towards the north. Some of these puys 
are dome-shaped, others have the appear- 
ance of truncated cones ; and craters and 
old lava currents, or cheircs, can still be 
distinguished. The Puy de Dome (4,805 
feet), a dome-shaped mass of trachyte, is 
not onl}^ the highest summit of the whole 
range, but, on account of its regular 
shape and commanding aspect, is the most, 
famous. A temple dedicated to Mercury 
formerly stood upon its summit, and a 
physical observatory has recently been 
erected there. Immediately to the north of it lies the crater of the Little Puy de 
Dome, locally known as the "Hen's Nest." The Puy de Come (4,116 feet), near 
Clermont, has two distinct craters on its summits, from which broad streams of lava 
have poured down into the valley of the Sioule, filling the ancient river channel for 
the distance of more than a mile. The Sioule, thus dispossessed of its bed, has 
worked out a fresh one between the lava and the granite of its western bank. Its 




■ 4 Miles. 



THE TOLCANOES OF AUVEEGNE. 



185 



neighbour, the Puy de Pariou, is remarkable on account of the sharpness of the 
brim of its crater. Farther north lies the dome-shaped Sarcouy, the clinkstone 
of which is used in the manufacture of filters and glass. But the most curious 
volcano of that region is the Puy Chopinc, a dome rising from a crater formed 
of scoritD, and consisting of granite placed " like the ham of a sandwich " between 
layers of basalt and trachyte. The range terminates in the north with two great 
volcanoes, the Puys of Louchadiere and Xugere, from both of which immense 
sheets of lava extend to the east or west. At Volvic there are vast quarries, 
from which the towns in the neighbourhood procure most of their building 
stones. 

Most of the cones to the south of the Puy de Dome have craters on their 
summits. The combined lava streams of the Puys of Lassola, de la "N'ache, 
and Yichatel have dammed up the valley of the Yeyre, forming the Lake of 
Aydat (2,710 feet), upon the borders of which stood Avitacum, the residence of 
Sidonius Apollinaris. Amongst old volcanoes forther south are the Gravenoir 



Fig. 140.— Volvic. 

Scale 1 : 70,000. 




. 1 MUo. 



(" black gravel "), thus called from the colour of its ash, and the Tazanat, the crater 
of which is occupied by a lake. Near Aigueperse there is a "poison spring" 
discharging carbonic acid. 

Numerous traces of volcanic activity are met with between the eastern slope 
of this range and the plain of the Allier ; amongst others, the famous basaltic 
plateau of Gergovia (2,440 feet), the ancient capital of the country, defended by 
Vercingetorix against the legions of Julius Cnesar. 

The integrity of many cones of the Auvergne is due, according to Sir Charles 
Lyell, to the loose porous nature of the soil, which instantly ab.sorbs all moisture, 
and thus prevents the formation of rills. The water thus absorbed is discharged 
lower down as bounteous springs, some of which are valued for their medicinal 
properties, whilst others cover the rocky surfaces over which they flow with a 
coating of calc-taff, and incrustate all objects exposed to their action. The most 
famous of these is that of St. Allyro at Clermont, which has built itself an aqueduct 
250 feet in length, terminating in a superb arch thrown across the rivulet of Tire- 



186 



FEANCE. 



taine. Lecoq and otter geologists trace the existence of limestones and gypsum in 
Auvergne to the action of this and other calcareous springs. They have con- 
tributed, too, towards the formation of the fertile plain of the Allier kno-wn as 
Limagnc. This plain, during the miocene age, was a vast fresh-water lake, but 
long before the volcanoes surrounding- it had ceased their activity this lake had 
been drained. The calcareous and other springs then deposited lime, silica, and 
gypsum, but it is to a layer of volcanic ashes that Limagne is indebted for its 
marvellous fecundity. 

Amongst the mineral productions of the Auvergne are argentiferous lead, 
which is most abundant on the western slope of Mont Dome, and coal, the car- 
boniferous strata extending along the western foot of the volcanoes, from Mauriac 
to Moulins and Montlucon, being bedded with surprising regularity. 



Fig. 1-11. — TuE Meandertngs op the Lot. 
Sciile 1 : 2.;o,OJO.. 




[VO'-'" 









\ in.. 



ibJ^i 




. 6 Miles. 



LiMorsiN. 

The granitic platform of Auvergne penetrates like a blunt wedge between the 
Jurassic and tertiary rocks in the west, and forms a series of sterile plateaux or 
terraces, the most elevated of which is that of Mille Vaches (" thousand cows," 
3,228 feet), in which the Vienne, the Yezere, and the northern tributaries of the 
Dordogne take their rise. The. I'ange of hills which thence extends to the west 
is even less elevated. These hills and plateaux have for the most part been 
robbed of their forests, and their sole covering consists of shrubs and heather, but 
the valleys which pierce them are often delightfully beautiful and of great 
fertility. Potter's earth abounds, and has given rise to much industry ; metallic 
veins traverse the granite ; and beds of coal are met with occasionally along a line 



UBRARY 

OF THE 

UNWERSlTY-fH-UNOlS. 



LIMOUSIN. 



1«7 



separaliug iho crystullinc rocks from the scclimcnfnty ones. The western prolonga- 
tion of the plateau consists almost exclusively of Jurassic limestones and chalk. 
The limestone region lying between Figeac, Cahors, and ^Fontauban resembles in 
every respect the causses of Avoyron (page 175), though, owing to its smaller 
elevation, it enjoys a milder climate. The hilly district farther north, traversed 
by the Dordogne and its tributaries, is very different in aspect. The sinuous 
course of the rivers traversing these secondary strata clearly marks out the 
difference between them and the granite. The Lot, flowing in a deep ravine 
fixcavated in Jurassic limestone, abruptly twists to the right and left, whilst 



Fig. 142. — The Kapids op Lamxbe. 

Scale 1 : 150,000. 



^, W nf Pi. 




i>o Eof Cr 



"llUes. 



the Dordogne and other rivers, taking their course between gentle hills, wind 
about them in a more placid fashion. 

Of all the rivers rising in Central France the Dordogne is the one which for 
the greatest part of its course belongs to the plateaux, differing in that respect 
essentially from the Loire and the Allicr, which even in their upper course 
traverse ancient lake basins. The Dordogne, on the other hand, is confined 
within a narrow ravine until it debouches upon the lowlands of Aquitaine. At 
Bretenoux it escapes from the region of granite, and then winds about amongst 
limestone hills, its bed being frequently obstructed by rocks. One of these raj^ids, 
that of Lalinde, occurs only a few miles above Bergerac, and even below that 



188 PEANCE. 

town navigation is interfered •with by rapids. Thougli rendered navigable for a 
distance of 250 miles above its tidal head for barges drawing 12 inches, the 
Dordogne, owing to these rapids, is very little used as a commercial highway. 

FoREZ, Beatijolais, Charollais. 

The surface of the granitic plateau to the east of the Allier is far more 
varied than that to the west of the river, and more especially in the hills of 
Forez (5,380 feet) wo meet with landscape scenery quite Alpine in its character, 
the bottom of the valleys being covered with meadows, and their slopes wooded. 
One of the most delightful valleys of this part of France, the scene of the pastoral 
plays of Honore d'Urf^, is that of the northern Lignon. Beyond this valley 
porphyr}^ enters largely into the structure of the hills, including the Bois-Nolrs, or 
"black forest" (4,2:i8 feet), and the range of La Madeleine (3,820 feet). 

The wide valley of the Loire and the coal basin of St. Etienne, one of the 
most productive of France, separate the heights of Forez from the ranges form- 
ing the northern continuation of the Cevennes, and constituting the water-shed 
between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Granites predominate in these 
ranges, but are associated with a great variety of other rocks. The heights 
usually known as those of Lyonnais (3,293 feet) consist of granite and meta- 
morphic rocks. The mountains of Beaujolais (3,320 feet) are composed of lime- 
stones, marls, and sandstones, pierced by porphyries which form picturesque 
j^romontories along the Saone, and extend westward across the valley of the 
Loire until they join the porphyries of Forez. In the hills of Charollais (2,540 
feet) granite plaj-s but a subordinate part, most of the area being occupied by 
Jurassic limestones and still more recent formations abounding in fossils. There 
are several coal basins, the best known amongst them being that of Le Creusot. 
The Canal du Centre, which joins the Loire to the SaAne, passes across a depression 
in this range (1,100 feet) which completely severs the outlying porphyritic and 
granitic mountains of Morvan (2,960 feet) from the great central plateau of 
France. 

Inhabitants. 

Sterility of soil, an inclement climate, and remoteness from the great high-roads 
of commerce sufficiently account for the sparse population of the central plateau 
of France. Only the fertile plains of Limagne and of the Loire and the mining 
districts can boast of a population exceeding the average of France. In the coal 
basins of the Loire the population has doubled since the beginning of the century ; 
but though the cattle breeders inhabiting the regions of pasturage have been 
benefited by this increase, the country, nevertheless, is not capable of supporting 
the whole of its children, and emigration to the more favoured regions of France 
is continuing steadily. Auvergnate canvassers are met with throughout France, 
and even in some of the neighbouring countries, and many of the new buildings 
in Paris have been constructed by masons imported from Correze, Haute- Vienne, 
and Creuse. The emigration from Cantal to Spain, first called into existence by 



LIBRARy 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of rtLINOIS. 



•J* 




LOZERE.— nAUTE-LOIEE. 189 

the pilgrimages to the holy shrine of Compostella, where the monks of Aurilluc 
had a church, has not yet ceased. The peasants of Ytrac and Crandelles, two 
villages to the west of Aurillac, are those who visit Spain most frccjucutly, and this 
familiarity with the couiitiies lying beyond the Pyrenees is siiid to be reflected in 
their customs, and even physique. 

In former times the Aiivergnates regularly returned to their homes to enjoy 
the fruits of (heir thrift. They kept aloof from strangers when abroad, and 
though honest, their love of gain supplanted all other feelings. They were 
hospitable and .straighttbrward only when dealing witli llieir own eountryineu. In 
our own days, however, many Auvergnates never return to their native home, and 
become merged in the general population of modern France. 



Topography. 

LozicKE. — This is one of the poorest regions of France, and its popular designa- 
tion as Gevaudan — that is, country of the Gabales — is involuntarilj' associated in 
our mind with a barren, storm-beaten plateau. The rivers Lot and Tarn drain 
most of the department into the Garonne, only a small portion of it being drained 
by the Allier and the Ardeche, the former a tributary of the Loire, the latter 
of the Ehonc. There are profitable lead mines (produce 435 tons of lead), but 
hardly any industry. 

Mciulc (G,239 inhabitants), lying at a height of 2,460 feet above the sea, is 
looked upon as a place of exile by the functionaries who are stationed here. 
Coarse woollen stuffs arc manufactured, and many strangers pass through the 
town in summer on their way to the sulphur springs of Bagnols, in the valley of 
the Lot. Manrjok (4,638 inhabitants), in a side valley of the Lot, manufactures 
coarse woollens. To the north of it, near the Truyere, lies Javols, the old capital 
of the Gabales, and still farther north the small town of Sf. A/ban (1,148 
inhabitants). Florae (1,845 inhabitants), near the Tarn, and in one of the canons 
hounding the Causse of Mejean, and Cahis (584 inhabitants), near which are lead 
mines, are the only places of any importance in the south, where Protestant 
Camisards and the dragoons of Louis XIV. waged a bloody war. Clidfcauncuf- 
Randon recalls the death of Duguesclin in 1380. The principal town on the rail- 
way which runs through the cast of Lozere, up the valley of the Allier, is 
Laiigogne (•''i,228 inhabitants). 

Haitk-Loike includes the whole of ancient Yclay, together with some adjoin- 
ing districts, and though much of its surface consists of sterile granitic plateaux 
and sheets of lava, its population is relatively dense, for there are mineral 
treasures, fine pastures, and manufactures of ribbons and point-lace, known as 
dent elks du Puy. 

Le Puij-en-Vcla<j (19,010 inhabitants) was a great place of pilgrimage during 
the Middle Ages. The houses of the old town cluster round a venerable cathedral, 
a colossal statue of the Virgin surmounts the rock of Corncille, whilst an old chapel 
crowns the neighbouring Aiguille, or needle. The new town lies at the foot of 

VOL. H. c 



100 FEANCE. 

these hills, and contains the Government buildings, a museum rich in local 
antiquities, and several public monuments of merit. The manufacture of point 
and blond lace is the great business of the town, and indeed of the entire depart- 
ment. Fortunately the population is not wholly dejiendent upon this fluctuating 
branch of industry. Cattle are bred for the Lyons market, mules are exported to the 
Pyrenees, and the peasants of Velay thus come into contact with the outer world, 
and they no longer ostentatiously throw their knife upon the table when entering 
an inn. The neighbourhood of Le Puy abounds in natural curiosities, savage 
defiles, and fields of lava. The castle of VoUgnac, with its old well, 272 feet in 
depth, occupies a hill to the north-west of the town, and farther away, in the same 
direction, near St. Paxlicn (1,458 inhabitants), there arc numerous caverns, and 
the romantic castle of lloche-Lambert, admirably described bj^ Georges Sand. 
Other caverns, formerly inhabited, lie to the south-east of Le Pu}% near the old 
hamlet of La Terrasse. 

Yssingeaux (3,716 inhabitants), St. Didier (2,219 inhabitants), and Monistrol 
(2,299 inhabitants), in the eastern half of the department beyond the Loire, lie 
within the sphere of the great manufacturing town of St. Etienne, and, in 
addition or instead of lace, they manufacture ribbons, taffety, paper, cutlery, and 
cotton twist. 

Briouclc (4,G43 inhabitants), on the Allicr, is the capital of the poorest arron- 
dlssement of the department, which nevertheless possesses considerable resources in 
its argentiferous lead mines (at Paulhaguet) and coal (near Langcac, 3,530 inha- 
bitants). A great part of this district formerly belonged to the famous abbey of 
CIume-Bieu. 

AvEYRON is the modern representative of Le Rouergue. Its principal rivers — 
Lot, Aveyron, and Tarn — discharge their waters into the Garonne. The greater 
portion of the surface consists of sterile s^galas, or rye-fields ; but mineral treasures 
abound, and in 1875 there were produced 741,600 tons of coal, 75,000 tons of 
iron and steel, and 2,350 tons of zinc. 

Millau (14,482 inhabitants), on the Tarn, is the largest town of the department, 
and some of the spirit of enterprise peculiar to the Protestants who inhabited it 
until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes survives to this day, and, in addition to 
agricultural produce, its inhabitants export leather gloves, dressed skins, cloth, and 
silk stuffs. St. Affi-ique (5,572 inhabitants), on a tributary of the Tarn, has played as 
important a part during the religious wars as Millau, and its linens and leather 
enjoy a high reputation to the present day. Roquefort, a village In the neigh- 
bourhood, has been famous since the eleventh century for its cheese, which owes its 
excellent qualities to its being placed in natural caverns of equable temperature 
to " ripen." In 1876 the milk of no less than 350,000 ewes was converted into 
10,000,000 lbs. of cheese. "Bastard" caverns have been excavated elsewhere in 
the Cevennes, but the cheese placed In them does not acquire the properties of real 
Hoquefort. 

Rodez (12,881 inhabitants), on the Aveyron, with a Gothic cathedral, from the 
tower of which may be obtained a magnificent view of the surrounding country, is 



TAEN. 



191 



an ancient city, still enclosed within medinoviil walls, and supplied with water by 
means of a Roman aqueduct only discovered in 18DG. A most pro<luctive coal 
basin lies to the north-west of that town, extondin{>; to the river Lot and beyond, 
its principal centres of population being Aiiln'n {2,17'2 inhabitants) and Decnzccille 
(5,908 inhabitants). The coal, unfortunately, is of inferior ipiality, but iu spite of 
this, iron works, forges, foundries, machine shops, and glass works have sprung 
up near the mines, contrasting curiously with the ruined castles crowning the 
neighbouring heights. At Cranmr there arc mineral springs. Tlie coal near this 
place took lire centuries ago, and still keeps burning. 

ViUefram-hc (7,819 inhabitants) is a curious old town, charmingly situated on 
the Aveyron, near the western frontier of the department. The north, including 

Pig. 113. — RoQlEFORT. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 




the valleys of the Lot, the Bourdon, and the Truyere, is equally noted for its 
picturesque scenery, though rarely visited. The principal towns there are St. 
Geniez (3,1G7 inhabitants), in the "country of Olt," and Espalion (2,o8() inhabit- 
ants). Conques and Buzoith are delightful villages in the valley of the Dourdou. 

Taux, the ancient vUbigeois, embraces a mountainous crj'stalline region iu the 
ea.st, and a fertile hilly region in the west, the latter a productive agricultural 
district, the former more adapted for the breeding of cattle and sheep. The coal 
basin of Carmaux, yielding about 2-50,000 tons a year, lies within the department. 

Two towns in the picturesque valley of the Cerou, which traverses the northern 
portion of the department; contrast strangely with each other, the one, Carman r 
(5,384 inhabitants), having but recently grown from a small village into an impor- 

o 2 



192 



FEANCE. 



tant town, owing to its vicinity to productive coal mines ; whilst the other, 
Cordes (2,115 inhabitants), perched upon its high rock, has retained all the charac- 
teristics of a town of the thirteenth century. 

AM (15,874 inhabitants), the principal town on the Taru, the birthplace of 



Fig. 144. — Decazeville. 
Scale 1 : 90,000. The Coal Basin is shade3. 



0° i3'0 of Pari;s 







2"ioIi E.uf (il 



tiht dc btaiiiiioiik 



IMile. 



Lapeyrouse, and the original seat of the Albigenses, upon which the hand of the 
northern crusaders weighed heavily, abounds in curious old buildings, including a 
cathedral built in brick, a fortified archiepiscopal palace, and a remarkable bridge 



LOT. 198 

over the Tarn. Xear it are many old castles. At Leseiirc there is an old church 
said to have been built by the Albigcnscs, and still farther to the east a series of 
rapids, known as Saut-dc-8abo, stops the navigation of tlie Tarn. The lower valley 
of that river is noted for its fertility, fuiilluc (G,090 inhabitants) was the great 
centre of the wine trade during the dominion of the English, whilst L'Isle d'Albi 
(1,743 inhabitants) and Babiisfeiis (3,108 inhabitants), in addition to vineyards, 
have a few manufactories. 

Casfres (20,520 inhabitants), the great manufacturing centre of the department, 
occupies a favourable position on the Agout, wliich is joined hero by the Thor^. 
The manufacture of cloth is carried on there on a large scale, and there are also 
dyeing-houses, tan-j'ards, paper-mills, and machine shops. Mazamd (10,770 inha- 
bitants), on the Thore, has likewise grown into an important manufacturing town, 
and there as well as at <SV. Amans-SouU (2,084 inhabitants), the birthplace of 
Marshal Soult, in the same valley, similar industries are carried on as at Castres. 
Ascending the Agout, we pass lioqiiccotirhc and Vahrc, two manufacturing villages, 
and finally reach Lacauue, where there are marble quarries and manufactories of 
spurious Roquefort cheese. Lavaur (4,937 inhabitants), the principal town on the 
Lower Agout, has silk and cotton mills, whilst Graii/hct (4,435 inhabitants), in a 
lateral valley, engages more especially in the dressing of hides. 

Soreze (1,390 inhabitants), near the southern boundar3-of the department, to the 
south of Castres, has become famous through its college, founded in the thirteenth 
century by Benedictine monks. 

Lot is the old province of Qucrcy, and consists for the greater part of com- 
paratively sterile limestone plateaux, traversed by the river after which it has been 
named. Ordy its north-eastern portion is mountainous. 

Figcac (5,660 inhabitants) is the natural centre of this mountain region, but 
although three lines of railway connect it now with the rest of France, it has quite 
preserved its mediaeval aspect. The smiling valley of the DorJogne contrasts 
most pleasantly with the barren mountain region extending to the north of Figeac. 
It abounds, too, in historical remains. At Martel (1,617 inhabitants) there are 
tumuli and raediccval ruins, and Puy d'Issoli disputes with other places the honour 
of being the site of ancient Uxellodunum. liocamadoit); in a side valley of the 
Dordogne, is one of the most renowned places of pilgrimage in France, its origin, 
like that of the neighbouring town of Gramal (2,040 inhabitants), dating back to 
a very remote age. At Gramat there are mineral springs and a remarkable 
swallow somewhat like the " fountain of Italy," near Alatri, and known as Le 
Gouffre de Bede. 

Ascending the heights immediately in the rear of Gramat, we find ourselves 
upon the barren causse, or limestone plateau, of the Lot, the chief town of 
which is Goiirdon (2,688 inhabitants). La Bastide, a ijoor village, was the birth- 
place of Murat. The curiosities of this plateau include sinks, grave -hills, and 
dolmens. 

Ca/iors (12,190 inhabitants), the Divona "fountain" of the ancient Gauls, is 
named now after the tribe of the Cadurci, whose capital it was. It is the principal 



191 TEANOE. 

town on the Lot, and boasts of Eoraan ruins and remarkable medineval buildings, 
including a cathedral and a fortified bridge. In the time of the Romans Cahors 
exported linens and mattresses ; it is noAV a great centre of the wine trade. The 
valley of the Lot is one of the most productive wine districts of France, and from 
Cdjavc in the east, to Puij-l' Eveqiie (1,241 inhabitants) in the west, vinej'ard 
adjoin*! vineyard. Castles abound in this portion of the country ; and Luzech has 
been fixed upon by a scientific commission appointed by the late emperor as the 
site of ancient Uxellodunum. Valuable deposits of phosphate of lime have been 
discovered in the hills near Cahors. 

Cantal, which adjoins Lot in the east, is covered with forests, barren plateaux, 
and mountains. Its inhabitants, to judge from their physique, are the purest of 
Celts. The population is decreasing, for thousands leave their homes annually in 
search of work, many of whom never return. The breeding of cattle and sheep 
is of considerable importance, and so-called Dutch cheese is manufactured in the 
filthy cabins, or burons, scattered over the plateaux. 

AuriUac (10,399 inhabitants) the capital, lies at the foot of the old volcano of 
Cantal, in the picturesque valley of the Jordane, which, a few miles below the 
town, at Arpajon, joins the valley of the Cere. Aurillac was a place of impor- 
tance as early as the ninth century. The most remarkable monument of the Middle 
Ao-es is the old abbatial castle, which the citizens captured and partly razed to the 
oround in 1233. The environs are delightful, more especially the valleys of the 
Jordane and the Cere. Vic-sur-Cere, in the latter, was the capital of the barony 
of Carlades during the Middle Ages, and is much frequented now for its mineral 
waters. The baronial stronghold of Carlat, on a high basaltic rock to the south, 
was destroyed by order of Henri IV. Maurs (1,919 inhabitants), on the road 
to Fif^eac, has important fairs. The arrondissement of Mauriac lies wholly 
within the basin of the Dordogne, and, consisting for the most part of upland 
forests and pastures, is dependent upon cattle-breeding and the manufacture 
of cheese. Salcfs, otherwise Of- no importance, is famous on account of its 
peculiar race of cattle, and Mauriac (2,357 inhabitants) carries on a brisk trade 
in cattle, mules, horses, and sheep, besides exporting home-made linens and 
wooden ware. 

The eastern slope of Cantal is inferior in natural beauties, but upon the whole 
very fertile. The Planeze, an uninviting plateau, is known as the granary of 
Auvergne. The rounded hills of La Margeride, Luguet, and Cezallier offer but 
little variety, but in the valleys of the Truyere and the Alagnon we meet with 
many picturesque promontories of basalt. One of these is crowned by the old 
city of St. Flour (4,848 inhabitants), the most widely known place of Upper 
Auvergne, with potteries, manufactures of blankets and of the textile fabrics known 
as marhjues, but not of brazier-ware, as is popularly supposed. Murat (2,854 
inhabitants) and Massiac (1,251 inhabitants), on the line of rail which connects 
Bordeaux and Lyons, enjoy a favourable position for commerce. Near Pierrcfort, 
an old stronghold commanding a tributary of the Truyere, lies the exj^erimental 
farm of M. Richard ; and Chavacjnac, to the north of Murat, was the birthplace of 



put-de-dCme. 



195 



Lafayette. Antiquities of prehistoric age, including cave dwellings and dolmen?, 
abound in tliis part of Cantal. 

Pi v-UE-I)oMi; includes the greati?r portion of Lower Auvergne, and is not only 
one of the largest departments of France, but the wide and fertile valley of the 
AUier and its mild cliniato enable it to supiwrt a comparatively dense population. 
Clenmut (37,074 inhabitants), the capital, occupies a slightlj' elevated platform 
rising in the midst of an amphitheatre of mountains, the most elevated of which is 
the Puy, which has given its name to the department. Clermont, the A\>metum 
of the Romans, was a populous town in tho time of the Gallo-Romaus, M'hen its 

Fig. 145. — Clbumont and Muntfeiuianu. 

Scale 1 : 40,0(10. 




fo&Z.df Cr. 



If '$• i 



1 ililc. 



temple of Mercury proved a great focus of attraction. The Franks, and after them 
the Saracens, destroyed the town, and Philip the Fair established the royal courts 
in the neighbouring Montferrand. The latter, however, lost these advantages 
when the courts of law declared Clermont to be the property of the Crown. 
Montferrand, since that time, has been deserted, and life pulsated all the more 
briskly through the streets of Clermont. Most of the houses are built of black 
lava, and their sombre aspect contrasts strangely with the smiling country around. 
There are several remarkable buildings, including a magnificent Gothic cnthedrul 
and the Byzantine church of Xotre-Dame, near which the stone upon which sat 
Pope Urban IL when presiding over the Council of Nemetum is pointed out. 



19G 



FEANCE. 



The fowu is noted for its semolina and other farinaceous preparations, its confec- 
tionery and apricot patties. Cutlery, wooden ware, and textile fabrics are likewise 
produced, and a brisk trade in agricultural products carried on. At the same time 
Clermont has not forgotten that it gave birth to Pascal, and there are several fine 
museums. The environs are highly interesting to geologists. An incrusting 
spring rises in the suburb of St. A lyre, the thermal springs of St. Mart are 
above the town, and old volcanoes and currents of lava arc met with in every 
direction. 

Eiom (10,004 inhabitants), formerly the second capital of Lower Auvergne, 
occupies a site very much like that of Clermont, and is likewise built of 
sombre lava. It is famous on account of its law school, and has given birth to 

Fig. UG— TiiiEus. 
Scale 1 : 40,000. 















3" , JJ'E "t Or 



1 MUe. 



some of the most illustrious lawyers of France. The environs are delightful. 
Volric (2,265 inhabitants), which supplies Riom with building stone and water, 
is commanded by the ruined castle of Tournoel, whence the eye ranges over the 
verdant plains of La Limagne, and as far as the town of L'Aiguejjerse (2,410 
inhabitants), in the north-east, the wooded heights of Montpensier, the castles of 
Effrat and Randan, and the busy little town of ^laringua^. 

T/iicrs (11,182 inhabitants), in the valley of the Durolle, and suspended, as it 
were, upon the steep slopes of the Hill of Besset, is mainly engaged in the manu- 
facture of coarse cutlery, but there are also paper-mills, &c. Chdteldon, the old 
centre of industry in this part of the country, has dwindled down into an insignifi- 
cant village, visited only for the sake of its cold mineral springs. 



LIBRARV 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ItlJNOIS. 



!l||||lHj|'fll 







rORRfeZK. 



197 



Ainlert (3,882 inhabitants), tlio old cajjital of Livradois, is tho only town in 
the upper valley of the Dore, and engages in tho manufacture of linen, cloth, and 
paper. Arlanc (1,8J0 inhabitants) and several other villages in that valley 
likewise manufacture coarse linens and laee. There are no towns whatever in tho 
hilly district lying between tho valleys of the Dore and tho AUier, for Billom, 
which had its own mint during tlie Carlovingian age, and a famous school in tlic 
thirteenth century, has dwindled down into a poor village 

Jssoivc (0,089 inhabitiints), the principal town on the Allier, was almost 
levelled with the ground during the religious wars, and the Duke of Alen(;on 
erected a column inscribed " Hero stood Issoire ! " The town has now recovered 
from these disasters, but is principally known ou account of tho natural curiosities 
met with in its vicinity, and more especially in the valleys of the Couzc-l'avin, the 
Northern Couze, and the Veyre, all of them rising in the volcanic region in the 
west, and descending to the Allier. Brasmc, on the Allier, close to the western 
frontier of the department, has become known througli its coal-fields. 

Another mineral district lies in the north-west, being intersected bj- the valley 
of the Sioule. At Pontgibaud there are argentiferous lead mines ; at St. Gervais 

Fig. 147. — Section of the CAiiuo.viriiKots Strata of St. Elov. 




coal mines; atMciiat deposits of tripoli; at C/idfeauneuf iimnevous mineral springs, 
cold and warm ; and at Sf. Eloij coal mines. The valley of the Dordogne, in 
the south-west, is visited principally on account of its fiimous hot springs of Mo)it 
Dore and Bourhoule, the latter being richer in arsenic than anj^ others discovered 
hitherto. 

CoRKEZE lies almost wholly within the basin of tho Dordogne, of which tho 
Correze is merely a tributary. Its eastern portion consists for the most part of 
elevated granitic plateaux affording scant pasturage to herds of cattle. Usscl 
(2,822 inhabitants), its principal place, is known rather on account of its claiming 
to be the representative of ancient Uxellodonum than for its woollen stuffs, which 
are also manufactured at Mcijmac (1,570 inhabitants) and other villages, and 
exported from Bort (2,298 inhabitants), on the Dordogne, here bounded by 
columns of basalt. At Argentat (2,094 inhabitants) the Dordogne becomes na\-i- 
gable for barges. 

Tulle (11,038 inhabitants), on the Correze, in the centre of the department, is 



198 



FEANCE. 



mainly indebted for its prosperity to its being the seat of a goveruracnt small-arras 
factory employing 1,500 workmen. The manufacture of the land of lace named 
after this town has ceased long ago. The neighbourhood abounds in wild gorges 
and picturesque waterfalls, amongst which are those of Montane and Gimel. 
Br ire (9,417 inhabitants), also on the Correze, is by far the most pleasant town 
of the department, its fine cathedral, ancient walls, and reddish hills presenting a 
delightful ensemble. The castle of Turenne, to the south, is the ancestral home of 
the famous captain of that name. 

The valley of the Vezere, which joins the Correze a few miles below Brive, 
abounds in picturesque sites. Ascending it, wo pass Alktssac (1,338 inhabitants). 



Fig- H8. — Tayac and Les Eyzies, on the VizliiE. 
Scale 1 : 90,000. 



-77* 



1°|5-E JUj 



T~jra_ 




1 JlUe. 



{jjuxd. 



an ancient village ; Uzerche (2,146 inhabitants), one of the towns claiming to be 
the ancient Uxellodunum ; and Trehjimc (1,772 inhabitants), where the manu- 
facture of arms is carried on. A stud for breeding horses has been established 
close to the old castle of the Marchioness of Pompadour, in the west. 

DoRDOGXE includes nearly the whole of the old province of Perigord, together 
with portions of adjoining districts. The rivers which traverse it divide it into 
several distinct regions. The granitic plateau of Nontronnais, in the north, is 
barren ; in the south there are extensive forests, and between the Isle and the 
Dordogne also heaths, now gradually being brought under cultivation. There are 



HAUTE-VIENNE. 199 

iron mines, iron works, and paper-mills, but P^rigord no longer monopolizes the 
trade in truffles. 

Sorlat (4,521 inhabitants), the capital of the south-eastern arrondissemont, is an 
old city carrying on some export trade through Vitrac, on the Dordogne. Close 
to the latter are Dontme, a picturesque old village, and the mediaeval castle of 
Beynac. The principal places in the valley of the Vezcre are Terrasson (2,586 
inhabitants), Muiitigiiac (•,?,o61 inhabitants), and Le Biigue (1,685 inhabitants), 
which export iron, wine, and truffles. The environs of Lo Bugue are famous for 
their caverns, which have yielded prehistoric remains of the higliest interest, and 
some of the more remarkable of which are near the villages of Tayac and I^es 
Eyzics, on the Vezere. 

Descending the Dordogne, we pass Laliiule {S^il inhabitants), and reach Bci-gcrac 
(10,610 inhabitants), which exports wines, bat is merely a shadow of what it was 
before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. In the vicinity there arc several 
mediaeval castles, including those of Montaigne, the birthplace of the famous writer 
of that name. 

Perifjueux (23,290 inhabitants), the capital of Perigord, stands on the Isle. It 
abounds in Roman and mediaeval ruins, but its glory is the church of St. Front, a 
huge basilica, built in the tenth century, in the purest Byzantine style. Coach- 
building, the manufacture of cloth, the casting of iron, and other industries are 
carried on at Perigueux, as well as a brisk commerce ; but the other towns and 
villages of the valley are hardly remarkable for anything but ruins and historical 
associations. Ilauicfort is commanded by the castle which Bertrand de Born, the 
warrior and troubadour, inhabited. Tliiriers (2,114 inhabitants) exports cattle and 
cheese, and manufactui-es earthenware. The lower valley of the Isle is one of the 
most productive agricultural districts of France. The most important towns there 
are Mumdan (1,886 inhabitants) and Moiifpont (1,697 inhabitants). 

Brantome (1,292 inhabitants), with the ruins of an abbey ; Bourdcillcs, with 
two old castles and curious grottoes ; and Eiherac (1,818 inhabitants), the capital 
of the forest district known as La Double, are the principal places in the pictu- 
resque and well-cultivated valley of the Dronne, which forms the boundary 
between French and the Romaic dialect, known as Perigourdin. 

At Noutron (2,378 inhabitants), in the extreme north of the department, are 
forges and cutlery works, in which knives with box-wood handles and movable 
copper ferrules are manufactured. 

IIaok-Viexnk includes a portion of Upper Limousin, and lies wholly upon a 
g;ranitic plateau, having an average elevation of 1,000 feet, and intersected by the 
river Yienne and its numerous tributaries. Tlie soil, however, is not very 
favourable to agriculture, and the breeding of cattle, pigs, and horses is the chief 
occupation. Chestnuts form the principal food of thousands of the population. 
Excellent kaolin and potter's earth are found. 

<S/. Yrkix (3,572 inhabitants), a town founded in the sixth century, in the 
extreme south of the department, has potteries, supplied with raw material from 
the clay pits in its vicinity. The south-western portion of the department abounds 



200 FEAXCE. 

in feudal castles, from one of wliicb, near CJiahis (1,425 inliabitants), was sliot the 
arrow which mortally wounded King Richard Cceur do Lion in 1199. Rochechouart 
(1,754 inhabitants) likewise boasts of a magnificent castle, rebuilt in the fifteenth 
contuiy. 

The Vienne flows past Eijmoutlcvs (2,228 inhabitants), St. Leonard (3,46-1 
inhabitants), where Gay-Lussac was born, and the industrial village of Pont-de- 
Nohlat, and having been reinforced by the Thaurion, it washes the foot of the 
prominent hill upon which rise the houses of Limoges (55,097 inhabitants), the 
most important town on the western slope of the granitic plateau of Central 
France. Originally the town owed its rapid growth to its favourable geographical 
position on the high-road connecting Orleans with Bordeaux ; but not being a 
great railway centre, nor having the disposal of a navigable river, it has somewhat 
lost its ancient importance. Only very few traces of Roman age exist now, but 
medliTOval buildings abound, the most noteworthy being a Gothic cathedral and a 
bridge. Amongst the old " rows" still existing, that of the Butchers is the most 
curious, its stone houses being ornamented with wood carvings. Limoges is 
famous for its ceramic industry. It no longer produces such fine enamelled 
metal-work as in the Middle Ages, but several thousand workmen are now engaged 
in the manufacture of china, besides which there arc cotton, woollen, linen, and 
paper mills. 

The towns lower down on the Vienne are equally industrious. Passing the 
picturesque valley of the Briance, which opens on the left, and leads to Pierre- 
buffiere, the native village of Dupuytren, wo reach Aixe (2,328 inhabitants), where 
there are mills and tan-yards; and still lower down, St. Jnnicn (5,736 inhabitants), 
with paper and oil mills, and manufactories of china. 

The north of the department is sparsely populated, but abounds in pictu- 
resque scenery, notably in the valley of the Gar tempo. The principal towns there 
are Bellac (3,252 inhabitants) and Dorat (2,322 Inhabitants). 

Creise, thus named after a river flowing through a deep ravine carved Into the 
granitic plateau, includes the greater portion of the old province of Marche. It is 
by no means a fertile country, but cattle-breeding is carried on with fair results, 
and its coal mines have given rise to a certain amount of industry. 

Bourganciif (2,1-^0 inhabitants), on the Thaurion, carries on the same industries 
as Limoges, its manufactories being supplied with fuel from the neighbouring coal 
mines of Bosmoreau. Here are the ruins of an old priory with a Moorish tower, 
in which Zizim, a brother of Bajazet II., was kept a prisoner. 

Aiibitssor. (6,427 inhabitants) is the principal manufacturing town on the Creuse. 
It is said to have been founded by the Saracens, and has been famous ever since for 
its carpets, the designs for which, in the present day, are supplied from Paris. 
FeUctia (2,913 inhabitants), a little higher up on the same river, likewise manu- 
factures carpets. The elevated table-land on both banks of the Creuse abounds in 
cromlechs. Ahun (1,047 inhabitants) and Lararci.v (3,617 inhabitants) are the 
centres of a productive coal district, which yielded 277,000 tons in 1875. 

Gueret (4,973 inhabitants), on a plateau between the Creuse and the Gartempe, 





w 

o 
o 



LI8RAKV 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of lUlNOlS. 



ALLIER. 



201 



is tlie capital of tlie department, but not otherwise remarkable. The whole of this 
district of the old province of Marche abounds in prehistoric and mediasval remains, 
the ^'ic^nity of La Soufvrraiiw (2,8-39 inhabitants) being especially rich in them. 

Boitssdc (990 inhubi(ants) is the only place of note in tlic valk-y of the Little 
Creuse, and about G miles to the south of it, near Toii/.r St. Croix, may still bo 
traced the triple enceinte of an ancient city of the Celts. 

The valleys of the Tardes and Cher, which rise in the eastern portion of the 
department, deh'ght by their verdure ; but the plateau tlirough wliieh they flow is 
arid, and yields only a i^oor return to its cultivators. One of the many reVolts of 
the peasantry originated here, and it is supposed that the name of croqiiaiits, by 
which its participators were designated, is derived from the village of Crocq. 
Chamhon (l,i;53 inhabitants) is the principal place in the valley of the Tardes. 
Near it is Eaiux (1,611 inhabitants), with sulphur and ferruginous springs. 

Allif.r includes the old province of Bourbonnais, and is named after the 
fine river which intersects it from north to south. The Cher crosses the western 



Fig. H9. — TuE Coal Measukes of Bezenet (Commentk^). 




100 Yards. 



portion of the department ; the Loire washes its eastern boundary. There are 
mountains in the south, but the greater portion of Bourbonnais lies beyond the 
limits of the granitic plateau, and the valleys of the AUier and the Loire are of 
considerable width. Up to the middle of this century the department was almost 
wholly agricultural, but the development of its coal and iron mines has wrought a 
remarkable transformation.* 

Montlugon (21,904 inhabitants), on the Clier, has quadrupled its popidation in 
the course of a single generation, and aspires to become the Jlanchcster of 
France. The old feudal city, perched ou a rock, is environed by the fine streets 
of the modern town. The plate-glass manufactory of St. Gobain is the most 
considerable establishment of the town. Montlucon is supplied with fuel from the 
neighbouring coal basin of Commcnfri/ (9,789 inhabitants), one of the most produc- 
tive of all France. Near the village of Bezenet the coal seams arc 45 feet in 
thickness. They caught fire in 181 G, and burnt until 1840, when a rivulet was 
diverted from its course arid soon inundated tlie mines. Niris (2,190 inhabitants), 

* In 1875 the department produced 944,50d tona of coal and 120,800 tons of iron and steel. 



202 



FEAXCE. 



close to Montlucon, is the Aquae Xeri of the Botnaae, and ita hot sprin;^'; still 
attract many visitors. 

Ehreuil (2,206 inhabitants) and St. Pour^ain (3,465 inhabitanto; are the 
prin '- ' * ---^5 in the %-alley of the Sioule, which j ' ' * of the AUier a few 
mile- le town last named. Gannat {^j,(ii'2 . .U), on the Andelot, 

another tributary of the Allier, is the capital of the whole of this district, which 
abounds in Byzantine churches and castles, and enjoyed a certain reputation in 
form 

J .. ._-- .-\Sj,on the Allier, is one of the fiishionable watering- 
places of Europe, boasting of no less than 2o,000 visitori a year. Some of the 




■ ■ it« f/f «oda. C'tvuH 

■y.. ...,-., .-„ ; the time in not far 

th«e V/vn.< will i'.: . <>n*. Ch^ck^ c/ytton ntuffi are 

-red ax Ticfar. Th* ridtdtj ot tbene tr/wns abounds in pictareiiqae 

'/Id catfk* are tboK 'of Bcnrbon-BujMx^ft .-; 'Tt. 

er the cliazact«r of the c*>nntry c> - - " - we 

• Mfoa. a broad Tale, •wsmpr in part. At a pojxit .j/,-ti 

«aad.« Jfr/x/.^A 21,1 >2 ;'.-.- the eapital ^>f the dif;partment and the birth- 

place of Viiian, There are tie rains of the (Ad castle of the iHike* of JJourlxjo- 



ALT.TFB. 



203 



nais, a fine Gothic church, and several other medioDval buildings of interest, but 
Moulius is nevertheless a to\ra of modem growth. Agriculture has made great 
progress in the enviions, and vast tracts of heath have recently been brought 



Fig. 1-51. — St. ExrENVB. 

Scale 1 : 30aW. 



r: 



i 




V ^"-ia>. 




T 






:^^ 



Lr. 






/ f -.v.* H&vIbM'^ 




-' NM-iiir^ 



-4 






V iit ■a.Zi: 



t }E^ 



Toooder cuItixatMU. «S«r«>»y (l,o§l iiib..ibiEauts>, in a dde vsJlev which op^is at 
Moulins;. is th* ciatUo of the house oi BourKni. It was here that Adhtaaar, the 
h«ttd o£ th« JSuuify, boQt himsielJt a castie in the teutii ctemury, luid to<mded an 



204 FRANCE. 

abbey. la the thirteenth century the family seat was transferred to the neigh- 
bouring town oi Bourbon, surnamed V ArchamhauU (2,452 inhabitants), after one of 
the dukes. This town is noted now only for its minei'al springs. Lnrcij-Lccy 
(1,G65 inhabitants), to the north of it, has a manufactoiy of china, and forges. 

La Palis .c (1,796 inhabitants), on the Bebre, is the capital of the arrondisse- 
ment of the department. Above that town there are carding-mills, dye ^vorks, and 
other factories, and below it, near Bert, coal mines. 

Loire, with tke adjoining department of Ilaute-Loiro, forms the easternmost 
portion of the plateau, and consists of the old lake basin of the Loire, bounded on 
each side by mountains of the most varied geological constitution. It includes 
nearly the whole of the old province of Forez. The area capable of cultivation is 
of restricted extent, but there are rich coal mines, and these account for the popu- 
lation having doubled since the beginning of the century. 

Feur& (2,695 inhabitants), the Roman Forus, and old capital of Forez, in spite 
of its favourable geographical position on the Loire, is a decayed town. In the 
Middle Ages Monthrkon (5,959 inhabitants) became the capital, because it offered 
greater facilities for defence; but in our own days St. Etknne (117,537 inha- 
bitants) has become the great centre of population. The town is situated on the 
Furens, a tributary of the Loire, and close to a gap in the mountains through 
which runs the road connecting the river just named with the valley of the llhone. 
The coal-fields, to which the town is indebted for its prosperity, cover an area of 
50,000 acres, yield over 3,000,000 tons a year, and contain 577,000,000 tons, 
sufficient for 175 years' consumption at the present rate. The physiognomy of 
St. litienne resembles that of some of the manufacturing towns in the north 
of England, the atmosphere is filled with coal dust, and the houses and streets 
are covered with it. There are an art school and a public museum, but the most 
striking objects in the town are its huge factories, amongst which those of ribbons, 
lace, and small arms hold the first rank. 

The towns in the vicinity of St. Etienne carry on important manufactures. 
Ricamarie (3,269 inhabitants) andie Chamhon (3,928 inhabitants) have forges and 
foundries ; Finniny (10,010 inhabitants) manufactures steel and hardware ; and 
Fouillousc, in the north-west, manufactures ribbons and small arms. On the road 
to Lyons one manufacturing town rapidly succeeds the other. At Tcrrenoire 
(2,856 inhabitants) the first Bessemer steel was manufactured in France; St. 
Chamond (14,420 inhabitants) is noted for its lace ; Rive-de-Gier (14,518 inha- 
bitants) has glass works, and machine shops in which locomotives are constructed. 
Other manufacturing towns on the Gier are St. Julien-en-Jarrct (4,553 inhabitants), 
St. Paul-eii-Jarret (1,753 inhabitants), Grand Croix (3,434 inhabitants), and 
Lorette (3,751 inhabitants). 

As we descend the valley of the Loire we leave this manufacturing district 
behind us, and enter an agricultural country. At St. Ramhert (1,319 inha- 
bitants) and Andrezieux the barges navigating the Loire take in their cargoes 
of coal. In the side valley of the Bonson, which leads to St. Bonnet-le-Chdteaii 
(2,351 inhabitants), the peasants spend their leisure hours in the manufacture of 



LOIBE. 205 

point-lace. At Montrond the Mvcr Coiso joins the Loire from the right. Ascend- 
ing it, we reach St. Qalmkr (1,996 inhabitants), famous for its cold effervescent 
springs, and higher up the small industrial town of C/iazc/ks-siir-Li/oii (4,G91 
inhabitants), a dependency of Lyons, as its name implies. lioniiitc (21,472 
inhabitants), the principal town in the north of the department, has cotton-mills, 
and carries on a considerable commerce, facilitated by the navigable lioire and the 
railways which converge upon it. Panmieres (2,332 inhabitants), in the north- 
east, engages in the manufacture of linen and embroidery. 

Montbrison (5,959 inhabitants), the old capital of the department, occupies the 
summit of a volcanic hill to the west of the broad valley of the Loire, and offers 
a curious contrast to the busj' manufacturing towns on the east of that river. 
Its most curious edifice is the so-called Room of Diana, ornamented with 1,500 
coats of arms of the ancient nobilitj' of Forez. Several of the old volcanoes of this 
region are now surmounted by villages or the ruins of castles or abbeys. Boen 
(2,204 inhabitants), on the north-west, is the chief town of the picturesque district 
of Urfe. 




VOL. II. 




CHAPTER VI. 

CHAEENTE AND VENDEE (ANGOUMOIS, SAINTONGE, AUNIS, TOITOU). 

General Aspects. — Hills. 

HE geograplaical region wliicli forms the ph_vsicnl and ethnological 
boundary between the basins of Loire and Garonne is only of 
small extent, for it is confined to the three departments of Poitou 
and the two of the Charente. But in spite of its small extent 
this is one of the most interesting portions of France, whether we 
look at its history or its physical geography. Its subterranean rivers and the 
changes continually going on along its seaboard are fall of interest. The tran- 
sition from north to south is exhibited in the vegetation, and a traveller proceed- 
ing from the vallej' of the Vienne almost feels as if ho breathed another atmo- 
sphere. The gap between the central plateau and the heights of northern Poitou 
has been fought for on many occasions by the men of the North and tlic South. 
The Franks passed through it when warring against Aquitaine and the Visigoths ; 
Christians and Moslems have struggled there for the possession of Gaul ; and the 
French of the north there fought a terrible battle against the English, who held 
possession of Guyenne. The Protestants here made a stand against the Catholics, 
and still more recently the Vendee was the scene of a struggle between Royalists 
and Republicans. 

The rounded ridges which ramify from the mountains of Limousin are devoid 
of almost every picturesque feature, and to a great extent consist of barren uplands, 
but the valleys which intersect them delight by their transparent streams and 
verdure, and on the banks of the Girondo these chalk hills terminate in bold cliffs, 
equal in beauty to those on the English Channel. 

Of very different aspect are the granitic hills of the Gatine, in the centre of 
Poitou, and on the Upper Sevre of NIort. Being covered only with a thin layer 
of vegetable soil, they are for the most part barren, but sparkling rivulets inter- 
sect their numerous valleys. They culminate in Jlont Malchus — that is. Mercury 
(935 feet) — named probably after some now forgotten deity, for In this poor district 
of Oil;! tbp ■n-or^hi" of tlie old p-ods maintained itself longer than elsewhere, and 



lUVKRS. 



207 



The hilly district of Bocago lies to the cast of the Gutine, iiiiJ is charac- 
terized by numerous trees, shady laues, and hedges. The country in the 
north is wild and varied in the extreme, and its hedges and trees rendered it 
eminently suited for partisan warfare as long as there existed no ready means 
of communication. It was here the Yendeans resisted most obstinately the 
progress of the Kcpublican armies. In the Middle Ages a "march," or border 
district, separated Poitou from Brittany. Contending armies were forbidden access 
to it, and its inhabitants paid neither taxes nor excise dues. At the present time 
this march no longer differs from the adjoining districts, and the introduction 
of cattle-breeding is gradually changing the ^jhysiognomy of the country and 
enriching its inhabitants. Every peasant proprietor keeps a cow, a pig, and a pair 



Fig. 152. — The nEAD-WAXEBS of the Touvke. 
Scale 1 : 040,000. 



If. »■ ■■! I'. 




10 Miles. 



of draught oxen, which ho incites to labour by chanting soft and persuasive 
melodies. 



Rivers. 

The Charente is the only large river between the Loire and the Garonne. 
It rises on the granitic plateau of Limousin. At first it flows in the same direc- 
tion as the Vienne, from which it is separated by a narrow ridge, but soon it 
swerves abruptly round to the south-west, and, having pierced the plateau which 
up till then barred its course, it enters upon a wide valley covered with pastures 
and poplars. A little above Angouleme its crystal waters are reinforced by those 
of the Tou\Te, one of those curious rivers which flow for a considerable portion of 
their course through subterranean channels. This river is fed by the Tardoire 
and the Bandiat, both of which rise on the granitic plateau of Central France, 

p2 



208 



FRANCE. 



but almost entirely disappear whilst passing through a fissured and cavernous 
limestone region. The greater portion of their water seems to find its way to 
the Touvre, a ri\er which, close to its source, sets in motion the paper-mills 
of Ruelle. Engineering works have converted the Lower Charente into an 
important high-road of commerce. It takes its course through a wide valley 
bounded by hills, and covered with woods or vines. The tide makes itself felt 
nearly as high up as Cognac. Small coasters can ascend the Charente as far as 
Saintes, a short distance below its confluence with the Seugne or Sevigne. Below 

Fig. 153. — TuE Old Coast of Vendue, extending to Eochebonne. 
Scale 1 ; 1,200,000. 




i" to'WrfOr 



10 - - 27, 



37 —-v: 

iO HUes. 



Over 55 Fathoms 



Rochefort the estuary of the river is bounded by mud-banks, and its mouth is 
closed by a bar having but 2 feet of water at low ebb. 

The other rivers of Saintonge and Poitou, such as the Seudre, the blue Sevre 
of Niort, and the Lay, are very inferior to the Charente. The Seudre, indeed, is 
hardly more than a creek, but it was the great naval station of France on the 
Atlantic up to the time when the ports of Brest and Rochefort were created. 



The Coast. 
The geological agencies which have severed Cornwall from Armorica and reduced 
Brittany to its existing dimensions have been active likewise all along the 



rilE COAST. 



209 



coast from tlic Loire to flic Gironde. Submerged rocks extend to the west of 
Oleron, of the island of R^, and of the entire coast of Vendue, and join the 
island of Yen by a submarine " bridge," or isthmus, to the mainland. These 
rocks arc nothing else but the platform which supported the ancient coast, sup- 
posed to have extended as far as the rocks of Rochebonne, 30 miles to the west 
of Re. 

But within this ancient coast-line we are able to discover traces of one which 
has been swallowed up more recently. The island of Oleron was undoubtedly a 
portion of the mainland in former times. The arm of the sea which now separates 
it from the continent is hardly 1,600 feet wide at low water, and in the fourteenth 



Fig. 154. — NOIRMOCTIEE. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 




century it was narrower still. No vessel could pass it then, but a frigate might 
sail through it with confidence now, if it were not for its irregular currents and 
sand-banks. 

The island of Rd, too, is nothing but a detached portion of the mainland, first 
heard of in the eighth century. Its Jurassic limestones are of the same age as 
those of the neighbouring coast, and ledges, or platins, of rocks extend far into 
the sea, more esiJecially near the lighthouse known as the " Whalers' Tower." 
Tradition speaks of a cifj- of Antioch which formerly stood upon the west coast of 
the island, and whose houses reveal themselves occasionally to a fisherman floating 
upon the " Savage Sea " which has swallowed them up. 



210 



FEANCE. 



The island of Noirmoutier, on the northern coast of the Yendee, presents the 
same features as that of Oleron. The narrow channel which separates it from the 
mainland can be crossed dry-shod during low water. Geologically this island 
no doubt attaches itself to the mainland, but its separation must date back to a 
very remote epoch ; for insects, a snail, and several Crustacea not known on the 
mainland, are found on it ; whilst the viper, so common throughout Poitou, is 
unknown there. The strait certainly was wider and deeper formerly, and no one 
would have ventured to cross it up to 17G6. Erosion and deposition always go 
hand in hand. Thus, in the case under notice, the debris of the north-western 



Fig. 155. — SiLTED-up Bays on the Coast of Aunis. 
Scale 1 : 050,000. 



.^''i.-io'W cf Paris 




l" loTVotGr 



JiTari/ie^ AUzujuun. I t Fluui£vtU42^ Atiazttjun^ 

10 Miles. 



portion of Noirmoutier has to a great extent been deposited in the Gulf of Le 
Fain, which is gradually being silted up. Other instances of the land gaining 
upon the sea have been noticed, and geologists are of opinion that they can only 
be accounted for by our assuming a gradual upheaval of the land. The creek of 
Aiguillon was of great extent formerlj^ and the Sevre debouched into a gulf of 
the sea which has completely disappeared. Traces of marine erosion have been 
discovered at a considerable distance inland. At St. Michel, in Herm, there are 
old oyster beds at an elevation of 30 feet above the sea. The old port of Talmont, 
where Henry IV. embarked his artillery, has become dry land. 

The emerged lands of Rochefort and the Marennes consist of clay carried 



THE COAST. 



211 



thither by sea, for the neighbouring hills of Saiutonge are composed of limestone. 
These new lands may therefore be fitly described as " gifts of the ocean." 

Submerged and recently formed lands frequently exist in close proximity to 
each other. Thus the isthmus -which formerly joined the island of Aix to the 
mainland has been washed away, and the towns of Montmcillan and Chatelaillon, 
farther north, have disappeared beneath the waves. On the other hand, many of 
the marshes to the south of the Charente were bays of the sea formerly, and are 
still known as " ports." The old port of Brouagc, of great importance during the 
Middle Ages, and possibly identical with Ptolemy's Porlus Satitoniim, is now at a 
considerable distance from the sea. In this instance, however, m;in aided the 
work of nature, for in 1586 the citizens of Rochefort sank twenty vessels laden 
with stone at its mouth. 

Dunes fringe nearly the whole of the coast from the Gironde to the Loire. 
Those of Arvert cover an area of 350 square miles, and rise to a height of 210 feet. 



Fig. 150.— The Axcient Gulf of Poitoit. 

Scale 1 : 800,000. 



.5- \V of Pan: 




p n.^^ 



20 JIUea. 



They differ from those of the Landes by their richness in carbonate of lime and 
shells ; but like them they march, and many a town has been overwhelmed by 
them within historical times. Many of these dunes have recently been planted 
with pines. 

■ Man has taken possession of many tracts formerly invaded by the sea. The 
whole of the ancient Gulf of Poitou, 150 square miles in extent, has been drained 
and converted into pastures and fields. The towns and villages surrounding this 
ancient gulf are built upon hillocks formerly washed by the sea. The cottiers 
inhabiting the polders never travel without a leaping pole, enabling them to 
clear the ditches which separate their fields. Similar reclamations have been 
made opposite to the island of Noirmoutier and elsewhere. 

In former times, when salt was dearer than it is now, the inhabitants along the 
coast established numerous salt-pans, which have now been deserted. These old 
pans, however, can be made to yield a rich harvest of hay and herbage, but 



212 



] EANCB. 



care must be taken to prevent the mixture of fresh ^vith brackish \Tater. To a 
disregard of this sanitary law must be traced the endemic fevers which formerly 
decimated the vicinity of Rochefort and of Marenues. It is due mainly to the 
energy of M. Le Terme that this source of danger to life has been suppressed, and 
since 1832 the annual death rate has been reduced from 48 to 27 per thousand 
inhabitants. . 

The sea adds in more than one respect to the wealth of the inhabitants. Oyster 
parks, fish-ponds, and mussel flirms have been established, and the islanders collect 
seaweed with which to manure their fields. 



Fig. 157. — Angoul-Sme. 
Scale 1 : SO.OOO. 




IMUe. 



Topography. 

Charente has been formed out of portions of Poitou, Marche, Saintonge, and 
Angoumois. The Charente is the principal river, but the north-western portion 
forms part of the granitic plateau of Central France, and is drained by the Yienne. 
The Jurassic limestone region in the north is to a great extent covered with forests. 
The cretaceous districts in the south are by far the most productive. 

Confokns (2,374 inhabitants), the principal place on the Yienne, and Rujfec 
(3,155 inhabitants), on the Upper Charente, are the only towns of importance in 



CHAREXTE. 



2ia 



tho north-western portion of the department, the latter being noted for its partridge 
and truffle patties. 

AiKjoiileme (28,665 inhabitant^!), tho capital, occupies a scarped hill on tho 
western bank of the Charente. Its old ramparts, now couvortcd into public walks, 
afford niagniticcnt pro-^pocts over tho surrounding country. Its position on a 
great navigable river, and in the midst of a fertile country, is excei'dingly favour- 
able. The most prominent buildings are a cathedral of tho twelfth century and a 



Fig. 158.— The Brandt Disteicts op Ciiahrnte. 
Scale 1 : U0,000. 



i^v of r 




a'l^ViJin 



r- ' I ZZ 



rhji!*ixmr- rr/'oa^,^.- 



_i G 



MMUce. 



modem town-hall of noble proportions, which contains also the town library and a 
museum. Of the dominion of the Romans there exist but few traces. The manu- 
facture of paper is the great industry of the city, the annual produce amounting to 
73,000 tons, valued at nearly £400,000. The quarries in the vicinity yield an 
excellent white stone, which hardens on being exposed to the air, and forms an 
important article of export. On the Touvre is a Government .cannon foundry. 
Amongst places in the vicinity of interest to the archaeologist are La Couroune 
(1,045 inhabitants), with a picturesque old abbey ; St. Ainant <ie Boixe, with a 



21i FRANCE. 

Eomanesque churcL ; tLo eld town of Monthron (1,416 mhabitants) ; and the castle 
of Rochefoucauld (2,378 inhabitants). 

In its course to the west the Charente flows past C/idfeawieuf (2,691 inhabit- 
ants), Jantac (4,39U inhabitants), and Cognac (13,811 inhabitants), before entering 
Saintonge. Cognac owes its great wealth to the brandy trade. The " Cham- 
pagne," with its spongy soil overlying chalk, yields the best qualities of brandy, 
that produced in the other district being known as Cru des Bois — that is, of the 
^oods — from the patches of forest still existing. All the brandies produced in the 
two departments of Charente are known as Cognacs, whatever their quality. 
Cognac has an old Romanesque church and the ruins of an ancient castle. In the 
vicinity there exist a few remarkable cromlechs, including that of St. Fort. 

Barhczieux (2,958 inhabitants) is the principal town in the southern part of 
the department. Other places are Chalais, Montmoreau, and Auhetcvre, aU of them 

Fig. lo9. — RoCHEFORT AND THE LoWKR CkAKF.XTE. 
Scale 1 : 240,000. 



a'ISo' 3°,jo'W»fEu-iB 






■I 1 



.- IM:, 



\ w 






V;"^ 






_2S ^\iK S > i-^. 




iS?^3>*>i:::. 



v^ /"% 



°ii»' I'lWoirfa 



■ 5 Miles. 



with old castles. St. Uiitrojic, a village near Montmoreau, is inhabited by a colony 
of Limousin potters, who have retained their dialect. 

Charente-Ixfekieure (Lower Charente) includes nearly the whole of Sain- 
tonge, with portions of Poitou and Aunis. It is divided into the hilly district of 
Bocage ; the lowlands along the Gironde and the Atlantic, still known as 
" marshes," though for the greater part drained ; and the two islands of Oleron 
and Re, which constitute a little world apart. It is one of the richest agricultural 
departments of France, producing excellent vegetables and fruits, wines, and 
cattle. The sea yields fish, oysters, and salt, and there is also some industry. 
Commercially it is dependent upon Bordeaux. The population is decreasing. 

The southern portion of the department consists of wooded hills and extensive 
landes, which are gradually being brought imder cultivation. Jonzac (2,446 
inhabitants) and Pons (3,440 inhabitants), both on the Seugne, the latter town 



CnAREXTE-mFEEIEURE. 



215 



having an old castle now used as town-hall, school, and prison, are the principal 
places in that part of the country. 

Saiiites (ll,loO inhabitants), the ancient Santonos, on the Charonte, is the capital 
of Saiutonge. A triumphal arch and a luige amphitheatre recall the Koman age. 
Other remarkable buildings are the Gothic cathedral, a vast crypt in the suburb 
of St. Eutrope, and a museum rich iu antiquities. Saintes has potteries, with 
which Bernard Palissy's name is houourablj'' connected, and carries on a brisk 
trade in brandy. Following the course of the Charonte, ■we pass Titillchourg, where 
St. Louis defeated the English ; the castle of Crazanncs, and the busy port of 



Fig. 160. — La Eochelle. 
Scale 1 : 30,000. 










^•■f^^VJ^ 






^»*^e>^^:--'-<.-^""-inF<', 



I'llo'WofCr 



. 1^ Miles. 



St. Savinien (1,458 inhabitants), near which are famous quarries; and finally reach 
Rochcfort (25,454 inhabitants), the largest town of the department, and one of the 
five great military ports of France. The foundation of the town hardly dates 
back two centuries. It is regularly built, has fine public gardens, but no remark- 
able buildings except those connected with naval or military matters, including an 
arsenal, dockyard, and huge hospital. The navigation of the Lower Chareute is 
intricate, but men-of-war are nevertheless able to proceed up to the to^vn, where 
they are safe from every hostile attack. The roadstead is defended by several forts, 
and well sheltered. Tomiay-Charente (2,203 inhabitants), only 3 miles above 



210 



FRANCE. 



Rocliefort, is a commercial port, much frequented by English vessels in search of 
brandy. 

Marennes (1,863 inhabitants), in the marshes to the south of Rochefort, was 
famous in former times for its salt-pans, which j'ielded as much as 100,000 tons, 
but this industry has disaj^peared almost entirely, and the salt-pans have been con- 
verted into pasture- grounds, fish, or mussel ponds. Commerce, too, has nearly 
deserted the town ; and the tower of its church, 256 feet in height, no longer serves 
as a landmark to the mariner. The fattening of oysters, however, is carried on 
now with considerable success here, as well as at the neighbouring La Tremhlade 

Fig. 161. — La Rochelle. 




(2,568 inhabitants), no less than 30,000,000 being sold annually. La Trem- 
hlade likewise attracts a few visitors, but the great seaside resort of the depart- 
ment is Eoijan (4,198 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Gironde. A few miles 
inland from that place is Saujon (2,209 inhabitants), with a Roman obelisk (Pire 
Longe) 72 feet in height. 

The island of Oleron has grown rich since the introduction of the vine, the 
value of land having quadrupled in the course of forty years. The principal 
towns on the island are St. Georges (999 inhabitants), Le Chateau (1,578 inha- 
bitants), and St. Pierre (1,545 inhabitants). 



CH^LREXTE-IXFEEIEURE. 



217 



La Eochelle (19,030 inbabitants) is the principal commercial port of the depart- 
ment, and its capital. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the town was one 
of the great ports of France, and on the eve of St. Bartholomew its Protestant 
citizens forced the royal army to retire, after a siege which cost it 20,000 men. 
Fifty years later Richelieu compelled the surrender of the town, after nearly the 
whole of its population had died of hunger. From this disaster tho place has 
never completely recovered, but its citizens are still noted for their public spirit, 
and there remain in it many buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. There 



Fig. 162. — Aks-es-R£. 




are " rows " (porches) as at Chester, an old town-hall, and four huge towers, one 
of which was formerly used as a lighthouse. Tho commerce of the town has 
considerably increased since railways connect it with Paris and Bordeaux, and it 
is proposed to construct docks capable of receiving trans-Atlantic steamers. 

The island of Re, close to La Rochelle, supports a dense population, who 
cultivate the soil, grow wine, fish, and make salt. Their M'inc, however, like that 
of Oleron, has the flavour of the seaweed with which they manure their vine- 
yards. The principal towns on the island are <S/. Martin (2,645 inhabitants), Ara 
(1,954 inhabitants), and La Fhtte (2,241 inhabitants). 



218 



FRANCE. 



Tlie breeding of mussels is carried on most extensively on tlie mud-banks of 
the Bay of Aiguillon, wbere nearly 10,000 acres are enclosed by stockades, 
upon which the mussels grow in clusters. Each of these enclosures has an 
opening for the admission of fish. The fishermen, when they cross these mud- 
banks, rest with one knee upon a miniature wherry, and propel themselves with 
the disengaged leg. This curious apparatus was invented by an Irishman named 
Walton, who was shipwrecked on this coast in 1246. 

Marans (3,217 inhabitants), on the Sevre, which enters the Bay of Aiguillon, is 
the centre of a highly productive corn district, and carries on a considerable corn- 



Fig. 163. — The Gulp of Aiguillox. 
Scale 1 : 126,000. 



3»3ffW' of Pat-is 




l" ilO'Wof Gr 



20 Miles. 



merce. Surghrs (3,246 inhabitants) and St. Jean cVAngely (6,309 inhabitants) are 
inland agricultural towns. 

ViENNE includes the eastern half of the old province of Poltou, and, in addition 
to the river after which it is named, is drained by the Charente and the Dive. 
It is by no means a wealthy department, and has hardly any industry. 

Civraij (2,210 inhabitants), on the Charente, is the centre of an agricultural 
district. The environs abound in prehistoric remains, and at Charroux there are 
Roman ruins. Crossing a height of land, we enter the picturesque valley of the 



DEUX-SEVRES. 219 

Clain, which is tributary to tho Vienne. Passing Vironiie (1,180 inhabitants), and 
leaving Liisignan (1,332 inhabitants) iai* on our left, wo reach Poitiers (31,892 
inhabitants), tho capital of Poitou, perched on a plateau, and of imposing appear- 
ance. Its streets are narrow and tortuous: churches and monasteries abound, the 
Jesuits occupying an imnicnso block of buildings. Tho Byzanlino catliedral 
of Notrc-Damc is one of the most original edifices in France ; the baptistery, 
usually called the Temple, one of the most ancient. In another church, that of 
Stc. Radogonde, are shown tho footprints of God Almighty. There are schools of 
law and arts, but intellectual life can scarcely bo said to exist, nor is there jnuch 
industry. The battles of Poitiers, so called, were not fought at that place. It was 
between that town and Tours, perhaps at Sto. Maure, thtt CLarlcs Martcl annihi- 
lated tho army of Abd-el-Rahman in 732, whilst King John was made prisoner 
by the Black Prince near the town of La Cardinerie, formerly called Slaupertuis, 
about 5 miles to the nortli of the citj'. 

A railway connects Poitiers ^\'ith tho small manufacturing town of Nouville 
(1,833 inhabitants) and with Loiidttn (3,980 inhabitants), tho chief place in the 
north-western portion of the department. Near the latter is the kistvaen of 
Pierre-Folle, 5G feet in length and 15 wide. The neighbouring castle of 2Iohco)1- 
tour recalls a defeat of the Protestants (1569). 

Chafclleraitit (15,244 inhabitants), on the Yienne, a few miles below its con- 
fluence with the Clain, is the industrial centre of the department, where cutlery, 
hardware, and small arms are manufactured. Chmivigny (1,911 inhabitants), on 
the Upper Vienne, has valuable stone quarries and a curious old church. At 
^lontmorillon (4,126 inhabitants), on the Gartempc, in the extreme cast of the 
department, there are lime-kilns and manufactories of agricultural imple- 
ments. 

Deix-Skvkes has been formed out of portions of Poitou, Saintongo, and Aunis. 
Of the two rivers after which it is named, the Sevre of Niort flows direct into 
the ocean; the other is a tributary of the Loire. The hilly district of Gatine is 
not particularly well adapted for agriculture, but the breeding of horses and mules 
is carried on with much success. The lowlands in the south are more fertile. 
Industry is almost confined to the currying of skins and to weaving. About 
one-ninth of the inhabitants are Protestants. 

The level tract of country drained by the Boutonne, a tributary of the Charente, 
cannot boast of large towns, for MelJe, its chief place, has only 2,221 inhabitants. 
It is known for its Byzantine church and for its mules. La Mollir-St. lliruye 
(1,932 inhabitants) and -SV. Mdixciit (4,259 inliabitants), both on tho Ujiper Sevre, 
are the centres of tlie Protestant population of the department, and engage in the 
manufacture of woollen stuffs, as well as in tho breeding of horses. Niort (20,336 
inhabitants), lower down on the same river, is the capital of the department, and 
commercially as well as industrially a busy place, where the preparation of skins 
and horsehair, glove-making, cotton-spinning, and the manufacture of agricultural 
implements are actively carried on. The produce of its marsh gardens enjoj's a 
high reputation. A Gothic cathedral and the ruins of a vast castle built by tho 



220 



FRANCE. 



English rise high above the houses lining the river, and j^leiisant walks surround 
the town, which was the birthplace of Madame de Maintenon. 

Parthciun/ (-1,212 inhabitants), the principal town on the Thouet, which flows 
north to the Loire, has an old Bj^zantine church, and manufactures woollen stuffs. 
Lower down, at Airmulf, the river is spanned by an ancient bridge of eleven 
arches, the oldest structure of that kind in France. Tlwuars (3,468 inhabitants), 
still farther north, on a cliff overhanging the Thouet, has an enormous castle built 
in the seventeenth century, and now used as a prison. 

Brcssuirc (3,214 inhabitants), the capital of the northern arrondissement, has 
become a great railway centre. Its huge castle, with forty-eight towers, is in 
ruins, as are other buildings ; for the town suffered much during the Vendean 
wars, and was ciiptured and recaptured repeatedly. 



Fig. 16-1.— Les Sables-d'Olonne. 
Scale 1 : G2,000, 




kSo-Woflw 






\' ''\ 






lliiQV (S?-^ V--Xt \ 








. 1 MUe. 

Vendee is named after a tributary of the Sevre of Niort, although its principal 
river is the Lay. The department includes the region of granitic hills (Bocage), a 
region of calcareous lowlands, and an alluvial region extending along the sea. The 
islands of Yeu and Noirmoutier belong to it. Agriculture and cattle-breeding are 
the principal occupations. 

Fontcnaij-le-Comte (7,309 inhabitants), on the navigable Vendee, is an ancient 
city, the inhabitants of which manufacture cloth, and carry on some commerce. At 
Voitvant and Fai/Diorcaii, in the hills, there are coal mines of no great importance. 
The ancient episcopal city of Mai/kzais, on a hillock surrounded by old marshes, 
lies to the south-east. Lu(oii (6,026 inhabitants) is the seat of a bishop, and has 
a Gothic cathedral. A canal 10 feet deep connects it with the sea, and its export 
of agricultural produce is considerable. 



YKXDEE. 221 

Chantonnai/ (1,593 inliabitauts) aud Poiisaugcs (1,406 iubabitauts) arc tbo only 
towns in or near the valley of the Lay. Jiof/ic-siir-Yoii (9,0 J 1 inluibitants), on u 
bigli rock on the Yon, as its name implies, was founded by Napoleon on the site 
of an old castle. It possesses no attractions whatever, its importance being 
entirely due to its being the seat of the departmental authorities. Until recently 
it was known as Napoleon- Vendee. 

Sabks-d' Olonne (9, 188 inhabitants) is the principal maritime town of the depart- 
ment, and its fine beach attracts thousands of visitors during summer. The 
mariners of this town are renowned for their boldness. Many of them engage in 
the sardine fishery. The neighbouring country is rich in cromlechs aud kistvaens, 
the finest being that of Frebouchere, beyond Talmont, in the south-west. This 
block of granite, supported by two rows of stones, must have been conveyed hither 
from a considerable distance, but nevertheless it weighs 60 tons. Travelling north 
along the coast, we pass St. Gilles-mr- Vie, the port of embarkation for the island of 
Yen, St. Jean de Mont, Beauvoir-sttr-Mci; and Boiiin, of which only the last has 
over 1,000 inhabitants. Noirmoutier (2,080 inhabitants), on the island of the 
same name, is the most populous town of this north-western corner of the depart- 
ment, and carries on a brisk trade in the products of the fields. 

In conclusion should be mentioned the famous windmills on the Butte-aux- 
Alouettes, or Larks' Hill (758 feet), between the towns of Herbiers and MortagnC' 
stir-Serre (2,080 inhabitants), on the north-western frontier, by means of whose 
arras the Royalist millers signalled the movements of the ricpublicau troops. 




VOL. II. 



1 


I 


w 
fe 



CHAPTER VIT. 

the basin of the loire. 

General Aspects. 

TIE vast area drained bj' the Loire belongs to three distinct regions, 
geologically as well as physiognomically and historicalh'. In its 
npper course the river, as flir as the " Bill " of the Allicr, is shut 
iu by the rocks of the central plateau ; in its lower course it 
traverses the granitic region of Poitoii and Brittany ; whilst its 
middle course leads in a wide curve through the sands, clays, and marls of the 
tertiary lake basin of Paris. 

The river, in spite of its course of more than 600 miles, has not been powerful 
enough as a geological agent to combine these three regions into a whole. Nor 
is the importance of the river as a commercial highway as great as might be 
expected, for, owing to its ever-changing volume, it is navigable only during a 
portion of the year. Neither does the Loire coincide with any of the great his- 
torical high-i*oads of Europe, for its sources lie in an inaccessible mountain 
region, and it discharges itself into a remote part of the Atlantic. The high-road 
from Northern Europe to Spain follows the Loire from Orleans to Tours, but this 
very flict proves that the river is indebted for its importance, as an international 
high-road, to the position it occupies with reference to the adjoining river basins. 

Touraine and the coimtry on the Middle Loire generally have done more 
towards the birth and development of the French nation than any other part of 
France. Being sheltered in the south-east and west by the sterile plateau of 
Central France, the hiUs of Morvan, and the granitic heights of Poitou, this region 
was without natural defences only on its northern frontier. But in that direction 
the inhabitants of Lorraine, Champagne, Picardy, and the Isle de France formed 
a formidable barrier against intended invasions. It was less troubled by wars than 
other parts of France, and its develoi^ment consequently went on at a more rapid 
rate. The inhabitants of Touraine speak the purest "langue d'oui," and they 
possess in harmonious combination the common sense and gaiety, the wit and 
earnestness, which distinguish the inhabitants of other parts of France. 

For many yeai's the landscapes of Touraine were looked upon as the most 



Till:; LOUIE. 



2U3 



charming in all France. More extensive travel has brought them somewhat into 
disrepute, but if it is borne in mind that our forefathers preferred a quiet and sereno 
landscape to inhospitable and iwthless mountains, wo cannot deny the palm to 
"la belle Tourainc." Verdant hills, gently undulating, bound the horizon, spark- 
ling rivulets wind between elms and poidars, clumps of trees give variety to tlelds 
and meadows, a castle peeps out from behind a screen of foliage, whilst in the 
distance glitter the silvery waters of the great river. Can we imagine a land- 
scape of more gentle aspect ? and was not Torquato Tasso right when he spoke of 
the valley of the Loire as — 

" La terra mollc c liota o dilottosa F " 



Fig. ICJ.— The "Bill" of the Allier. 
Scale 1 : IfiO.OOO. 






"v^ 



0°30E do Paris 





CrOMff par Ef'ftxrd^ 



5 Miles. 



TirE Loire. 

The Loire rises in the Cevennes, and after a course of 270 miles is joined by its 
twin river, the Allier, a few miles below Nevers, at the so-called " Bee," or Bill, 
the volume of the Loire being but slightly superior to that of the Allier. From 
its junction as far as Orleans the Loire flows to the north and north-west in tlie 
direction of the Seine, from which it is separated by land of nioderato elevation 
(260 feet). Conformably to the impulsion given to its waters by the rotation of 
the earth, they press upon its right bank, gnawing away the land. The right 
bank, consequently, is usually steep, whilst the left is flat. 

Q 2 



224- 



TRANCE. 



At Orleans the Loire sweeps round to the south-west. The Loiret, which joins 
it below that town, can hardly be called a tributary, for it is fed from the Loire 
itself through subterranean channels. The principal rivers which enter the Loire 
on the left, far below Orleans, are the Cher, the Indre, and the Yienue, all of them 
having their sources on the central plateau. Lower down still, the Maine flows 
into the Loire from the north. It is formed by the junction of the Sarthe and the 
Mayenne with the Loir. Each of the three head-streams traverses a distinct 
geological region, whilst the united river has excavated itself a channel through 
the schists of Angers, quarried for slate. 

The Maine and the other tributaries of the Lower Loire, which flow through 
crystalline or palaeozoic formations, join almost at right angles, whilst the rivers 



Fig. 166.— The Autiiion. 
SmIc 1 : 410,000. 




, 6 iLUes. 



winding through the tertiary formations of Orleanais and Touraine sometimes flow 
for considerable distances in the same direction as the river which they are about 
to join. The Cher, the Indre, and the Yienne are instances of this kind, not to 
speak of minor rivers. Lateral channels, enclosing willow-clad islands, form a 
distinctive feature of the alluvial valley of the Loire. One of these extends for 30 
miles below "the confluence of the Cher ; another, known as the Authion, accom- 
panies the left bank of the Loire for a distance of 40 miles. 

These parallel channels, which extend from Blois to Ancenis, must be looked 
upon as the result of the frequent inundations of the Loire. The river, when in 
flood, imdermines the hills bounding its valley, and thus creates lateral channels, 



THE LOIEE. 



223 



into which its tributaries subsequently empty themselves instead of flowing direct 
into the main channel. !JIorcover, tho immense quantity of alluvium brought 
down by the river tends to tho elevation of tho tongues of land which separate its 
tributary rivers. It has been computed that 9,000,000 cubic tons of sand arc 
carried past the confluence of the Loiro and Allier annually, travelling down the 



Fig. 167. — La Solooxb. 
Sede 1 : 610,000. 



W. i.r p 




10 Jlilcs. 



river at a daily rate of 8-5 feet in summer, and of 30 feet in winter. This inces- 
sant denudation and deposition explain tho physical aspect of the valley of the 
Loire. 

If wc look upon that river in summer, when it rolls on sluggishly hetween 
banks of sand, we can hardly conceive it possible that it should occasionally rise 
twenty and more feet above its usual level, and, breaking through the embankments 



226 



FKANCB. 



Fig 



1G8.— The Eudke. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 







r 



tlirown up along it, flood tlie plains beyond to tne extent of miles. These floods 
ai'e duo partly to tho small lieight of the mountains from which the river is fed, 
and partly to the impervious nature of the rocks which compose them. The former 
prevents the formation of glaciers which could feed the river during summer ; the 
latter causes the rain to run off rapidly. The volume of the river below its con- 
fluence with the Allier varies, according- to the seasons, between 30 and 10,000 
tons a second. 

Embankments for the protection of the towns and villages were thrown 
up as eaily as the ninth century, and perhaps 
earlier, and the river has not changed its bed during 
the historical epoch. The embankments, however, 
which lined the Loire between Orleans and Angers 
up to the seventeenth century were only 10 or 12 
feet in height, and the floods frequently swept over 
them. They have been heightened and strengthened 
since that time. A double barrier, 23 feet in height, 
was completed in 1783, and extends from the " Bill " 
of the Allier downwards along the whole of the 
^Middle Loire. These embankments sufiico as a rule, 
but the disastrous floods of 1841, 1856, and 1866' 
prove that they do not meet exceptional cases. The 
river has been imprudently confined to a channel only 
820 to 980 feet in width. When the river begins to 
swell it very soon fills up this narrow channel, and 
frequently overflows or breaks through the barriers 
erected to confine it. As a rule the embankments on 
the upper part of the river give way first. The water 
then pours thi'ough them into the lateral channels of 
the river, and the perils of inundation, therefore, 
diminish in proportion as we descend the river, and 
below the Maine they need not be dreaded at all. 

There can be no doubt about the urgent necessity 
of reconstructing the river defences, a work of no 
small diiEcidtj'-, as it would interfere with innumerable 
conflicting private interests. The channel enclosed 
between embankments must be widened so as to 
enable the river, when flooded, to spread over a larger 
surface ; and an interior line of dykes must be constructed to meet ordinary 
freshets. In addition to this, dams should be built across the head-streams of 
the Loire, in order that their water may be stored up, and its discharge regidated. 
Only one dam of this kind exists as yet, above Koanne, and its effect is satis- 
factory in every respect. It is believed that if dams of this kind were to be 
tlirown across every one of the valleys the Loire might be rendered navigable 
during the whole of the year. 




■-^^^t^ 




2 MUes. 



THE LOIRE. 



227 



The aspect of the lake districts of Sologno and Brcnno amply proves tliat the 
basin of the Loire is passing through a state of geological transformation. The 
plains of Sologne wore formerly covered with a dense forest which absorbed the 
moisture. The forests have been destroyed, and the district converted into a 
region of pestilential swamps and lakes similar to thoDombes, described on p. 154. 
The work of draining and planting is, however, being proceeded with rapidly. 
The Brenne, a similar district farther south, is likewise being drained. 

In the crystalline and palaeozoic region on the Lower Loire several of the 
rivers are still in a state of transition. Tho Erdro, for instance, which joins the 



Kg. 169. — Thb Lake op Gbaxd Lieu. 
Scale 1 : 250.000. 




. i Miles. 



Loire at Xantes, may be described as a lacustrine river. To the south of the Loire 
the Lake of Grand Lieu occupies a cavity in the granite. This lake is fed not only 
by rivulets which fall into it, but also by the Loire, the level of which, at high 
water, is about 3 feet higher than that of tho lake. The channel which con- 
nects the latter is consequently alternately an affluent and an effluent. Nay, 
tradition tells us that the- lake owes its existence to an irruption of the Loire, and 
superstitious fishermen occasionally hear tho bells of St. Ilerbadilla, a village now 



228 



PEANCE. 



buried beneatla it. The lake covers an area of 17,000 acres, and, as its average 
depth does not exceed 6 feet, it might easily be drained. 

Another lake, near the mouth of the river, that of Grande Brierc, is now 
completely silted up. Some gGologlsts look upon this bog as an old gulf of the 
sea, with which it communicated formerly through Ptolemy's Brivates Portua, 

Fig. 170.— La Grande Briere. 

Scale 1 : 100,000. 




— eI^3 txtapoR-B 



^ 50 W 1 Fnrn 



^^ J 













2 Jliles. 



whoso name survives in the river Brive. In reality, however, this is a spongy 
morass, similar in all respects to the bogs of Ireland, and formed in the same 
manner. The peasants around it, known as " Brierons," cut about 20,000 tons of 
turf annually, which is exported to all the towns of "Western France, and a con- 
fuderable portion of which is converted into manure. 



THE LOIEE. 



229 



The tide ascends far beyond Nantes, but the maiiiimo estuary can bo said to 
begin only at Pellerin, about 9 miles below that town. The river thence varies 
in width between 1 and 3 miles, and is obstructed by numerous ever-shifting 
sand-banks and islands. Some of these latter have, in course of time, been attached 
to the mainland, the most remarkable instance being that of the tele, or " head," 
upon which rises the town of Pen-Bo (" bullock's head "), called Paimbocuf in 
French. 

The narrows between St. Nazaire and Mindin separate the estuary from the 
outer bay of the river. A bar, covered with 12 feet of water at the ebb, lies 
off the mouth of this bay, the navigation of which is, moreover, obstructed by 

I'ig. 171. — PAiMncE0r. 

Scale 1 : a}.000. 



i.'ia"W«< Paris 




I-WoJCp. 



Diixth. lOy Fcti f3 «.?5 

-. — IMile. 

numerous islands and sunken rocks. The tide rises 17 feet, and the largest 
vessels can consequently enter the river if they bide their time. 

The northern coast of this bay has been subjected to consideraole changes. In 
the east, for a distance of 8 miles, the land has been washed away by the sea, 
there remaining only a line of cliffs, beyond which the sea has invaded the land, 
forming a vast gulf surrounded bj' .shifting dunes, which in 1779 overwhelmed the 
village of Escoublac. In the west an inverse process has been going on, and the 
old islands of Pouliguen, Batz, and Le Croisic are now attached to the mainland, 
the arm of the sea which separated them having gradually been converted into a 
brackish swamp. 

The inhabitants of Batz claim to be of Saxon or Scandinavian descent, but iu 
reality they do not differ from their neighbours on the plateau of Guerande either 
in dress, customs, or language. In both disti'icts we meet with a number of tall, 
fair, blue-eyed men. They both spoke Breton up to +he close of the seventeenth 



230 



FEANCB. 



century, a language at present restricted to a small village near Batz. The 
isolation, however, in which the islanders of Eatz lived for centuries gave birth to 
a strong local patriotism. Their young men never looked for wives beyond their 
"island," and all the inhabitants are cousins. Out of a population of 2,750 
persons, nearly one-half belong to eight families, and there is one family which 
can boast of 490 members. Under these circumstances family names and surnames 
do not suffice, and nearly every individual is known by some sobriquet. No ill 
consequences have resulted from these consanguineous marriages, either physically 
or mentally. Morallj^, likewise, the inhabitants of Batz enjoy a high reputation, 

Pig. 172. — The Mouth of the Loire. 

Ffth 1 : 280,000. 




*■> tS'Vf of Paris 




P^deS^&MM^'--, 



Z''2SVWof Gr. 



3/>ef,ti. 10 /lei 

I X^/aiAiOtu 



E— _i DepOt S Fathoms 

^ ■ ■! n Jo aiidmore, 



. 5 Miles 



and a local proverb says that " no bowl can be thrown in the village but stops in 
front of an honest man's house." 



Topography. 

NiEVRE, thus named after a little river entering the Loire at Nevers, is the 
modern representative of Nivernais. It is within this department that the Loire 
first assumes the character which it retains throughout its middle course. The 
crystalline heights of Morvan in the east are drained into the Seine. The soil is 
not very fertile, but carefully cultivated. There are mineral springs, iron and coal 



NIEYBE. 



281 



mines, clay pits, and ninnufactorios of china, cutlery, and hardware. The iron 
industry of the country dates back to a very remote age, and the remains of Gallo- 
Homan forges are met with by hundreds. The population, owing to the hilly 
nature of the department, is not dense. Of lute years it has decreased. 

Decize (3,547 inhabitants) occupies an island of the Upper Loire, and has 
several iron works, supplied with coal from the neighbouring mines of La Machim 
(3,091 inhabitants). Ncccrs (20,(i01 inhabitants), the capital, occupies a favour- 
able site near the junction of the Loire and AUicr, and is the centre of a busy 
manufacturing district. It enjoyed some importance in the time of Julius Cicsar, 
but its finest edifice is the old castle of its dukes, now used as a court of justice. 
The manufacture of china was introduced by the Gonzagos of Mantua, who were 
proprietors of the town in the sixteenth century, and still flourishes, but the 

Fi^. 173. — Le Cuoisic and Batz. 
Scale 1 : 150,000. 



I »" So \V .if I'.li-is 




2 Miles. 



largest establishment is the Government arsenal for the manufacture of cannon 
and artillery carriages. At Imphy (1,437 inhabitants), above Nevers, are iron 
foundries ; ai FourchumhanU (5,G8G inhabitants), below, iron works and a foundry ; 
and at Guerigny (1,870 inhabitants) the Government foundrj' of La Chaussade. 

Travelling down the Loire we pass Poiigues, with its steel springs ; the 
old monastic city of La Charity (4,776 inhabitants), with an old abbey, a 
" daughter " of that of Cluny, and exceedingly wealthy in the eleventh and twelfth 
centuries; rouilly-Kitr-Loire (1,939 inhabitants), witli famous ^•incyal•ds planted by 
the monks of La Charitu ; and Cosiic (0,711 inhabitants). 

St. Amand (1,443 inhabitants), in Puisaye, at some distance from the Loire, 
has potteries, while Donzy (2,560 inhabitants), to the south of it, is known for its 
hardware. 



232 FE.iNCE. 

Chateau-Cliinon (2,593 inhabitants), the old capital of Morvan, in the eastern 
portion of the department, occupies a most picturesque site overlooking the Yonne 
and the wooded heights beyond it. Descending the river just named, we reach 
the busy little town of Clamccij (4,663 inhabitants), which carries on a considerable 
trade in timber. 

CiiER includes about one- half of Berry and a small portion of Bourbonnais. 
It is bounded by the Loire in the east, whilst the Cher, with its tributaries, Yevre 
and Auron, traverses its western portion. The department produces corn, hemp, 
and sheep, the latter noted for their fine wool. Its iron mines, yielding 274,000 
tons of ore annually, are of considerable importance. 

Sancerre (2,830 inhabitants) is the only town of importance on the Loire. It 
has become known through the heroic siege which its Protestant inhabitants sus- 
tained in 1573. Proceeding up the Aubois, we pass Gucrchc (1,837 inhabitants) 
and Sancoins (2,970 inhabitants), and following the canal of Berry, reach the valley 
of Auron, the richest iron district of the department. The town of Dun-Ie-Roi 
(4,357 inhabitants) occupies its centre. 

Bourses (31,102 inhabitants), the old capital of Berry, occupies a low site at the 
confluence of the Auron with the Yevre. It is the Avaricum of the Romans, and 
a council was held here in 1225, which led to Louis VIII. taking the field against 
the Albigcnses. The most remarkable buildings of the town are a cathedral of the 
thirteenth century ; the mansion of the silversmith, Jacques Coeur, a masterpiece 
of the Eenalssancc, now used as a court of justice ; and the Hotel Cujas, converted 
into police barracks. A vast arsenal, including a cannon foundry, a laboratory, 
stores, and artillery ranges, occupies a considerable area to the east of the town. 

Passing 3Ichun (5,25G inhabitants), with its manufactories of china, and a 
castle in which died Charles VII., we reach Vierzon (10,053 inhabitants), at the 
confluence of the Yevre and Cher, the most important manufacturing town of the 
department, where china, glass, cutlery, textile fabrics, and agricultural machinery 
are produced. 

St. Amand-Mont-Bond (7,719 Inhabitants) is the only town of importance on 
the Cher. Near it are Roman ruins, including a temple, a theatre, baths, and an 
aqueduct. A castle of the Duke of Mortemart, sumptuously restored, lies to tlie 
north of the town, in the forest of Meillant. 

Indee forms a portion of the old province of Berry. The river Indre traverses 
its centre, whilst its north and south are respectively drained by the Loire and the 
Cher. The south of the department is occupied by granite moimtains, but the 
greater portion of it consists of Jurassic limestone or tertiary plains. In these 
latter three districts are distinguished, viz. the Brenne, a tract abounding in pcnds, 
woods, and heaths ; the Bois-Chaud, a pebbly tract covered with forests ; and 
the Champagne country, a limestone district, not exactly distinguished for its 
fertility. The iron industry, which was of great importance formerly, is declining 
steadily. 

Issoiuhm (11,293 inhabitants), the largest town in the basin of the Loire, and 
one of the oldest in France, has suffered much through the revocation of the Edict 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERaTyofltLiNuIS. 



LOIHET. 



2C3 



of Nantes, but still engages in the manufacture of leather aud of woollen stufl's, 
drawing most of its raw materials from the surrounding country. The valley of 
the Theols, as well as the country to the west of it as far as Vafaii (2,045 inha- 
bitants) and Lcrroujc (3,293 inhabitants), abounds in prehistoric remains and 
medixval castles. One of these latter is at Vakii^ay (1,812 inbabitants), and 
within its walls Napoleon conBned King Ferdinand VII. of Spain. 

La Chatre (4,39-4 inhabitants), on the Upper Indre, has important markets. 
Near it is the village of Xoliunl, where Georges Sand resided. Cliuteaiiroux 
(1(3,980 inhabitants), lower down on the Indre, and the capital of the department, 
has manufactories of tobacco and army cloth. It was founded in the tenth century, 
but for a long time remained inferior to the abbatial city of Diok (2,334 inha- 



Fig. 174. — Oia^ANa. 
Scale 1 : tOO.OOO. 






VV ,.fl'. 



u*f:-^''''*"|«'y^^ 




"Trsf 



lUUe. 



bitants), on the opposite bank of the river. The other towns on the Indre are 
Buzaiigaiii (3,470 inhabitants) and ChCdiUon (2,123 inhabitants). 

Argcnton (5,003 inhabitants), on the Creusc, is an important town, having 
tan-yards, cloth factories, paper-mills, and brick-kilns. Le Blanc (4,724 inha- 
bitants) has cloth factories. At Neuvtj St. Scjnikre (1,292 inhabitants), in a side 
valley of the Crcuse, there is a curious old church imitated from that of the Holy 
Sepulchre at Jerusalem. 

LoiRET, named after a subterranean river which rises to the surface near 
Orleans, includes the greater part of old Orleanais. It occupies that portion of 
France where the valleys of the Loire and the Seine approach nearest to each 
other. The vallcj* of the Loire, with its fertile fields aud populous towns, traversse 
the centre of the department. To the north of it lie the forest-clad hills of 
Puisaye ; the Gatinais, partly wooded ; the forest of Orleans ; and the corn-fields 
of Beauce. To the south of the river are the sterile sands of Sologue. 



234 FEANCE. 

Bn'nre (3,970 iuliabitaiits) is the first town met witli on descending the Loire. 
Its position at the month of the canal which connects the Loire with the Seine 
enables it to carry on a profitable commerce. Gien (G,493 inhabitants), a few 
miles lower down, has potteries. We then pass Sit?/// (1,980 inhabitants), with an 
old castle of Henri IV.'s duke ; and Sf. Beno'it, a very important town in the 
time of the Carlovingians, with the remains of an old abbey ; Cliatcaiinciif (2,799 
inhabitants), an old residence of the Kings of France ; and Jargcau (1,558 inha- 
bitants), where Joan of Arc was wounded during the siege of Orleans. 

Orleans (49,896 inhabitants) is one of the great historical towns of France, 
and has played a part quite out of proportion to its pojiulation. "Upon the 
fate of Orleans frequently depended that of all France; the names of Cscsar, Attila, 
Joan of Arc, and De Guise record the sieges which it has sustained." Amongst its 
ancient buildings arc a tower captured b)^ Joan of Arc during the memorable siege 
of 1-429 ; an old town-hall, converted into a museum ; several churches, including 
a cathedral erected in the seventeenth century ; a fine town-hall of the Renaissance ; 
and several noteworthy private houses. Woollen stuffs are manufactured, but the 
town is prominent rather for its commerce than for its industries. The vicinity 
abounds in nurseries and market gardens. Lower down on the Loire are St. Ay, 
noted for its wines ; Jilcung (3,122 inhabitants), an old town ; Cleri/ (1,225 inha- 
bitants), with a church containing the tombs of Louis XL andDunois; and the 
picturesque town oi Bcaugcncij (3,901 inhabitants), frequently mentioned in mili- 
tary history. Couhnicrs, where a battle was fought in the last war, and Patay, 
where Talbot was taken prisoner by Joan of Arc, are north of the latter. 

Pithh'iers (4,899 inhabitants), in Beauce, exports almond cakes and lark patties- 
Passing thence through Beaune hi Rolande, a place mentioned in connection with 
the events of 1870, we reach Montaryis (9,175 inhabitants), the chief place of 
Gatinais, built upon several islands of the river Loing. Lorn's (1,438 inhabitants), 
an old town to the south-west of the latter, has become known through a code of 
laws collected in the twelfth century, and for a long time in force throughout the 
surrounding districts. 

Loir-et-Chkr is named after two rivers, which intersect its northern and 
southern portions, separated by the valley of the Loire. In the north are the 
corn-fields of Beauce, but the verdant hills lining the southern bank of the Loire 
soon merge into the di-eary plains of Sologne. About one-tenth of the area is 
covered with forests, an equal area consists of heaths, and there exists but little 
manufacturing industry. 

Mer (3,467 inhabitants), on the Loire, has a few vineyards. At Siietres may 
be seen " sacred " stones and the remains of an ancient city ; Mcnars boasts an old 
castle; and /S/". i)e«/.s has mineral springs similar to those of Spa. Blois (18,188 
inhabitants) is beautifully situated upon hills overlooking the Loire. Historically 
it abounds in interest. It was here the Estates of France met between 1576 and 
1588, the Duke of Guise was assassinated, and Catherine de Medicis breathed her 
last. The fine old castle in which these events took place has been carefully 
restored. Amongst the famous children of Blois was Denys Papin, the physician, 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITVoflLUNOIS, 



LOIR-ET-CUER. 



535 



•whom intolerance drove out of the counfiy. The vicinity of Blois abounds in old 
parks and castles. The old palace of Chamhord, erected by Francis I., one of 
the finest specimens of the Renaissance, is one of the most remarkable amongst 
them. The castle of Bcaiireganl, near Bcuvroii, is noted for its portrait gallery. 
The castle of Cliaiimont, below Blois, surpasses all the above on account of its 
picturesque site. 

Homoraiifin (7,436 inhabitants), the principal town of the Solognc, had impor- 
tant manufactories formerly, but is of little note now. On the Cher are Se/hs 
(3,259 inhabitants) ; Sf. Aigitan (^2,5%1 inhabitants), with mills and tan-yards ; 



Fig. 175. — CuABTUES. 
ScUe 1 : 40,000. 







. 1 line. 



Thizie, noted for its red wines ; and Montrichanl (2,881 inhabitants), with a fine 
castle. The houses of this to^m arc constructed with a stone known as " toph of 
Saumur," which is procured from the quarries of Ihuvre, near the Cher. 

Vendome (7,80G inhabitants), on the Loir, is the only town of note in the north 
of the department. Up to the time of the Reformation it boasted of tan-yards, 
■woollen and glove manufactories, but its industry is nearly gone. Its fine Gothic 
tower and huge castle are quite out of proportion to the number of its inhabitants. 
Monioire (2,65-4 inhabitants), lower down on the Loir, has an old castle, and the 
vicinity of both these towns abounds in Roman and prehistoric remains, including 
a subterranean town, in part still inhabited 



236 TBANCE. 

EuRE-ET-LoiR, named after its two principal rivers, includes the greater part 
of Beauce, and is almost void of natural beauties. The western districts of Dunois, 
Drouais, Thymcrais, and Perche offer more varied scenery. The department is 
one of the granaries of France, and ftimous for a fine breed of horses known as 
Percherons. 

Chateauduii (6,061 inhabitants), on the Loir, is the old capital of Dunois, and 
boasts of an ancient castle. The other old places of note on that river are Bonncval 
(2,373 inhabitants) and Chycs (1,759 inhabitants). 

Norjent-k-Rotrou (6,569 inhabitants), on the Huisne, has an old castle built by 
the Counts of Perche, and manufactures textile fabrics. The villagers in the 
neighbourhood engage extensively in baby-farming, and the mortality amongst 
their little charges is extraordinarily large. 

Chart res (20,067 inhabitants), on the Eure, the old city of the Carnutes, and 
the capital of the department, has a magnificent cathedral, the two steeples of 
which are visible for miles aroimd, and several other interesting churches. The 
ancient fortifications have been converted into public walks, and only one of 
its fortified gates now remains. Descending the Eure, we pass Maintcnon, with 
an old castle. Drcux (7,087 inhabitants), in a side valley of the Eure, is an old 
seat of royalty. It contains the mausoleum of the Orleans family. In the vast 
forest extending to the north of it lies the castle of Anet, which Philibert Delorme 
built for Diana of Poitiers. 

Indke-et-Loire includes nearly the whole of the old province of Touraine. 
It consists of several well-marked districts, viz. the sterile tertiary plateau of 
" Gatinc," to the north of the Loire ; the rich alluvial tract of Varenne, between 
Loire and Cher ; the elevated tract of La Champcigne, between the Cher and the 
delightful valley of the Indre ; the sterile plateau of Ste. Maure, beyond the 
valley ; and the cretaceous district of Veron, which extends along the Loire, 
between it and the Lower Vienne. 

On the Loire rise several magnificent castles, amongst which are those of 
Amhoise (4,475 inhabitants), a favourite residence of the kings during the sixteenth 
century; of Poce; and of CIos-Luci, within the walls of which died Leonardo da 
Vinci in 1519. Another castle equally famous rises upon an island of the Cher, 
at Chcnonceaux, one of the finest examples of the Renaissance, where Farmer- 
General Dupin gathered around him the most famous representatives of the litera- 
ture of the eighteenth century. 

Tours (48,325 inhabitants) occupies a site on the narrow tongue of land lying 
between the Loire and the Cher. This fine town transmits to us the name of the 
old tribe of the Turones. Its Roman remains are restricted to a few remnants of 
the old walls and to the foundations of an amphitheatre. The Middle Ages are 
represented by a cathedral, the towers of St. Martin's Church, and the ruins of a 
palace buUt by Louis XI. Amongst modern structures the fine bridge over the 
Loire, which connects Tours with its suburb of St. Symphorien (2,169 inhabitants), 
is the most remarkable. A statue of Descartes has been erected upon it. Tours 
is one of the most pleasant towns of France, and its library, museum, and scientific 



IKD BE- ET- LOIRE. 



287 



societies iiffoid iutellectuul resources, but its commerce and industry ure fur lets 
than might be expected from its favourable geographical position. In the time of 
Louis XI. it bad a population of 80,000 souls, but its pri spcrity was destroyed 1)y 
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Tiiere arc railway works, silk-mills, woollen 
factories, tan-yards, and manufactories of glazed china. Candied prunes are amongst 
the delicacies for which " Fat " Tours is celebrated. 

Vourraij (1,3!H inhabitants), to the cast of Tours, produces a superior wino. 
Mettraij (l,87o inhabitants), to the north, has a reformalory founded in 1809. 
Cliaieaurenault (3,487 inhabitants) is the largest town in that part of the depart- 
ment which lies to the north of the Loire. Its tan-yards and leather manufactures 
are of considerable importance. 

Descending the Loire, we pass several fine castles, including those of Lui/nes, 
Vereiz, Ciuq-Mars (St. Medard), and Langeais, the latter one of the finest examples 
of the militury architecture of the fifteenth century. Bourgueil (1,711 inhabitants), 

Fig. 176.— TouKS. 

^ lule I : i:CO,(«.» 




SSlUcs. 



on the north of the Loire, has vineyards, but the red wines grown there do not 
keep. 

Lochts (3,689 inhabitants) is the principal town in the valley of the Indre. 
In addition to a huge castle, now used as a prison, it boasts of several mcdioeval 
buildings, including two royal castles. Moiitlazon and Azay-lc-Rkh'au (1,335 
inhabitants), lower down on that river, are likewise noted on accoimt of their old 
castles. 

Chinon (4,536 inhabitants), on the Vienne, is one of the historical towns of 
France. From the time of Clovis to that of the religious wars it was one of the 
most coveted fortresses. The Norman Kings of England frequently resided here, 
and Charles VII. of France here assembled the Estates of his kingdom. Fearful 
scenes have taken place within its walls, and a spot is still pointed out where one 
hundred and fifty Jews were burnt for poisoning the wells. Rabelais was born in 
the neighbourhood. Ascending the Yieinie, we reach L'lale liouc/iani, with 

VOL. II. K 



238 



PEANOE. 



cement works, and La Haye, tlio birthplace of Descartes. At Grand Pressignij, 
near the latter, M. Leveille, in 1863, discovered a rich store of flint implements. 

Ste. Maurc (1,684 inhabitants) lies on the steiile plateau to the north of the 
Vienne. RichcUeu (2,328 inhabitants), in a side valley of that river, was the birth- 
place of the famous cardinal of that name. Of the magnificent palace which ho 
built himself there exist now only a few insignificant ruins. 

Maixe-et-Loire, named after the two rivers which join below Angers, includes 
the most important portion of the old province of Anjou. Crystalline rocks 
predominate in the east, sedimentary ones in the west, and these two zones conse- 



Fig. 177. — Angeks. 
Scale 1 : 120,000. 




1 'hiae. 



quently differ in their physiognomy, vegetation, sj'stems of husbandry, and the 
material used in building houses. In the east forests of some extent still exist, 
but upon the whole the department is carefully cultivated, and wine, corn, fruit, 
and cattle form important articles of export. 

We begin travelling down the valley of the Loire. The first town we reach is 
Saunnir (13,463 inhabitants), with a fine old castle, numerous church steeples, and 
excellent quays along the river. The town is the seat of the great cavalry school 
of the French army, almost monopolizes the manufacture of chaplets, and carries 
on much trade in agricultural produce. The vicinity abounds in antiquities. The 



SAETHE. 239 

cromlech of Bagneiir, witliin a mile of the town, is the finest of all Anjou. At 
Dout-lii-Foiitaiiie (3,194 iuhubitaiits), farther to the south-east, are several other 
cromlechs ; but far more famous than these are the remains of a magnificent 
abbey at Fontevrault (2,651 inhabitants), now used as a house of detention. 

The villages below Saumur, such as Tri-res, Cunault, Qcnues, La Menitri; and 
57. Jfaiir, arc remarkable on account of their ruins of ecclesiastical or other old 
buildings. Lis Poiiti-de-Cc (1,876 inhabitants), on an island, is strategically 
important, as the passage of the Loire can easily be efibcted here. The Authion 
(see Fig. 1G6) joins it below that town, the principal places in its fertile valley 
being Loikjuv (1,876 inhabitants) and Beaufoi-t-vit-VdlUv (2,680 inhabitants), both 
centres of the linen industrj'. The best hemp of France is grown there. 

A few miles below Ponts-de-Cc, at La Pointe, the river Maine joins from the 
north. Still travelling down the Loire, we pass Chalonncs (2,449 inhabitants) and 
its coal mines ; the village of Champtocc (762 inhabitants), where Jfarshal Gilles 
de Rctz, the legendary Bluebeard, had his castle ; and the jncturcsque little town 
of St. Florcnt-k-Vicil (958 inhabitants), mth David's mausoleum of the Vendean 
partisan, Bonehamps. Retracing our steps to the mouth of the Maine, we ascend 
that river for 5 miles, and reach Autjcrs (53,366 inhabitants), the capital of the 
department, named after the Gallic tribe of the Andecaves, and next to Nantes 
the most important town in the basin of the Lower Loire. Boulevards enclose the 
old city, built around a magnificent cathedral, and suburbs stretch out bej-ond 
thcra in every direction. The castle built by Louis IX. occupies the summit of a 
bold rock, and there are many other mediaeval buildings which impart u character 
to the town. There arc scientific societies and colleges, a school of art industry, 
and museums, amongst which that containing a collection of the works of the 
sculptor, David of Angers, is perhaps the most interesting. Commerce and 
industry flourish. There are foundries and linen and sail-cloth manufactories. The 
nurseries and market gardens in the neighbourhood arc famous throughout France, 
and the vineyards of Si. Barthilemij, Rochefort, St. Georges, and Serrant enjoy a 
high reputation. The slate quarries {ardomerex), to the east of the town, are the 
most important in France, yielding about 200,000,000 slates annually. 

Segre (2,212 inhabitants) and Baugi (3,318 inhabitants) are the only towns of 
anj' importance in the north of the department. 

Cholet (12,335 inhabitants), in the south-west, on a tributary of the Sevre, 
suffered much during the Vendean war, but recovered rapidly from its disasters. 
It is now one of the centres of the linen and woollen industry of France, besides 
which it carries on a brisk trade in cattle. The surrounding villages are dependent, 
in a large measure, upon the manufactories of Cholet, as are also Beaupnau (2,579 
inhabitants), on the Evrc, and Chemillv (3,073 inhabitants). 

At Thoiiarci, on the Layon, are Roman ruins ; whilst Brksac, on the Aubance, 
boasts of a sumptuous castle built in the seventeenth century. 

Sartjie includes portions of the old provinces of Maine, Anjou, and Pcrchc. 
The Sarthc, which flows west through a hilly district, and the Loir, the valley of 
which is bounded by low chalk cliffs, draiii the department into the Loire. 

P. 2 



240 



FEANCE. 



Jurassic limestones, chalk, and tertiary formations predominate. Agriculture is 
the principal occupation, the land being cultivated for the most part by farmers. 
Its geese, pullets, and capons are famous throughout France. 



Fig. 178. — The Slate Quakkies neaii Angers. 




Le Mans (45,709 inhabitants) occupies an elevated site at the confluence of the 
Huisne with the Sarthe. It is a prosperous town. Roman towers and a magnifi- 
cent cathedral attest its antiquitj^ but its numerous factories prove that it is 



8ARTUE. 



2il 



abreast of modem times. Hardwaro, agricultural implements, linens, and other 
textile fabrics are manufactured. Ftcsuay-le-Vicomie (3,010 inhabitants), on the 
Upper Sartho, at the foot of a tottering fortress, manufactures linens, whilst SnUt' 
(5,334 inhabitants), on the Lower Sarthe, has marble quarries, manufactories of 
farinaceous preparations, and cattle fairs. Within a couple of miles of it is the 
famous abbey of Soksmes, founded in the thirteenth century. 

SiUc-k'-Gtiillaume (2,995 inhabitants) and Louv, two small towns to the west of 
the Sarthe, engage in the manufacture of linen, an industry likewise carried on 



Kg. 179.— Lb Man8. 
Scale 1:60,000. 

:"'10 Wof Pirun 







. 1 llilc. 



in the picturesque town of Mamera (5,147 inhabitants), and at Bonnitahk (3,185 
inhabitants), to the east of that river. 

La Ferti-Bernard (2,634 inhabitants) is the principal town in the beautiful 
valley of the Huisne. At Diiiieau, near it, may be seen a remarkable cromlech. 

La Fkche (7,468 inhabitants), on the Loir, is the seat of a military school 
occupying the old Jesuit college in which Descartes was educated. Higher up on 
that river are Le Liide (2,720 inhabitants), with a fine modern mansion ; Chulvau- 
du-Loir (2,527 inhabitants), inhabited by clog-makers, quarrymen, and tanners ; 



212 FEANCE. 

and Charfre, wliere there are several subterranean liabitations. North of the Loir 
are Ecommoy (1,841 inhabitants), Maijet (1,631 inhabitants), and 8t. Calais (3,000 
inhabitants). 

Mayenne lies almost wholly within the basin of the river whose name it bears, 
and which, lower down, is known as Maine. Geologically it forms a part of 
Brittany. There are slate quarries, coal mines, and lime-kilns. The linen 
industry is of importance, but more so the cultivation of the soil and the breeding 

of cattle. 

Mayenne (8,826 inhabitants) is the chief town in the north of the department. 
The manufacture of linen occupies several thousand workmen in the town and the 
villages near it, and there are also cotton-mills, flour-mills, and lime-kilns. Ern^e 
(3,866 inhabitants) and Chailland (518 inhabitants), both on the river Ern(5e, which 
enters the Mayenne from the west, are likewise engaged in the linen industry. 
Juhlains, a village to the south-east of Mayenne, is the old capital of the Aulerci- 
Diablintes, and, in addition to a magnificent castellum, possesses other Roman ruins 
of the highest interest. 

Laval (25,110 inhabitants) is a delightful city on both banks of the Mayenne, 
surrounded by shady walks and fine gardens. Ambroise Pare, the " father of 
French surgeons," was a native of the place, and a monument has been erected in 
his honour. Several thousand workmen are engaged in the manufacture of fancy 
tickino-, and there are also marble works and lime-kilns. Coal is worked at 
Gcrmanehieres, to the west of Laval ; whilst the rocks of Coevrons, above the fine 
old city of Evron (3,433 inhabitants), yield porphyry, granite, kaolin, and man- 
ganese. Ste. Suzanne, a village near Evron, still possesses its mediajval castle and 
walls. 

Chateau-Gonticr (7,218 inhabitants) on the Lower Mayenne, is a great agricul- 
tural mart, and its ferruginous springs attract a certain number of visitors. Craon 
(3,874 inhabitants), to the west of it, was the birthplace of Volney. It is famous 
for its pigs and its breed of horses. Coal mines and slate quarries are near it. 

Loire-Inferieure is intersected by the Lower Loire and its estuary. Historically 
and geologically it belongs to Brittanj', but the peasantry have long ago discarded 
the use of the Breton tongue, and commercial interests have aKenated the country 
from Brittany. The department is rich in horses and cattle, agriculture and 
gardening are carried on with much success, while industry and commerce flourish. 

Nantes (116,093 inhabitants), one of the great commercial towns of France, 
dates back to a time far anterior to that of the Romans, and bears the name of the 
Grallic tribe of the Namnetes. Its position, at a point where the rivers Erdre and 
Sevro join the Loire, is exceedingly favourable for commerce, especially as sea- 
going vessels can reach its fine quays with every tide. Its most remarkable 
buildings are a castle on the river bank, a Gothic cathedral, and modern palatial 
edifice, beneath the roof of which have been brought together the library, 
museum, and art collections of the town. The public park is one of the finest. 
Historically the name of the town is connected with the Edict of Nantes, promul- 
gated by Henri IV. in 1598, but revoked by Louis XIV. in 1685. As a maritime 



LIBRARV 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ULINOIS. 



LOra PMNF^EIEURE. 



243 



port the town is losing ground since the introduction of larger vessels, for only 
those drawing less than 10 feet of water can safely venture up the river. At the 
same time it must not be forgotten that the commerce of St. Nazaire, at the mouth 
of the river, is carried on almost exclusively by Xantcs firms. In former times 
Nantes supplied the French West Indies with slaves, taking sugar in return, and 
up to the present time its intercourse with these colonies is very active. It is the 
great colonial dejjot of the valley of the Loire, and its sugar refineries only vield 
to those of Paris and Marseilles. Iron foundries, lead and brass work.s, oil-mills, 



Fig. 180.— Nantes. 
ficale 1 : 56,000. 



J- WW or Par« 




-y ; JsKfewjw^^-H^^jsf 







■ IMUe. 



soap works, machine shops, a tobacco manufactory, ship-yards, and other industrial 
establishments give employment to thousands of workmen. Other thousands 
work in the granite quarries above the suburb of Chatitenaij (8,490 inhabitants). 
The preservation of food annuallj' increases in importance. The valle3-s of the 
Erdre and Sevre abound in fine old castles and modern country mansions, the 
latter more especially around Cllsson (2,241 inhabitants). 

Ancenis (4,668 inhabitants) is the only town on the Loire above Nantes. 
Descending the river, we pass Lidre (2,229 inhabitants) and the island of Indret, 



244 



FRANCE. 



with an old castle and a Government manufactory for marine engines ; Coueron 
(1,063 inhabitants) and its lead works; and reach Sarenni/ (1,703 inhabitants), a 
small town built on a bluff to the north, affording a magnificent prospect over the 
estuary of the Loire. Paimkeiif (2,473 inhabitants) lies opposite, but its harbour 
is hardly ever now visited by merchantmen since docka have been excavated at Sf. 
Nazaire (14,761 inhabitants), at the mouth of the river, and 30 rjiles below 



Fig. 181.— St. Nazaike. 
Scale 1 : 30.000. 



I>° [ 31"Wf.f P arij 




2"|inVofGr. 



J Mile. 



Nantes. This town haa sprung up rapidly since 1856 around a Breton village, 
and packet steamers connect it with the West Indies and other parts of the world. 
In reality, however, it is merely an outport of Nantes, to which most of the mer- 
chandise is forwarded immediately after it has been landed. Its environs consist 
of barren heaths, and the town is very much in want of good drinking water.* 

* Value of imports (1875) at St. Nazaire, £13,240,000 ; at Nantes, £2,800,000 ; of eitports at St. 
Nazaire, £2,680,000, at Nantes £3,200,000. 



LOIEE-INFEBIEmE. 245 

The district to the west of St. Nazaire, with its primitive inhabitants, its ever- 
changing coast, and its salt swamps, yielding about 30,000 tons of salt a year, is 
one of the most interesting in France. Its principal towns arc Croixic (1,081 
inhabitants), much frequented by seaside visitors, and Giicraiu/e (2,415 inhabitants), 
still surrounded by turreted walls. On the wide bay to the south of tho Loire, in 
the district of Rctz, are Bounjucuf (817 inhabitants) and Toriiic, a rising seaside 
resort, with numerous pretty villas. 

Clu'iteaubriaut (4,082 inhabitants) is the only place of importance in the north 
of the department, its old walls and gabled houses offering a curious contrast to 
its modern court of justice and manufactories. Agricultural progress, too, 
changes the face of the country, and lai-ge tracts of heath in the ^•icinity of tho 
agricultural school of Grandjouan have been converted into productive land. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

BRITTANY (BRETAGNE). 
General Aspects. 




IITTANY and Cotentin, the two peninsulas of Western France, 
are geologically of the same origin, and, together with Poitou 
and Cornwall, arc the principal remaining portion of a huge 
granitic island, which also included Poitou and Cornwall, and was 
separated from the continent by an arm of the sea extending to 
the Vosges and the plateau of Central France. An irruption of the Atlantic 
severed the French portion of this ancient island from that lying beyond the 
Channel. The ocean incessantly lashes the broken coast of these peninsulas, but 
their granitic rocks are better able to resist its onslaughts than is the calcareous 
soil of Normandy and Saintonge. 

The climate and physical aspects of these two peninsulas are the same, but 
their political history has been very different. The Bay of St. Michel completely 
separates Brittany from Cotentin ; and the latter being too small of extent to lead 
an independent life, and moreover easy of access, very soon cast in its lot with that 
of the population of Northern France. Brittany, on the other hand, offered a 
stubborn resistance to every attempt at assimilation. Thanks to its remoteness — 
far away from the great high-roads of nations — it was able to maintain its old 
customs and its Celtic tongue. The stubborn resistance offered by the Bretons to 
foreign encroachments was maintained for centuries. The English, though masters 
of Anjou and of Normandy, never succeeded in firmly establishing themselves in 
Brittany ; and long after that province had become French it maintained its 
ancient customs, and down to the present day it is distinguished for many pecu- 
liarities. 

Rocks, tortuous valleys, heaths, and forests separate Brittany from the rest of 
France, and the readiest access to it is afforded by the sea. Its many fine harbours 
facilitated the creation of a mercantile marine, and the frequent wars between 
England and France afforded an opportunity to the Bretons for exhibiting their 
prowess at sea. The rivalry between them and the " Bretons " on the other 
side of the channel fed their local patriotism, whUst frequent intercourse with 



GEXERAL ASPECTS. 



247 



other maritirao districts of France created amongst thern a Freuch national 
feelinjr. 



In its general features, Brittany consists of two 'Lands of granite, gradually 
approaching each other in the west, the triangular space between them being 
occupied by ancient sedimentary formations. 

The crystalline, fern-clad heights to the west of the Lower Loire, known as the 
Sillou (" furrow ") of Brittany, may be described as the edge of a plateau rather 
than a chain oi hills. The Yilaiue has excavated itself a passage through the 
granitic heights, which farther west form the range known as the Landes of 
Lanvaux (G7-1 feet). The granites finally give place to schists, which form the 
Black Mountains of Brittany, thus culled alter the forests which formerly covered 
them. They culminate in the bold Menez-Hom (1,083 feet), on the peninsula of 
Crozon. 

The northern granitic range of Brittany is far more complicated in its structure 

Fig. 182.— The Landes of Lanvavx. 
SciUc 1 : 050,000. 











S'V-ofParLsl 










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^gil 


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than that of the south. From the plain intersected by the canal of the Ille the 
country gradually rises to the heights of Le Mene (1,110 feet) ; but beyond these 
extends a vast ledge of granite, until we reach the fine range of Arr^e and its 
sandstone peak of St. Michel (1,284 feet), the most prominent hill of Brittany. 
The vale enclosed between these granitic heights is traversed by several rivers, 
communication between which has been established by means of a canal, which 
connects the Lower Loire with Brest, but has now been superseded by railways. 

Brittany generally gives an impression of monotonous grandeur ; and Bi-izeux, 
a native poet, addresses it as the " land of granite and of oaks." But the country 
is not without landscapes more pleasing to the eye — heaths and fields, shadj' lanes, 
tranquil rivulets, half-hidden lakelets, and old walls covered with ivy. On tho 
seashore other sights greet the eye, and nothing can be more impressive than the 
billows of the Atlantic rushing upon the cliffs of Finistere. With a lowering sky 
the physiognomy of the country is sombre in the extreme, but the sun imparts to 



248 



FEANCE. 



it an aspect of quiet cheerfulness impossible to describe. The Bretons themselves 
yield completely to these impressions, and home sickness is frequent amongst them 
when abroad. 

The Coast. 

AxciEXT Armorica, the " Land of the Sea," fully merits its Celtic appellation, for 
to the sea it is indebted for its climate and for most of its resources, and the sea 
has shaped the temper of its inhabitants. Off the western promontories of Brit- 
tany the gulf-stream encounters the secondary ocean current, which sweeps the 

Fig. 183. — MoRBiH.w. 

SciM : ilO.fOO. 



■ snsi 



T'-vis^-^w--,: 




-s\-.4 



. 5 Miles. 



shores of the Bay of Biscay. The tides are violent and irregular, and the sea is 
perpetually in motion down to its very bottom. A powerful under-current running 
along the northern coast sweeps the granitic sea-bottom, piling up the sand and 
mud in the east. Some of the rocks forming these are but ill adapted to resist the 
action of the sea, and enormous blocks of rock have tumbled down from the cliffs. 
In the west, where sedimentary strata intervene between the two bands of granitic 
rock.s, the encroachments of the sea have been most considerable. The roadsteads 
of Brest and Douamenez penetrate deeply into the land, and almost resemble 
Norwegian fiords, half obliterated by alluvium brought down by the rivers which 
enter them. To the west of the estuarj of the Yilaine this contest between the 



THE COAST. 



249 



elements has given birth to a hind-lockccl bay known as the Morbilian, or "little 
sea." Islands are scattered over it, some of them inhabited, and all subject to 
continual changes. M. E. Desjardins is of opinion that this inland bay is ol' com- 

Fij;. 184.— TiiR Pemnsila of Qiiiieuos. 
ScoJo 1 : 100,000. 




IMUc. 



paratively recent creation. A subsidence of the land has certainly taken place 
there, for cromlechs have been discovered which do not even uncover at low 
water. The numerous islands at the mouth of this bay indicate the diiection of 



250 FEANCE. 

the old coast, and farther off a still more ancient coast-line may be traced in the 
islands lying between the Points of Croisic and of Quiberou. These islands, as 
■well as the elongated peninsula of Quiberon, certainly mark the extent of Brittany 
in some bygone age. As to the peninsula mentioned, a causeway and sands sub- 
merged by each flood alone attach it to the mainland. 

The island of Groix and the small archipelago of Glenan mark the extent of 
the old coast to the west of Quiberon. Tradition tells us that the nine islets of 
Glenan are the fragments of a larger island. As to the large island of Belle-Ile, 
or Guerveur, farther off the shore, it is, with the island of Yen and the sunk rock 
of Rochebonnc, the only remaining witness of a coast-line even more ancient than 
those noticed above. 

Doubling the bold headbid of Penmarch, or the "horse's head," we enter the 

Fig. 185. — TiiK Headland of CoitNOUAiLLU. 
Scale 1 : 400,000. 



■W.u'1'.-.i 



Tevpiiitf^f' 





- y 



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.■Wottr 



desolate Bay of Audierne. Not a tree grows upon the heights which surround it, 
and no traces of cultivation greet the eye. The headland of Cornouaille (Cornwall), 
to the north of that bay, juts far out into the sea. Standing upon its summit, no 
less than 262 feet above the sea, we are not beyond the reach of the spray, and the 
ground is felt to shake beneath our feet. The waves dash into the Enfer (hell) of 
Plogoff, at its foot, creating a sound like thunder, and at the neighbouring Bay of 
Trepasses the superstitious mariner fancies he hears the voices of the drowned 
rising above the howling storm and the roar of the waves. To our ancestors this 
uproar sounded like the voice of a god, whom nine Druid virgins sought to pro- 
pitiate by leading a life of devotion upon the weather-beaten island of Sein. If 
tradition can be believed, many a town has been swallowed up by the waves in 
that part of the country. The Bay of Douarnenez is said to mark the site of the 



THE COAST. 251 

ancient city of Is ; and a causeway of Roman construction, leading to some place 
now submerged, may still be traced near the Bay of Trepasses. 

The island of Ouessiint occupies a position analogous to th;it of Soin, with 
reference to the headland of Lt'on. This clili-bound island is cultivateJ, but not a 
tree, not a shrub grows upon it. Mariners dro:id to approach it, for rocks abound, 
the tides and winds are most irregular, and dense fogs prevail. But though the 
passages separating Ouessant and the neighbouring islets arc full of danger, they 
give access to the magnificent road of Brest, where four hundred vessels find u 
secure shelter. 

Several small islands and rocks on the north coast of Brittany enable us to 
trace the old line of coast. The dreaded granitic headland, known as '■ Swords of 
Treguier," ne;ir Brehat, has oflercd a powerful resistance to the waves, but the 
coast farther cast has been encroached upon in many parts. In the Bay of 
St. Brieuc alone no less than 120 square miles of land have been swallowed up 
since the fifth century. Traces of ten Gallo-Roman buildings have been discovered 
at various spots on the beach, and the old walls on the Cape of Erquy, which 
bounds the bay on the east, are supposed to be the remains of the town of Rcginea 
mentioned on Peutinger's Table. The island of Cezembre, at the mouth of the Bay 
of St. Malo, formed a portion of the mainland in the twelfth century, and even 
more recently. Submerged forests and bogs are met with at different points of 
this coast, and the recovery of the trees buried for centuries beneath the sands 
of the beach occupies many of the poorer inhabitants of St. Malo. The remains of 
buildings discovered in the Baj' of St. Brieuc prove, however, that the encroach- 
ment of the sea is not exclusively due to its erosive action ; a subsidence of the 
land has evidently contributed to that result. 

If tradition and old chronicles are to be believed, the encroachments of the sea 
have been formidable indeed. The archipelago of Chausey is stated in the " Lives 
of the Saints " to have formed part of the mainland in the beginning of the eighth 
century, the area now covered by the sea being then occupied by a vast forest 
known as Scisciaaim nemiis. Thus much is certain — that a forest formerly covered 
what is now the beach of the Baj' of St. Michel. The names of villages which 
stood in that forest have been handed down to us, and at low water traces of them 
may sometimes be seen. !Nowhere else in the world, the estuary of the Severn 
and the Bay of Fundy alone excepted, does the tide attain so extraordinary a 
height as in the Bays of St. Malo and St. Michel, where it rises 40, and even 
50 feet. In the course of six hours it invades the beach of the latter bay, con- 
verting the rock of St. Michel, with its picturesque castle, into an island, ilan, 
however, has imdertaken not only to put a stop to the further encroachments of the 
sea, but also to recover some of the land already swallowed up by it. The 
interesting hill of Dol, with its numerous remains of prehistoric animals, formerly 
stood in the midst of the sea, but 3,500 acres surrounding it have been converted 
into productive land. Embankments 30 feet in height, and constructed since 
the eleventh century, now extend for a distance of 30 miles along the southern 
shore of the Bay of St. Michel, and the recovery of the sandy beach lying beyond 



252 



FEANCE. 



tiieni is not considered a hopeless enterprise. The greatest obstacle to this recon- 
quest is not offered by the sea, but by the rivers which flow into the bay, and for 
which an outlet must be provided. 

Elsewhere on the coast of Brittany man has had to guard against an invasion 
of moving sand-hills. The dunes of St. Pol-de-Leon are the most formidable, but 
having been planted with trees, they no longer cause anxiety. The sand com- 
posing these and other dunes in Brittany is unusually rich in carbonate of lime. 
Fragments of shells and seaweed enter largely into their composition, and the 
fraes, or calcareous sand, carried thither by the winds actually constitutes an 
element of wealth, being most useful as manure. 

Seaweeds are collected all along the coast, to be applied to the fields ; and in the 
bogs of Cancale and St. Michel the peasants annually take up 500,000 tons of 

Fig. 18G.— The Bay of St. Michel. 
Scale 1 : 500,000. 




' WlofCr 



• 5 Miles. 



mud mixed with fragments of shells, which they spread over their fields. These 
fertilising agents are all the more appreciated as the crystalline and palccozoic 
rocks of Brittany contain hardly any lime at all. 

The fishing grounds of Brittany are amongst the most productive of France. 
The peasants of Quimper and Chateaulin formerly almost lived upon salmon, and 
farm-labourers objected to their being required to eat it more than thrice a week. 
Thousands of men are engaged in the coast fisheries, yielding herrings, sardines, 
mackerel, lobsters, and oysters : and Breton fishermen, inured to the hardshijjs 
of a seafaring life, annually visit the fishing grounds of Newfoundland and 
Iceland. Many amongst them work in the fields during winter, or collect sea- 
weed, but early in spring engage themselves as sailors on board the vessels 
proceeding to the Arctic regions. The four departments of Brittany supply the 
mercantile marine of France with one-fifth of its sailors. 



i; ' .„ 





LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



INHABITANTS. 



268 



INHABITANTS. 



The iubabitants of Brittany differ from (hose of the rest of France in laiigua^o, 
manners, and social condition. 



Kg. 187. — BuLTON Peasants. 



4ymifi 



/I ill) 




lu Armorica, a remote region but little visited, ancient customs maintained 
themselves longer than in the more accessible parts of France, and the Druids 
enjoyed most power. Tlic modern Bretons arc no doubt, to ;i largo extent, the 

VOL. II. S 



254 



PEANCE. 



descendants of these ancient Armoricans, but kindred Celtic tribes, driven fi'om 
Great Britain through the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons, settled amongst them. 
These new arrivals founded the towns of St. Brieuc, St. Malo, and others. Being 
superior in intelligence to the aboriginal population, they soon gained a prepon- 
derance, and Armorica became Brittany, or Little Britain. The descendants of 
these immigrants still differ from other Bretons. They are tall, fair, and blue- 
eyed, these features being most prominent on the islands of Batz and Ouessant. 
The Bretons living to the south of the northern coast range are less tall, brown- 
complexioned, and have round heads ; but they, too, have dark blue eyes. Some 
of the inhabitants of the islands and of remote districts are said to be of a different 



Fig. 18S. — AiTuoxiMATE Extent op tub Bketon Tongue. 



fcSC 



1^ 



Auri§ny 
Guernsey ^s'. 







'^ fi Gi-an\-itti 

•^* V ^*^ .■ 




l''W•.of Ci- 



origin. As a rule the Bretons bear a strildng resemblance to the Limousins and 
other inhabitants of the plateau of Central France. They have even been likened 
to the Xabyls of Algeria. Dr. Bodichon, himself a Breton, says that " the Breton 
of pure blood has a thick skull, a palish yellow skin, a brown complexion, black 
or brown eyes, a squat build, and black hair. He, like the Kabyl, is stubborn 
and indefiitigable, and his voice has the same intonation." 

The Celtic, or Breizad, spoken by the Bretons, is akin to Welsh. There arc 
four dialects, those of Treguier, Leon, Cornouaille, and Vannes ; and considerable 
jealousies exist between those who speak them, as is proved by imcomplimentary 
expressions like these : " A thief like a Leonard ! " " a traitor like a Tregorrois ! " 



255 



INHABITANTS. 

.< ablockhcad likoa Vanuetais ! " and " a brute like a Coruouailluls ! " "l"!- J>t-- 
ture of Brittany is poor, and cannot compare in antiquity or wealth with that ot 

Fi". 189.— Women- of Cascalb. 




•'-■::ji^;-^^UTS 



Irelmd or Wales. Only one weekly paper is published in Breton. Frencb is 
;^:i.. Brest and tboLns generally, and ^ _^-;^^^:^2l^X 
tbe peasants, n>ost of whom can converse now vvUh the .entieme 



256 FRANCE. 

formerly tLey hated so mucli. Still the boundary between the French-speaking 
Bretons, or " GuUots," in the east, and the Bretons projDer, has changed but little 
since the twelfth century. An examination of a map almost enables us to draw 
the lino dividing the two languages. On the one side we meet witli French 
names, or with Breton ones accommodated to French tongues ; on the other, 
with pure Breton names only, such as begin with abcr (month), cone (port, conch- 
shell), car, caiir, or /■<'/• (fortress, manor-house), coed, or coet (wood), Ian (conse- 
crated ground), loc (place, hermitage), leu (court of justice), mene (hill), inor (sea), 
penn (head), p/e, pk'ii, ov phir (people, tribe), ros (coast), &c. 

The manners of the Bretons, though peculiar in many respects, do not essen- 
tially differ from what may be met with in other remote localities of France. Brit- 
tany, iu fact, presents us with a fair likeness of mediasval France. As Michelet 
says, " The Bretons have only been estranged from us because they have adhered 
most faithfully to what we were originally ; they are not much French, but ver}' 
much Gaul." 

Old pagan customs still survive, and the peninsula of Pontusval, in Leonais, has 
been known as ar 2)(ifffiiiiz, or the " laud of the pagans," down to the present time. 
But there are many other parts of the province whei'e fountains and large trees 
remain objects of veneration, and the mistletoe has lost none of its pristine virtue. 
The ancient sanctuaries have been converted into chapels, but the old divinities 
survive under other names. Our Lady of Hatred, the patroness of a chapel 
near Treguier, is the Christian representation of a ferocious Celtic deity, whom 
women invoke to destroy a detested husband, and to whom children pray for the 
death of aged parents. St. Ives the Truthful, on the other hand, is appealed to 
as the defender of orphans and widows, and to redress all wrongs. 

Dolmens, or cromlechs, are revered as the tombstones of powerful men, and 
raised stones, which no peasant passes by without crossing himself, abound through- 
out the country. The peasants near Auray, when suffering from rheumatism, lie 
down on an altar, invoking the aid of St. Etienne. Elsewhere they rub the 
forehead with "sacred" stones when suflering from headache. Young people 
still dance around the dolmens, and married couples furtively touch one of these 
stones in order that their posterity may prosper. The great grave-hill near 
Carnac, 140 feet in height, is visited by sailors' wives to pray for their husbands. 
In 1658 the Breton clergj' solemnly declared that the devil alone could profit 
from food offerings placed upon these dolmens : since that time many of them 
have become objects of superstitious fear instead of veneration. 

Topography. 

MoRBiHAN is richer in ancient stone monuments than any other department ol 
Brittany, and its towns are more original in their aspect. Breeding cattle 
is of great importance. Heaths occupy a vast area even now, and most of the 
peasants keep bees. Eye, buckwheat, fish, and shell-fish constitute the principal 
articles of food. 



3I0RBIIIAN. 



267 



The eastern portion of the department lies within the basin of the Vihiino and 
its tributary, the Oust. Eoclic-Beruard is a small port near the mouth of Uio 

Fig. 100. — LoniENT Asn Port-Lovis. 
.«calo I : 150,000. 








4 







■.■f^, 






"f r^ 



^/4 '^^/ 



J' JT'W.of Cr 



Vilaine, here spanned by a bold suspension bridge, which offers no obstacle to 
sailing-vessels proceeding up the river to Redon. Ploirmel (2,790 inhabitants) 



258 FRANCE. 

is the principal town in the valley of the Oust, with remains of ancient walls and 
a church of the sixteenth century. Jossclin (2,522 inhabitants), higher up on the 
Oust, is commanded by a fine castle. A jDj-ramid, half-way between these towns, 
marks the site of the " Battle of the Thirty," fought in 1531, between the 
champions of Beaumanoir and Bamborough. Bolian, with ruins of a castle, has 
given its name to one of the most powerful families of France. 

Vanves (15,716 inhabitants), the capital of the department, on a creek of the 
Bay of Morbihan, resembles a large village rather than a town, but boasts of a 
museum rich in local antiquities. Auray (4,335 inhabitants), on another creek of 
the bay named, is famous on account of its oyster beds. The sardine fisheries 
occupy many of the inhabitants, and annually, at the commencement of the fishing 
season, a nautical procession is formed, headed by the priests, who solemnly bless 
the sea. A chapel near the town is much visited by pilgrims. In the neighbour- 
hood was fought the battle which terminated the Breton war of succession (1364). 
Port-Navalo and Loemarialcer are two villages at the mouth of the Bay of Morbihan. 
Near the former rises the artificial hill of Tumiac, 66 feet in height, and the 
latter boasts of a remarkable dolmen (see Fig. 8). Other dolmens of note are met 
inland, near the villages of Elccn (756 inhabitants) and Grand CJntmp (668 inha- 
bitants), as well as on the peninsula of Ruis, remarkable, moreover, for its mild 
climate. Around Sarzeau (840 inhabitants), the birthplace of Lesage, laurel-trees, 
camellias, myrtle-trees, and pomegranate-trees grow in the open air. 

The western portion of the department is drained by the river Blavet, rendered 
navigable as far as Fontivy (6,402 inhabitants), formerly known as Napoleon- 
ville, and consisting of a Breton quarter, with quaint houses, and the military 
blocks adjoining it. Vessels of 200 tons ascend the Blavet as far as Hoinrlont 
(4,844 inhabitants), miles above Loricnt (31,000 inhabitants), the largest town 
of the department, and its busiest port. The harbour of Lorient is accessible to 
vessels of the largest size ; and in the beginning of the eighteenth century, whilst 
the French East India Company existed, its commerce exceeded that of every 
other port of France. The company failed in consequence of the progress made by 
the English in India, and its ships, dockyards, and arsenal became the property of 
the State. It is still one of the five great military ports of France. The inha- 
bitants are much interested in the sardine fishery. Porf-Loids (3,262 inhabitants), 
at the mouth of the Blavet, is a dependency of Lorient. Its citadel has frequently 
served as a prison of state, as has also that of Le Palais (2,823 inhabitants), the 
capital of BeUe-Ile-en-Mer. 

FixiSTERE, or " Land's End," is the westernmost department of France. To 
its moist and mild climate it is indebted for its fertility, and jjlants grow luxu- 
riantly wherever there is soil to root in. The coast district, known as the 
" Golden Belt," is careftilly ciiltivated by small proprietors, but many of the large 
estates in the interior consist of barren heaths. Agriculture and the breeding 
of cattle and horses constitute the wealth of Finistere. There are also quarries of 
granite and slates, but the argentiferous lead mines are no longer worked. The 
fisheries are of considerable importance. 



FIXISTEEE. 



259 



Qiiimperlt; a pretty town of 4,080 inhabitants, is the first place met with on 
crossing from Morbihan into FinisttTc. Its port is accessible only to small coast- 
ins vessels. Then follows the village of ronf-Aieii, with nuiucrous windmills. 



Fig. 191.— COSCARSEAU. 
Scale 1 : 33.000. 




f "i I" i 

. J"....., 



IjMflcs. 



Concarneau (4,614 inhabitants), on the wide Bay of Fouesnant or Forest, is one of 
the great fishing towns of Brittany. Its maritime fauna is exceedingly rich, and 
an aquarium has been established to enable scientific men to study it. 

Qiiimper (13,879 inhabitants), the capital of Cornouaille, has a tidal harbour, 



260 



FRANCE. 



and boasts of a highly venerated cathedral, dedicated to St. Corentin. An 
agricultural college and a drainage and irrigation school have been established 
there. Quimper was the birthplace of Kerguelen, the navigator, and of Laennec, 
the physician. The surrounding country abounds in natural curiosities, and the 
manners of the inhabitants are very primitive. Bricc (482 inhabitants), a village 
to the north, is noted for its " double nags," which amble naturally. Pont I'Abb^ 
(3,827 inhabitants) is one of the most old-fashioned towns of Brittany, and at the 
village of Pcnmarch w£ meet with the ruins of a considerable town. Andlcrne 
(1,627 inhabitants) is likewise a decayed city, but Douanicncz (8,087 inhabitants) 
has become one of the principal quarters of the sardine fishery, which employs 
800 boats and several thousand men. The wide Bay of Douarneuez is bounded in 

Fiff. 192.— Brest. 




the north by the peninsiJa of Crozon (824 inhabitants), beyond which a narrow 
gullet leads into the magnificent roadstead of Brest. 

Brest (66,828 inhabitants) is the most populous town on the Atlantic seaboard 
between Havre and N'antes, and next to Toulon the greatest naval arsenal of 
France. Its aspect, however, is very difierent from that of the delightful city of 
Provence. It is almost sinister, and from afar only uniform ramparts and cannon 
are visible. The estuary of the Penfeld, hardly more than 300 feet wide, forms 
the port of the town. On its right rises a castle of the thirteenth centuiy, very 
much older than the modern fortifications built by Yauban. The shabby buildings 
on the left contain marine stores. Passing beneath a swing-bridge, the estuary 
winds for more than a mile between stores, workshops, and ship-yards. Huge 
basins have been excavated in the solid rock, and a breakwater nearly a mile in 
length has recently been constructed. Steamers connect Brest with New York, 
but the commerce of the town is not of much importance. 



c6tES-DU-X0RD. 261 

The vicinity of Brest and of its industrial suburb of Lambdzellec (2,243 inhabit- 
ants) abounds in remarkable sites. Ascending the Elorn, wo have Plougastcl-Daonlaa, 
with its orchards and market gardens, on the right, and reach Landcrneau (G,fl65 
inhabitants), with a largo linon-mill, and St. JUarfi/rr, famous on account of its 
horse fairs. The river Aulno, which likewise enters the road of Lrest, leads past 
Le Faou and. Port-Lauiiai/ to Chuteanlin (2,211 inhabitiints), near which are slate 
quarries. On the Aven, a tributary of the Aulne, stands Car/iaix (2,296 inha- 
bitants), the Eoman Yorganium, where seven roads meet. Passing through the 
narrow gullet which connects the road of Brest with the open Atlantic, wo notice 
Camaret, an old outport, on the left, and the small creek of Miiiou, the terminus 
of an Atlantic cable, on the right. Doubling Point St. Matthicu, surmounted by 
the ruins of a church, wc pass in succession Coiiquct, a favourite bathing-place ; 
Aber-Ilduf, where there are granite quarries; Aber-BcnoH ; awA Abcr-Wiach. 
Lesneven (2,437 inhabitants), near which is the church of Folgoet, much frequented 
by pilgrims, lies some distance inland. 

Morlaix (13,019 inhabitants), on the Dosscn, has a tidal harbour, and vessels of 
several hundred tons arc able to anchor close to the stores and manufactories which 
line both banks of the river. The most remarkable building of the town is a rail- 
way viaduct, which, at a height of 190 feet, passes over the river and the houses 
of the town. Moreau was born at Morlaix in 17G3, and the traveller Lojean is a 
native of Plouegat-Gucrrand, near Lanmeur, to the north-east of the town. 
Descending the river, we pass the castle of Taureau, on an island at its mouth, built 
in the sixteenth century as a defence against the English, but now used as a prison. 
St. Pol (3,503 inhabitants), the old capital of Leonais, has two magnificent 
churches, but has otherwise lost all importance. The environs, protected by 
embankments, are exceedingly fertile. Roscoff (1,282 inhabitants), the old harbour 
of L^onais, is known on account of a fig-free, which has grown to extraordinary 
proportions. The vegetables grown around it are exported to Paris, London, and 
Rotterdam. The sea abounds in fish, and a zoological station, similar to that at 
Concameau, has been established. 

C6tes-du-Xord, " north coast," is for the greater part carefully cultivated by a 
multitude of .small proprietors. Agriculture and cattle-breeding are the leading 
occupations. A manufacturing industry can hardly bo said to exist, and there are 
no great commercial ports. 

Loiideac (2,091 inhabitants) is the principal town in the southern portion of the 
department, which drains into the rivers Blavet and Vilaine, and is covered to a 
large extent with furze. Corhnj, a village to the north-west of it, is noted for its 
horses, said to be the descendants of Arabs introduced during the Crusades. 

Lannion (G,llo inhabitants), in the delightful valley of the Guer, close to the 
frontier of Finistere, has a small port. There are several curious old buildings. 
The river Jaudy enters the sea farther west. The tide ascends it as far as the 
famous old city of Triyuier (3,G11 inhabitants), with a cathedral of the fourteenth 
century. Doubling the dreaded headland known as the "Swords" (Epees) of 
Treguier, we arrive at the mouth of the river Trieux and the small port of 



262 



FEANCE. 



Lezardricux (516 inhabitants). The tide ascends as far as Portrieux (2,192 inha- 
bitants). Higher up on the river is Guiiigamp (7,895 inhabitants), with an old 
citadel. 

Returning to the coast, we pass the island of Brehat, inhabited by a superior 
race of men, whom consanguineous marriages have not injuriously affected, and the 
small fishing ports of Paimhol (1,576 inhabitants), Brehec, St. Quay (984 inha- 



Fig. 193.— MoRLAix. 
Scale 1 : 200,000. 







S Fathoms lo Fathoms s^ Faihome ij Fathoms 

^^^^____ 2 Miles. 



bitants), and Bink (1,110 inhabitants) ; and entering the river Gouet, ascend with 
the tide to the tidal harbour of St. Brieuc, (13,683 inhabitants), the capital of the 
department. The town is not remarkable for its buildings ; but its inhabitants, 
known as Briochins, engage in the manufacture of textile fabrics, and carry on a 
considerable trade with agricultural produce. Hundreds of men find employment 
in the granite quarries in its neighbourhood. St. Quinfin (3,218 inhabitants), on 



cOtes-du-nobd. 



203 



the I'ppcr Goiict, is noted for its liiicu industry, which was much more important 
formerly. 

At Pledran, a small village 6 miles to the south-oast of St. Brieuc, may be seen 
the curious ancient camp of I'eran, with vitrified walls. 

Lamballe (4,"2-18 inhabitants), the old capital of the duchy of rciithievre, lies 
on the road to Dimn (7,978 inhabitants), tho easternmost town of the department, 



Fig, 194. — St. Malo and St. PEnvAX. 
Swilc 1 : 80,000. 



4°|t5'Wof P«ri« 







.•|5'Wof C7 



picturesquely situated on the banks of the river Ranee, which lower down flows 
past St. Malo. An old castle, now used as a prison, crowns a hill near the town ; 
a magnificent viaduct spans the river ; and the heart of Dugucsclin is preserved in 
the Gothic parish church. A granite pillar, 10 miles to the south-west of the town, 
marks the site of the castle of La Mottc-Broons, in which Duguesclin was born 
(1321). Dinan has tan-yards and sail-cloth factories. Its mild climate has 
attracted many English residents. 



264 



FEANCE. 



Ille-et-Vilaixe. — The greater portion of this department is drained by the 
river Vilaine and its tributary, the lUe, and only an inconsiderable part of it 
borders upon the British Channel. Agriculture and cattle-breeding are the prin- 
cipal occupations; bee-hives (160,000) are more numerous than in any other 
department in France ; and at St. Malo and elsewhere on the coast fishing and 
navigation occupy many of the inhabitants. 

Si. Mah (10,061 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Ranee, is the great seaport 
of the department, separated from its more ancient sister city of St. Scrvan (9,912 
inhabitants) by extensive wet docks. The tides sometimes rise 50 feet, and the 



Fisr. 195. — View of St. Malo. 





sea alternately advances up to the quays and retires for a considerable distance, 
completely changing the aspect of the two towns. The inhabitants of St. Malo, or 
Malouins, have at all times enjoyed a reputation as bold seamen, engaging in com- 
merce or piracy as opportunities offered themselves. Four expeditions were fitted 
out in England to burn the town, but they failed. The Malouins became so 
wealthy that they were able to lend 30,000,000 francs to Louis XIV. They are 
enterprising and persevering, and somewhat haughty. Lamennais and Chateau- 
briand were both natives of the town, and are amongst its most distinguished 
representatives. The commerce of the two towns is no longer what it used to be, 
in spite of fine docks and railways. About eighty vessels are engaged in the New- 



ILLE-ET-VILADTE. 2G5 

foundland fisheries, and provisious in largo quantities are exported to the Channel 
Islands and England. The town attracts numerous seaside visitors. 

Caiicak (3,269 inhabitants), on the western shore of the Bay of St. Michel, has 
famous oyster beds. They yielded 120,000,000 in 1802, but only 15,500,000 in 
1875. At Lc VirUr, on the same bay, oyster- breeding is carried on successfully. 
Doi (3,517 inhabitants), a famous old town with a fine Gothic church, lies a short 
distance inland. Xear it stands the famous menhir of ChamiJ-Dolent, surmounted 
by a cross. Coiiihoiinj (1,491 inhabitants), with a castle in which Chateaubriand 
spent several years of his youth, lies to the south ; Fouglns (I0,39ti inluibituuts), 
on the Upper Couesnon, in the south-east. The town retains its old castle, but the 
mediaeval fortifications have been razed to make room for suburbs. Shoemakiug, 
weaving, and the quarrying of granite occupy thousands of men in the town and 
its vicinity. At St. Auhin-du-Cormwr (1,15U inhabitants), in this neighbourhood, 
was fought the battle which resulted in Brittany becoming a French province. 

Crossing the water-shed separating the rivers flowing into the channel from 
those taking a southerly course, we reach Reiuics (53,598 inhabitants), the capital 
of the department, at the confluence of the lUc with the Yilaine. Four railways 
and eleven highways converge upon the town, and a canal connects the navigable 
lUe with the river Eance, which enters the sea at St. Male. Its coimncrcial 
advantages are consequently very great. The aspect of the town, with its houses 
built of greyish granite and deserted streets, is nevertheless very dreary. The 
gate of Mordelaise is the most interesting monument of the Middle Ages, but a 
fine university building, with valuable scientific and art collections, constitutes the 
glory of the place. Rich meadow lands surround the town, and the butter known 
as Pi'cvalaye is named after a castle in the neighbourhood. 

VUr6 (8,475 inhabitants) is a picturesque old town on the Upper Vilaine. 
Madame de Sevigne resided for a considerable time at the castle of liochcrs, to the 
south-east of it. Descending the Vilaine below Rennes, and passing through its 
gorges, we reach Rcdoii (4,955 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Oust, and on the 
canal which connects Nantes with Brest. Other places of interest in the depart- 
ment are Montfort (1,507 inhabitants), on the Men, a tributary of the Vilaine, 
with an old castle ; Pdiwponf, in the famous forest of Broceliaude, one of the 
reputed haunts of Merlin the enchanter ; Janze (1,03G inhabitants), to the south- 
cast of Kenues ; and La Guerche (2,612 inhabitants). 




CHAPTER IX. 

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 




HOUGH a political dependency of England, these islands geographi- 
cally belong to French Normandy. Their soil, climate, produc- 
tions, and inhabitants are the same, and in their customs and 
political institutions they are even more Norman than Normandy 
itself. Magistrates there still raise the " hue and cry " {chdncnr 
de haro), as was formerly done by the people when wronged by the great, and the 
legislative body is still known as coliui'. If we would study the institutions of 
feudid Normandy wo cannot do better than go to the Channel Islands. Ever 
since they sided with John Lackland against Philip Augustus, in the thirteenth 
centurj^, these islands have almost uninterruptedly enjoyed the blessings of peace, 
for their neutrality was guaranteed. England very wisely lefc them in the 
enjoyment of their local institutions, and can boast of no subjects more faithful 
than these islanders. 

The islets, rocks, and banks off Granville have remained in the possession of 
France, but only a few of the larger islets of the archipelago of Chausey are inha- 
bited throughout the year. A few acres there are cultivated, but fishing is the 
jirincipal occupation, and the sea yields a rich harvest of fish, shrimps, and sea- 
weed, but there are no oysters. Quarrying also is carried on extensively, and the 
streets of Paris are for the most part paved with Chausey granite. The storm- 
beaten rocks of Minquiers and the Grelets, farther out, are only occasionally 
visited by fishermen from Granville or the Channel Islands. 

Jkksey* — that is, the island of Jcrs, or Cccsar : historians have identified it with 
the Cassarea of the Antonine Itinerary — is the largest of the group. In shape it is 
a parallelogram, its length being nearly twice its breadth. The cliffs along its 
northern shores have offered more resistance to the onslaughts of the Atlantic, and 
from their summits (350 feet) the island slopes down to the south, nearly all its 
rivulets flowing into the Bay of St, Aubin. On ascending their shady valleys up 
to where they rise, we find ourselves upon the summit of the cliffs, with a grand 
outlook over the ocean. 

* Jersey has an area of 45 square niiles, and 56,627 inliabitants ; Guernsey and the smaller islands have 
an area of 28 square miles, witli a population of 33,968 souls. 



THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 



207 



The southern and westeru coasts of the island exhibit many traces ot' the 
erosive action of the ocean. Ledges of rock and sand-banks, which in former times 
were dry land, stretch for a mile or two from what is now the hi-^'h-wuter line ; 



Fig. 196. — The Ciiaxnll I:.lam>s. 
Sculo 1 : ?00,000. 



S'lWofParu 



'' 'f f^p'tteJiiBiifi- 



I.U.. M<- 

\ lAU)l'.R5fK\ 



:,;)tL GrERN'SKy 



1^ .K*r«JioTi 



S 



I'KHM.t 




.... 10 KLdu^ttlM 



^7 fadwm* 



10 MUca. 



and the cliffs vof Corbiere have been gnawed into curious pinnacles and pillars, and 
pierced by caverns. The heights surrounding the beach of St. Ouen, in the west, 
are covered witli shrubs which bend to the storm. Dunes exist in taut purtiou of 



268 FEANOE. 

the island, and they have occasionally overwhelmed cultivated fields, as a punish- 
ment, local tradition tells us, for the massacre of shipwrecked mariners. 

Except in the north and west, where the brine-laden air destroys the vegeta- 
tion, the island is naturally fertile, and being blessed by a mild climate, it pro- 
duces fruits and vegetables of excellent quality. Its cows ai'C highly valued, and 
cattle imported from France are invariably slaughtered for butchers' meat. 

There are a few dolmens recalling prehistoric ages. Locally they are 
known as poquclaijcs, a name recalling that of the ^'oii/picaiis, or dwarfs, of 
Ai-morica. Skeletons and coarse cincreal vases have been found at the foot of 
some of these ancient stone monuments. Norman-French is still the oflScial lan- 
ffuasc of the island, and Wace, the author of the famous " Roman de Ecu," was a 
native of " Jersui." Within the last fifty years a large number of English have 
established themselves upon the island, attracted by its mild climate and the 
cheapness of the necessaries and luxuries of life. These wealthy immigrants have 
gradually changed the physiognomy of the inhabitants and of their houses; and, 
when passing through the streets of St. Helier, we may almost llincy being in an 
English town. During last century the Jerseyites were attached to England only 
Ijolitically, but at the present day we must look upon them as members of the 
great English family, in spite of the vicinity of France and the many Frenchmen 
domiciled upon the island. 

The castle of MontorgncU, on the eastern coast of the island, was its old 
capital, the fishing village of Gorey nestling at its foot. St. Uclier (16,715 inha- 
bitants), the modern capital, stands on the vast Bay of St. Aubin, on the south shore 
of the island, and is quite English in its aspect. Two forts defend its harbour, 
from which the sea retires during low water. Large vessels anchor in the road- 
stead of St. Aubin, but an artificial harbour, covering no less than 380 acres, has 
been in course of construction since 187-1. St. Auhiii, which was the more impor- 
tant place formerly, is hardly more now than a suburb of St. Holier, with which 
it is connected by rail. 

Sekk, whose granite cliffs rise boldly in the channel which separates Jersey 
from Guernsey, consists of two portions, joined together by a narrow and precipi- 
tous neck of land. Its cliffs rise to a height of IGO feet, but access to its fertile 
and smiling plateau is facilitated by means of a tunnel. Eabelais, in " Panta- 
gruel," calls it the island of pirates, thieves, brigands, murderers, and assassins, 
but its present inhabitants are peaceable enough. 

Guernsey, the Sarnia of the Romans, and probably the Groens-ey, or green 
island, of its Scandinavian conquerors, is deserving of its ancient name. Though 
less carefully cultivated than Jcrsej-, green meadows, elms growing in the hedges, 
and apple orchards impart to it the aspect of a wooded country. The general 
slope is towards the north-east, the boldest promontories rising at the western 
extremity. 

Less frequently visited than Jersey, the inhabitants have remained more 
fliithful to their ancient customs. Small, sunburnt, with black eyes, and thick 
brown hair, they strike one as being true representatives of tlie Breton race. 



THE CHANJfEL ISLANDS. 269 

Many Celtic expressions are used by them, and until quite recently they looked 
with superstitious awe upon the dolmens, cromlechs, and menhirs scattered over 
their island. They are old rivals of their neighbours on the larger island, and, 
when these latter sided with the Parliament during the Commonwealth they 
stuck firmly to the King. St. Peter's Fori (16,150 inhabitants) occupies a 
sheltered situation on the east coast. Its harbour is accessible at all times. 
Granite, quarried in the vicinity, is the principal article exported, and there are 
large stores of wine. 

Aldernev (Aurigny) is separated from the coast of France by the strait of 
Raz Blanchard, only 10 miles wide, but much dreaded by mariners. Steep 
cliffs rise on the south, and the island slopes down towards the north, where there 
are numerous creeks and small baj-s. The most considerable of these, that of 
Braye, was to be converted into a huge harbour of refuge, similar to that on the 
coast of England opposite, but the works have recently been stopped, in spite of 
the vast sums already expended on them. The formidable rocks known as the 
Casqucts, to the west of Alderuey, are rendered conspicuous by lighthouses. 

The political institutions of the Channel Islands are still feudal in their 
character. The seigneurs are vassals of the Queen, the "sovereign lord of the 
land," and annually do homage to her at a ceremonious " assize of heritage." 
Their privileges are still considerable. The Legislative States of Jersey consist of 
thirty-eight members, viz. the governor and the bailiff of the Royal Court, both 
appointed by the Crown ; the twelve judges, or jurats, of the Eoyal Court, elected 
for life by the ratepayers ; the twelve rectors of the f)arishes, appointed to their 
livings by the ratepayers ; and the twelve constables, elected every three years, 
one for each parish, by the inhabitants. The riconte, or high sheriff, and the two 
iteiioiiciaieiirs, or under-sheriffs, occupy seats in the Assembly as its officers. No 
taxes can be levied without the consent of the States. The revenue of the island 
amounts to £22,000, and there is a debt of £160,000. 

In Guernsey there are " States of Deliberation," composed of the bailiff of the 
Royal Court, who is president ; the procureur, the ten rectors of the parishes, the 
twelve jurats or judges of the Roj'al Court, and fifteen delegates elected by the rate- 
payers. The bailiff and procureur are nominated by the Crown ; the jurats are 
chosen by " States of Election." 




VOL. II. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE VALLEY OF THE SEINE. 
The River Seine. 




EOLOGICALLY this is a well-defined portion of France. It covers 
three-fourths of an ancient gulf of the sea, Paris being in its centre, 
and the coasts of former ages can still be traced in many places. 
Calcareous rocks, overlying the schistose plateau of the Ardennes on 
the one hand, and the granitic mountains of Morvan on the other, 
bound the basin in the east ; rocks belonging to the same formation separate 
Beauce and Lower Normandy from the palasozoic rocks of Brittany in the west ; 
and only in the south does this geological basin extend beyond that of the Seine 
and embrace a portion of that of the Loire. 

Historically this ancient country of the Sequanians has at all times proved 
itself the natural centre of France, towards which converge the roads from Belgium 
and Germany, from Southern France and the Atlantic. Add to this a favourable 
climate, and we need not wonder at the Seine holding a rank amongst rivers quite 
out of proportion to its volume. 

The Seine, so called, rises on the north slope of the Cote-d'Or, but its real 
head-stream must be looked for in the granitic and porphyritic district of Morvan. 
This district forms the northern buttress of the plateau of Central France. Though 
. nowhere exceeding 2,960 feet in height, its aspect is sometimes Alpine, and its 
valleys fertilised by the debris carried down by the torrents, are verdant with 
vegetation. Swamps (ouches) have been converted into fields, and yield harvest 
after harvest ; but the forests, to which these mountains owe their Celtic name of 
Morvan {i.e. "black mountains"), have to a great extent been destroyed. Pic- 
turesque clifils, perched upon which are the towns of Vezelay, Avallon, and Semur, 
terminate the district of Morvan in the north. The bare chalky hills beyond 
these, as far as the plain, are attractive only in summer, when the apple-trees are 
in blossom. 

The aspect of the comitry is more varied in the north-east, where the hills of 
Cote-d'Or, the jjlateau of Langres, and the Faucilles ("sickle mountains"), form 
the water-shed as far as the Vosges. Some of the valleys in that part of Burgundy 



GENERAL ASPECTS. 



271 



Cotentin are bare, and the country owes all its attractions to the vicinity of tho 
ocean. 

The plains to the east of BoCage, irrigated by tho Orno, the Dives, and the 
Touques, are a pastoral country. Bessin, to tlio east of tho Vire, comprises many 
marshes now under cultivation. Tho vast meadows around Isigny might remind 
us of Holland, if it were not for tho rows of willows, poplars, and trees which 
intersect them, and the low embankments covered with hawthorn and brambles. 
The plains of the Orne and of Calvados are admirably suited for the breeding of 
horses and the fattening of cattle. The iinest grass, however, is reserved for the 



Fig. 197. — Tub Foeest op A.ndainb. 

Scale I : 330,000. 




El 



!o'. Wiif r^ 



5 Milea. 



choicer breeds of cattle and for milch cows. The cheese and butter made enjoy a 
high reputation. 

None of the rivers, not even the Vire or the Orne, are nangable farther than 
the head of the tide. Subterranean river channels are frequent, as in other lime- 
stone regions. Several " sinks," or hetuirs, occur in the bed of the Aure, and 
only in winter is the volume of the river sufficient to flow on the surface a feeble 
stream. The Lower Aure is fed from subterranean channels, but it, too, is partly 
swallowed up by sinks, and at its mouth forms a delta, one arm of which reaches 
the sea through an underground channel. 

The granitic cliffs of Cotentin resemble those of Brittany : exposed to the 
attacks of conflicting tides, they have been destroyed in many places. The wide 

t2 



272 



FRANCE. 



Bay of St. Michel, to the south of Granville, has thus been formed. Elsewhere 
the deep bays, or flieurs (a corruption of the Scandinavian word fjord), have 
been silted up. The promontories forming the extremities of the peninsula do not 
mark its ancient limits, for Alderuey and other islands were formerly attached to 
it. The conflicting tides give rise to phenomena resembling the maelstrom. The 
Raz Blanchard, between Cap de la Hague and Alderney, sometimes rushes along 
like a mighty river at the rate of 10 miles an hour. The current known as La 

Fig. 198. — Meadows of Normandy. 




D^route, farther south, though less swift, has nevertheless proved the destruction 
of many a mariner. 

The aspect of the limestone cliffs of Calvados is very different from that of the 
granitic rocks. These soft rocks have been gnawed away more regularly by the 
waves, and their debris now forms broad beaches, surmounted here and there by 
rocks, anciently portions of the mainland, and still offering some resistance to the 
waves. 



Topography. 

La Manche includes the peninsula of Cotentin, together with adjoining portions 
of Normandy. Though bounded on three sides by the sen, the maritime commerce 



T.A M.VNCHE. 



278 



of this department is not of much importunco ; industry is even less so ; iind the 
population depends almost exclusively upon H<»ricul(ure for its sustenance. Tho 
soil is not very fertile naturally, but tho small proj)rietor8 who share it have 
done much to improve it. Tho moist and warm climate is favourahlo to the 
growth of herbs and grasses, and tho breeding of horses and cattle is carried on 
with much success, more especially in the east. Some parts of tho department 
resemble huge orchards, and about ^8,<JOO,000 gallons of cider arc made annually. 
Clurboury (3U,338 iuhabitauts), the most considerable town of tho department, 



Fig. 199. — The Sixks op the Aviie. 
BoUe I : 72,000. 



| :^ v\v . of r. 










1 Mile. 



is of ancient foundation, but its importance dates from the time when Vaubau 
converted it into one of the great naval arsenals of France. The features 
of the locality offered many ob.stacIes to the accomplishment of the work, and 
the breakwater, begun in 1080, was only completed in the course of the present 
century, and at an expenditure of £3,000,000. Tho port, which accommodates 
no more than forty large vessels, would soon become silted up if dredging 
machines were not continually kept at work. From the fort on the hill of Roulo 
we look down upon tho docks, the dockyard, the arsenal, the vast fortifications 



274 



FRANCE. 



and the regularly built city. In the suburbs of Equeurdreville (2,475 inhabitants) 
and Tourlaville (1,852 inhabitants) are glass works and other industrial establish- 
ments, and stone is quarried in their neighbourhood. Beaumont-Hague, thus 
named from the promontory of La Hague, to the west of Cherbourg, has entrench- 
ments in its neighbourhood supposed to have been constructed by the ancieut 
Gauls. Barjleur, a small port, lies to the east, and on the cape near it stands the 
tallest lighthouse in France, which mariners keep in sight until they find themselvea 
within the radius of that of La Heve, near Havre. St. Vaast (3,014 inhabitants), 
close to Cap La Hougue, is best known through the naval victory of the combined 
English and Dutch fleets in 1G92. Ship-building and oj'ster-breeding are carried 
on. The islands of St. Marcouf, in the offing, were held by the English from 1793 

Fig. 200. — Cherboitro. 
Scale 1 : 80,000. 




3°|57'W. of Paris 







piA, 



^^'- 



.lle.Pip,l>t"-^ 




l°i37'\V.otCr. 



Fut, 



5 Fa4?U>7rM 

. 1 MUe. 



to 1802, who thus intercepted all communications between Havre and Cherbourg. 
Valognes (4,910 inhabitants) lies in the centre of the peninsula of Cotentin, and 
at the mouth of the Douve. In the midst of marshes converted into fertile 
meadows stands Carentan {2,n'2 inhabitants), which exports dairy produce to 
England. St. L6 (9,519 inhabitants), the capital of the department, occupies a 
delightful site in the valley of the Vire, and carries on some textile industry. 

Returning to the western coast, the first place we arrive at is Coutances 
(Constantia, 8,008 inhabitants), an old episcopal city which has given its name to 
the entire peninsula. Its cathedral is a fine structure of the fourteenth century. 
Regneville, the port of Coutances, has oyster beds. Higher up on the Sienne is 
Vilkdieu-les-Poeles (3,437 inhabitants), a town of tinkers and frying-pan makers, 
as is implied by its name. 



OUNE. 



275 



Grancille (12,372 inhabitants) has an excellent harbour and docks, and carries 
on commerce with the Channel Islands and England. The inhabitants arc sup- 
posed by some to be of Iberian descent, and such a thing as slander is said to 
be unknown amongst them — a very curious circumstance for a provincial town. 

Arranches (7,754 inhabitants), the old town of the Abrincates, occupies an 
admirable situation at the mouth of the See. It boasts a fine cathe<lral, and a 
railway, which will connect it with the curious castle of St. ilichcl, is being 
constructed. 

St. Hihire-du-Harcouct (3,148 inhabitants), on the Selune, has tan-yards, 

Fig. 201. — Tkb Beach at GnAxvais. 





spinning-mills, &c. ; whilst Morfain (2,185 inhabitants), higher up in the same 
valley, is more especially noted for its picturesque position. 

Orne is named after the river which enters the Channel below Caen. It is a 
country of transition. Primitive rocks prevail in the west, sedimentary strata in 
the east. In this latt«r region the inhabitants breed horses and cattle ; in the 
former they carry on some manufacturing industry. 

Akiifon (15,433 inhabitants), the capital, on the Sarthc, was formerly cele- 
brated for its point-lace, the manufacture of which was introduced from Venice 
in 1G73, but depends now mainly upon its horse markets. 



276 FEANCE. 

Domfront (2,735 inhabitants), a picturesque old town ou the Varenne, a 
tributary of the Mayenne, is the capital of an arrondissement ; but La Ferte-Mace 
(6,392 inhabitants), on another tributary of the Mayenne, exceds it in importance, 
for it carries on the manufacture of linen, cottons, and ribbons. Near it are the 
steel and sulphur springs of Bagnolles. 

Argentan (5,254 inhabitants) occupies a fine site in the valley of the Orne. 
The surrounding country is famous for its poultry, cattle, and horses. At Sees 
(3,760 inhabitants), an episcopal city higher up in the valley, important horse 
fairs are held, and at Pin, in the district known as Merlerault, is a famous stud 
for breeding horses. Flers (8,571 inhabitants) and Tinchebrai (2,562 inhabit- 
ants) are busy towns in side valleys of the Orne, engaged in the manufacture of 
cottons, linens, cutlery, and other articles. 

Vinioutiers (2,775 inhabitants), in the north-east, has bleaching grounds. 
Camemhert, a village noted for its cheese, is close by. Still farther east is Laigle 
(4,495 inhabitants), where needles, nails, wire, and other hardware are manu- 
factured. 

Morfagne (4,302 inhabitants) and BelUme (2,935 inhabitants) are the principal 
towns in the Forest of La Perche, within which the Abbe de Ranee founded the 
first monaster}^ of Trappists. From Touronrre, one of the villages, eighty families 
emigrated two hundred years ago, and can boast that most of the Canadian French 
are descended from them. 

Calvados is named after a few rocks on the coast, and Is probably a 
corruption of Salvados, one of the vessels of the Spanish Armada wrecked upon 
them. The western and south-western portions of the department form the 
district of " Bocage " (woodland), and are of palseozoic formation. Bessin includes 
the western maritime district, and is of Jurassic age. In the country round 
Caen oolitic rocks predominate. In Lieuvin and in the valley of Auge, in the 
east, Jurassic, cretaceous, and tertiary rocks are met with. This is eminently 
a cattle-breeding region, whilst Bessin is noted for its dairy farms. Bocage, which 
only produced oats, rye, and buckwheat formerly, is now more carefully cultivated. 
There are quarries and coal mines, and paper, earthenware, soap, and textile fabrics 
are manufactured. 

Vire (6,718 inhabitants), the capital of Bocage, is delightfully situated on a 
river of the same name. There are linen, cloth, and paper miUs, tan-yards, and 
quarries of grey granite. Basselin, the song writer of the fourteenth century, was 
a native of the Val or Yau de Vire (valley of the Vire), which has been corrupted 
into our modern Vaudeville. 

Baj/cux (8,315 inhabitants), on the Aure, is the capital of Bessin. China, 
lace, and embroidered work are manufactured there, but the town bears an aspect 
of decay. Its Gothic cathedral, old town-hall, and curious houses with wood- 
carvings, remind us of better days. Descending the Aure, we pass Trevieres, 
near which is Formignij, famous on account of the battle which put an end to 
the English reign in Normandy (1450). Near the mouth of the river is Isigny 
(2,104 inhabitants), which exports much butter. 



PALVADOS. 



277 



Caen (33,072 inhiibitauts) is tbo only considerable town on tbe Orno. Ita 
situation, in tbe midst of verdant meadows, at tbe junction of tlie valleys of tbo 
Ornc and tbe Udon, and at tbo bead of tbo tide, is most favourable. It boasts 



Fig. 202. — Caen and tbb Mouth on tub Ornb. 
Bmlc I : 140,000. 



1 



llf\f ilc/Srfutcre.v '^- 



m 







Ilprmnnvillf 



S'. ,\l.li.n\ 
d'.ii'tjttrii.n ^^ 



.M.-i Mil. 



; >allc-ni-lli- 



I'.TM-viUe" 




{>'.' Honoi 



Tt 



■^ 




. ■• MilM. 



of muny fine buildings, most of tbcm constructed of tbe famous stone quarried in 
the ncigbbourbood. The Byzantine cburcb of St. Pierre, at tbo foot of tbe old 
castle, bas a fine Gothic spire. The abbey of St. ^Itienne, in which William tbo 
Conqueror was buried, is distinguished by its simple grandeur, and bas a nave of 



278 



FRANCE. 



the eleventh century. Many of the other ecclesiastical and private buildings 
are remarkable on account of the architecture. The " sapient " city may boast 
of numerous educational establishments, and its library and museums are amongst 
the wealthiest in France. An active commerce is carried on, and the docks 
admit vessels drawing 16 feet of water. Ouistreham, at the mouth of the Orne, 



Fig. 203.— Trouville. 
Scale 1 : 50,000. 




1 Mile. 



was the great port of the country in Anglo-Norman times, but is now a simple 
village, much frequented as a seaside resort, as are also other villages near 
it, amongst which Courseiillcs, with a small port and oyster beds, is the most 
important. In a side valley of the Ujjper Orne is Conde-sur-Noireau (6,835 
inhabitants), with cotton-mills. 

The river Dives, on entering the department, is joined on the left by a small 



CALVADO& 279 

tributary, commanded by the curious old city of FaUtise (8,180 inbubitanta), in 
whose castle was bora AVilliam the rinujucror. Tboro are cotton-mills and horso 
fairs, called after tlio suburb of Guibruy. At Dins, now a poor village at the 
mouth of the river, the Conqueror embarked the army of 2oi>,000 men with 
which he invaded England. Licarot, in a side valley of the Dives, is noted for 
its cheese. 

Lisieux (18,396 iuhabitiints) is the most important town on tlie Touques. Its 
fat meadows nourish cattle for the Paris market, and cloth, leather, and cotton 
stuffs are amongst its principid manufacturing products. A Gothic cathedral is 
its most remarkable building. Crhrcoiir, noted for its fowls, is near. Poiil- 
fL'reque (2,373 inhabitants) exports cheese and vegetables. 

Trouville (5,161 inhabitants), at the mouth of the river, is one of the most 
fashionable seaside resorts of France, annually frequented by 20,000 bathers ; 
but the town also carries on some commerce. The castle of Bouurrillf, at the 
neighbouring village of Touques, was a favourite residence of "William the 
Conqueror. 

Houfleur (9,037 inhabitants), at the mouth of the Seine, opposite Havre, rises 
amphithcatrically from the water-side. It was an important place formerly, before 
it had been eclipsed by its parrenu rival on the opposite bank of the river, and 
its mariners roamed over every sea. Its port has been silted up, but it still 
exports vast quantities of vegetables, fruits, poultry, and eggs, more especially to 
London. Fishing and ship-building are also carried on, and the gardens produce 
excellent melons. 




CHAPTER X. 

LOWER NORMANDY AND COTENTIN. 




General Aspects. 

HOUGH small in extent, this section of France has made its influence 
felt in the history of the country. From ancient times it has 
served &a the intermediary of commerce and ideas between France 
and Great Britain, and from its shores departed, in the eleventh 
centurj', the Norman conquerors of England. The inhabitants 
differ in physique from those of other parts of France, for the Norman conquerors 
maintained their ground longer there than elsewhere. Bayeux was ceded to them 
in A.D. 923, or twenty-five years later than Rouen, but they came to the former in 
larger numbers, besides which the Saxon Baiocasses or Sesnes of Bayeux, speaking 
a kindred dialect, had jDreceded them. The local dialect contains many words of 
Teuton origin, such as <j(ii(/f, signifying forest. The natives of Bessin, the /ifdis 
SaxonicKin of old chronicles, as well as those of Cotentin, are often tail and 
powerful, with flaxen hair, elongated faces, and light blue eyes. 

Lower Normandy is bounded on the south by a range of hills, occasionally 
assuming the appearance of mountains. On the heights of Perche rise the Sarthe, 
the Orne, the Eure, and other rivers. A depression, through which runs the 
railway from Alencon to Caen, separates them from the Forests of Ecouves and 
Multonne, both attaining the same height (1,370 feet), and forming the culminating 
points of the whole of North-western France. Granitic rocks here pierce the 
sedimentary strata of Jurassic, cretaceous, and tertiary age of the basins of the 
Loire and the Seine, and farther to the west, up to the extreme points of 
Brittany, granites and palteozoic rocks predominate. 

These hills near Alencon, owing to the diversity they oflfer, are known as 
" Norman Switzerland," but those to the west of them are most regular in their 
contours. The Forest of Andaine, though pierced by numerous tributaries of 
the Mayenne, rising to the north of it, presents the appearance of a veritable 
rampart, upon one of the promontories of which is seated the town of Domfront. 
The hilly country to the north is known as the " Bocage " of Normandy, 
and abounds in beeches and orchards, whilst the ridges of the peninsula of 



THE EIYEE SEINE. 



281 



arc very attractive, but the aspect of the plateaux is sometimes dreary in the 
extreme, the water disappearing in their porous soil us in a sieve. The railway 
from Paris to Dijon, where it crosses the rampart of the Cotc-d'Or, winds along 
the foot of the seurped heights which load up to the vast plain deposited by the 
ocean as it retired to the north. 

The geological difiereuces in the formation of the Morvan and the Cote-d'Or 
amply account for the discrepancies in the rivers which rise in these two regions. 
The granites and porphyries of Morvan being impervious to rain, only surface 
drainage is possible, and after a heavy fall of rain the rivulets are converted into 



Fig. 20-1. — Tub Kavined Plateav of Uppee Bukoundy. 
Scale 1 : IGO.OOO. 



t. c^ VnviH 







LarUalcup 

\ 



4".... h ui l„ 



. 2 Miles. 



uncontrollable torrents. The limestone formation of the Cotc-d'Or, on the other 
hand, sucks up the rain, and the rivers being largely fed from underground 
reservoirs, retain their volume throughout the year. The difference is all the 
more striking as the rainfall in the Jlorvan is exceptionally large, amounting 
to 48 inches, as compared with 2 1 inches near the so-called source of the 
Seine. The head-streams of the Seine, rising in the Morvan, thus present all the 
features of mountain torrents. The engineers have attempted to regulate the 
volume of the Cure and the Yonne by building a dam below the swamp of Settons, 
which has thus been converted into a lake, having an area of 1,000 acres, capable 
of holding 21,000,000 tons of water. In times of drought 25 tons a second 



282 



FRANCE. 



can be discharged from it consecutively for ten days, a quantity amply sufficient 
to float timber down the Yonne, and to feed the canals of Nivernais and Burgundy, 
the volume of the Lower Yonne being regulated by means of locks. 

At Sens the Yonne is joined by the small river Vanne, flowing through a 
delightful valley, which would hardly be known amongst the outside world had 
not the city of Paris purchased some of the sources of the river, and conveyed 
their deliciously pure water, by means of a magnificent aqueduct, to Paris. 

The Seine, the Aube, and its tributaries rise on the limestone plateau to the 
east of Morvan. The source of the Seine, so called, shifts its position according to 



Fig. 205. — The Lake Reservoir of Sextons. 
Scale 1 : 20.000. 




Ii-s .Vf/i.>j(iV 



0°|I.O'U' 



, 1 MUe. 



whether the supply of water is more or less ample, and it happens frequently that 
the tutelary statue erected by the city of Paris is not reflected in its crystal waters. 
The stream only becomes considerable about 15 miles farther north, where it 
is reinforced by two beautiful springs rising on the plateau to the west. At 
Chatillon, 30 miles below the " source," another douix, or spring, unites with the 
river, which lower down is joined by the Ource and the Laignes. 

The whitish Aube, rising in the chalks of Champagne ; the Voulzie, running 
through a delightful valley ; the Loing, the sparkling Essonne, and other tributaries 
flowing on regularly throughout the j'ear, difier essentially from the torrents 



TUE RIVER SEINE. 



288 



which join the Upiier Yonne. No less than 7.5 per cent, of the surface of the 
basin of the Seine consists of permeable rocks, and this, together with the character 
of the tributaries mentioned above, accounts for the Seine bemg that river of 
France whose volume undergoes the fewest changes during the year. Of course 
there are exceptions; and quite recently, in the spring of 1876, the Seine 



Fig. 206. — The Soubcb op the Selse. 
Scale 1 ; 80,000. 



24E.«rP«rl. 




J S'. Ctrnwiii 

-^ In Frnillr 







ra''.-i'. 



• '• ■'":'■ ,1- ft --'■ 









' 






'( :' 

J 


1 


V 

'if:. 


Blis!h V-/C- Sec 


l!^>\ 


^V 


( 


) ' 


• ' - 










i^^'; 



V ^"E-oif-r 



MUc. 



overflowed its banks and caused much destruction. On the 17th of March no less 
than •08,'273 cubic feet of water passed every second beneath the bridges of Paris, 
being fifty times more than when the river is at its lowest. But the difference, 
after all, is little compared with what may be witnessed in connection willi tlie 
Loire and the rivers of the south. M. Belgrand has shown, however, that during 



284 



FRANCE. 



a geological epoch coinciding with the stone age, the Seine, too, had its floods, its 
volume sometimes exceeding 1,000,000 cubic feet a second. 

The Marne, which joins the principal river at the very gates of Paris, is of 
greater length than the Seine, but its volume is less, and nowhere within its 
basin does the annual rainfall exceed 24 inches. Between Epernay and Meaux 
the annual precipitation only amounts to 16 inches, and most of the rain is 
sucked up by the soil. This small amount of rain, however, is not attended by 
sterility, for that portion of the Champagne known as " lousy," on account of its 



Fig. 207. — The Basin op Vitey-le-Fkanjois. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 



z^lSo'E. of Pains 




!,» So- E of Or 



. 5 Miles. 



barren rocks, its short herbage, poor fields, and poverty, lies to tlie east of this 
" rainless " region. In spite of the greater precipitation, it contains tracts fitly to 
be described as " steppes." Upon one of these the camp of Chalons has been 
established. The zone of chalk is widest in that part of France, and the cultivators 
of the soil have to sustain a severe struggle. Only where marl occurs naturally 
or is applied to the chalky soil can fine crops be raised, and such localities form 
oases in the desert. The Marne, now discharging 2,G50 cubic feet a second, was a 
far more considerable river in prehistoric times. All the rivers rising in the 



THE RIYEE SEINE. 



285 



Jurassic heights and converging upon Paris have denudetl a considerublo portion of 
the area which thoy drain. In this manner a wide phiin of erosion, enveloped by 
the cretaceous rocks of Champagne, has been formed. "Within it lie the towns of 
Auxcrre, Bar-sur-Seine, Bar-sur-Aube, Vitry, Bar-lc-Duc, and Sto. Menehould. 
M. Elie de Beaumont has likened this plain to the ditch of an exterior lino of the 
fortifications of Paris, the hills of Brie forming the rampart. In tho formation of 
this plain the Marne has had the greatest share. Tho basin of Vitry-lo- Francois, 
within which the two head branches of tho river join, affords one of tho finest 
examples of the action of water as a geological agent. Over an area of 200 square 
miles the cretaceous rocks nave been carried away, and alluvial soil conveyed down 
from the hills has been deposited instead. On approaching Paris, the Marnc 
meanders in numerous curves, taking its course through a valley the delights of 
which have been the themes of poets and painters, and which has been encroached 
upon by the villas and summer houses of the citizens of Paris. The Ourcq, one 
of the affluents of the Marne, has partly been diverted to feed a canal which 
supplies Paris with water, and is at tho same time navigable. 

The last curve of the Marnc is of recent origin. Formerly the Marne bifurcated 



Fig. 208. — Section of the Paris Basin. 
HorizoDtal Scale 1 : 6,000,000. Vertical Scale 1 : 100,000. 



Vpsges 



_^ormiii(iy Hu,qx>: 




Horizontal Sr^^ l:it>'ito^£>fi. 



below Meaux, the northern arm flowing through the depression in which runs 
the canal of Ourcq, whilst the southern joined the vast lake which then covered 
the basin of Paris, and above which rose the islands of Slontmartre, Passy, Stains, 
and Ormesson. Nor had the three curves which the Seine describes below Paris 
any existence, their future directions being merely indicated by the promontories 
of Vanves, Mont Valerien, and St. Gei-main. 

The Oise, which joins the Seine above Poissy, is commercially an important 
river, for it rises near the coal-fields of Belgium, and traverses a region distin- 
guished for its industry. Locks render it navigable throughout, and canals join 
it to the Marne, the Mouse, the Scheldt, and the Somme, one of them, that of 
St. Quentin, passing through several tunnels. The valleys of the Seine and tho 
Oise meet at right angles, embracing between them the huge quadrant of a circle, tho 
centre of which is at Paris, whilst the periphery is formed by the Jurassic zone 
extending from Burgundy to tho Ardennes. Tho geological formation of tho 
basin of Paris may here be studied most advantageously, the degrading action of 
the water having been least. Geologists have likened the successive beds of 
this basin to a number of basins placed one within the other. Where impervious 

VOL. 11. u 



286 



FEANCE. 



layers of clay prevent the passage of water, the latter collects underground, and 
thus the rain which falls on the chalky plateaux of Champagne finds its way to 
the surface through wells bored at Paris. The artesian springs at Grenelle rise 
from a depth of 1,640 feet. Beneath the Seine which flows on the surface there 
are other Seines far underground. Beneath the Lake of Eughien, which occupies 
a cup-shaped cavity in the marl, there are other lakes, which may be tapped, 
when their water rushes up to the surface. 

About one-half of the rain falling within the basin of the Seine finds its way 
into the river, the other half feeding subterranean reservoirs. No large tributaries 
join below the Oise, but the Seine nevertheless increases in volume, for numerous 
springs rise in its bed. Below the confluence with the Eure the influence of the 
tide makes itself felt, and the river is of imposing width. The ancient gulf through 



Fi". 209. — The Estuary op the Seine. 



2-15- 



rw.ofrjrii 



4 Miles. 
AUuvud Lanit 
TecovereA, froni 
t}ic Sea,. 



CdelaHeVv, 
'4 L'Ecln/l 



--l-fH',. 




LE ti^VRE X^ 



TRocvai 



O'l&'E-of Grgcnw 



which it flows is for the most part bounded by sloping hills, but a few old 
chalk cliffs, formerly bathed by the sea, may still be seen. Below Rouen the Seine 
forms curves similar to those near Paris. Beyond Quillebceiif it is confined within 
embankments. The phenomenon of the bore {mascard) may be witnessed above 
that town as far as Caudebec. A tidal wave, 10 feet in height, then rushes up 
the river at the rate of more than half a mile a minute, and the conflict between 
it and the river is most imposing. 

The bay of the Seine has been much changed in consequence of engineering 
works. The mouth of the river is now 10 miles below Quilleboeuf, opposite the 
Cap du Hode. The embankments are flooded at high water, and behind them 
the sea deposits the mud held in suspension. When these deposits have attained 
the height of the embankment the latter is increased in altitude, and the land thus 
protected may be cultivated. The estuary of the Rille, which joins that of the 



UPPER NORMANDY. 



287 



Seine on the south, is eflfeetiiuUy treated in the siinio niiinner. Like niiiny other 
rivers traversing ciileareous formations, the Rillc, or Risle, flows partly through 
underground channels. 



TJPPEII NoUMAMJV. 

The plateaux of Upper Normandy, which extend from the northern bank of the 
Seine to the English Channel, where they terminate in Capes do la Tlevc an<l 



Fig. 210.— Tub District op Bbay. 



w ol Tjiis 




lUlUilts. 



Antifer, are drained but in part into the Parisian river. They consist of cretaceous 
rocks covered by strata of more recent origin. The limestone crops out wherever 
the surface deposits have been removed by the action of the rivers, and these lime- 
stone districts difftT from others adjoining them in their vegetation, agriculture, 
and inhabitants. In the district of IJray, the most elevated of these plateaux, tho 
surface strata have been almost completely removed, and the limestone liills, 
belonging to tho upper Jurassic formation, are covered to their very summits with 

u 2 



283 



EEANCE. 



savoury herbs and fruit trees. The fattening of cattle is carried on there ; and so 
luxuriant is the pasturage that, in spite of the severity of climate, cattle pasture in 
the open air throughout the winter, merelj^ sheltered bj' sheds against the incle- 
mencies of the weather. On the chalky plateaux of Caux and Voxin the rain- 
water disappears as in a sieve, but bounteous springs gush forth in the surrounding 
valleys, which are of rare fecundity, and frequently suflFer from a superabundance 
of water, whilst the dwellers on the plateaux are dependent upon cisterns or 
pools. The air fortunately is charged with moisture, and these springless regions 
support a fine vegetation. Rows of beeches planted on embankments screen the 
apple orchards against the violent breezes blowing from the sea. Formerly the 
whole country was one dense forest of oaks and beech- trees. 



Fig. 211. — Dale.s (Vali-euses) o.\ the Coast. 
Poiile 1 : ino.nixi. 







_ Bordeaux S'CUjt i^l^^ oi>y ^MlpTevSk 




i Aubervihe 




2 Miles. 



The maritime slope of this plateau is intersected by numerous vaUeys or river- 
less dales. The parallelism of the rivers is remarkable : the B^thime, the Yeres, 
the Breslo, and the Somme all flow in the same direction, dividing the country 
into regular parallelograms. The roads either run along the valleys or at 
right angles across the intervening plateaux. Most of the towns have been built 
lengthways along the roads, running towards the north-west. They have hardly 
any side streets ; and one village, that of Aliermont, near Dieppe, forms a single 
street nearly 10 miles in length. 

The right slope of most of the valleys of Upper Normandy is steeper than that 
on the left. M. de Lamblardie ascribes this curious feature to the greater rapidily 
with which evaporation takes place on the slopes exposed to the sun. The slopes 



THE COAST. 



289 



facing northward arc more humid, and the disintegration of (he rocks would 
consequently go on at a more rapid rate. The rotation of the earth, however, is 
sufficient to account for this phenomenon. 

The Coast. 

The undisturbed action of geological agencies in this part of Franco is exhibited 
by the formation of the coast, no less than by that of the plateau. The shore 
between Ilavre and Dieppe forms a convex curve, and is continued thence to 

Fi?. 212.— Cape de la IlfevB. 





I3oulognc and Cape Gris-Xcz by a concave one. The contour of this coast-line is 
most graceful, and yet few localities exist where the sea has wrought greater 
havoc. Between Havre and Auet, a village to the south of the Somme, bold chalk 
cliffs line the coast, sometimes rising to a height of 300 feet, and only interrupted 
at intervals by breaks through which the inland waters make tlicir way to the 
sea. Sometimes, when the storm rages, masses of rock wcigliiiig thousands of tons 
are detached, and gradually worn down into sand. 

The rain-water which filters through the fissures of the rocks is even a grcatet 



290 FEANCE. 

ao-eut of destruction than the sea. The lower portion of the cliffs generally 
consists of ferruginous sand, through which percolates the water of many springs. 
Cavities are thus formed, the superimposed mass of rock settles down, and at the 
next onslaught of the waves tumbles down upon the beach. The sea here con- 
tinually encroaches upon the land. In the beginning of the twelfth century the 
church of Ste. Adresse stood 4,600 feet from the present coast, at a spot now 
occupied by the bank of £clat. The sea has consequently advanced at a rate of 
about 8 feet annually. This rapid progress is due in a large measure to the coast 
current, which carries away the debris of the cliffs. For a time the fragments of 
rock which tumble dovm. from the top of the cliffs form a protective barrier ; but 
by degrees the chalk dissolves, and is carried to a distance, whilst the enclosed 
pebbles, unable to contend against the waves, are distributed along the beach, and 
even aid in the work of destruction. The ports, moreover, are being silted up 
by pebbles and mud carried down by the rivers, and require the protection of 
piers. 

At the Cape of Antifer the ocean current bifurcates, the principal branch run- 
ning east along the coast of the countrj' of Caux (calx, lime), whilst a lateral arm 
turns south, in the direction of Havre. The port of that town is thus threatened 
from various directions. The ocean current transports thither its pebbles ; the debris 
carried down by the Seine gradually silts up the estuary of the river ; and the 
rivers of Calvados convey thither the sands and pebbles of Lower Normandy. The 
efforts of the engineers to avert the fate threatening the port, and which has 
already overtaken Honfleur, on the left bank, are incessant. 

Fortxmately the conflicting ocean currents which meet at Havre possess 
attendant advantages, for they produce three tidal waves, arriving in succession, 
and the period of high water, instead of being limited to eleven minutes, extends 
over three hours. Vessels are thus afforded ample time to enter the docks. 



Topography. 

YoNNE. — This department is named after the principal tributary of the Upper 
Seine. It includes portions of the ancient provinces of Burgundy, Orleanais, 
and Champagne, and the great high-road from Paris to Lyons runs through it. 
Agriculture supports most of the inhabitants, and wine, cider, and beer are 
amongst its products. 

Auxerre (15,656 inhabitants), the capital, occupies the slope of a hill on the 
left bank of the river Yonne. It boasts of a magnificent cathedral, the finest in 
all Burgundy, and carries on a considerable trade in wine, the best being grown 
near Chahlis (2,185 inhabitants), to the west. Fontenaij, noted for a great battle 
fought in 841, lies to the south-west. 

Avallon (5,337 inhabitants), built on a rock overlooking the valley of the 
Cousin, has a few mediajval buildings, and carries on some trade ; but in the ej^es 
of the antiquarian it is eclipsed by the ancient capital of the district, Vezelay, on 
the Cure, now in ruins, but in the twelfth century a famous place of commerce and 



HAUTE-MARNK. 291 

piljjrimage. It was hero that Kichard Ca-ur do Lion met the King of France in 
1190, when preparing to start upon the third crusade. 

St. Florentin (2,256 inhabitants), Toniierre (4,991 inhabitants), and Ancy-le- 
Franc are the principal phices on the Armanf on. Tonnerre, lying on the railway 
from Paris to Lyons, carries on some trade in wine. 

L(i Roche, at the confluence of the .i\j'man(;on with the Yonnc, is a busy railway 
centre. Following the river, we pass Joignij (5,975 inhabitants) and its vineyards, 
and Vilkneiife-sur-Yonne (3,606 inhabitants), and reach Sens (12,251 inhabitants), 
the old capital of the Senones. Its cathedral is a most remarkable edifice, with 
windows painted by Jean Cousin. A chapter-house and the episcojjal palace, 
equally remarkable, adjoin it. 

AvBE is cut in two by the river Seine, which divides it from south-east to 
north-west, and is named after a tributary of that river. The surface is for the 
most part hilly, and moderately wooded, and in the north the do2)artment merges 
in the monotonous plain of Champagne. The soil is generally sterile. 

Troycs (41,275 inhabitants), the ancient capital of Champagne, the ancient 
Augustobona, on the river Seine, is altogether without natural defences, and 
thus fell an easy prey to every foreign invader. The town, however, took 
advantage of its central position, and in times of peace its commerce and industry 
flourished. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes nearly ruined it. It is now a 
great centre of the hosiery industry, and the nurseries in the neighbourhood enjoy 
a wide reputation. Amongst its edifices the first place must bo accorded to a 
magnificent cathedral, one of the finest in France. An ancient abbej' now serves as 
a library and museum. The old ramparts have been converted into delightful 
walks. Higher up on the Seine is Bar-siir-Sciiie (2,512 inhabitants), the insigni- 
ficant capital of an anondissement. Near it, in the valley of the Laigne, are the 
three Riceijs (2,755 inhabitants). Descending the Seine, we reach Romilly (4,925 
inhabitants) and Nogeui-mr-Seine (3,335 inhabitants). Near the latter stood the 
abbey of I*araclet, the retreat of Abelard. 

The river Aube, on entering the department, flows beneath the stately abbey 
of Clairvaux, now converted into a con^•ict prison. At Bar-sur-Aube (4,495 
inhabitants) the Aube leaves the hilly district and enters the chalky plain of 
Champagne, flowing past Brknne (1,860 inhabitants), where Napoleon first 
studied military science, and Arck-sur-Aube (2,817 inhabitants), the birtliplace of 
Danton. 

nAVTK-M.\RNE is divided by the plateau of Langres into two distinct sections, 
of which the southern is drained into the Saone, whilst the northern, embracing 
the districts of Bassigny, Tallage, and Perthois, is traversed by the Upper Marne, 
the Upper Meuse, and the Upper Aube, these three rivers rising within the 
department. More than a fourth of the surface is wooded. Iron ore abounds. 

Bourbotmc-ks-Bains (3,705 inhabitants), famous on account of its .springs, is 
the only town in the southern section of the department. 

Langres (9,488 inhabitants) occupies a commanding position on the Upper 
Mame, and is strongly fortified. It is the old capital of the Lingones, has a grand 



292 



PEANCB. 



old gate constructed by the Bomans, and a fine Gothic cathedral. Diderot was a 
native of Langres. The knives named after the city are manufactured in the 
neighbouring town of Ifogenf-le-Hoi (3,430 inhabitants). Chaumont-en-Bassigny 
(8,791 inhabitants), on a high limestone terrace at the junction of the Suize with 
the Marne, is a quiet country town. A magnificent aqueduct of fifty arches sup- 
plies the town with water. Below Chaumont we enter the " black country," in 
the centre of which is JoinviUe-en-YaUagc (3,723 inhabitants). Lower still is the 



Fig. 213. — The Entitions op Lanobes. 
Scale 1 : 120,000. 




':Wq,.^^j§^^»^ \^ ^^>^^=:^axiSj$^ ^r t> 



^ ;0..^i 



. 2 Miles. 



valley of Osne, famous for its iron foundries. St. Dizier (9,453 inhabitants) is 
one of the great iron marts of France. 

Vassij (2,799 inhabitants), in the valley of the Blaise, was an important town 
formerly, but has never recovered from the massacre of its Protestant inhabitants 
in 1562. Iron mills and foundries are in the vicinity, and higher up in the same 
valley lies the castle of Cirey, where Voltaire resided for several years. 

Makne, named after its principal river, consists of several well-marked geo- 
graphical regions. The Bocage, Perthois, and Argonne, in the south-east and 
east, belong to the lower cretaceous formation, and are partly wooded ; Champagne 
proper, in the centre, consists of chalk and marls ; whilst the district of Remois 
and the hills of Epemay and Sezanne are of tertiary origin. The population around 
the industrial city of Reims is dense, but in the monotonous plains it is sparse. 



MAENE. 



293 



Vitnj-k-F)-an^o!s (7,590 inhabitanls), on the Murne, is the terminus of the 
canal which joins that river to the Rhine. The town has been destroyed 
repeatedly, and was last rebuilt by Francois I. Chalons-sur-Marne (20,215 



Fig. 2M. — CUALONS AXD ITS CaMP. 
8cale 1 ; 160,000. 




f>"lE.otG 






2 Miles. 



inhabitants), the capital of the department, has several fine churches, but the 
most remarkable edifice of the town in the old sanctuary of Notre-Dame dc 
I'Epine, about 6 miles to the north-east of it. The indu.strial art school is ono 



294 



FEANCE. 



of the most flourishing in France, and a vast trade is done in champagne. The 
old fortifications have been converted into public walks. Near a site now known 
as Attila's Camp was fought the battle of the Catalauuian Fields, which broke the 
power of the Huns. The " camp of Chalons " is no longer occupied. 

Epermy (15,414 inhabitants), one of the two great centres of the commerce in 
champagne, lies on the Marne, embosomed in vineyards. The wine from which 
veritable champagne is manufactured is grown on the hills bounding the river, 
and in a district extending from Sillery, near Reims, to Avizc (2,113 inhabitants) 
and Vertus (2,371 inhabitants), in the south. Ay (4,007 inhabitants), close to 
!l6pernay, is most famous for its cms. In 1873 more than 22,000,000 bottles 

Fig. 215. — The Bifukcation of the Grand Mokin at Sezanne. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 




) Miles. 



of champagne were manufactured in the department, and the profit derived from 
its sale has furnished the means for erecting the luxurious chateaux dotted 
over the country. Several of the towns in the hills to the south of ^pernay have 
become known through the military events of 1814 ; as, for instance. La Fere- 
C//a7>ijK' noise, Sezanne (4,690 inhabitants), and Montmirall (2,077 inhabitants). 
Sezanne, moreover, is interesting on account of the bifurcation of the river Grand 
Morin, which rises to the north of the town, a phenomenon similar to that in 
connection with the Cassiquiare in South America. 

Reims (80,098 inhabitants), the ancient capital of the Remi, does not enjoy the 
advantage of lying on a navigable river, but a canal connects it with the Marne 



MABNE. 



295 



aud the Aisne, and five railways converge upon it. It is one of the great historical 
cities of France. Clovis was baptized there, and the Kings of France, ever since 

Fig. 216. — ItsiMS AND £rERNAY. 
Scale 1 : iS»,O00. 



I- kO>: ..I' l-.ir 




• .■.■■■■ y'^i.'^.-^^^^'^i^ 










''i'"'^'.<wi 






i^Jjic: 



Philip Augustus, were anointed there by the successors of St. Remy, its first 
bishop. The cathedral is one of the most perfect Gothic edifices in the world. 



296 



FEANCE. 



Begun in 1212, it was only completed, as we now see it, two centuries afterwards. 
Amongst other remarkable buildings are tbe cburcb of St. Remy, even older than 



Fig. 217. — The Cathedral of Reims. 




tbe cathedral ; tbe arcbiepiscopal palace ; tbe town-ball, with a library and museum ; 
and a Roman arcb of triumph known as the " Gate of Mars." Modern Reims has 
the old Roman eitj' of Durocortorum for its nucleus, and extensive suburbs stretch 



8EINE-ET-MAENK. 



297 



out in all directions. It is a prosperous seat of industry. Champagne is manu- 
factured on a scale even vaster than at Epcrnay ; the woollen industry is of great 
importance and there arc dye works, glass works, and beet-root sugar manu- 
factories. The pastrycooks of Reims maintain their reputation to the present 
day. Colbert was a native of the citj\ 

Sh'. iFtnehoHld (3,.'37G inhabitants), on the Aisno, defends the most important 
defile leading through the wooded heights of Argouue, and like Va/iiii/, farther 
west, is frequently referred to in military history 

Seine-et-M.\rxe lies completely within the basins of the two rivers after which 



l'"ig. 21S. — FoNTAINEllLEAU. 
Scale 1 : 200,000. 



>^, 



7.v\\v:^ 



lO-aOE nfV.ri. 



^ 









T'amorfjiii 



*;OJVTAI,/»f,i:l ' 






citfM- 



|2°4O'E.ol0r 




. 2 Miles 



it is named. Brie, between the Seine and the Marne, consists of an eocene plateau, 
almost arid in its character, whilst the district of Gatinais, to the south of the 
Seine, consisting of miocene sandstones, being better supplied with water, is 
more fertile. A few largo forests remain, but the greater portion of the 
department is divided amongst a multitude of small landowners, busily employed 
in supplying the neighbouring city of Paris with corn, vegetables, and cheese. 
There are many quarries and clay pits, and the manufacture of paper is of con- 
siderable importance. 

Melun (11,215 inhabitants), the capital, ia the first large town on the Seine 



298 



FRANCE. 



Fig. 219.— Paris and the Gheat Highways 
France. 



above Paris, of which it is almost a rural suburb. The most remarkable building 
of the town is a huge prison. Near it is the chateau of Vaux-Praslin, with a 
collection of paintings, and a park laid out by Le Notre. 

Fontainehleau (11,545 inhabitants), at a distance of a couple of miles from the 
Seine, and in the midst of a vast forest, is one of the favourite pleasure resorts of 
the Parisians. The palace is associated in our memory with the revocation of the 
Edict of Nantes, the assassination of Monaldeschi, the captivity of Pius VII., and 
the abdication of Napoleon. Sandstone is quarried ; sand for the manufacture of 
glass is dug ; and the neighbouring village of Thomery is noted for its delicious 
white grapes. Morct, at the mouth of the Loing, carries on a brisk trade, but is 
inferior in that respect to Montereau-fauU-Yonnc (6,847 inhabitants), higher up 

the Seine, at the mouth of the Youne, 
which has also a huge china manu- 
factory, employing more than six 
hundred workmen. 

Provins (7,176 inhabitants), the 
old capital of Brie, lies in the delight- 
ful valley of the Voulzie, which joins 
the Seine from the north, and is com- 
manded by a citadel dating back to 
the thirteenth century. Near Ncinoiivs 
(3,857 inhabitants), on the Yonne, 
is Bi(jnon, the birthplace of Mirabeau. 
Brie-en-Comte (2,685 inhabitants), 
on the Yerres, a tributary of the 
Seine, is altogether dependent upon 
Paris, which its inhabitants supply 
with building stones, lime, vegetables, 
roses, and cheese. 
Meaux (11,739 inhabitants) is the most important town on the llarne, 
its houses clustering around an unfinished Gothic cathedral. The treaty 
putting an end to the war against the Albigenses was concluded here. 
Meaux, like most other towns of the department, is engaged in supplying 
• Paris with provisions. Lagny (4,247 inhabitants) and Chelles (2,351 inhabit- 
ants), both on the Marne below Meaux, are dependent upon Paris. The 
chateau of Ferrieres, to the south of the former, is one of the most sumptuous 
in France. 

La Ferte-soiis-Joiiarre (3,657 inhabitants), above Meaux, is the centre of the 
most fertile district of the department. The millstones procured from its quarries 
are exported as far as America. Jouarre (1,747 inhabitants), near it, has the 
ruins of a famous convent. 

Coulommiers (4,239 inhabitant^^) and La Fertd- Gaucher (1,849 inhabitants) are 
the only places of note in the valley of the Grand Morin. The former exports 
cheese, and near the latter are several paper-mills. 




LISRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITV of ILLINOIS, 



I III 



I I 

I 



I Ill 



I'll lill 



rt(lll 



iiiiiaiiifciBiiiiaiiiiiBiiiiiiMii;;; 







l_ 1 .=-_-.^ 




,:■'-. 1 , , , ^_j'^-- 




' ^.- . 









PARI>!. 



299 



Pakis and the Department of the Seine are almost identical, for the latter in 
reality only consists of that great city and a portion of its environs. 

Paris, more than any other city of the world, has been alternately cursed or 
raised to the skies by poets and prose-writers ; and, whilst Barbier scornfully 
speaks of it as an " infernal vat," Victor Hugo chants its glories as those of the 
" mother of cities." 

Paris may not be the moral superior of other capitals of the civilised world, 



Kg. 220. — The Growth of Paris. 
Scale 1 : 125,000. 




\ ||b.Chap<:lt*/ V- '- X- 






Hfllfx 



Jl«iiluion(uot-') 



"faotbrpn 1 , 



50' 



\>!l(\i 



rhftc<'iilonl 



Monlroutff ^«C!J(' ~~ 




•••m*... Bmavu* t-f f^ipfur y^ugiijt^ J^/I. Sncrutte tyi /-V.f. 

, Jnrrv^jrc ujii//r l^ur^ Iff ITff3 t/yW *^'- ^■j^ /S/^^ 

. 2 Mile . 



but it cannot be denied that at various epochs it proved itself the most active focus 
of human thought. Next to Athens, Rome, and Florence, no other city is so 
frequently in our thoughts as Paris. No other city has done more to transmit 
to us the lights of other days. As an intermediary between the Latin races and 
the rest of Europe, it fulfils functions of the utmost consequence, and is in some 
sort the arbiter between tho civilised nations of the earth. In certain respects 
Paris is the capital of the world. Tlie strangers who flock to it in thousands 



300 



FRANCE. 



proclaim it to be so. No other city of the world offers equal attractions to 
persons of the most varied tastes. Paris consists of a hundred distinct cities 
welded into one, and yet, as a whole, it is full of individuality. London, in com- 
parison with it, is wanting altogether in cohesion. In London the various classes 
of society exist side by side ; in Paris, by imperceptible gradations, one class 
merges into the other. 

Curiously enough, the great geographical advantages enjoyed by Paris have 
frequently been overlooked. M. Saint-Marc Girardin says that " the site occupied 
by Paris was not intended by nature to become the site of a great city." But M. 
Elie de Beaumont and Dufrenoy, in the commentary accompanying their map of 



Fig. 221. — The Comparattve Growth of London and Pakis in Popilation. 







1 














1 

1 


1 

1 












1 
1 












1 

1 
1 

t 












1 
1 
1 

r 

1 r 
























/ 1 










f 


1» 




Rm^'—* 










i<. 


ho ji-oo iSoo J 600 1/00 1 800 r8/s 


5 



France, point out that features of the soil and subsoil facilitated its growth. 
Common sense, not guided even by the lights of science, is able to appreciate the 
advantages offered by the geographical position of Paris. 

Old Lutetia was built upon a group of islands, near the confluence of two 
navigable rivers. The elevated hill of Montmartre served its inhabitants as a 
watch-tower, whence they were able to espy the ajjproach of an enemy. Paris 
not only lies on the great national highway which joins the Atlantic to the 
Mediterranean, but likewise on the route connecting Spain and Aquitaine with 
Northern Europe. It is the natural centre of the valley of the Seine and of the 
districts bordering upon it. Strategically its position is a strong one, and the semi- 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



GEOLOGICAL IVIAP OF Tf 



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PAEIS. 



301 



circle of hills exloiuling from the Morvan to the Ardennes has very aptly been 
likened to the huge outwork of a fortress. These advantages marked out Paris 
as the capital of France, but also led to the much-talked-of centralization of the 
latter. Paris, being the seat of Government, paid dearly for its privileges by being 
deprived of its municipal liberties, and exposed to the risks of foreign invasions 
and intestine revolutions. 

Amongst the causes which have contributed to the rapid growth of ancient 
Lutetia must be mentioned the facilities for provisioning a large town. Beauco 
and Brie are both rich granaries, and materials for building exist on the site of 
the city, or in its immediate neighbourhood. The coarse limestones composing the 



Fig. 222.— The Areas occiTreD by London Axn Paris. 
Scale 1 : 15ft,ono. 



\ 





/■■ 1 



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■2 Miles. 



surrounding hills are easily quarried, and to their existence Paris is indebted for 
the fine architectural show it makes. 

As early as the Roman age, the island city inhabited by the Gallic tribe of the 
Parisians had its suburb on the southern bank of the river, whilst a detached 
group of houses crowned the summit of Ste. Genevieve. In the thirteenth century 
Paris had outgrown Rome. In the beginning of the eighteenth century its popu- 
lation exceeded half a million, but it diminished during the Revolution. In 1800 
Paris was finally beaten by London, the former having only O-jO.OOO inhabitants 
to oppose the 900,000 of the latter. In 1817 Paris had 714,000, London l.oOO.OOO 
inhabitants, and since that time both have more than doubled their population, the 
increase of London being most rapid. Paris in 1876 numbered 1,988,806 inha- 
bitants residing within the enceinte, but if we add the suburbs stretching 

vol,, n. X 



802 



FRANCE. 



beyond, its population by far exceeds 2,000,000. Paris, consequently, is the most 
populous city of the world next to London.* 

Architecturally Paris is one of the finest cities of the world ; and though the 
palace of the Thermos is the only building dating back to the age of the Romans, 
the number of magnificent structures erected since the rise of the Gothic style is 
very large, and the accumulated art treasiires challenge comparison, in spite of the 
frequent devastations and " restorations " to which the city has been subjected in 
the course of nine centui-ies. In its very centre rises the church oi Notre- Dame, a 
noble edifice of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, illustrating one of the most 
remarkable epochs in the history of architecture. On the same island stands the 
Sainte-Chapellc, a marvel of decoration, erected iu the space of two yeai's (1245 — 

Fig. 223 The Church of Notue-Pamk. 




1247). The church of St. Germain des Pris, on the left bank of the Seine, dates 
back to the eleventh century, and has been decorated in a masterly style by 
Hj^polite Flandrin. 

St. Gcrmain-r Attxerrois, near the right bank of the river, is a curious jumble 
of the Gothic styles of all ages. Its bell gave the signal for the massacre of 
St. Bartholomew. St. Severin, St. Merri, and the tower of St. Jacques are 
interesting monuments of the Middle Ages. The Hotel de Chmy, erected at the 
close of the fifteenth century upon the site of the Roman palace of the Thermes, 
shelters one of the most interesting archaeological museums of the world. 

» The largest cities of the world are London, 3,533,484 inhabitants ; Paris, 1,9E8,806 inhabitants : 
New York, with suburbs, 1,649,370 inhabitants; Berlin, 1,062,008 inhabitants; Vienna, 1,001,999 
inhabitants. 



PARIS. 



808 



The architecture of the Reuaissancc is represented at Paris by several master- 
pieces, amongst which the Loiinr, together with what remains of the adjoining 
Tuileries, is one of the most noteworthy. Its eastern faraJe, designed by Pierre 
Lescot, and decorated with caryatides and bas-reliefs by Jean Goujon, is one of the 
marvels of the sixteenth century. In the church of S(. Eusiachf we observe with 
astonishment the great height of the vaults. <S7. ^litDue da Mont is enriched by 
sculpture and painted windows. The Totcn-liall, destroyed during the reign 
of the Commune, is being rebuilt. Near it, and close to the large market 
halls, is the Fountain of the Innocents, a chef-d'ceuvre of Joan Goujon, the 
sculptor. 

Amongst more modern buildings there are many which challenge admiration. 
The fine colonnade added to the Louvre ; the dome of the Invalides, Mansart's 

Pig. 224. — The Coitit op the Locvbe. 




chef-d'ceuvre ; the Pantheon ; the palace of Luxembourg ; the Greek temple of the 
Madelaine, designed by Napoleon to perpetuate his glory ; the new Opera House ; 
and the Arc de Triomphe, forming a fitting terminus to the noble avenue of the 
Champs-Elysees, would each separately constitute the fame of a less wealthy 
town. Most of the public buildings of Paris are, moreover, associated with great 
historical events. The Hotel de Ville, the Tuileries, the Palais-Royal, and the 
Sorbonne are rich in historical associations. 

Scientific and art collections abound. The museum attached to the Jardin des 
Plantes is one of the most valuable in Europe. Most of the numerous scientific 
societies and schools have their museums and libraries. At the Conservatoire des 
Arts et Metiers (Museum of Arts and Industrj') may be seen a collection illus- 
trating the progress of the mechanical arts. The galleries of the Luxembourg and 

X 2 



S04 



FRANCE. 



the Louvre are rich beyond measure in works of art of every age. The National 
Library contains over 2,000,000 volumes — many more than are to be found in 
the British Museum. 

At the head of the scientific associations must be j^laced the Iiidifiit, with its 
five academies. The 300 elementary schools, supported by the town, are attended 
by 190,000 pupils ; the number of students is 9,200, of whom 5,000 study medicine ; 
and the number of illiterate persons in Paris is exceedingly small. The Poly- 
technic School, the Mining School, the Schools of Fine Arts and of Medicine, enjoy 
a world-wide celebrity. Several of the theatres, and notably the Theatre Fran9ai8, 

Fig. 225.— Thb New Opera Hovse. 




may fitly be enumerated amongst art institutions. The number of scientific 
societies is exceedingly large. 

Public improvements are being carried out on a vast scale and at an immense 
expenditure.* Industrial establishments belonging to the State or private indi- 
viduals are numerous. Sugar, soap and candles, glass, copper-ware, iron castings 
and steel, and woollen stuffs are manufactured on a large scale ; but Paris 
excels rather in its art workmanship than in its manufactures, and the Parisian 
ouirier is distinguished for his intelligence and good taste. Jewellery, bronzes, 
engravings, photographs, surgical instruments, watches, and a great variety 
of other articles de Paris are produced. 

Those portions of the department of the Seine which are not covered with 

* Town revenue, 1830, £1,800;000; 1874, £9,066,000. Town debt, 1852, £4,640,000; 1876, 
£8,000,000. 



PARIS. 



806 



houses or parks are most carefully cultivated. Five or six, and in some instances 
as many as eleven, crops are freijuently gathered from the same plot of land. The 
marsh gardens of Paris, covering an area of 3,500 acres and divided amongst 1,800 
proprietors, are tilled ■with marvellous care, but they are not suflicient to supply the 
demands of the population. Corn, vegetables, and other articles ore imported from 
all parts of France and from trans-oceanic count ries. 

As a place of commerce Paris occupies the foremost position in France. Even 



Fig. 226. — Paris and its Aqueuicts. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 





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as a port it only yields to Marseilles and Havre ; but most of its trade is carried on 
by the railways. Sea-going vessels frequently' ascend the Seine to the quays of 
the city ; and a project for deepening the Seine, and thus converting Paris into a 
seaport, accessible to large vessels, is under consideration.* 

Three aqueducts supply Paris with water, the oldest, that of Arcueil, having 
been inaugurated in 1G24. The canal of the Dhuis has a length of 81, and 
that of the Vanne 107 miles, and the covered reservoirs which they supply hold 
• .\nnually about 20,000 vessels of 2,000,000 tons burden arrive at Paris. 



306 



FRANCE. 



100,000 tons of water. Artesian wells have been bored at Grenelle and Passy, 
and the daily supply of water amounts to 99,000,000 gallons. A labyrinth of 
sewers conveys the waste water into the Seine at Asnieres, the solid matter con- 
tained in the sewage being spread over the naturally sterile land around Genne- 
villiers, which has thus been rendered productive. Much remains yet to be done 
before the sanitary condition of Paris can be called satisfactory. The mortality 
(1861 — G9) was 25-5 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared with 21'7 in the rural 
parts of France. 

In addition to several beautiful parks within its walls, Paris owns the fine woods 

Fig. 227. — Paris and its Forts. 
Scale 1 : 500,000. 







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of Vincennes and Boulogne outside of them. In the latter are the racecourse of 
Longchamp and a garden of acclimatation. Farther away from the town, but still 
easy of access, are the parks and forests of St. Cloud, Versailles, St. Germain, 
Montmorency, Chantilly, Compiegne, and Fontainebleau. Three great cemeteries 
— those of Montmartre, Mont Parnasse, and Pere-Lachaise — lie within the walls, 
but the future necropolis of Paris occupies the sterile plateau of Mery, beyond the 
river Oise. 

The enceinte of Paris has a circumference of 22 mQes, and its approaches 
are defended by two circles of detached forts, forming a vast entrenched camp of 
350 square miles. 



SEINE-ET-OISE. 807 

Amongst the many other towns and villages of the department of the Seine 
three are several which are mere suburbs of the great city. Of these the most 
important is Viiuriines (18,'27;i inhabitants), joined to Paris by Sf. Mamie (7,499 
inhabitants). The castle of Vincenncs is historically interesting. The manufactur- 
ing town of St. Denis (29,500 inhabitants), to the north of Paris, is best known 
through its abbey church, the old burial-plioe of the Kings of France. The 
following are the prineip;il places in the arrondissement of St. ])enis : — Pan/in 
(13,646 inhabitants) and Atilpnillicrs (14,340 inhabitants), two manufacturing 
towns; Boittlj/ (1,402 inhabitants), famous for its forest; Lc Bourgct, which recalls 
a French defeat ; St. Oticn (11,250 inhabitants), with a castle built by Louis X^'III. 
and a huge railroad depot; Clichy-la-Gurciuie (17,354 inhabitants), Zt>crt//o/A-P(VVY< 
(22,733 inhabitants), Asnilres (5,692 inhabitants), and Colomhes (2,691 inhabitants), 
with numerous villas ; Neuilli/ (20,781 inhabitants) and Coiirberoie (11,811 inhabit- 
ants), two suburbs of Paris separated by the Seine ; Piiteau.r (11,387 inhabitants), 
a town of dye works and factories ; Siiresiies (5,097 inhabitants), at the foot of 
Mont Talerien ; Xanterre (3,890 inhabitants), noted for its holy well of Ste. 
Genevieve, its cakes and rosieres ; and Boulogne (21,556 inhabitants), beyond the 
wood of the same name. 

Sceaux (^2,460 inhabitants) is the capital of the arrondissement, to which belong 
the towns and villages to the south and east of Paris, the most important amongst 
which is Vincennes. The others are : — Montrcuil (13,607 inhabitants), famous for 
its orchards ; Charciitoii (8,744 inhabitants), with a lunatic asylum ; Maisons-Alfort 
(7,115 inhabitants), with its veterinary college; Nogent-sur-Marne (7,481 inhabit- 
ants), where the river is spanned by a viaduct 2,600 feet in length ; Icry (15,247 
inhabitants), with huge factories; Vitnj (3,718 inhabitants), abounding in nursery 
gardens ; Choi-si/-le-livi (5,829 inhabitants), with the tomb of Rouget de I'lsle ; 
GetitiUy (10,378 inhabitants) ; Arcueil (5,299 inhabitants), with its two aqueducts; 
Montrouge (6,371 inhabitants), Vanves (8,812 inhabitants), Issy (7,356 inhabitants), 
and Clamart (3,333 inhabitants), near wooded heights, supplying building stones ; 
and Foiitcnay-uur-Roscs (2,804 inhabitants), which supplies the markets of Paris 
with flowers and fruits. 

Seine-et-Oise, the centre, which is occupied by the department of the Seine, is 
in the main a dependency of Paris, and, except in the vicinity of the latter, it is 
very tliinly populated. Its paper-mills and beet-root sugar manufactories are of 
some importance. 

Versailles (49,552 inhabitants) is now the most sumptuous suburb of Paris, but 
when Louis XIV. selected its site for the construction of his vast palace, he had 
no idea that the two would ever be attached to each other bj' a chain of suburban 
villages. The recent selection of Versailles as the seat of Government has done 
much to accelerate this junction. The palace, which formerly was the residence of 
the King and his court, now accommodates the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, 
and an almost interminable suite of its rooms is occupied by paintings designetl to 
perpetuate the glories of France. Like its dependent mansions, the Great and Little 
Trianon, it has served as a pattern to nearly every sovereign throughout Europe, 



808 



FBANCE. 



but not one amongst them has succeeded in building an edifice or creating a park 
at all comparable with it. Versailles is associated generally with the old monarchy, 
but some of the revolutionary events also have taken place there. It was the birth- 



Fig. 228. — St. Germain-en -La ye. 
Scale 1 : 110.000. 




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place of Hoche, Houdon, Berthier, and others. Louis XV., Louis XVI., and 
Louis XVIII. were born in the palace. 

Many of the neighbouring towns and villages enjoy some reputation. Senrs 
(6,512 inhabitants) is famous for its porcelain ; St. Cloud (4,7G7 inhabitants) has 
a fine park and numerous villas ; St. Cyr (2,870 inhabitants) is the seat of a 



LI8RAKY 

vOF THE 

UNlVERSlTVoflUlNOIS, 



SEINE-ET-OISE. 809 

niilitary college ; at Grigiion is an agricultural school ; Vilk-d' Array, Bouijiral 
{'i,\'2\ inhabitants), Loiiceciennes (1,1)40 inhabitants), and JJarlij are favourite 
summer resorts ; Rhi'U (7,980 inhabitants), at the toot of Mont Valerien, is an 
imix)rtant suburb of Paris, in which Richelieu had his chateau. Near it, below the 
hills of Marly, is the pumping station which supplies N'ersailles and its water 
works with the waters of the Seine. 

St. Germain (U),978 inhabitants) occupies the summit of a hill, and from the 
terrace of its chateau may be enjoyed one of the finest views in the vicinity of 
Paris. James Stuart resided in this castle, Louis XIV. was born in it, and it now 
contains one of the most precious historical museums in the world. The pine 
forest of Ledia stretches north of the town ; 21ai.soii.s-Lajfi/fc (2,824 inhabitants) 
has a famous castle built by Mansart ; and Poksy (4,G77 inhabitants), an old 
town, is often mentioned in history. Louis IX. was bom there, and the curious 
bridge over the Seine was built by him. Arijeiifcuil (7,i)34 inhabitants), another 
old town, is more especially noted for its early vegetables, its gypsum quarries, and 
its inferior wines. 

The arrondissement of Corheil, above Paris, is far less populous than that 
of Versailles. Its capital (0,187 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Seine and 
Essonne, has corn-mills, a j)rinting office, and other industrial establishments, and 
at Essonne (3,669 inhabitants), above it, are the most important paper-mills of the 
department. Mediaeval buildings abound in the vicinity, the most famous amongst 
them being the castle of Moiitlhery (^"2,005 inhabitants), on the banks of the Orge. 
Etampes (7,399 inhabitants), on the Juine, in the rich corn district of the Beauce, 
has several curious old churches, one of them with a leaning tower. It was the 
birthplace of GeoS'roy St. Ililairo. 

RamhouilM (4,294 inhabitants) lies in a wooded country within the basin of 
the Eure. Francis I. was born there, and the old royal castle is deserving of 
notice. The first merino sheep introduced into France were taken to the farm 
attached to it. Most of the other towns of the arrondissement have old castles. 
At Dotirdan (2,719 inhabitants), on the Orge, is the donjon of Philip Augustus; 
Iloudan (1,976 inhabitants) has a picturesque old tower ; Montfort-F Amauryhon&Xs 
of an old citadel, imposing even in its ruined condition ; and near Chevreuse, in the 
delightful vaUey of the Yvette, we come upon the chateau of Danipierre, rich in 
art treasures. The abbey of Port-Royal-des-Champs was razed to the ground in 
1710, as a place accursed, for AntoLnc Arnauld and other Jansenistes had composed 
their works within its walls. 

Descending the Seine, we pass the email town of Mantes-la-JoUe (5,649 inha- 
bitants), at the mouth of the Vaucouleurs, its pretty church being reflected in the 
water of the river. In its \"icinity are the castle of Rosny, where Sully was born, 
and the sumptuous mansion of Roche-Guyon, with an old feudal castlo partly 
carved out of the rock. To the north of these, on the Epte, stands the ^•illage of 
at. Clair, with an old Norman castle. 

The arrondissement of Pontoise lies to the north of Paris. Enghien is much 
frequented for the sake of its sulphur springs, its lake, and its shaded walks. 



310 



FEAXCE. 



Monimoreney, which almost adjoins it, is famous for its cherry gardens. Chateaux 
and country seats abound in the neighbourhood, the most famous being that of 
St. Leu-Tarerny, with the tombs of the last Conde and of Louis Bonaparte. 
Ponioite (6,301 inhabitants), on the Oise, is one of the great provision marts of 
Paris. The Estates met here in 1-561, and Louis XIY. sought a refuge in the town 
during the troubles of the Fronde. On the opposite bank of the river is St. Ouen- 
fAumone (1,638 inhabitants', with the ruins of an old abbey ; and farther east is 
Mery-sur-Ouie, with the new Parisian necropolis. 

AisxK lies almost completely within the basin of the Seine, being traversed by 



Tig. 229.— Laos. 
ScJe 1 : SO.OCO. 




K '^'^\ 





■ J.- 



rmj^^ 








HjOf aUHe. 



the rivers Mame and Oise, and is named after the Aisne, a tributary of the latter. 
The rivers Somme, Escaut (Scheldt), and Sambre rise within its limits, and in the 
north-east it borders upon Belgium. Anciently the department formed part of the 
provinces of De-de- France and Picardy. The naked plateau of Brie in the south, 
the wooded hills of Tardenob, the vicinity of Soissons, Talois, and the chalky 
cotmtrv around Laon belonged to the former, whilst Vermandois and the hill 
country of Thierache depended upon Picardy. Agriculture is in an advanced state. 
Hemp, flax, beet-roots, and rape seed are extensively cultivated, and the number of 



AISXE. 



811 



sheep IS very large. The ghiss works are amongst the most important in Europe, 
and there are also sugar refiucries, cotton and woollen factories, and other industrial 
establishments. 

ChutcaK-Tliicrnj (5,713 inhabitants), on the Marne, is commanded by the ruins 
of a fine old castle. It was the birthplace of La Fontaine. La Fl-rc-cn-Tardenois 
(2,068 inhabitants), on the Ourcq, has become known through the large number 
of prehistoric remains discovered in the grave-hills in its vicinity. Afc Port-aux- 
Perches the Ourcq becomes navigable, and a railroad connects the place with 



Fig. 230.— St. Quentln. 
Scale 1 : 80,000. 




CISE.nlPans 



Haifa Mile. 



Villers-Cotterets (3,116 inhabitants), the birthplace of Alexandre Dumas, where 
Francis I. published, in 1539, an edict which made the use of French compulsory 
in all public documents. Ferie-Milon, a village lower down on the Ourcq, was the 
birthplace of Eacine. 

Soissons (10,754 inhabitants), the ancient Noviodunum, on the Aisne, no longer 
ranks as one of the foremost cities of France, but the Middle Ages have left it a 
fine Gothic cathedral and several other ecclesiastical buildings, and its gardens have 
lost none of their freshness. 



312 



FEANCE. 



Laoii (12,036 intabitants), the capital of the department, rivals Soissons in 
antiquity and population. Being on the high-road which connects Paris with the 
Meuse, the town has been besieged many times. It boasts of a Gothic cathedral, 
and of a museum rich in antiquities, many of them having been discovered in the 
old underground villages of the neighbourhood. Artichokes and cabbages are 
amongst the most important articles exported to Paris. 

Hirson (4,285 inhabitants), on the Upper Oise, as well as Venins (2,889 inha- 



Fig. 231. — CoMPifeoNE. 
Scale 1 : 180,000. 




. 2 Miles. 



bitants) and other towns of Thierache, engage much in basket-making. St. Michel- 
Rochefort (3,231 inhabitants), near the former, has forges and cotton-mills. Guise 
(6,242 inhabitants), lower down on the Oise, the native place of Camille Desmoulins 
and the seignorial seat of an illustrious family, has huge china and stove works, as 
well as other factories. Descending the river, we pass La Fere (4,896 inhabitants) 
and Tergnier (3,079 inhabitants), and reach Chauntj (8,982 inhabitants), with its 
cotton and woollen niiUs, tan-yards, and other factories. A short railway conveys us 
thence to St. Gobain (1,957 inhabitants), famous on account of its glass works 



AISNR. 



813 



ever since (lie thirteenth centuiy. The country around is wooded. Prt'moiitrif is 
a small village to the oast, with a fiiinous old abbey, converted into a lunatic 
asylum. Coiicy, another village, boasts of one of the finest feudal castles of tho 



Fig. 232.— CUA.NTILLV. 
Scale 1 ; 130,000. 




2 Macs. 



Middle Ages. Another castle stood at Quierzi/, on the Oise : it originally belonged 
to the lords of Heristal. 

.SV. Qtientin (37,0S0 inhabitant.^), on the Somme, is the capital of the depart- 
ment, a canal, much frequented by coal barges, connecting it with the Scheldt and 
the Oise. There are numerous cotton and woollen mills, machine shops, beet-root 
sugar refineries, and other industrial establishments. Among the public buildings a 



314 FRANCE. 

Gothic town- hall and a collegiate church of the twelfth century are most deserving 
of notice. Fresiwy-k-Gmnd (3,849 inhabitants) and Bohain (5,975 inhabitants) 
are smaller towns in the neighbourhood, carrying on the same branches of 
industry. 

OiSE, like Aisne, has been formed out of portions of Ile-de-France and Picardy. 
The river Oise bisects it, the chalk region of Beauvaisis occupies the centre, whilst 
more recent tertiary formations predominate in the north. There still remain a 
few pine forests, but nearly the whole of the surface is cultivated. Industry is 
highly developed. In china, earthenware, and fire-proof bricks the department 
occupies the foremost rank ; its iron mills and foundries are of great importance ; 
and there are also cotton and woollen mills and sugar refineries. 

Noyon (5,785 inhabitants), Noviomagus of the Romans, is the first town on the 
Oise, and one of the most ancient of France. Charlemagne was crowned in it ; it 
was the birthplace of Calvin ; and its cathedral is one of the finest in France. The 
old abbey of Oiirncamp, below Noyon, has been converted into a factory of cotton 
velvets. Compiegne (12,923 inhabitants), below the mouth of the Aisne, is best 
known in connection with its forest, ever since the days of Clovis the hunting 
ground of the Kings of France. The existing chateau was built in the eighteenth 
century, and contains a valuable collection of Cambodian antiquities. Picnrfonds, 
at the eastern skirt of the forest, has mineral baths and a castle constructed by a 
Duke of Orleans. Still descending the Oise, we pass the old towns of Verberie and 
Pont Sfe. Ma-rcnce (2,225 inhabitants), and reach Creil (5,438 inhabitants), one of 
the great railway junctions of France, and, together with the adjoining town of 
Montataire (4,864 inhabitants), the seat of iron works, machine shops, and china 
manufactories. 

Of the places to the east of the Oise, Scnlifi (6,537 inhabitants), in the delight- 
ful valley of the Nonette, is the most important. The ruins of a Merovingian 
palace and an old cathedral point to better days. Ermenonville, with its tomb of 
J. J. Rousseau, is higher up in the valley, and ChantUhj (3,476 inhabitants), the 
French Ne^vmarket, is lower down. Much lace is made in the vicinity. Crepy 
(2,646 inhabitants), close to the eastern frontier, is the old capital of Valois. 

Clermont (6,101 inhabitants), the capital of the centre arrondissement, has a 
large prison and a lunatic asylum. The town has some manufactories of hosiery, 
and so have a few other places near it, as Liancourt, St. Just-en- Chaussee (2,395 
inhabitants), and Bretcidl (3,034 inhabitants). 

Beaiimis (16,591 inhabitants), the largest town on the Th^rain, a famous old 
city, with an unfinished cathedral, a town-hall, and other curious buildings, has 
been known from the most remote times for its cloth, tapestry, earthenware, and 
fireproof bricks. Cloth and buttons are also manufactured in the towns below 
Beauvais, amongst which are Noailles, Mouy (3,118 inhabitants), and Bury (1,172 
inhabitants), as also at Meni (3,517 inhabitants), to the south-east of it. 

EuRE is named after a river which enters the Seine within the limits of the 
department. Norman Vexin lies to the east. The plain of St. Andre occupies 
the south, the fertile plain of Neubourg adjoining it in the north. The 



EURE. 



315 



lowlands on the estuary of the Seine are known as Koumois. The fertile meadow 
lauds of Lieuvin aro in the west, beyond the Rille. Euro depends mainly upon 
agriculture and cattle-breeding, but there are also copper, brass, and zinc works, 
sugar refineries, cotton and woollen mills. 

Vtnioii (0,384 inhabitants), Claillon (:J,rJ6 inhabitants), and Lvx AmMya 
(3,'257 inhabitants) are the only towns of note on the banks of the Seine. The 
first of these has quarries, vineyards (the last met with on the Seine), and u huge 
Government cloth factory. Gaillon exports much fruit to Paris and England, but 
is best known on account of the ruins of a fine castle, built in 10 10 by Georges 
d'Amboise, the cardinal. Les Audelys consists of two towns, one on the river, 



Fig. 233.— Les Asdelts. 
Scale 1 : 50,000. 







1 ilile. 



the other a short distance inland. The latter has manufactories ; the former is 
essentially a place of commerce, and the river there is commanded by Chateau 
Gaillard, erected by Richard Coeur de Lion. Blanchard, the first aeronaut who 
crossed the Channel, was a native of the town, and IS'icolas Poussin was born in a 

neighbouring village. 

The river Epte enters the Seine from the right, flowing through a delightful 
valley, the principal town within which is Gi.ms (3,090 inhabitants), with a 
famous old castle. Lower down the Seine is joined by the Andelle, which sup- 
plies motive power to numerous mills. 

The first town reached on ascending the Eure is Louviers (10,097 inhabitants), 
a busy manufacturing place, producing cheap cloth and other woollen stuffs. 



316 



FEANCE. 



Evreux (11,453 inhabitants), on the Iton, a tributary of the Eure, the capital of 
the department, is noted for its cutlery and hardware. At Breteuil, higher up on 
the same river, are iron works and rolling-mills. The valley of the Avre, another 
tributary of the Eure, is the seat of a considerable industry. Its principal town ia 
Verneuil (3,267 inhabitants). Ivnj-la-BaiaUle, on the Eure itself, is noteworthy 
for the defeat inflicted upon the League by Henri IV. (1590). 

The river Rille traverses the western portion of the department. Ragles, on 
its upper course, has manufactures of copper, brass, nails, and needles ; whilst 



Fig. 234. — EouEN and its ENrinON's. 
Scale 1 : 320,000. 



r 15 W of Paris 




ri S'E of Or 



5 Miles. 



Bcrnay (6,087 inhabitants), in the side valley of the Charentonne, is noted for its 
cottons, woollens, ribbons, and linen. Its horse fairs are famous throughout 
Normandy, and in the vicinity are several castles of note, amongst which that of 
Broglie is the most remarkable. Still descending the river, we pass Brionne 
(3,229 inhabitants), a manufacturing town, and reach Pont Audemer (5,557 inha- 
bitants), at the head of the tide, and the only seaport of the department, Quille- 
hceuf, on the estuary of the Seine, being merely a pilot station. 

Seine-Inferieure (Lower Seine) includes nearly the whole of the chalky 
plateau of Caux. The hilly district of Bray lies in the south-east. The depart- 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS, 



SEIXE-INFfiBlETJEE. 



817 



ment ranks high for its agriculture, its industry, and its commerce. Rouen and 
Elbeuf are great seats of the cotton and woollen industries, wliilst Ilavro only 
yields to Marseilles in the extent of its commerce. 

Elbeuf (38,34;i inhabitants, including its suburbs) is the first town of the 
department on the Seine. Its woollen manufactories annually consume £2,000,000 
\rorth of raw material, and, in addition to them, there are print works, machine 
shops, and other industrial cstablisbmeuts. There are no remarkable buildings, 
two churches with stained windows excepted, but the environs of the town are 
picturesque, the Seine being bounded by steep cliffs and extensive forests. 
Descending the river, we pass Oiswl (3,405 inhabitants), St. Etiennc-de-Rouvray 
(2,788 inhabitants), Sotteville (11,278 inhabitants), and the chemical works of 
St. Paul, above which rise the bold cliffs of Bon Secours, surmounted by an old 
church, and find ourselves within sight of Rouen. 

Rouen (104,863 inhabitants), the old capitol of the Veliocasses, the Rotomagus 



Fig. 235.— Le IIavke. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 



\'u(Pori6 



10' 



If Cosselin 



Caueriainrill]^ 




of the Romans, is most favourably situated near the mouth of a great navigable 
highway, which places it in communication with the sea as well as with the 
interior of the country. The city Wes within a basin surrounded by steep hills, 
but two valleys facilitate communication with the plateau. Rouen is famous for 
its fine Gothic buildings. The cathedral is richly decorated, has beautifully 
stained windows, and is rich in ancient tombs, including that of Richard Cocur de 
Lion. Its spire rises to a height of 494 feet. The church of St. Ouen almost 
surpasses the cathedral in magnificence, whilst the church of St. Maclou is valued 
for its sculptured portal, one of the best works of the Renaissance, attributed to 
Jean Goujon. The courts of justice are one of the most finished examples of the 
Gothic architecture of the end of the fifteenth century. There are other buildings 
which almost convert Rouen into an architectural museum, such as the clock- 
tower of the old town-hall, the tower of Joan of Arc, and the Hotel Bourgtheroulde. 
A valuable gallery of paintings and a library of 100,000 volumes are contained in 

VOL. II. V 



818 



FEANCE. 



the town-hall, and the number of scientific societies and superior schools is con- 
siderable. Corneille, Boieldieu, Fontenelle, and La Salle, the discoverer of the 
mouths of the Mississippi, were born in the town, and statues have been erected 
in memory of most of them, as well as in honoiu- of Joan of Arc, who perished here 
at the stake. 

Vessels drawing 16 feet of water can reach the quays, and Eouen carries on a 
lucrative commerce in spite of the competition of Havre, which guards the mouth 
of the river. As one of the great centres of cotton industry it is now without a 
rival in France. Its manufactures mainly produce simple and durable stuffs, and 

Fiff. 236. — The Cliffb of I^tretat. 




in years of prosperity over a million spindles are at work at Rouen and the neigh- 
bouring towns of Pvtit-Quevilly (5,719 inhabitants), Darnefal (5,018 inhabitants), 
Devi lie (4,183 inhabitants), and others, and the cotton stuffs produced attain a 
value of nearly £4,000,000. 

Following the windings of the river, the traveller skirts the cliffs of Canteleu 
and the Forest of Roumare, passes the small port of Duclair, and encompasses the 
peninsula of Jumieges, with its fine old abbey. It was here the Normans landed 
on their first arrival in France. Caudeiec-en-Caux (1,951 inhabitants), with its 
tall tower, the port of the old manufacturing town of Yretot (7,636 inhabitants), 
whose seigneurs enjoyed the title of king, is left behind us. Lillebonne (4,570 



SEINE-INFfiRIEURE. 



819 



inhabitants), the old capital of Caux, near the mouth of the river Bolbec, boasts of 
a few Roman ruins, but Bolbec (0,778 inhabitants), higher up in the valley, is 
now the leading town of the country. It is clean and well built, and its inhabit- 
ants are engaged in the manufacture of cottons. 

We pass Harjlcitr (1,908 inhabitants), a decayed port, and the castle of Tancar- 
ville, built on a commanding clifY near the mouth of the Seine, and reach Jfarre 
(85,407 inhabitants), the great port of "Western France. This town is of modem 
date, for it was founded by Francis I., as a successor to older towns higher up the 
river whoso ports had become silted up. Havre has not only taken care to keep 
its navigable channels open, but has also constructed docks, and to the enterprise 
of its citizens it is indebted for the supremacy it holds as a maritime city. It is 
essentially a seat of commerce, and the only buildings of note are its town-hall 
and its museum — the latter with statues of Bernardiu de St. Pierre and Casimir 



Fig. 237.— F£cAMP. 

Scale I : 40,000. 




. Half u Mile. 



Delavigne, the most famous children of the town. The docks and quays are on a 
vast scale. Le Havre principally imports cotton, coffee, copper, timber, wool, 
skins, corn, and coals. It exports silks, woollen stuffs, cottons, and " articles de 
Paris," and England is its chief customer. Lines of steamers connect it with 
Xorthern Europe, the Mediterranean, and America. The town no longer engages 
in the cod and whale fisheries, but the conveyance of German emigrants to 
America has recently proved a source of profit. There are ship-yards, machine 
shops, rope-walks, sugar refineries, a tobacco manufactory, and a few cotton-mills, 
besides which the town is much frequented by seaside visitors, a fine beach for 
bathing extending as far as Ste. Adresse and the lighthouses of La Ileve.* 

• In 1875 vessels of l,377,15t) tons burden entered in the foreign trade, and 140^760 tons in tlio 
coasting trade. Tlie exports and importii were valued at £67,200,000. 

Y 2 



D20 



FRANCE. 



3£ontivilliers (3,554 inhatitants) is the only place of any importance close to 
Havre. Along the coast, towns and villages occupy the mouth of each valley. 
Just beyond the bold cliffs of Antifer we reach Etretat (1,976 inhabitants), a 
delightful seaside village, " discovered " by the landscape painter Isabey. Then 
follow Tport, a small village of fishermen, and Ficamp (12,074 inhabitants), which 
extends for several miles up a narrow valley, and has many cotton-mills. Its port 



Fig. 238.— Dieppe. 
Scale 1 : 17,000. 




rlS'E.af Or 



Quarter of a Mile. 



is accessible at all states of the tide to vessels drawing no more than 13 feet of 
water, and over a hundred vessels, employed in the Newfoundland, mackerel, and 
herring fisheries, belong to it. 

Passing St. Valery-en-Caux (4,090 inhabitants) and a few small villages, w-e 
reach Dieppe (19,471 inhabitants), one of the great towns of the department, and, 
next to Havre and Rouen, its busiest seajjort. During the Middle Ages the 
mariners of Dieppe were amongst the boldest rovers of the sea, and the town, 



SEINE-INFilRIEURE. 821 

enriched by commerce, became very powerful. But civil wars and the silting 
up of. the port, which no longer deserved its Norman name of Diop (" detp "), 
destroyed its prosperity. Recently the town has somewhat recovered. Docks 
have been constructed ; steamers ply daily between the town and Newbaven ; the 
fishery is of importance ; and the carving of ivory, the manufacture of tobacco, and 
the entcrtuiument of seaside visitors prove sources of wealth. The fishermen in the 
suburb of Lc Pollet arc supposed to be of foreign, perhaps Venetian, origin. A 
statue has been erected to Duquesne, the naval hero who defeated De Iluyter. 
An old castle commands the town, and a few miles inland may be seen the ruins 
of that of Arqxi'x. 

Treport, at the mouth of the Bresle, is a seaport of some importance. Higher 
up on the same river is Eit (4,1G9 inhabitants), an old Gallo-Roman city, with a 
castle built by Henri de Guise, and frequently inhabited by Louis Philippe. 

Amongst noteworthy places in the eastern portion of the department are 
Aumak (Albemarle, '2,052 inhabitants), on the Upper Bresle ; Ncufclidtd (3,586 
inhabitants), famous for its cheese, on the Bethune ; Forycs-ks-Eaux, with 
ferruginous springs ; and Gournay (3,056 inhabitants), on the Epte, a tributary of 
the Seine, which exports much butter. 





CHAPTER XII. 

NORTHERN FRANCE. 
Basins op the Somme axd the Scheldt ; Picardy, Artois, and Flanpers. 

HE north-western corner of France, between the Channel and the 
German Ocean, is by no means of wide extent, but it is neverthe.- 
less one of the most important districts of the country. Nations, 
difibring in language and customs, have repeatedly struggled for 
its possession; and the narrow strait, or jms (stride), which there 
separates France from the British Islands, has become one of the most frequented 
highways in Europe. 

Geologically this region is interesting on account of the cretaceous and oolitic 
heights of Boulogne, which rise like an island in the midst of the tertiary plains 
of Artois and Flanders. These heights were joined at some former epoch to the 
Wealden of Kent, from which they are separated now by the Strait of Dover, or 
Pas de Calais. They abound in ores and coal, and have added much to the wealth 
of the country. 

The heights of Boulogne divide the rivers of Northern France into two groups. 
Those on the southern slope, such as the Somme, the Authie, and the Canche, 
like those of Caux, take their parallel course to the ocean, whilst the rivers 
descending from the eastern slopes have more sinuous courses, and partly find 
their way into the Scheldt. 

The Somme is the most considerable river of the country. It rises near 
St. Quentin, flows at first in the same direction as the Oise, from which it is sepa- 
rated by a narrow belt of country, hardly more than 6 miles across. Near Ham 
it turns to the north, and having been reinforced by the Avre above Amiens, it 
enters a deep and rectilinear channel cut into a low plateau. The valley of the 
Somme distinctly exhibits traces of ancient floods. The river formerly filled up 
the whole of the valley, carrying down with it immense quantities of sand and 
gravel. It was in one of these heaps of gravel that Boucher de Perthes discovered, 
in 1838, the stone implements which have revolutionised anthi'opological science. 
Much of the valley of the Somme consists now of bogs, and more turf is dug here 
than in all the remainder of France. 



BASINS OF TUE SOM:Mt; AN'D TKE SCHELDT. 



828 



The tide ascends tho river as fur as Abbeville, and, by constructing embank- 
ments, the estuary of the river has been reduced to 27 square miles, and nmch of 
the laud formerly invaded by tho sea converted into pastures. The army of 



Fig. 239. — The Uills op Boulogne. 
Scale 1 : 350.000. 




5 Miles. 



Edward ITI. crossed this estuary by the ford of Blanquctaque two days before the 
battle of Crecy (1346). Crotoy, near the mouth of the river, was used as a 
harbour up to the beginning of this century, but the engineers have " regulated " 
the river, and excavated a navigable canal which leads past St. Valery. The bay, 



824 



FEANCE. 



unfortunately, is silting up, in spite of all their efforts, and sea-going vessels are 
able to reach St. Valery only on ten or twelve days every month. 

The coast in this neighbourhood has certainly undergone many changes during 
historical times. The swamp or lagoon of the Hable, to the south of the Somme, 
is clearly an old mouth of that river, the neck of land which now separates it 
from the sea having anciently been a bar closing its mouth. The whole of the 
shore region, from the bay of the Somme to that of the Canche, and inland as far 
as the hills of Artois, is of recent formation. Rue, formerly a seaport, now lies 
6 miles inland, and the old port of St. Quentin (Grand-Gouffre) is dry land. 



Fig. 240. — The Estuary op the Somme. 
Scale 1 : 300,000. 




l"'30'E.ofrH- 



DepiA Icjs tfum Z *z F'alhcnt^ ilL iota wni^r 
DtfitA 2^1 -S FatAcina 
over S raiAoms 



4 Miles. 



The peasants of Picardy, in imitation of their neighbours, the Flemings, have won 
much land from the sea. They have constructed dykes and drainage works, and 
planted the dunes with reeds. 

Cape Gris-Nez, which separates the German Ocean from the British Channel, 
occupies an important position with reference to the geological changes going on 
along the coast. On either side of the cape the ocean currents deposit large 
quantities of silt, and the land gains upon the sea, whilst farther away from it, 
along the coast of Caux and in Holland, the sea encroaches upon the land. An 
upheaval or subsidence of the land has something to do with these changes. To 



B.VSINS OF THE SOMME A\D TnE RCUELDT. 



826 



tlie west and south ot" a line pussinff tlirou<;li Niouport the land slowly rises, 
whilst in the cast it subsides. At the same time it should be remembered that 
the land may subside without the sea encroaching upon it, as long as the alluvium 
deposited by ocean currents along the coast is of considerable amount. Such 
happens to be the case along the coast of Dunkirk. M. Gaspard has discovered 
there a layer of turf containing prehistoric remains at a depth of 10 feet beneath 
the marine sands. The land consequently must have subsided there since tho 
formation of these ancient turf beds. The researches of M. Day at Sangatte and 
Wissiint, near Cape Gris-Nez, prove that a similar subsidence has taken place to 
the west of Calais. He has discovered there a submerged forest, with bones of the 
aurochs and fresh-water shells, which clearly demonstrate this fact. At an epoch 



Fiir. 211. — The Ancient Gtlf op Flaxders. 
Scale I : 700.000. 



f SO 




11 ■ .\l li(.K. 



still more remote an upheaval appears to have taken place, for beneath the dunes 
traces of old sea beaches have been discovered far beyond the reach of the 
actual tides. 

Ilowevcr this may be, during the last thousand years the long-shore men of 
Artois and French Flanders have enjoyed a period of conquest in their struggle 
with the sea. In the time of the Romans the lowlands lying to the north-east of 
the hills of Artois along the Belgian frontier were covered by the sea. As lately 
as the ninth and tenth centuries the sea extended as far as St. Omer. Even now 
the alluvial fields around that town are beneath the level reached by the spring 
tides, and a few deep ponds, fringed with willows, still mark the greatest depressions 
of this ancient gulf. The promontories which rose on the western shore of this 



326 



FEANCE. 



gulf still retain the names they received from Norman mariners, such as Mark 
Ness, Boker Ness, and Long Ness, and here and there may be recognised ancient 
islands rising above the general level of the polders which environ them. In the 
Middle Ages the towns of Calais, Gravelines, Dunkirk, Nieuport, and Ostend 
occupied a line of dunes, which separated this ancient Gulf of Flanders from the 
open sea. The alluvium brought down by the Aa and its tributaries gradually 
converted the lagoon sheltered by these dunes into a swamp ; and a swamp it 
would have remained to the present day had it not been for the labour of man. 



Fig. 2-l'2. — The Moeees of Dunkikk. 
Scale 1 ; 200,000. 




— .. S I^itthcTn L.inC' 

^^^—^^^— 2 Miles. 



As early as the seventh century the first embankments were thrown up around the 
islands of the ancient gulf. The islands became attached to the mainland, canals 
were added to canals, until they intersected the whole of the country. These 
drainage works, which rival those accomplished by the Hollanders and Frieslanders, 
are locally known as wateringues. 

In time of war the sluices were frequently opened to inundate the country 
surrounding the fortresses along the coast of Flanders, and it requires years of 
labour to repair the injury thus done. Sometimes, when the rains are exception- 
ally heavy, the lowlands to the north of St. Omer are covered with water to a 



BASINS OF THE SOMMi: AND THE SaiELDT, 827 

depth of 3 feet, ^^^len this huppens the wutcr has to be drawn off at the porta, 
and this produces so swift a current in the canals as to interrupt navigation for 
three or four months at a time. On the other hand, in years of drought the small 
canals, or tratenjands, dry up, or become converted into fever-breeding, stagnant 
pools. This likewise leads to an interruption of navigation, for tlio sluices must 
be kept closed along the rivers, in order to store up water for refilling the canals. 
"Wells sunk near the coast have been observed to rise and fall with the tides. 

The Aa is the principal river of this region, and its channel is altogether 
an artificial creation. Since the middle of the eighteenth century the river enters 
the sea at Gravelines, but before that time its mouth was 3 miles to the east 
of that town, and earlier still, up to 1170, it was a couple of miles to the west of it. 
The old port of Mardyck was a creation of man, as is that of Dunkirk. The 
labour involved in converting the whole of this region into productive land has 
been immense, and would never have been accomplished had not the proprietors 
of the wateringues been permitted to baud together for the common management 
of their estates. In 1793 the dykes were cut, as a measure of defence, and all that 
portion of the arrondissement of Dunkirk lying below the level of the sea was 

Fig. 243. — Section of the Stiuit of Dover between Dunkihk axd Bboasstaibs. 

Scale 1 : 650,000. 




. 10 llilca. 



inundated. The "Moiires" became lagoons, but the inhabitants, not being 
impeded by official interference, very soon succeeded in recovering the ground 
they had lost. In works of this kind care must be taken to prevent the mingling 
of fresh and brackish water, which inevitably results in murderous fevers. 

The shelving beach of sand which bounds the whole of this coast has undergone 
but few changes since 1776. At the mouths of the harbours it has certainly 
increased in width towards the west, for the sediment brought down by the rivers 
is carried in that direction by the ebb. Nor do the sand-banks lying parallel with 
the coast appear to have changed much in the course of a century. They are 
numerous, and form a veritable labyrinth, all the more dangerous to the navigator, 
as the course to be taken varies according to tide and wind. These banks are 
undoubtedly due to the set of the currents, which is generally towards the German 
Ocean. In the Strait of Dover the tide sets towards the east, and westerly winds 
predominate. The matter held in suspension is thus carried towards the north, 
and deposited for the most part along the coast of Flanders. The depth of the sea 
has decreased 3 to 6 feet since the commencement of this century, but well- 
sheltered roadsteads extend along both the English and the French coasts. That of 
the Downs, on the English coast, is protected by the Goodwin Sands ; that of 



328 



FRANCE. 



Dunkirk, on the French coast, lies within a chain of sand-banks fringing the coast 
of Flanders. 

The centre of the Strait of Dover, between Gris-Nez and the South Foreland, 

Fig. 244. — The Strait of Dover and the Proposed Tunnel. 
Scale 1 : 1,000,000. 



I'lW-'^'"'" 




DufUh, <l'/*fiahOHte ^H Oc/tUv eJaUvorrur, ^H DeflUu 16jiUhom^ . 

,, i „ ^ n " . 1'™' .. «/ - 

_^^__ 10 Miles. 



is almost free from obstacles. The greatest depth does not exceed 177 feet. To 
the west of this line lie the Varne and Colbart banks, and the engineer who first 



Fig. 245. — Section of the Proposed Tunnel. 
Scale 1 : 375,000. 




loiililc 



lirbiird 



proposed to connect England and France by a submarine railway intended to 
utilise the former of these for the construction of an international city and a 
harbour of refuse. 



BASINS or THE SOMME AND TIEE SCHELDT. 



829 



No less than 200,000 vessels pass tbo Strait of Dover aunuully, and when the 
weather is clear it is sonictiiues difficult to couut the sails withiu view. The 
width of this strait not exceeding '20 miles, it is but natural that propositions 
should have been made to bridge it. In 1S02 M. Malhiou proposed to construct a 
submarine tunnel, but was laughed at. In 1838 M. Thom<5 do Gamond carefully 
studied the locality, and arrived at the conclusion that a tunnel might bo con- 
structed. Others suggested a huge bridge ; others, again, gigantic ferry-boats, 
capable of conveying entire railway trains. In 18GS the English and French 



Fig. 246. — Extent of Fbesxh and Flemish. 

Scnlc I : 1><J.000. 



^"^'^fWeSSTnTr^ Ti* 



— ■ — . ■ — . - ■■ • » ■ ■ ■ M — .■ ■^ ■■■■ ..■^. ^ t. .. . .l ^.»p. 



V 




FrcnchSJFUmU?!. 



Fla>asK. 
. 10 Miles. 



Governments took up the question, and since 1875 some progress has been made 
in the great work. The tunnel will pass through the impermeable lower chalk, at 
a depth of 4 1 4 feet below the level of the sea. 

Except its seaboard, the densely populated region now under review has no 
well-defined natural boundaries. From the line of water-parting separating the 
Somme, the Scheldt, and the Oise, the country slopes insensibly almost in every 
direction. We can cross the frontier from Belgium into France without noticing 
it, and the only obstacles met with by an invading army consist of rivers and 
canals, with fringes of large trees, which sometimes impart some beauty to this 



830 



FRANCE. 



monotonous country. A triple line of fortresses defends the frontiers of France, 
and the inhabitants of this ethnological border-land have at all times been remark- 
able for their warlike spirit. The Nervians, who opposed Ccesar, and the Flemings 
of the Middle Ages, were renowned for their bravery. The Picardians, who live 
to the south of the Flemings, are equally brave, and in some measure they combine 
the solid qualities of the north with the quickness of the south. Nowhere does the 
political boundary agree with the ethnological one. Near the coast, the Flemings, 
or flamingants, occupy both sides of the boundary, whilst farther east French 
is spoken in Belgium as well as in France. The Flemish language has lost 
ground since Artois, Picardy, and a portion of Flanders have become a part of 
France. It was spoken formerly as far as the gates of Abbeville and Amiens. 
In the seventeenth century its use was common to the north of a line drawn from 
Boulogne to St. Omer. The country between Lille, Valenciennes, and Cambrai 



Fig. 247. — The Coal Basin of Northern Fii.\NCE. 
Scale 1 : 700,000. 




^->.>-> > * > \ 



10 Miles. 



did not adopt the French language till the middle of last century. Even In 
those districts where Flemish is spoken, the towns are bilingual, and Fi-ench is 
rapidly gaining ground. Only about 150,000 persons actually speak Flemish 
still. 

The population in Northern France is very dense, but the resources of the 
country are considerable. The soil, in many instances of very inferior quality, is 
most carefully tilled, and Montesquieu's remark, that the fecundity of a country 
depends less upon the natural fertility of the soil than upon the civil liberty enjoyed 
by its inhabitants, is fully borne out by what may be seen in the vicinity of Lille. 
The soil there is naturally sterile, but the inhabitants having formerly been 
exempted from the payment of indirect taxes and statute labour, were able to devote 
the whole of their resources to the improvement of the land. The agriculture of 
Picardy and Flanders ranks high, and excepting in the densely populated depart- 
ment of the Nord, the produce not only suffices for local wants, but also supplies 



BASINS OF THE SOMME AND THE SHELDT. 



881 



considerable quantities for exportation to other parts of Fronce and to England. 
Calais, Boulogne, and Gravclines export much agricultural produce, the peasants 
themselves frequently freighting the sliips with eggs, fowls, und cheese, and main- 
tiiining regular agencies in London, Rotterdam, and Antwerp. 

For centuries the country has been pre-eminent for its manufactures, and the 

Fig. 218.— r£B0XNK-8CR-S0MMB. 




almost inexhaustible beds of coal will secure it that pre-eminence for centuries 
to come. Coal was first discovered in 1717 at Fresnes, close to Valenciennes, 
and since then an exact geological exploration of the entire basin has been made. 



TorOCKAI'HY. 

SoMME is named after the river wliich traVerscs the entire department, and 
enters the Channel below Abbeville. Tho soil is carefully cultivated by peasant 



832 



FRANCE. 



proprietors ; the breeding of horses, cattle, and sheep is carried on in the west ; and 
nowhere else are the poultry-yards so carefully attended to. There is no coal, but 
much turf is cut (1,420,000 tons in 1873). The manufactures include woollen and 
cotton stuff, linen, hosiery, and beet sugar. 

The Somme, on entering the department, flows past Ham (3,122 inhabitants), 
known for its castle, frequently used as a prison of state. It then flows north, in 
the direction of Peronne (4,210 inhabitants), one of the most famous fortresses of 
France. At the village of Tcrtnj, close by, Pepin of Heristal won the battle 
^yhich secured to him the dominion over Austra'^ia (087). At the old abbatial 



Fig. 249. — Amiens. 

Scale 1 : 80,000 




1 MUe. 



town of Corbie (3,977 inhabitants) the Somme is joined by the river Ancre, on 
which stands the small manufacturing town oi Albert (4,414 inhabitants). 

The district of Santerre lies to the south of the Somme, its capital being 
Montdidier (4,266 inhabitants), a dismantled fortress. This town, as well as the 
others in the same district, such as Roye (3,810 inhabitants), Hosieres (2,437 
inhabitants), and Villers-Bretonncux (5,356 inhabitants), engages in the manu- 
facture of hosiery. The tenure of the land is stiU the same as in the Middle Ages, 
and no farm can be sold without the consent of the tenant. 

Amiens (61,606 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Arve with the Somme, 
the ancient capital of the Ambiani and the Roman Samarobriva, is a town of con- 



SOMME. 



888 



eiderable importance. Its cathednil is oue of the most sumptuous edifices of the 
thirteenth ceuturv, and by the side of it all other buildin-^s of the town shrink into 



Pier. 250. — The Catuedkal op Amiens. 




insignificance. There are a mu.semn, a library, and a botanical garden. The old 
walls have been converted into public walks, but the citadel is still maintained in 

VOL. II. Z 



832 



FEANCE. 



proprietors ; the breeding of horses, cattle, and sheep is carried on in the west ; and 
nowhere else are the poultry-yards so carefully attended to. There is no coal, but 
much turf is cut (1,420,000 tons in 1873). The manufactures include woollen and 
cotton stuff, linen, hosiery, and beet sugar. 

The Somme, on entering the department, flows past Ham (3,123 inhabitants), 
known for its castle, frequently used as a prison of state. It then flows north, in 
the direction of Peronne (4,210 inhabitants), one of the most famous fortresses of 
France. At the village of Tertnj, close by, Pepin of Heristal won the battle 
which secured to him the dominion over Australia (G87). At the old abbatial 



Fig. 249.— Amiens. 
Scale 1 : 80,000 




1 MUe. 



town of Corbie (3,977 inhabitants) the Somme is joined by the river Ancre, on 
which stands the small manufacturing town oi Albert (4,414 inhabitants). 

The district of Santerre lies to the south of the Somme, its capital being 
MontcUdier (4,266 inhabitants), a dismantled fortress. This town, as well as the 
others in the same district, such as Eoye (3,810 inhabitants), liosieres (2,437 
inhabitants), and Villers-Bretoiineiix (o,356 inhabitants), engages in the manu- 
facture of hosiery. The tenure of the land is still the same as in the Middle Ages, 
and no farm can be sold without the consent of the tenant. 

Amiens (61,606 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Arve with the Somme, 
the ancient capital of the Ambiani and the Roman Samarobriva, is a town of con- 



SOMME. 



888 



sideralile importance. Its cathedral is oue of the most sumptuous edifices of the 
thirtet-uth ceuturv, and by the side of it uU other buildiuf's of the town shrink into 



Fiff. 250.— The Catiiedbal or Amiens. 




insignificance. There are a museum, a library, and a botanical garden. The old 
walls have been converted into public walks, but the citadel is still maintained in 

VOL. II. /. 



334 FEANCE. 

an efficient condition. The manufactures include linens, woollens, cottons, silks, 
and velvets, and there are iron foundries, machine shops, and chemical works. 
The market gardens around the town are most productive, and supply even 
England with vegetables. 

The Somme, below Amiens, has been converted into a navigable river. Passing 
Picquigny and Lonrjpre, in the midst of turf pits, we reach Abherillc (19,328 
inhabitants), a great commercial port during the Middle Ages, but now, owing to 
the silting up of the estuary of the Somme, of little note. There are a fine Gothic 
church and the anthropological museum of M. Boucher de Perthes. The manu- 
facturing industry produces carpets, linen, iron castings ; and there are rope-walks 
and boat-3'ards. A viaduct, 4,484 feet in length, crosses the estuary of the Somme, 
and connects St. Vakri/sur-Somme (3,406 inhabitants) with the railway system of 
France. "William the Conqueror put in at St. Valery before he crossed over to 
England, but the harbour is hardly accessible now. Fishing-boats generally start 
from Crotoij, opposite, or from the village of Caijeux (2,480 inhabitants), on the 
open sea. The villages of the district of Vimeu, which extends to the south as far 
as Treport, are much frequented for sea-bathing. 

The river Maye, which enters the sea to the north of the Somme, flows through 
the forest of Cricij, where the windmill which sheltered Edward I. during the 
famous battle is still pointed out. Lower down on that river is Rue, a small town. 

The river Authie bounds the department on the north. On it is Doullcns 
(3,886 inhabitants), with an old citadel converted into a convict prison for women. 

Pas-de-Calais is named after the strait which separates France from 
England, and is known to us as the Strait of Dover. The department includes 
the greater portion of the old province of Artois, and, excepting the hilly tract 
near Boulogne, it consists of monotonous plains of great fertility, traversed by 
tributaries of the Scheldt, and by the Aa, the Authie, and the Canche, which 
flow into the Channel. The agricultural produce more than suffices for local 
consumption, and calves, sheep, poultry, eggs, corn, and vegetables are exported. 
The discovery of coal (annual yield 3,000,000 tons) has led to the establishment of 
numerous fiictories ; and there are iron works, sugar refineries, cotton, wooUen, 
and paper mills, copper works, and machine shops. The fisheries, likewise, are very 
productive. 

There are no towns on the river Authie, but Bcrcli-sur-Mer (4,107 inhabitants), 
behind the dunes to the north of the estuary of that river, is a place of some 
importance, with a sea-bathing establishment for 500 scrofulous children, main- 
tained by the city of Paris. 

The valley of the Canche is densely peopled. Frecent (3,792 inhabitants), near 
the source of that river, has iron works. Hcsdin (3,083 inhabitants) was fortified 
formerly ; and Azincotirt, where the French were defeated in 1415, is a few miles to 
the north of it. ;Si/. Pol (3,872 inhabitants) lies in a side valley of Canche. Still 
descending the latter, we pass Montretiil (3,474 inhabitants), an old member of the 
Hanseatic League, and reach Etaples (2,948 inhabitants), near the mouth of the 
river, the small port of which is occasionally visited by coasting vessels. 



PAS-DE-CALAIS. 



885 



Tionlogne (40,075 inhabitants), at the mouth of tho Liane, the most populous 
town of the department, occupies a position with reference to En{»land which tho 
Roman emperors appreciated liij^lily. But of the many huildinfja erected bj' 
them hardly anj' vestiges remain now. For centuries tho town formed an 
apple of discord between France and England. It is one of tho great maritime 
ports of France, communicating daily with Folkstono b\' steamers. More than 
100,000 travellers here cross the Channel every year. The fislieries are of great 
importance. The existing harbour no longer answering tho requirements of 
commerce, the foundations of a new one were laid in July, 1878. The aspect 
of Boulogne is more picturesque than that of most commercial to^vns. The old 

Fi(f. 251. — lioviOGSB. 
Scale 1 : 64,000. 



i)^i:."\v...(j. 







1 . . 1. ..I 1. 



town occupies the summit of a hill, and is inhabited by the wealthier citizens, 
whilst the lower town, apart from its sunqituous bathing establishment and a few 
hotels, cannot boast of remarkable buildings. Some of the roads in the suburbs 
are quite English in their aspect, which need not surprise us, as nearly one-tenth 
of the population is of English birth. These English settlers have contributed 
much towards the industrial development of the town. The manufactures 
include steel pens, hardware, and linen, and there are saw-mills and marble and 
cement works. Le Porhl (3,!):?8 inhabitants), a village to the south-west, is 
iiihaJuted by fi.shermen, (»nd af Sniinr ('I,l!)l inli.ibitanls) is (he ukkIcI farm of 
Ilaut-Tingry. 



336 



FRANCE. 



On tlie road from Boulogne to Calais we pass a column erected to celebrate 
Napoleon's proposed invasion of England; Marquise (3,923 inhabitants), with iron 
works and marble quarries ; Ambleteuse, where James I. disembarked in 1688 ; and 
AudresseUes, where an English company proposed to construct a large port. 

Calais (34,922 inhabitants), the rival of Boulogne, consists of a fortified town 
and of the industrial suburb of St. Pierre-les-Calais. The town for more than 
two centuries (1346 — 15-38) was held by the English, but the bulk of the inha- 
bitants are Flemish, and the public buildings remind us of Flanders. St. Pierre 



Fig. 252. — Calais. 
Scale 1 : 30,000. 




iiiilf ii Jiue. 



manufactures more especially cotton and silk tulle, a branch of industry introduced 
in 1819 by English capitalists, and still partly directed by English workmen. 
There are likewise linen-mills, steam saw-mills, and other establishments. The 
exports to England consist mainly of Parisian articles, horses, vegetables, eggs, 
poultry, and a variety of manufactures. The harbour of the town is quite inade- 
quate, and contrasts very unfavourably with that of Dover, on the opposite side 
of the Channel, which is here annually crossed by more than 200,000 travellers. 
Guines (3,644 inhabitants), 5 miles to the south of Calais, has bleaching grounds, 



NOED. 837 

and a pyramid near it marks the spot where Blunchard and Jeffcrics alightwl on 
January 7th, 1785, after having crossed the Channel in a balloon. On going from 
Guinos to ^^^(//rs (1,10-} inhaliifants), wo pass, near Balingliara, the Field of tlie 
Cloth of Gold, where ITenry A'lll. and Francis I. met in lo'JO. 

St. Omer (•21,404 inhabitants), on the river Aa, has a mcdianal church, the 
ruins of an abbey, and manufactures tulle, muslin, common cloth, and pipes of 
every kind. Arques (3,701 inhabitants) is almost a suburb of St. Omcr. Tlitrou- 
aniic, on the Lys, is a poor village now, but it was an important town until 
Charles V. destroyed it in 1554. Near it, at Enguinegatte (Guingatto), was 
fought the famous Battle of the Spurs (1513). At Aire (5,058 inhabitants) the 
Lys becomes navigable. All the towns in the neighbourhood are centres of 
industry. Bellinne (9,315 inhabitants) has sugar refineries ; Lons (9,383 inha- 
bitants), Netu (4,219 inhabitants), and Ilenin-Lietard (5,491 inhabitants), have 
coal mines ; whilst Lilkr-t (4,701 inhabitants) is famous for its boots. The first 
artesian well was bored near it, and its yield has never dimini.shed. 

Arras (26,764 inhabitants), the old cajiital of Artois, on the Scarpe, a tributary 
of the Scheldt, does not yield to Calais or Boulogne in historical interest. It was 
famous during the dominion of the Romans for its industry, bu.t the tapestry 
which once was produced there is found now only in museums. The most 
noteworthj* building is a town-hall of the sixteenth century, with a fine belfry. 
The abbey of St. Waast, a structure of the eighteenth century, has been converted 
into a museum. The manufactures include beet sugar, soap, earthenware, and 
lace. The town is strongly fortified, and its fortifications occupj^ more space than 
do its houses. It was the birthplace of Hobespierre. Bajxiiime (3,190 inhabitants), 
to the south of Arras, is a small fortress of little note. 

NoRD (" north ") is the name of the most northern department of France, and 
includes portions of the ancient provinces of Cambresis and Ilainaut. The river 
Lys bisects it where it is narrowest. The south is hilly and partly wooded. The 
centre, intersected by tributaries of the Scheldt, consists of an undulating plain, 
whilst the maritime portion presents itself as a dead flat, above which rise a ictv 
isolated hillocks. Agriculture, industry, and commerce flourish. Cereals, beet- 
root, oil-j-ielding plants, flax, tobacco, hops, and vegetables are cultivated. The 
coal mines yield 3,500,000 tons a year. Industry is highly developed. The 
textile industries of Valenciennes and Cambrai employ 2,807,600 spindles, 
25,810 power-looms, and 85,848 hand-looms. In 1873 were produced 200,000 tons 
of beet sugar ; 353,600 tons of cast iron, steel, and hardware ; 32,000 tons of zinc ; 
81,750 tons of earthenware and glass ; 22,500 tons of soap ; and 36,600 tons of soda. 
The population has more than doubled since the beginning of the century. 

Arrntici (4,636 inhabitants), the capital of the eastern arrondissement, a portion 
of the old province of Hainaut, is only a small town, with picturesque fortifications ; 
but Fourmies (8,151 inhabitants), to the south of it, has grown into a considerable 
town, where the first glass works of Xorthern Franco wore established in 1599. 
LnudrecicK (3,693 inhabitants) and Jliinliriic/e (5,110 inhabitants) are the principal 
towns on the Sambrc. They are both fortified. At Maubeuge and the neigh- 



338 



PEANCE. 



bouring town of Hantinont (5,180 inhabitants) are numerous iron foundries and 
rifle factories. The villages of Malplaquet and Wattignies, both famous in the 
annals of battles, are near. Foignics and Jenmont (2,190 inhabitants) are customs 
stations on the Belgian frontier. Barai, the ancient Bavacum, capital of the 
Nervians, to the west, was an important Roman station formerly, but is now 
merely a village. 

Camhrai (10,969 inhabitants), like Bavai, has suflPered much during every 
war, but has always risen from its ruins, and fought stoutly, too, for its municipal 
liberties. Several treaties were signed in the old capital of Cambresis. The 

Fig. 253. — Valenciennes. 
spile 1 : 50.000. 




1".^2E uf Gr 



1 Mik- 



principal buildings are a town-hall and a cathedral. A monument has been 
erected in honour of Baptiste, the inventor of a species of cambric known as 
batiste. The principal articles manufactured are cambrics, tulles, and cotton 
lace. Caudrij (4,548 inhabitants), Quievy (3,467 inhabitants), and C (dean- Cam- 
brisk (9,444 inhabitants), the famous treaty town, in the south-east, manufacture 
linen, cotton, and woollen stuffs. Solcsmcs (5,723 inhabitants), in the east, has 
sugar refineries. Descending the Scheldt, we pass Iicinj (3,890 inhabitants), the 
fortress oi Bouchain, Lourches (3,590 inhabitants), and Denain (11,849), the latter 
with coal mines, iron works, and rolling-miUs. 



NORD. 



839 



Valenciennes (2'2,686 inhabitants) is a first-ruto fortress, but the manufacture of 
lace, which rendered the place famous during the Middle Ages, has almost ceased to 
exist, cambrics and lawn being nuuuifuctured instead. The neighbourhood of the 
town abounds in coal mines, iron works and sugar refineries. At Aiiziii ((!,!)20 
inhabitants), close to the gates of the town, more than 2,000,000 tons are raised 
yearly by a single company, employing 10,000 workmen, to whom they pay 
annually £400,000 in wages. I.arge workmen's cities have sprung up in the 
vicinitv of these coal-pits, which extend IVoni Denain to the fortitied town of 
Conde-sur-Emiut (3,282 inhabitants), on the Belgian frontier. Even at St. Amand- 

Fig. 254.— LiLLB. 

Scale I : 70,000. 



0»4i, P.. of l'apl^ 




3*S E.of Gp 



les-Eaiu (7,243 inhabitants), a fashionable watering-place on the Scarpe, the sky 
is obscured by the smoke rising from hundreds of chinmeys. 

Douai (23,348 inhabitants), until recent times one of the most important 
features of France, is the scat of a university, of courts of justice, and of military 
establishments, including an arsenal and a gun foundry ; but it also engages in 
the manufactures common to the country, and, like the neighbouring towns of 
Aniche (4,686 inhabitants), Orc/iiis (3,318 inhabitants), and Marchicnnes (2,048 
inhabitants), it has its cotton-mills, sugar refineries, distilleries, and machine 
shops. The old Flemish Parliament House is used now as a Court of Appeal. 



342 



FRANCE. 



Kg. 257. — Gravelines. 

Scale 1 : 50,000. 




Tourcoing (33,013 iuhabitants), engage almost exclusively in all branches of the 
woollen industry, and are the rivals of Bradford, in Yorkshire, which excels them 
in quantity and strength, but must yield to them in beauty of design. The 
suburbs of these two towns, Wattrelos (4,102 inhabitants), Croix (2,586 inha- 
bitants), and others, likewise engage in the woollen industry. Roubaix alone 
consumes daily 100 tons of wool. The towns have nothing to show beyond their 
factories, and the environs are wanting altogether in the picturesque. The Lys, 
into which numerous factories discharge their refuse, flows 5 miles to the north- 
west. Two villages on the small river Marcq, one of its tributaries, are noteworthy 
on account of the battles fought near them. These are Boiivines, where Philip 
Augustus defeated the Emperor of Germany (1214), and Slons-en-Pevele, where 

Philip the Fair took revenge for the 
defeat sustained at Courtray. 

AYhen we cross the Lys we enter 
the Flemish-speaking portion of the 
department. Ilnzehronck (6,363 inha- 
bitants) and Bailleul (8,180 inhabit- 
ants) are both manufacturing towns. 



the latter being the centre of the trade 
in the so-called Valenciennes lace. 
Cassel (3,224 inhabitants), on an 
isolated hill, from which may be en- 
joyed a most extensive prospect, is a 
famous old cadelhun. Other towns of 
some importance are Steenwerk (4,309 
inhabitants) and Steenroorde (4,018 
inhabitants). 

The arrondissement of Dunkirk has 
but few manufactures, but carries on 
a considerable commerce by sea. 
Bergues (5,368 inhabitants) is an old 
fortress, defending the approaches to 
Dunkirk. Its famous belfry and the 
two towers of an abbey are visible 
from the high sea. Bourhoiirg (2,448 inhabitants) is the principal mart for 
Flemish cart-horses. Crravelines (4,184 inhabitants), a small fortress, has impor- 
tant fisheries, and exports eggs, apples, and vegetables to England. Fort PhUippe 
was built in 1812, to prevent the smuggling carried on by English vessels employed 
by Rothschild ; and the town which sprang up near it was known as the town of 
smoggleitrs, or schmoHeler. 

Dunkirk (Dunkerque, 35,012 inhabitants) is a Flemish town, its belfry rising 
high above the houses which surround it. The town has sustained more sieges 
than anj' other in the neighbourhood. Its most glorious epoch dates back to the 
time of Louis XIV., when its mariners, led on by Jean Bart, often held their own 



1 Mile. 



NORD. 



848 



agninet whole fleets, liut the laiglish ut lust obtained the upper huml, and it 
was destroyed in accordance with the treaty of Utrecht (1713). It has been 



Fig. 258.— DiNKiKK. 
Scale 1 : ^OOa 




HuUu MUe. 



restored since, and even enlarged. There are now three wet docks, capable of 
receiving vessels of 1,000 tons burden, and a fourth dock, of larger dimensions 
and greater depth, is being constructed. The roadstead of Dunkirk is one of 



344 FEANCE. 

the safest in the Channel, quite equal to that of the "Downs," on the coast 
opposite. The commerce of the town flourishes, and is increasing, and saw-mills, 
cotton-mills, oil refineries, and other manufacturing establishments have been 
founded. The mariners of the town engage in the Newfoundland fisheries. Close 
to the walls of Dunkirk was fought the battle of the Dunes (1558), when 
Turenne beat Conde and his Spaniards. At Hondschoote (1,870 inhabitants), a 
neighbouring village, the Austrians were defeated in 1793. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

THE VOSGES. 
Basins op the Mei'se asd tub Moselle. 




General Aspects. 

ORTH-EASTERN France, within its present limits, may almost be 
looked upon as a continuation of the basin of Paris. There, too, as 
in Champagne, we meet with old beaches from which the sea has 
gradually retired, and many of the rivers, in their upper course, 
exhibit a remarkable parallelism with the Seine. The two great 
rivers of the country, however, the Meuse and the Moselle, flow to the Rhine. 

The system of the Vosges extends, under various names, from the Upper Saone 
to the great bend of the Rhine near Mayence. The nucleus of this mountain 
system consists of a triangular citadel of crystalline rocks, and if the sea were to 
rise 1,500 feet, this mountain mass would be converted into an island. Amongst 
the sedimentary rocks which form the inferior slopes sandstone predominates. 
It is generally tinged red by oxide of iron, frequently forms bold cliffs, or is 
split up into huge blocks resembling fantastically shaped castles. The Yosges 
bear a striking resemblance to the Black Forest, on the opposite bank of the 
Rhine. The geological formation of both chains is the same ; in each we meet 
with magnificent pine forests, above which rise dome-shaped summits clothed with 
tender grasses and a carpet of flowers. Both chains rise steeply from the wide 
valley of the Rhine, but slope down gradually towards the interior of the countrv. 
The low range of the Faucilles and the plateau of Langres connect the 
Vosges with the mountain system of Central France. The Faucilles are wooded, 
intersected by numerous ri\Tilets, and easy of access. They are of Jurassic age, 
whilst the plateau of Langres is covered with chalk. In the south, a deep depres- 
sion, known as the " gap of Belfort," separates the Vosges from the Jura. This 
gap, through which run a road, a railway, and a canal, has at all times played 
an important part in history. Immediately to the north of it rise some of the 
highest summits, or balhiis, of the Vosges, including the Ballon d'Alsace 
(4,100 feet). For 75 miles the present boundary between France and Germany 
follows the crest of the Vosges; but to the north of the Grand Donon 



346 



FRANCE. 



(3,313 feet), a huge mass of sandstone, witli a gigantic stone ring upon its 
summit, the victorious Germans have adjudged themselves both slopes. In the 
Vosges, as in many other mountain chains, the culminating summits rise at 
some distance from the crest. The most elevated mountain of the entire chain, 
the Ballon, or " Belchen," of Sulz (4,677 feet), rises about 8 miles to the 



Fig. 259. — Glacieks of the Vosges. 
Scale 1 ; 360,000. 



I wo E or rim 




. 2 Jlilea. 



east, being almost cut off from the main range by the delightful valley of St. 
Amand. Standing upon this mountain, our eye ranges as far as the snowy summits 
of the Bernese Oberland. Eleven fine roads run across this southern portion of 
the Vosges, the most fiimous amongst them being that known as the " Schlucht " 
{i.e. gorge), which connects Gerardmer with Munstci'. 

The contrasts between the French and the Alsatian slopes of the Vosges are 



GENERAL ASPECTS. 



847 



not confined merely to a diftbrence in the gradient, but extend likewise to climate 
and vegetation. The rains are lieavior on the western slope than on the eastern. 
At Strasburg and Culmar the annual rainfall does not exceed 27 inches, whilst 
at Mirecourt and Vesoul it amounts to 50 inches. The cause of this is evident. 
The westerlj' winds, on reaching the Vosges, part with most of their moisture. 
In Lorraine the sky is often clouded ; and whilst the vino flourishes in Alsaf ia up 
fo a height of 1,300 feet, its cultivation is impossible along the western slope of 
the mountains, owing to the rigours of the climate. 

To the same cause must bo traced the great extent of the glaciers, which in 



Fig. 2C0. — The Laxeb of G£rabdmer and Lokoemer. 
Scale 1 : I2&,000. 




'*??F§^- 'Jp :^.. ■:.;^' 'i^ -,.i 



t. - V^B^L. 




■o'&.ot Cr 



Mae. 



a former age covered the western slope of the mountains, and descended into 
the ocean, which then reached to their foot. One of these glaciers occupied the 
valleys of the Upper Moselle, and that of the Moselotte, and extended beyond 
Gemiremont as far as Eloyes. A gigantic dyke, nearly 200 feet in height, and 
partly destroyed by the floods of the Moselle, still marks the site of the terminal 
moraine. In area this glacier far exceeded that of Aletsch, now the most 
considerable in Europe, and M. Ilogard thinks that at one epoch it spread like- 
wise into the valley of the Meuse, where erratic blocks of Vosgesian origin 
abound. 

Old moraines, rock-scratchings, and other evidences of glacial action abound. 



348 FRANCE. 

The country around Giromaguy, to the north of Belfort, is strewn with huge 
blocks, as if a battle of giants had been fought there. In the west, towards 
Luxeuil, the streams of ice have worn away the surface of the hiUs, and 
small lakes or meres abound, one of them discharging one stream into the 
Moselle, and another into the Saone. Small lakes, some of them reflecting 
dark pines, and others embedded in verdant meadows, are also met with in 
the upper valleys of the Moselle and its tributaries. Most of them owe their 
existence to moraines, which dam up the rivers. Some of the best known of 
these lakes are near the Pass of the Schlucht. The small Lake of Retournemer 
occupies a cup-shaped cavity, whilst the larger Longemer occujDies the valley 
lower down, giving rise to the Vologne, which, not far from the lake, rushes 
headlong over a ledge of granite, and then swallows up the emissary of the lake 
of G^rardmer (2,180 feet). This latter is the largest lake in the Vosges. It 
is shut in, on the west, by a moraine 230 to 260 feet in height, has a depth of 
246 feet, and overflows towards the east. The surrounding country, with its 
sombre forests and emerald meadows, is one of the most charming to be found 
in the Vosges, and in comparing the beauties of nature with those of the works 
of man the inhabitants of the country may well say, " What would Lorraine be 
without Gerardmer and a bit of Nancy ? " 

That portion of the Vosges which was formerly covered with glaciers is 
most plentifully irrigated. The Moselle, the Moselotte, the Vologne, and the 
Meurthe have all forced themselves a passage through ancient moraines. The 
Hohneck (4,460 feet), at the head of the ancient glacier of Gerardmer, forms the 
centre of dispersion of the riVers of the Vosges. Most of these rivers flow into 
the Alsatian 111, or into the Moselle, both of which are tributary to the Rhine. 
The Meuse, too, flows now into the Rhine, but at some former epoch it appears 
to have been a separate river, and it actually retains its name down to the sea. 
It first describes a large curve, almost parallel with the Moselle or Little Meuse. 
Its course, as is the case with many rivers flowing through a limestone region, is 
partly underground. In summer the river is almost entirely swallowed up near 
the village of Bazoilles, and reappears 2 miles below, at Noncourt. Having 
been joined by the Chiers, the Meuse winds along the schistose rocks of the 
Ardennes. Below Charleville it pierces the plateau, forming a sticcession of 
picturesque gorges, equally attractive to the artist and the geologist. The 
river meanders 600 or 1,000 feet below the level of the plateau, sometimes 
hemmed in by steep cliffs, at others bounded by tree-clad slaty slopes, presenting 
a charming contrast to the reddish or variegated cliffs. The valley offers but 
scanty accommodation for towns and villages, and one of the former, Montherm^, 
is so much shut in that the rays of the sun only reach it during part of the day. 
Where the Meuse crosses the French frontier it discharges 27 tons of water a 
second during summer, and twenty or twenty-five times that quantity when in 
flood. 

The plateaux which bound the valley of the Meuse are covered with woods, 
pastures, bogs, or naked rocks, and cultivable little valleys are few and far 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNlVERSiTV of ILLINOIS. 



OENERAL ASPECTS. 



840 



between. The schistose heights of the Fugues, or Fanges, to the east of the 
river, are most melancholy of aspett aiul very thinly populated. Their name has 
reference to the pools of stagnant black water which abound there. Formerly the 
" sombre and formidable " Forest of the Ardennes occupied the whole of the 
country between the Scheldt and the Rhine. Wild boars and other beasts were 
numerous then, and the forest was much dreaded. Most of it has been destroyed, 
towns and villages now occupy the valleys, and the stubborn soil is made to yield 
harvests. 



The Ardennes and the Tosges luivc played no inconsiderable part in tho 



Pig. 261.— Meandeiunos of the Melse. 

S&do 1 : ICO.fOO. 



2°20V ..iP. 




■ 5 Milea. 



hi>tor_v of France. The Ardennes more especially have at all times proved a 
formidable obstacle t) invading armies, not so much on account of their width 
and their deep valleys, but because of their being very thinly populated. The 
roads open to an invader either lead through the valley of the Moselle, to the east of 
the Ardennes, or through the valley of the Oisc and the plains of Flandcr.s, to the 
west of them. 

Ethnologically the Ardennes and Yosges are even more important than in a 
military point of view, for thev form a linguistic boundary, and have prevented 
the Germanisation of Xorth-eastern France. 

vor,. n. \ A 



350 FEANCE. 

Lorraine, or Lotharingia, thus named nfter Lothar, the grandson of Charle- 
magne, is French in sjjite of its German name. The inhabitants, as far as 
records can prove the fact, have always spoken a Latin dialect. Physicall}'- the 
Lorrainers differ from the Germans by having short and nearly round skulls. 
Their minds, too, are differently constituted. Cool, reflective, calculating, and 
circumspect, they have none of the mj'sticism of their neighbours the " Swabians.'' 
These latter have at all times designated them as " "Welsh." 



TorOGKAPHY. 

Meuse is named after the river which, rising on the plateau of Laugres, traverses 
the department in a north-westerly direction. A portion of it is drained into the 
Seine. Jurassic and cretaceous rocks cover the whole of the country, and the 
hills are for the most part wooded, more especially in the Argonne, on both banks 
of the Meuse. The naked plain of the Woevre, intersected by the Orne and its 
tributaries, lies to the east. Ilorse-breeding is carried on extensively, and there 
are iron and steel works. 

Bar-k-Duc (16,643 inhabitants), on the river Ornain, is the most populous 
town of the department. It has \n\n\ manufactories, and the canal which con- 
nects it with the Rhine and the Marne offers great facilities for the export of 
wine and other products. The town is noted for its candied fruits and pastry. 
The museum of the town contains a few Roman antiquities discovered near Ligny- 
rn-Barrois (4,128 inhabitants), on the Upper Ornain. 

Vfuwouk'urs ("2,475 inhabitants), associated with the history of Joan of Arc, is 
the first town met with on descending the Meuse. Then follows Commercy 
(4,960 inhabitants), with a fine castle, now used as barracks. The pastrycooks 
of Commercy are famous for their " madeleines." St. Miliiel (5,146 inhabitants), 
the old capital of Barrois, boasts of two fine churches, with sculptures by Ligier 
Richier, who was born here. It is defended by a modern fort. Verdun (15,433 
inhabitants), lower down on the Meuse, is one of the most important fortresses of 
France, defending the defiles of the Argonne. In history it is famous for the 
treaty of 843, which partitioned the Carlo vingian Empire. The town is noted 
for its confectionery and liqueurs. Elain (2,815 inhabitants) lies to the east 
of Verdun, in the plain of "WoSvre, and on the road to Metz. Stenay (2,376 
inhabitants), on the Meuse, has iron works and biscuit bakeries. ITonfmedy 
(2,219 inhabitants), on the Chiers, is merely a fortified village, whilst Clermont 
and Varennes, on the river Aire, and near the great Forest of Argonne, are 
places of no importance whatever. Louis XVI. was arrested at the latter in 
1791. 

AuDEXXES is named after the old forest which still covers about one-fifth of its 
area. Champaign plains of cretaceous formation extend in the south ; the Jurassic 
hills of Argonne occupy the centre ; and the cold schistose plateau of Ardenne 
spreads out in the north, traversed by the deep gorge of the Meuse. There are iron 
mines, slate quarries, beds of jjhosphatic nodules, iron works, and woollen-mills. 



AUDEXXES. 



851 



St'daii (15,8G2 inhabitants), on the Mouse, below its contliionco with the Chiers, 
first rose into importance in the thirteenth century, when the Dukes of IJouillon 
made it their capital. The town suffered much in consequence of the revocation 
of tlie Edict of ^»antes ; but its cloth nuinufacture revived soon after, and is now 
of very great importance. There are likewise iron foundries ; and the valley of 
the Chiers, in which lies Carignan (1,874 inhabitants), is one of the great centres 
of the iron industry of the department. Turcnne and Macdonald were natives of 
Sedan. Its capitulation on September 2nd, 1S70, put a termination to the Second 
Empire. 

Chaikville (12,881 inhabitants) and Meziircs (5,204 inhabitants) are twin 



l-'ig. 202.— Chaklkville and MkziKues. 

Scale 1 : 60,000. 




1 Mil, 



cities. The latter, occupying the neck of a peninsula formed by the Meuse, is a 
strong fortress, often besieged, but rarely taken. Bayard, in 1521, successfully 
defended it against Charles V. Charleville, only founded in 1G06, is a place of 
commerce and industry, with foundries, nail works, and manufactories of tools. 
In the valley of the Sormonne, which joins the Meuse near Mezieres, are the slate 
quarries of Rimogne. Still descending the ileuse, we pass Nouzoti (5,225 inhabit- 
ants), which manufactures nails, railway rolling stock, and agricultural machines, 
and Fumay (4,589 inhabitants), with immense slate quarries, and finally reach the 

S A 2 



352 



FRANCE. 



triple town of Givet (6,272 inhabitants), with its citadel of Charlemont, constructed 
by Charles V. Pipes, pencils, sealing-wax, gl^e, and hardware are manufactured. 
Rocio;i (1,053 inhabitants), on the cold plateau to the east of the Meuse, is an 
important fortress. 

The south-western portion of the department is drained by the river Aisne. 
Its most important town is Rethcl (7,364 inhabitants), formerly a fortress, with 



Fig. 263.— Epixal. 
Scale 1 : 30,000. 




Ualf a Mile. 



manufactures of merinos. Ascending the river, we pass Affif/»;/, where the 
Merovingian and Carlovingian kings frequently resided, and Wittekind, the 
chieftain of the Saxons, was baptized, and reach Vouziers (3,425 inhabitants), at 
the head of navigation. Gerson, the birthplace of the famous Chancellor of the 
Paris Universit}', stood a few miles to the north of Rethel. 

VosGEs is the name of a department bounded by the Vosges Mountains in the 



VOSGES. 353 

east, but occupied for the greater part bv the Monts Faucilles, which form the 
water-shed betweon the Rhine and the Saoue. Its nortliern portion is drained by 
the rivers Meurthe, MostUe, and ileuse, whilst the Saune and several of ita 
tributaries rise in the south-west. The climate is inclement, and one-fourth of 
the country is covered with forests. The manufacture of pai>cr and of co:ton 
stuffs is of importxiuce. 

Neiifihatcan (.■J,l).20 inhabitants) is the only town on the ileuse, which crosses 
the western corner of the department. It is the Noviomagus of the Romans, and 
Roman remains abound throughout this region. Files, nails, and tools are manu- 
factured. Domreini/-la-Piicelle, the birthplace of Joan of Arc, is close by. In the 
valley of the Vair, which joins that of the Meuse, are the mineral springs of 
Contrejrecille and Vittel. The neighbourhood of the latter is noted for its tine oak 
forests, and there are glass works and iron forges. 

Mirt'voiirf (5,169 inhabitants), on the Madon, a tributary of the Jloselle, has 
tan-yards, and manufactures violins, organs, and other musical instruments. Much 
lace is made in its neighbourhood. 

The river Moselle, not far from its source, flows past Biissaiig (798 inhabitants), 
noted for its gaseous springs. Retniremoiit (7,211 inhabitants), delightfully 
situated at the confluence of the Moselle with the Moselotte, has a fine old abbey, 
now used as a court of justice, a library, and a town-hall. La Brcsse (1,50G inha- 
bitants), in the picturesque valley of the Moselotte, is known for its cheese, butter, 
and wood car\'ings. There are several cotton-mills lower down on the river. 
The Valley of AJol, near Remiremont, with its numerous villages, is famous for 
its picturesque beauties. Still descending the iloselle, we arrive at Epinal 
(13,827 inhabitants), the capital of the department. The town possesses a fine 
picture gallery and rich geological and archtcological museums. Coarsely painted 
images of saints are manufactured, and the number of cotton-mills has largely 
increased since the annexation of Alsatia hy Germany. Chamagne, a village lower 
down on the Moselle, is famous as the birthplace of Claude Gelee, known as 
Claude Lorraine. 

Gerardmer (2,331 inhabitants), a town in the valley of the Yologne, which 
joins llie Moselle above Epinal, is the principal seat of the wood-carvers, and a 
hand-loom is found in nearly every house. 

Rambervillers (4,910 inhabitants), on the Mortagne, a tributary river of the 
Meurthe, is surrounded by factories and hopgardens; \)\xt St. Die (12,020 inha- 
bitants), on the Meurthe itself, far exceeds it in importance. The cathedral and 
several of the other churches are venerable for their age. Cotton stuflls, carpets, 
hardware, and paper are manufactured, and there are numerous saw-mills. 
Raon-rEfupe (3,G0l inhabitants) is the principal place in the Vosges whore paper 
is manufactured from aspen-wood. 

Moi/enmoulier (1,622 inhabitants) and Senonea (2,542 inhabitants) are two old 
towns in the valley of the Rabodeau, each with a cotton-mill installed in an 
ancient castle. 

There are no large towns in that portion of the department which lies within 



S54 FRANCE. 

tlie basiu of the Saone. Plomhieres, to the south-west oi Remiremont, is noted 
for its hot and cold springs, which attract thousands of visitors annually. Bains, 
a village farther west, has springs equally efficacious as those of its more popular 
neighbour. Xertigny (^2,025 inhabitants), Fontenoy-Je- Chateau (1,738 inhabitants), 
and other villages in the neighbourhood engage in the manufacture of nails, 
cutlery, and tools, and embroider lace for Paris houses. 

Meurthe-et-Moseli.e, the principal river of which is the Moselle, with its 
tributary the Meurthe, includes two-thirds of the old department of Meurthe and 
about one-fifth of that of the Moselle, the remainder having been surrendered 
to Germany. The country is generally well cultivated, its mineral wealth con- 
siderable, and its industry flourishing. Iron and steel, glass, china, and paper are 
the principal articles produced. 

Baccarat (5,128 inhabitants) is the first town on the Meurthe lying within 
the department, and is famous on account of its glass. Lttnicille (15,878 inha- 
bitants), at the confluence of the Meurthe and the Vezouze, manufactures watch 
glasses, and carries on much commerce. The treaty of 1801 was signed here, 
and in the eighteenth century Luneville was the residence of the Duke of Lorraine, 
whose palace has been converted into barracks. Blnmont (2,337 inhabitants) and 
Circy (2,324 inhabitants), both on the Yezou.ze, are small manufacturing towns, 
the former having a cotton-mill, the latter glass works. 

Once more descending the Meurthe, we pass St. Nicolas-dii-Povt (4,109 inha- 
bitants), from which the salt obtained from the mines in the vicinity ia 
exported, and reach Nancy (66,303 inhabitants), the ancient capital of Lorraine. 
In the seventeenth century this was a small ill-built town, for modern Nancj'-, 
with its wide and straight streets, was in reality founded by Stanislas, father-in- 
law of Louis XV. A triumphal arch, numerous statues, a ducal palace, now 
converted into an archteological museum, remind us that Nancy formerly had a 
court of its own ; but the most interesting building of the town is the Franciscan 
church, in which are several fine monuments of the Dukes of Lorraine. Nancy 
has its university, a librarj', a natural-history museum, and botanical gardens, 
and is ambitious of becoming the mediator of scientific thought between France 
and Germany. Several of the great cotton lords of Alsatia have transferred their 
mills to Nancy and its vicinity, besides which the manufacture of cloth, of hats, 
and of artificial flowers is busily carried on. 

Frouard (2,404 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Meurthe with the Moselle, 
has been strongly fortified since the war. Pont-u-Mousson (9,904 inhabitants), 
on the Moselle, was the seat of a university up to 1763. It is important now on 
account of its iron works and needle manufactories. Pagny, on the German 
frontier, is an important customs station. The ruins of the feudal fortress of 
Pr^nj', the finest in all Lorraine, are near, and Roman antiquities abound through- 
out this region. 

Toul (9,566 inhabitants), on the Moselle, an old episcopal city, boasts of two 
fine Gothic churches. As a fortress defending one of the great historical high- 
ways of France it has been frequently besieged, and ofcen taken and devastated. 



3F THE 

'JNIV£f?S/TY of ILLINOIS. 



MEURTHE-ET-MOSELLE. 



855 



Abuve the town the canul couneeting thu Muruu with the Rhiuu its curried ucro88 
the Moselle. 

The narrow slip of territory in the north, ull that remains to France out of 
the old depurtnient of Moselle, has Brivy ('2,U'J'J inhabitants), to the north-webt 



Fig. 264.— NA.Ncr. 

Pnilr 1 : ,v>,iii«. 



'zJ 



3" io E of Paj-o 




1 Mile. 



uf Metz, for its cajntal. South of it is the village of Murs-la-Tour, rememberetl 
in connection with the events of 1870. Loinjin/ (2,939 inhabitants) and Loixjiii/oii 
(2,020 inhabitants), both on the Chicrs, close to the Belgian frontier, have iron 
works, forges, and other industrial establishments. Longwy is defended by 
a citadel. 





CHAPTER XIV. 

STATISTICS OF FRANCE.* 

Population. 

nlN order to enable us to judge of the strength of a nation we must 
carefully inquire into the statistics available with respect to it, and 
weigh their import. Such an inquiry we now propose to institute. 
History may exhibit the genius peculiar to each nation, but 
statistics certainly make known to us the resources available for 
continuing the struggle for existence. " The future of a nation," says a Japanese 
proverb, " lies in its present, as the unfledged eagle lies within the shell of 
its egg." 

One great fact meets us at the outset of our inquiry. The population of France 
has vastly increased since the Revolution, and men live longer now than they did 
formerly. Still that increase has not been as rapid as in most other countries of 
Europe, and there were actually periods when the population decreased.! The 
calamities of the war of 1870-71 are plainly indicated in the population statistics. 
But there are other causes which retard the increase of the population of France. 
The number of births in excess of deaths was 172,950 in 1872, 101,775 in 1873, 
and 131,920 in 1876, which is far less than in other countries; and whilst at the 
beginning of the century Frenchmen constituted one-fifth of the European popu- 
lation of the world, they now constitute only one-tenth. 

Physical degeneration is not the cause of this slow increase, for the number of 
exemptions from military service granted on account of physical infirmities is 
decreasing from year to year. The large number of bachelors and spinsters is 
certainly one of the causes, for 500,000 soldiers and sailors are not allowed to 
marry, 200,000 priests and nuns have taken vows of chastity, and many others are 
compelled by circumstances to lead a life of ceUbacy.J But there are other causes, 

• M. Block, "Annuairede I'Economie Politique" and "Statistique de la France;" E. Levasseur, 
" La France avec ses Colonies; " L'Economiste Fran^ais ; Journal des Economistes. 

t Population within present limits of France :— 36,469,836 in 1866; 36,102,921 in 1872; 36,905,788 
in 1876. 

X Of every 100 Frenchmen 21 years of age and upwards, 51 are bachelors, 41 are married, and 5 are 
widowers; of every 100 women of the same age, 48 are spinsters, 40 are married, and 11 are widows. 



POPULATION. 



867 



of a moral nature, and fur more deep-soatod. Purcuts, led by the very luudablu 
desire of leaving their children well provided for, take cure that their number is 
limited. Some philosophers may approve of this solicitude, but it cleurly exliibits 
much want of faith in tlic future, and substantially weakens the strength of the 
country, as compared with other countries. In poor departments more children 
are born, as a rule, than in rich ones. A poor man may teach each of his children 
a trade ; a rich one is expected to divide his capital amongst them when he dies. 

Fig. 265.— I.NCUE.KSE OF PoPCLATIOS IN TUB PulNClPAL C0UNTUIE3 OF TlIK WollLD. 




In Normandy this voluntary limitation of families is carried to the greatest length , 
in the department of Eure one-eighth of the inhabitants lead a life of celibacy, and 
there are few families with more than two children. Need we wonder that the 
population decreases ? 

Frenchmen are the most sedentary of Europeans. The "trappers" and 
"voyageurs" of Canada prove that they are quite able to accommodate them- 
selves to the rough life of a colony ; but, for all that, thej' prefer to remain 
at home. Even in Algeria, which lies within easy reach, but few Frenchmen 



858 FEANCE. 

are met with as voluntary settlers.* In fact, the number of foreigners who 
annually immigrate into France far exceeds that of Frenchmen who leave the 
country. 

Migration is going on actively within the limits of France. The rural popula- 
tion is steadily moving into the large towns. In 1830 three-fourths of the iuba- 



Fig. 266. — Density of the Popvlation in Fraxce (1872). 




I J Densiiti Au"J thaiL' the. <i*'«.^<3y-c t/uvu^/wut FrtUU:^^ 

!■■ '■' 'I'A ^^ belwcen. u^ej'OMi, jjui i^Q Uru Sj i^lii^t 
, e5j) to- 3SS etf ^' Sy M 



bitants lived in small parishes ; nowadays hardly two-thirds do so. The great 
manufacturing towns increase more and more, whilst the small villages are being 



• From 1865 to 1874 only 32,.500 Frenrhmen emigrated ; in 1874, 4,253. The total number of natives 
of France in the Uniled States is 116,040 (1870) ; in Australia, 2,400 (1875) ; in Algeria, 129.600 (1872). 
In 1851379,300 foreigners were enumerated in France; in 1876 801,700, inclu'iing 374,500 Belgians, 
165,000 Italians, 66,500 Germans, 62,500 Spaniards, 50,000 Swiss, and 30,000 English. 



AORICULTURi:. 



859 



de^rted. In seven departments the town populutiun ulreudy exceeded tliut of the 
rural, and the time is not distant when the majority of Frenchmen will live in 
cities.* 

Agriciltire. 
The rural population diminishes, but the productions of the soil increase, for the 
division of labour, agricultural machinery, and better education have proved 
potent factors. The quantity of cereals produced has double<l within the last 

Fii;. 267.— Chop ok Wheat in PkancB (lS7-t). 



()■ M m( Pari! 





T-- 



'■^■ 






f-s-">''Ar'" 




M E D I T £ It n A .V JS.4-V 



^l-*^ jMtfi^'^CC^ 



Ov^j^ maaev Cvt lAj M — law \ tm* 



E~3 






Cr *»yt^ t^^ ,•*},/ *r'f IT r ^ Cc^C^a/ tt^£<u 



fiftv vears, though the area under cultivation is but little more than it used to be. 
Crops are far heavier than formerly, and a poor harvest would have been looked 
upon as a most abundant one in the beginning of the century. In bad years 
France imports corn from the East, from Algeria, and from America.! The 

• Populatirin of Paris according to birthplaces (1872) :— 642,718 Parisians; 1013,863 prorincial 
Frenchmen ; 177,208 foreigners. 

t Cereal crops in 1813, 55,500,000 quarters, valued at £104,000,000; in 1872.94,950,000 quarter<<, 
valufJ at £204,230.000, inclu'ling the straw; in 187G, 80,562,400 quarters. In 1875 cereals wtro grown 
on 36.761,000 acres (wheat on 17,166,000 acres, oata 7,878,000, &c.). Average consumption of whfliit per 
head, 41 buiheU in 1813, 6 8 bushels in 1872. 



860 



FEANCE. 



nortli produces more wheat than the centre or the south, the latter possessing 
great advantages for raising other crops. France, owing to its central position, 
has a greater variety of agricultural productions than any other country in Europe. 
Corsica and eleven Mediterranean departments produce the best olive oil in the 
world.* There, and elsewhere in the south, the mulberry flourishes, and seri- 
culture, in spite of the ravages of disease, still forms a source of wealth. But far 



Fi '. 2C8. — The Produce of the Vineyards of France. 



0° M.«f P»rl3 




MED I T B It R A y BAN 



Produce over 90 gallons to an acre ,•— 1. H^rault. 2. Charente-Inf^rieure. 
Produce over ^ gallons to an acre : — 3. Charente. 4. Aude. 6. Gironde. 
Produce over 9 gallo7is to an acre;— G. 'Rhone. 7. Yonne. 8. Loire-InfL-rieure. 9. Pyreni^es-Orientales, 10. Tnde- 

et-Loire. H. Loir-et-Cher. 12. Lot-et-Garonne. 13. Saone-et-Loire. 14. Aube. 15. Meurthe. 16. Var. 

17. Cote-d'Or. 18. Loiret. 19. Vienne. 20. Haute-Mame. 21. Gers. 22. Haute Saone. 23. Haute -Garonne. 

24. Jura. 26. Puy-de-D6me. 26. Maine-et-Loire. 27. Gard. 28. Vendee. 28. Dordogne. 30. Tarn. 31. Ain. 

32. Meuse. 33. Tam-et-Garonne. 34. Mame. 35. Seine. 36. Seine-ct-Mame. 37. Lot. 38. Cher. 

39. Doubs. 
Produce 1 (0 9 gallons to an acre: — 40. Isere. 41. Loire. 42. Nievre. 43. Denx-B^vres. 44. Seine-et-Oise. 

45. Allier. 46. AvejTon. 47. Corr^ze. 48. Bouches-du-Eh6ne. 49. Savoie. 50. Haute- Vienne. 51. Voeges. 

52. Haute-Savoie. 53. Landes. 54. Ardeche. 55. Drome. 66. Hautes-Pyr^nees. 67. Aisne. 68. Ariege. 

59. Morbihan. 60. Sarthe. 61. Alpes-Maritimes. 62. Haute-Loii-e. 63. Basses-P^Tt^nees. C4. Hautes-Alpes. 

65. Vauduse. 66. Basses-Alpes. 67. Loz^re. 68. Eure-et-Loire. 



more important than either of these are the vineyards. The vine can be 
cultivated almost everywhere, and the product of Champagne, in the north, is 

* rrodiiction of olive oil (1872), 275,000,000 gallons, valued at i'o,080,000 ; of cocoons, 14,500,000 lbs. 
in 1760 ; 79,000,000 lbs. iv 1853 ; 21,761,000 lbs. in 1872. 



AGRICUT.TUBE. SOI 

higlilj' esteemed throughout the world ; but it is the south which produces most 
wine. The vineyards cover 4,!)S(),000 acres ; and in 187.") (the most productive 
year of the century) no less than 1,840,000,000 gallons of wine were made, of an 
estimated value of £1 "20,000,000. Xo other country of Europe can compare with 
France as regards the variety and quality of her wines and brandies. Nearly all 
the wine made is consumed in the country, for the exports do not ordinarily exceed 
88,000,000 gallons. The ravages of the phylloxera threaten to destroy this impor- 
tant branch of agriculture, but the peasants, in their struggle against adversity, 
which calls forth their latent energy and compels them to seek out new paths, 
must morally be the gainers. 

All productions of the temperate zone meet with a congenial soil in France. 
Potatoes are grown to a larger extent than anywhere else in Europe. Oil plants 
are widely cultivated, especially in tlic north, where flax and hemp also are 
ordinary crops. Beet-root is cultivated around the sugar refineries in the north. 
Every town and village has its orchards and market gardens. But far more 
important than all these crops are the grasses, herbs, and other plants grown as 
fodder for animals. 

The increased facilities for transport have exercised a most beneficial influence 
upon the breeding of cattle. Every department now breeds the animals best 
adapted to its soil and climate. The northern and north-western departments are 
most noted for their horses. The mountainous districts of the south excel in mules 
and asses, but Poitou surpasses even these. Horned cattle are most numerous in 
the grassy departments adjoining the Atlantic, and in the hilly pastures of the 
Pyrenees, Limousin, the Jura, and the Vosgcs. Sheep, flourishing best in a drier 
climate, abound in the Eastern Pyrenees, the Cevennes, on the central plateau, in 
the plains of Berry, around Orleans, in Champagne, Eastern Picardy, and in the 
Landes. The goat feels more at home on the scarped heights bounding the Rhone 
valley. The pig is met with everj-where. Poultry is being kept more generally 
than formerly, and in Brittany and elsewhere the beehive is made to contribute 
towards the wealth of the peasant. The chase of wild animals can scarcely be 
said to pay, and the birds are disappearing fast ; yet the number of wolves still 
at large is estimated at 2,000 ! * 

The fisheries of France are of great importance, and the " cultivation " of 
oyster and musijel beds is annually increasing. t France, upon the whole, occupies 
a respectable position as regards the breeding of animals, although some of the 
neighbouring countries may occasionally excel it. The dairy and other farm 
produce annually exported is the best proof of this. 

It has been said that the peasants are the real masters of France, and this is 
certainly true of the numerous small proprietors, who cultivate the land which 
formerly belonged to the nobles, and keep the cities alive by supplying them with 

* In 1872 thpre wpr<i 2,882,850 horfcs. 299,150 mul(-B, 450,600 asses, 11,284,400 head of rattle, 
24,707,400 sheep, 5,177.600 pig«, 1,791,700 goaU, 68,280,000 fowls. In 1866 there were 3,045,000 bee- 
hive". 

t The fisheries in 1874 employed 20,800 boats nndvcsst Is of 154,000 tons, and 80,000 fishermen. The 
yield in 1876 was estimated at £3,23R,000. 



362 



FRANCE. 



bread, meat, and wine. In politics their influence is equally marked ; and if they do 
not make revolutions, they sometimes prevent them. 

This influence is due solely to their being the owners of the land. There are 
nearly eight millions of landed proprietors in France, and five millions amongst them 
hold estates of sufiicient extent to enable them to live in comfort. On the other 
hand, nearly four millions live in poverty, and their " estates," when sold, do not 

rii'. 269. — Natueal Pastuue-lands and Meadows (1862). 



0°|lI.t>fP«rii 




0? JtofCr. 



Over' 10. "/<, 



tS-ctpVa 



to-^SpS^o 



J—iop.^o 



NaJxu-Ai'' 
nasturcJ 



Aiea of pastui'es, 1^,415,000 acres j of meadows, 6,727,SS1 acres. 



cover the costs of transfer. In some parts of France large estates are increasing, 
and most of the land is cultivated by farmers. Elsewhere the subdivision of the soil 
is progressing at an increasing rate. Upon the whole, however, the number of 
proprietors is becoming larger from year to year. Wealthy peasants certainly 
endeavour to increase their estates, but they understand very well that land only 
repays their outlay if thej' are able to cultivate it themselves. "Agricultural 



AGEICULTUEE. 



86S 



distress" really exists only amongst the large proprietors, who are called upon to 
pay mucl) higher wages now than formerly.* 

Small j)roperties have their advantages, no doubt ; but tliey do not admit of 
agricultural operations on a large scale, uud the soil produces less. In France the 
subdivision of the land is excessive. The number of " plots," or patches, is no less 
than 127,000,000, divided amongst 3,025,877 cultivators, of wlioiu each owns on 



Fig. 270.— AvEKAOB Valve of AouiriLTiHAL Phodvce, that of the Vineyakub exceitei). 

According to Delease. 



• o'iM.of pzrr' 




HE D I TERRAKEXV 



Clear I^tnnc framj eaicjty Seclarey l/v l&Si- 

Siga ssm sa iHi ^m czzi 

lOo frtuus d over Stj: Soy. it J, ^ff. Lui thmvxo franu 

£4 and ovfr. £3 49. £2 89. £1 12s. 16s. Less thnn Ifis. 



an average about 36 acres. No less than 2,435,401 own less than 25 acres each, 
and only 154,107 more than a hundred. This multitude of small fields necessitates 
a multitude of roads, and agricultural inacliiuery, sucli as the steam plough, cannot 
be employed with advantage. The yield is less than in countries where large 
estates are the rule ; and whilst in England an acre yields from 20 to 28 bushels of 



• Agricultural wages formen daily in 1700, 6d. ; in 1811, 9d. ; in 1852, Is. 4d. ; in 1872, 1». 6d. 



864 FRANCE. 

wheat, it only yields from 14 to 17 in France. If French agriculture is to attain 
a position comparable with French industry, the land must be cultivated on sounder 
principles than now. The peasant proprietors must either combine for the common 
cultivation of their plots, or they will have to be ousted by the State or by 
companies of capitalists. Drainage and irrigation works on a large scale cannot 
be carried out under existing conditions. All that has been done hitherto in this 
direction in France is patchwork. 

But tradition is strong among the peasantry. The model farms, thirty-three in 
number, appear to be appreciated, but the three agricultural schools at Grignon, 
Montpellier, and Grand Jouan are but indifferently attended. More than half 
the area of France is cultivated in an antiquated manner. There are vast stretches 
of heaths in the Pyrenees, in Gascony, and Brittany, which might easily be con- 
verted into arable land. The swamps on the Atlantic coast have only in part 
been converted into meadow land ; the Caraargue and the littoral region of 
Languedoc still breed fevers ; the rivers almost annually inundate their banks ; 
and m the Alps, the Cevennes, and the Pyrenees the country is becoming unin- 
habitable on account of the forests no longer preventing the vegetable soil being 
carried away by the torrents. Nearly 20,000,000 acres are covered with forests, 
but most of the timber used is imported from abroad, the country annuallj' pa3'ing 
four millions for that commodity. It is supposed that there are 2,718,000 acres of 
land which might advantageously be planted with forests, but even supposing this 
work to be taken in hand with vigour, a century must pass before its full benefit 
will be felt. 

Mixing. 

The mineral wealth of France is perhaps less than that of any other country of 
equal extent. Neither platina, gold, silver, nor mercury is found, or at most in 
very small quantities. The mines of zinc, nickel, tin, lead, antimony, manga- 
nese, and copper yield but little, and France consumes ten times as much as 
they yield. The iron ores are of importance, but unfortunately they are found, 
as a rule, far away from coal, which is indispensable for their conversion into 
iron. 

The coal raised does not cover the home demand. The coal basins, though 
inferior to those of England or Belgium, are sufficiently extensive, but being for 
the most part situated in the interior of the country, the cost of transporting the 
coal to the centres of industry is very heavy. 

In building materials of every kind France is exceedingly rich, and most of the 
towns are built of solid stone. Clays suited to the manufacture of earthenware 
abound. Beds of phosphate were discovered in 1857 in Southern France and in 
the North, where they cover 494,000 acres. Salt-pans abound on the coast ; 
saline and all kinds of mineral springs in the interior of the countrj', more 
especially in the Pyrenees, in Auvergne, in the Alps, and in the Vosges.* 

• Mineral productions about 1876 : — Pig iron, 1,449,.538 tons ; iron birs, 733,272 tons ; steel, 254,191 
tons; coal, 7,047,761 tons; copper, zinc, lead, tin, &c., value £380,000 ; salt, 754,506 tons. 



MANUFACTURES. 



8G5 



MaNIKACTI'KKS. 

The industrial progress mado by France has been enormous. In articles requiring 
taste and deft workraansUip that country preserves its traditional pre-eminence, 
and in many other objects, including machinery, it has become a rival of England. 
In IS'20 there were only 20 steam-engines in all France; in 18G9, 32,H27, includ- 
ing locomotives and ships' engines. These engines do the work of 25,000,000 
labourers. Nearly 10,000 mill streams set in motion the wheels of 80,000 mills, and 
recentlj' even the tides have been pressed into the service of man as a motive power. 
The great centres of industry are Paris, Lyons, and Lille, but not a depart- 
ment exists now where the steam-engine is not at woi"k. 'Wherever coal mines 
are opened factories spring up overnight. The beds of iron ore, of clay, or 
kaolin, likewise attract manufacturers, and so do the commercial towns on the sea 
coast. The mountaineers, whom long winters debar from their usual occupations. 



Fiir. 271. — The Increase of Steam Ekgixes sixce 1840. 



iftfo jrj>. 



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engage in various industries. The women of Velay, Auvergne, and the Yosges 
are famous as lace-makers ; in the Jura the men carve in wood or make watches. 

The textile industries alone occupy more than 2,000,000 hands. The silks of 
France are the best in the world ; in woollen stuffs, cloth, carpets, and flannels it 
successfully competes with England ; whilst in cottons it excels in quality, if not 
in quantity. The lace manufactured in France probably equals in value that 
produced in any other country ; and the manufacture of linens and other textile 
fabrics is likewise of considerable importance. M. Block estimates the textile 
fabrics and the clothing produced annually at the enormous sum of £192,100,000.* 

In all other branches of manufacture France holds a distinguished position. 
Its iron industry is far inferior to that of England, but enormous progress has 
been made. Up to 1830 nearly all machinery was imported from England, whilst 

• Silks, 200,000 hands, £36,000,000 ; woollen stufTs, 180,000 hands, £48,000,000 ; cottons, 250,000 hands, 
6,200,000 spindli-s, £20,000,000; linen, &c., 150,000 hands, £12,000,000 ; mixed stuffs, 100,000 hiinds, 
£16,000,000 ; lace, 240,000 hands, £4,800,000; clothing, 1,200,000 hands, £56,000,000. 

Vol .II. U U 



86G FRANCE. 

French machinery now finds its way into every quarter of the world.* The 
manufacture of beet-root sugar, which originated during the First Empire, now 
emploj's 73,000 workmen, who produce more than 400,000 tons of sugar annually, 
as compared with 7,000 tons in 1827. The great chemical works are another 
creation of our century, and annually increase in importance. Chemistry, indeed, 
has exercised a most potent influence upon every kind of industry, unfortunately 
not in every instance for the best. 

In every branch of art industry, such as the manufacture of furniture, 
jewellery, china and glass, bronzes, and engravings, France still maintains her 
superiority, though Germany excels in china and glass, and England, where many 
of the workmen are French, in ceramic productions. 

M. Maurice Block in 1875 estimated the productions of French industry at 
£511,680,000, not including ships or heavy machinery. f The factories and 
small workshops contribute almost equally toward this vast sum. These latter, how- 
ever, are fast disappearing, not being able to sustain the struggle against powerful 
capitalists. This concentration of the working popidation in huge establishments 
is the greatest social feature of our century, and future generations will have to 
deal with it.* 

Commerce. 

The progress of commerce has kept pace with that of agriculture and industry ; 
and three towns, viz. Paris, Marseilles, and Havre, do a greater trade now with 
foreign countries than the entire nation did fifty j'ears ago. 

A network of roads covers nearly the whole of France, but the mountain 
districts are as yet ill provided with them. Only one road leads across the 
Pyrenees ; two, those of Mont Cenis and Mont Genevre, across the Alps. The 
high-roads of France (1872) have a length of 102,870 miles; the provincial 
carriage roads of 156,030 miles; and 138,900 miles more are being constructed. 
The rivers and rivulets of France are spanned by 2,000 large, and more than 
200,000 small bridges. 

The railway age only began in France in 1832, when a line connecting Lyons 
with St. Etienne was opened for traffic. Railway building up to 1842 made but 
little progress, and even now much remains to be done before the system of rail- 
ways can be called complete. Lines radiate from Paris in all directions, but many 
provincial towns are still deprived of this means of locomotion. In 1878 France 

* Iron industry (1875) :— Castings, 14,157,000 tons; fashioned iron, 7,5o4,000 tons; steel, 2,.516,O00 
tons. 

t Textile fabrics and clothing, £183,800,000 ; articles of food, £117,180,000 ; buildings, £67,200,000 ; 
metals, £34,600,000 ; chemical products, including soap and candles, £30,000,000 ; furniture, £22,000,000 ; 
leather and skins, £16,000,000; jewellery, £8,000,000; earthenwaie and glass, £6,000,000; paper and 
instruments, £6,000,000 ; various, £12,000,000. 

X Distribution of French workmen in 1874 according to 51. Ducarre: — 

Mines 14,117 masters 164,819 workmen '\ 

Factories 183,227 „ 1,420,006 „ ( Including families, 

Small Workshops . . .596,776 1,060,114 „ j 8,400,000 persons. 

Total . . 794,120 .. 2,644,9f0 



-) 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

!lN!VFRQiTv ,f ILLINOIS, 



COMMERCE. 



8G7 



had 13,072 miles of railway, coustruct«jd, for the most part, in a very substantial 
and conscientious manner. On an average each mile cost £28,800. Plans for the 
construction of additional lines, and more especially of great trunk lines, affording 
the most direct, and consequently the cheapest, conunuDic-ulious for tlio transit of 
passengers and merchandise, are now under consideration. One of these projected 
lines is to connect Calais with Dijon, without passing through Paris. Another, 
piercing the Alps at the .Sinijilon I'ass, will pl;ieo I'aris in direct communication 
with Upper Italy. 

The railways of France are the property of six great companies, and this 

Kig. 272. — The Haii.ways of FitANrK. 



d 


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51 t\ S 'L '' 'V"«~H 1> 1-' 1* V» f \7 


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— ^ ■- ' '/ ,- : -1 t '■! 1 z 



centralization is by no means an unmixed good. Rival lines are opposed, and 
arbitrary rates charged for the conveyance of merchandise. The charges of the 
Great Southern Line, for instance, are so exorbitant that it is cheaper to forward 
goods from Paris to the East by way of Liverpool than by way of Marseilles. 
General interests thus suffer to promote private ends. 

The progress of railways has withdrawn public attention from the canals, which 
afford a much cheaper means of conveyance. No new canals have been constructed 
since 1820, and those existing are for the most part of local importance only. In 



II II 



36S 



FRANCE. 



their construction no general guiding principle has been adhered to, and tranship- 
ment is frequently required. Of late years, ho'wever, the importance of canals and 
other navigable highways has attracted public attention, and !M. Krantz has 
suggested a scheme, the execution of which would meet every reasonable want at 
an expenditure of £33,200,000, and would likewise provide for the " regulation " 
of some of the most erratic rivers. The existing canals have a length of 3,051 
miles, and cost £32,740,000 ; the length of the navigable rivers is only 3,541 

Fi?. 273. — The Canals a.nd Navigable Rivers op France. 




miles ; and 1,564,666,000 tons of merchandise were conveyed by water in 1872, 
the conveyance of a ton per canal costing 0'8d. a mile, including interest upon the 
capital expended. 

France is poor in good natural harbours, and it is therefore aU the more 
necessary that artificial ones should be created. This subject, too, has recently 
received attention, and one great artificial port, very much needed, is being con- 
structed at Boulogne. 



COMMKRCK. 



8G9 



France is admirably situak><l for commerce, nnd though poor iu ports, two-thirds 
of its foreign trade are carried on by sea. Looking at the SIcditcrranean and 
Atlantic seaboards of Franco, and at tho excellent high-roads connecting both, 
one might fancy that France held tho foremost place amongst niaritinio nations. 
But Franco docs not. The commercial marines of England, the United (States, 
Norway, Italy, and Germany surpass hers; and since 18G0, when the dilforeutial 

Fig. 27-1. - Diagram ExiiiniTtNO thb Coumbbcial Marinss of the Wnni.n. 




The shoJctl portion of each culumn iodicutes the tonnage of euiliug vc&cchi ; the bbink 
• Kpoce that of Bteamen. 



duties formerly levied upon foreign vessels were abolished, there has been no 
progress. About one-fifth of the tonnage is the property of mail-ship companies 
in receipt of Government subventions.* In 1875 71 per cent, of the home produc- 
tions of France was exported in foreign vessels, and this proportion appears to be 
increasing from year to year. The French vessels are, as a rule, much older than 

• Shipping of France (1876), 14,861 sailing vcuela of 793,000 tons, and 516 steamers of 21d,l£0 tons. 
Total, 1,008,460 tons. 



370 



FBANCE. 



those of other nations, and are consequently more liable to accidents. Those lost 
at sea or broken up are only partially replaced, and the marine necessarily de- 
creases, always excepting the vessels of the State-paid mail companies. It is absurd 
to make the supposed aversion of the French to a seafaring life accountable for 
this decadence. In a former age the mariners of Gascony and Provence, of 
Brittany and Normandy, have given proof of their aptitude as seamen. This 



Fig. 275. DiAGKAM EXHIBITING THE NAVIGATION OF VESSELS AT EACH PoRT. 




M E DITERRANEAN 



2'':20 Eof&r 






3.ffao.ooo T<mj of 



decadence must be explained on economical reasons. The French, unlike the 
Norwegians, are not confined to a narrow seaboard, but a large and fertile country 
holds out to them many resources. They are not driven to seek a living on the 
sea, and prefer to stay at home, allowing the English and other nations to act as 
their ocean carriers. 

But though the French marine is decreasing, French commerce has vastly in- 
creased since 1830, and even the most serious events have only momentarily checked 



) 



LIBRARy 

OF THE 

'ONIVERSITV of ILLINOIS. 



SOCIAL STATISTICS. 871 

this projjress. TmmediaU'ly al'tor the i-om-lusiou of the late war French coimiierco 
recovered ; and though postuge and telegrams are dearer in Frauee than in some 
neighbouring countries, the number of letters and of telegrams is over increasing.* 
In looking at the articles exported and imported, the great superiority of France 
as a manufacturing country will be perceived. The imjwrts consist to a very largo 
extent of raw silk, cotton, and wool ; of hides and skins ; of unrefined sugar ; of 
oil seeds and rags. The exports consist mainly of silk, cotton, and woollen stuffs ; 
leather ; boots and gloves ; furniture ; soap and oil ; refined sugar ; and paper. 
France likewise imports cattle to feed its population, and coal for its manufactories. 
It exports wines, veget^ibles, cereals, coals, cheese, butter, eggs, and poultry. t 

The foreign commerce of France is chiefly with Great Britain, Belgium, Ger- 
many, and Italy. The trade with French colonies, of which France enjoys a mono- 
poly, amounts to very little if compared with the transactions with the above-named 
countries, as is clearly seen from the following statement (iu pounds sterling) : — 



1873. 
Importa, Exports. 



1877. 
Imports. Exports. 



26,000,000 41,320,000 

16,160,000 17,840,000 



England 30,366,000 47.440,000 

Belgium 21,556,000 20,192,000 

Germany .... 16,612,000 20,900,000 15,560,000 17,420,000 

lUly 16,428,000 14,128,000 

Switzerland .... 13,736,000 16,400,000 

United States . . . 8,568,000 10,332,000 

Turkey 9,356,000 4,956,000 

Spain 7,168,000 7,108,000 

Algeria 6,024,000 6,424,000 

Russia 7,628,000 1,840,000 6,040,000 1,600,000 



16,600,000 8,640,000 

4,400,000 11,160,000 

10,600,000 9,200,000 

7,520,000 3,750,000 

4,400,000 6,200,000 

4,920,000 5,960,000 



Xext to these leading countries rank the Rio dc la Plata, Brazil, the East Indies, 
and China. 

Social Statistics. 

We do not exaggerate when we estimate the aggregate income of all Frenchmen at 
£1,000,000,000 a year, being equal to the interest, at the rate of 5 per cent., upon 
a capital of £20,000,000,000. This national income, there can be no doubt, is 
steadily increasing, say at the rate of 2 or 3 per cent, a year, or far more rapidly 
than the population. If it did not, the country could not defray the over-increasing 
expenses of Government, build new factories, and even invest capital abroad. The 
progress of wealth is most marked in some of the rural districts, where fortunes 

• General trade of France, including transit (but not coin or bullion), in pounds sterling: — 





Imports. 






Imports 


Exports. 


1830 . 


. 26,520,000 


22,520,000 


1860 . 


. 106,280,000 


125,880,000 


1840 . 


. 42,080,000 


40,440,000 


1873 . 


. 183,040,000 


192,880,000 


1850 . 


. 46,960,000 


61,240,000 


1876 . 


. 196,000,000 


180,000,000 



Imports for home consumption (1876), £158.006,960; exports of homo produce, £142,795,640. 

Letters sent through the Post Office in 1851, 170,000,000; in 1802, 283,000,000 ; in 1876, 367,443,837; 
periodical and book packets do., 34,000,000, 202,000,000, and 376,005,934. 

Telegraphs (1877), 32,320 miles. Telegrams forwarded :— 463,000 in 1857; 6,223,000 in 1872; 
11,412,161 in 1876. 

t Importt (1876):— Articles of food, £38,372,280; raw materials, £92,400,480; manufactures, 
£19,051.000 ; other articles, £7,383,200. 

Exports (1876) :— Manufactures, £77,279,160 ; articles of food and raw produce, £57,948,200 ; other 
articles, £7,568,280. 



872 



FEANCE. 



have more than doubled within the last fifty years. The average income of each 
family is £120, or £28 a head, and the number of small capitalists {rentiers) 
in the enjoyment of this average income is very large. On the other hand, there 
are men of vast revenues, as well as paupers dependent upon public charity for 
their subsistence.* 

Our statisticians take notice of every contravention of the moral or police laws, 
while good deeds and noble actions find no place in their records. The number of 



Fiff. 276.— Diagram EXHiBiTrNO the EnrcATioNAi, Condition op France. 



0° I M. of Paris 




MED I T f H JiA Jf FAy 






Per centage of Man obk IV ri^aU. 



illegitimate births or of criminals may enable us to judge to some extent of the 
moral and social condition of a nation ; but our inquiries must have a wider range 
if we would know what is really moving the mind of the masses, and preparing 
the events of the future, f 



• Paupers supported by the parishes, 1829, 1,329,659; 1853—61, 1,145,000. 

t Crimes investigated by the magistrates (1874), 365,577 ; oifences against police regulation 
431,669. Average prison population, exclusive of political prisoners, 62,984 ; illegitimate births, 76,67 
out of a total of 929,508 ; infants deserted, 9,470 ; suicides, 6,617. 



IS, 

,678 



SOCIAL STATISTICS. 878 

OfEiiuUy there arc in Fraiue 00,000 Jews (most of them of foreign birth), 
600,000 Protestants, and 35,o00,000 Roman Catholics. The Trotestants, owing to 
mixed marriages and other causes, appear to be diminishing. As to th« so-called 
Roman Catholics of tlio official returns, very many of them are either perfectly 
inditferent as to Church questions, or openly hostile to the Church which claims 
them. That Church, however, is a great power in Franco. The clergy are well 
organized, and convents are more numerous than before the great Revolution : in 
1878 no less than 30,000 monks and 170,000 nuns were engaged in educational, 
charitable, or contemplative work, and the property of the monasteries and 
convents was estimated at £'20,000,000. 

In matters of education France lags far behind some of the neighbouring states. 
Officially the professors of the university rank after Government clerks, though 
public opinion has learnt to appreciate their services. Many parishes are still 
without schools. Teachers are scarce, for the emoluments offered are small. About 
one-third of the adults are unable to read. The education of the girls more 
especially is very much neglected.* 

Still, progress is being made. The advantages of education are becoming more 
and more appreciated ; periodicals increase in number and circulation ; books find 
ready purchasers ; public libraries are founded in all parts of the country ; ond 
scientific societies multiply. There appears to have grown up a vague idea since 
the termination of the war, that a nation can be strong only if the men composing 
it are thinkers. Superior education improves, and the youth of France look full 
of hope and confidence towards the future. 

• Educational statistics for 1872 : — 70,179 elemontary scbools, with 4,722,000 pupils enrolled ; 
324 lyeenms and colleges, with 69,500 pupils; 657 superior lay schools, with 43,000 pupils; and 278 
clerical schools, with 34,000 pupils. In 1866 25-80 per cent, of the married men and 41-00 per cent, of 
the wivea were unable to sign their names, and only 66-63 per cent, of the adult population (over twenty 
years of age) were able to read and write. 




CHAPTER XV. 

GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 




Local and Central Government. 

IN France the coinnunie, or parish, does not hold a rank equally 
important as in some of the neighbouring countries. In countries 
frequently ravaged by war, as Italy and Spain, the inhabitants 
sought strength in union and under the protection of walled towns. 
In France and Germany the peasants settled down close to the feudal 
castles ; in Gascony, Brittany, and some other parts of France, where the clang 
of arms was heard but rarely, the peasants scattered themselves over the country, 
each living imder his own oak or chestnut tree. 

As a fact, the rural communes are either very small, or their population, where 
more numerous, is scattered over a wide area. The average number of inhabitants 
of each of the 36,056 French communes is 1,025, but there exist over 600 having 
a population of less than 100 souls. 

The communes are grouped together into 2,SG3 cantons, and these into 362 
arrondissemeuts and 87 deiwrtments. The formation of these latter was proposed 
in 1786 by Robert de Hesseln, a map-maker, and adopted a few years afterwards 
by the National Assembly, which intended thereby to break with ancient traditions 
and to crush provincialism. But the inhabitants of the country, in spite of the 
arbitrary boundaries of the old provinces of feudal times, or of the departments of 
our own age, have not yet lost sight of the great natural divisions of the country, 
which coincide in a remarkable manner with the old j^'ji minores of the Gallo- 
Romans. 

The existing political divisions are a creation of officials, and have no root in 
the public sentiment. They have been maintained because they enable the Central 
Government to multiply its direct representatives throughout the country to an 
extent not required by the interests of the public. The power which the State 
thus arrogates to itself the provincial populations are deprived of, and the adminis- 
trative machinery of the smallest village is set in motion from the capital. France 
would long ago have been converted into a huge barrack for Government fimc- 
tionaries if there were not causes at work which counteract the influence of the 
bureaucracy. 



LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. 875 

France, by a law of Fobrimry 2.Jtli, IHT't, has been coustitutod a republic, but 
most of the institutions of the country are monarchical by origin and in spii it. 
The legislative power is vested in an Assembly of two Houses, or Chambers — the 
Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; and tlie exeeutivo in a President. The 
Chamber of Deputies is elected by universal suU'rage, each arrondissoment 
being represented by one deputy, or by more if its population exceeds 100,000 
souls. The Senate is composed of 300 members, of whom one-fourth are 
elected by the Senate itself for life, and three-fourths are elected for nine 
years by " electoral colleges," formed in every department and colony. These 
colleges include the deputies of the arrondissements, the councillors of the 
departments and arrondissements, and representatives of the communes. One- 
third of the senators retire every three years. The President is elected by 
the Senate and the Chamber, sitting conjointly, for seven years. Senators and 
deputies are paid £360 a year; the President £24,000, in addition to certain 
allowances. 

The President promulgates the laws voted bj' the Chamber, disposes of the 
armed forces of the countrj', appoints all functionaries and officers, and negotiates 
treaties; but he cannot declare war without consulting the Chambers. He. 
convokes or adjourns the Chamber of Deputies, and the Senate consenting, he can 
even dissolve it. He appoints his ministers, who alone are responsible to the 
Chambers. Fin.ancial laws must first be presented to and voted by the Chamber 
of Deputies. 

A Council of State, presided over by the Minister of Justice, and consist- 
ing of 37 councillors and 24 masters of requests, nominated by the President, 
and of 30 auditors nominated concurrently, advises on laws referred to it by 
the Chambers or by the ministers, and on all matters submitted by the Presi- 
dent. 

Each department has its General Council, the members of which (gene- 
rally one for each canton) are elected by universal suffrage for six years. 
These councils meet annually to discuss the department budget, and to act 
as advisers of the Prefect. Politics are excluded from their discussions. 
The Prefect is appointed by the President on presentation by the Minister of 
the Interior. Uis powers are extensive, and, with the assent of the Central 
Government, he can annul the resolutions of the General Council over which 
he presides. 

Each arrondissement has its Sub-prefect and a Council elected by universal 
suffrage. The cantons merely constitute judicial districts. 

Each commune has a Municipal Council of from 12 to 80 members, elected 
by universal suffrage. In all matters of importance the decisions of these councils 
require to be approved by the Prefect before they are carried out. The Slayor 
(maire) is appointed by Government, but must be a member of the Municipal 
Council. He is the representative of the State as well as of the commune, and 
finds it sometimes difficult to reconcile their conflicting interests. His office is 
honorarj'. In large towns he is assisted by deputy maj'ors. 



376 FRANCE. 



Judicial Authokities. 



Each canton has its Justice of the Peace, who decides in civil cases up to the 
value of £4, and in police cases. A court of the first instance exists in each 
department, and is presided over hy a Judge and at least two Assistant Judges. 
Its jurisdiction is final in civil cases up to £60, and cases of misdemeanour are 
decided by it. The Commercial Tribimals, with Judges elected by the leading 
merchants, exercise a similar jurisdiction in commercial matters, but they exist 
only in the principal towns. There are 26 Courts of Appeal, to which civil cases 
and misdemeanours of a more serious character are referred from the inferior 
courts. Criminal cases are decided in Courts of Assize, one for each department, 
with the aid of a jury. The Supreme Court of Justice (Cour de Cassation), for 
civil as well as for criminal cases, has its seat in Paris. 

Society, or rather the State, is represented in all these coiirts by Procureurs, or 
Advocates General, whose duty it is to watch over the strict execution of the laws. 
All magistrates, judges, and others employed in the courts of justice are absolutely 
dependent upon the Minister of Justice. 

Disputes between Government and private individuals are decided by the 
Council of the Prefect, from which an appeal may be carried to the Council of 
State. Disputes between masters and workmen are decided by a council of wise 
men (pnid'/wm?iics), the members of which are nominally elected by the interested 
parties. Courts of Accounts have jurisdiction over persons engaged in the col- 
lection or expenditure of public moneys. 

Military courts, though they generally confine themselves to offences com- 
mitted by soldiers, are all-powerful whenever a state of siege has been declared. 
Permanent naval courts are located at the five naval head-quarters. 

There exist, moreover, certain disciplinary councils, whose operation, is limited 
to a few corporations, such as those of barristers, notaries, or advocates. 

The convict establishments in France having been suppressed, convicts are 
now sent to New Caledonia, or to Guiana if they are men of colour or Arabs. 
Each arrondissement has its house of detention ; but criminals condemned to more 
than a year's imprisonment are sent to one of the twenty- four central prisons. 
There exist also about sixty reformatories, maintained partly by private societies. 
Political offenders are transported, imprisoned in a fortress, or banished the 
country. 

Ecclesiastical Avthorities. 

The State ofiicially recognises the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran and 
Reformed Protestants, and the Jews, and contributes largely towards the payment 
of the ministers of these religions, who are, moreover, exempted from military 
service. 

Catholic France is governed by seventeen archbishops and sixty-nine suffragan 
bishops. Cardinals, archbishops, and bishops are appointed by the Pope and the 



EDUCATION.— AI15IY AND NA\Tr. 877 

French Government coujoiutly, tho latter, moreover, reserving itself tlie right to 
repel all encroachments upon its temporal authority. Vicars General, appointed 
in the same manner as tho prelates, assist these latter in their functions. The 
tathetlral chapters arc ui)pointed hy the prelates, whose nominations must ho suh- 
mitted to Government lor approval. Tho inferior clergy include parish priests 
(cures), officiating ministers (dcsserraufs), and vicars. 

The Lutherans are governed by a general consistory, hanng its seat at Paris. 
The Kefonned Protestants, or Calvinists, have placed themselves under about a 
hundred iudepeudeut consistories, but occasionally meet in synods. The Pro- 
testant clergy are presented by the congregations and appointed by Government. 

The Jews are governed by a consistory of eight lay members, presided over by 
a Grand Rabbi appointed for life, and having its seat at Paris. 



EnuoATiox. 

A Sti'ERiOR CorxciL OF Edicatiox assists the Minister of Public Education in 
his functions. France, for educational i)uri)oses, is divided into sixteen Academies, 
each presided over by a rector. 

Each commune of 500 inhabitants is bound to establish a boys' and a girls' 
school, deficiencies in the receipts being made up by the department or the State. 
A training school for elementarj' teachers exists in nearly every department. 

Secondary education of a classical or industrial nature is provided by communal 
colleges, lyceums, and voluntary schools, many under the direction of the clergy. 
Pupils at lyceums pass examinations as bachelors of science or of letters. 

Numerous establishments are engaged in suppljang a superior education. A 
training college at Paris trains masters for secondary schools. There are theo- 
logical colleges, law and medical schools, science schools, a pharmaceutic college, 
and numerous preparatory schools. A high school for the study of mathematics, 
natural philosophy and chemistry, natural history and physiology, historv and 
philology, has been established at Paris ; and numerous institutions there, and 
elsewhere throughout France, provide facilities for studj-ing science. 

Amongst special schools depending upon Govenmient are those of oriental 
languages, fine arts, music (Conservatoire), industrial arts, agriculture, mining, 
veterinary science, forestiy, engineering (Polytechnique), and several others. 
France supports an art school at Rome and an archicological college at Athens. 
The leading military schools are those of St. Cyr, of the staff, of engineers and 
artillery, and of cavalry, a naval college at Brest, and a school of naval architects. 

Army and Navy. 

The army was reorganized by a decree dated July 27th, 1872. Liability to serve 
in the army is now universal. The conscripts remain five years in the standing 
army, four years in the reserve, and eleven years in the "territorial" army. But 
out of 300,000 men who annually complete their twentieth year, hardly more than 



378 FRANCE. 

one-half are actually called upon to render military service, the remainder being 
either pbysically unfit, or exempted as being emploj'ed in the public service, 
engaged in education, &c. Of those actually embodied very few remain five years 
with the colours. Many are discharged after six months' drill, others after a 
year's service, on condition of their being able to read and write. Young men of 
education are admitted to one year's voluntary service, and if they acquit them- 
selves creditably they are, on their discharge, appointed officers of reserve. Men 
of the standing armj- and the reserve cannot marry without leave. 

The whole of the army, including that of Algeria, is formed into nineteen 
territorial army corps. It includes 144 regiments of infantry (3 battalions 
each), 30 battalions of Chasseurs; 4 regiments of Zouaves (4 battalions each), 3 
regiments of Algerian Tirailleurs (of 4 battalions each) ; 1 foreign regiment (4 
battalions), 3 battalions of African light infantry ; 77 regiments of cavalry, includ- 
ing 4 of Chasseurs d'Afrique and 3 of Spahis, 38 regiments of field artillery (247 
batteries), 20 battalions of Sappers, 2 regiments of Pontooneers, 57 companies of 
army train, &c. The gendarmerie (27,132 men) forms a part of the army, as do 
the Sapeurs-pompiers (firemen). The National Guard has been suppressed. 

The effective strength of the army, on a peace footing (187.9), is 496,442 men, 
with 124,279 horses : of this number 52,424 men are stationed in Algeria. Of the 
165,674 recruits who are expected to enter the army in 1879, 62,000 will remain 
with the colours for six months only- In addition to these recruits, there will be 
6,810 one year's volunteers. On a war footing the army consists of an active 
army of 1,150,000 men, and a territorial army of 580,000 men. 

The navy is powerful, but its strength is comparatively much smaller than 
what it was before the last war, for other nations have increased their armaments at 
a mueh more rapid rate than France has done. The seafaring population of France 
is liable to serve from the twentieth to the fiftieth year of age. The number of 
these men is supposed to be 152,000, but in case of war 110,000 at most would be 
available. The number actually in the service is 25,000, besides 16,000 marines, 
and 33,000 workmen and non-combatants. The navy consists of 56 ironclads 
(185,847 h. p., 461 guns), 264 screw steamers (55,812 h. p., 1,547 guns), 62 paddle 
steamers (8,665 h. p., 154 guns), and 113 sailing vessels (672 guns). Total, 492 
vessels (250,324 h. p., 2,834 guns). The most powerful of the French ironclads is 
the Redoubtahle, launched at Lorient in 1876. Its armour has a thickness of 9 
inches ; its armament consists of two 38-ton and four 24-ton guns, and its engines 
are of 6,000 horse-power. The great naval arsenals are at Cherbourg, Brest, 
Lorient, Rochefort, and Toulon. 

Finance. 

The Frtnch jiay more taxes than any other people in the world ; for not only must 
the expenses of a complicated administrative machinery be paid for, but interest 
must be paid on debts resulting from wars. Including local and indirect taxes, 
no less than £125,000,000 are raised every year. But the French are rich enough 
to support this burden without much sufiering. Only about a third of this sum 



FINANCE. 



87 'J 



is raised by direct taxes, the remuiudor being derived from customs dues, excise 
duties, and other imposts hardly felt by the consumer. Tubucco alone, the manu- 
facture of which is a Government monojiuly, and is uHowimI to be grown only in 
twenty departments, yields nearly £1'^, (100,000 a year. 

The annual budget is prepared by the ministers, and, before being discussed in 
public, is examined by a commission of the Chamber of Deputies. 

Vis. 277. — Monaco. 




Government, with its tobacco factories, ship-yards, prisons (for the prisoners 
are required to work), is the greatest manui'ucturer in France. It is likewise the 
wealthiest landed proprietor, for no less than 2,401,000 acres of forest belong to it, 
and it exercises a sort of supervision over 4,703,000 acres of forest land belonging 
to the communes and public institutions. 

The I'ublic Debt of France, in 1875, amounted to £937,584,280, distributed 



380 



FEANCE. 



amongst no less than 4,380,933 holders. The city of Paris has a debt of 
£93,600,000 ; the deiwrtments and other local bodies of £30,000,000 ; and the 
total indebtedness of France, national and local, amounts thus to £1,061,184,280. 
The annual revenue, which in 1830 — 48 did not exceed £48,855,040, rose to 
£78,507,730 during the Second Empire (1852 — 69), and was estimated for 1877 at 
£106,885,620. Of this large sum £41,630,680 was raised by direct taxes, 
£24,824,760 by registration duties and stamps, £15,527,160 by direct taxes, and 
£10,949,200 by customs. In the same year £48,057,133 were paid in interest 
on the national debt and in annuities, £21,426,530 were expended upon the army. 

Fig. 278. — Diagram exhibiting the Comparative Areas of France and of her Colonies. 




&calu ..I' i6.ooo-ooo 



and £7,439,000 upon the navy and the colonies, 
revenue exceeded £10,000,000.* 



The cost of collecting the 



Colonies. 

There still exists within French territory a small " state," enjoying a feeble 
sort of independence, viz. the rock- city of Monaco, between Nice and Men tone. 

• In 1878 the local taxation yielded £18,133,500. This, added to the central revenue, gives a propor- 
tion per head of the popuhition amounting to about £3 10s., or more than in England. Of the total 
revenue of the communes, £8,000,000 is contoibuted by Paris, where every inhabitant pays £4 annually 
in local taxes, the rest of France paying only about 53. per head. Lyons has a revenue of £417,900. 



COLOKIES. 



881 



This state, with ita Court aud Diplomats, however, appears to exist merely in 
order to give shelter to the gumbliug-tables no longer permitted in Qermuny. 
Andorra, too, maiutuius a gumbling-hell on that slice of its territory which lies on 
the French slope ol' the ryrenees. 

But though France suffers these feeble powers to retain small bits of land 
within her natural frontiers, territories of large extent have been acquired in other 
parts of the world. This colonial empire of France was of great extent in the 
last century, when Canada, Louisiana, and vast tracts in India formed a part of it. 



Kiff. 'JTii. — TiiK I.AN01-A0KS or Fhancb. 



aYfiknf 




But the fate of war went against France, and these colonies were lost. Amongst 
the present colonies of France, Algeria is the most important. Including the 
protected states of Cambodia, Tahiti, &c., the total area of the French colonies is 
299,517 square miles, with a population of 6,533,954 souls. The colonies cannot 
be said to prosper, and they add but little to the strength of the mother 
country. 

VOL. 11. c c 



882 



FEANCE. 



The expansive force of France cannot, indeed, be measured by the extent of her 
colonies. The true colonies of France are those countries where French ideas are 
propagated, French books are read-, and the French language is spoken. In 
France itself the differences of dialect disappear by degrees ; and the time is 
approaching when even Basque, Flemish, and Low Breton will cease to be 
spoken within its boundaries. Passing beyond these boundaries, we find that 
French is the language of one-half of Belgium and of Eastern Switzerland ; of 
Haiti ; of portions of Canada, New Brunswick, and the United States. French is 
spoken, moreover, by the educated classes of every civilised country, more 
especially in the south of Europe ; and whatever conquests may be made by 
English in transoceanic countries, the nations of the old world are not likely to 
abandon French as the most ready medium for exchanging their ideas. 



FKANCE AND COLONIES. 

Area and Population of France. 



Departmentg. 

Ain .... 

Aisne . . . 

Allier . . . 
Alpes (Basses-) 

AJpes (Hautes-) 
Alpes-Maritimes 
Ardeche . . 
Ardennea . . 

Ariege . . . 

Aube . . . 

Aude . . . 

AvejTOn . . 

Bas Rhin . . 
Bouches-du- "( 

Rhone j 
Calvados . . 
Cantal . . . 
Charente . . 
C!harente- ) 

Inferieure J 
Cher . . . 
Corrfeze . . 
Corse . . . 
Cote-d'Or . . 

C6tes-du-Nord 
Creuse . . . 
Dordogne . . 
Doubs . . . 

Drome . . . 
Eure . . . 
Eure-et-Loir 
FinistSre . . 

Gard . . . 
Garonne (Haute- 
Gera . . . 
Gironde . . 



Area. 

Engl. Sq. 
Miles. 

2,239 
2,839 
2,822 
2,68.5 

2,168 
1,482 
2,136 
2,020 

1,890 
2,317 
2,438 
3,376 

235 

1,971 

2,132 
2,217 
2,294 

2,635 

2,780 
2,265 
3,377 
3,383 

2,659 
2,150 
3,546 
2,018 

2,518 
2,300 
2,268 
2,595 

2,253 
2,429 
2,425 
3,761 



Population, 



Inha- Arron- 
bitanta disse- Cantons. 



May, 1872. Dec. 31, 1876. to a Sq. menta. No. 



363,290 
552,439 
390,812 
139,332 

118,898 
199,037 
380,277 
320,217 

246,298 

265,687 
285,927 
402,474 

66,781 

554,911 

454,012 
231,867 
367,520 

465,653 

336,392 
302,746 
258,507 
374,510 

622,295 
274,663 
480,141 
291,251 

320,417 
377,874 
282,622 
642,963 

420,131 
479,362 
284,717 
705,149 



366,462 
560,427 
405,783 
136,166 

119,094 
203,604 
384,378 
326,782 

244,795 

255,217 
300,065 
413,826 

68,600 

656,379 

450,220 
231,086 
373,950 

465,628 

345,613 
311,525 
262,701 
377,663 

630,957 

278,423 
489,848 
306,094 

321,756 
373,629 
283,075 
666,106 

423,804 
477,730 
283,546 
735,242 



MUe. 
163 
198 
145 
50 

60 
138 
183 
163 

127 
111 
124 
122 

292 

278 

214 
104 
162 

179 

123 

138 

78 

111 

234 
132 
138 
153 

128 
162 
123 
256 

192 
199 
118 
194 



No. 
5 
6 
4 
5 

3 
3 
3 
5 



36 
37 
28 
30 

24 
25 
31 
31 



3 20 
5 26 

4 31 

5 42 



6 

27 

38 
23 
29 

40 

29 
29 
62 
36 



5 48 

4 25 

5 47 
4 27 



29 
36 
24 
43 

40 
39 
2 
4 



Com- 
munes. 
No. 

452 
837 
317 
251 



106 

108 

764 
264 
426 

479 

291 

287 
364 
717 



Capital. 

Bourg. 
Laon. 
Moulins. 
Digne. 



189 Gap. 

150 Nice. 

339 Privas. 

601 Mezieres. 

336 Foix. 

446 Troyes. 

436 Carcassonne. 

289 Rodez. 



Belfort. 

Blarseille. 

Caen. 

Aurillac. 

Angouleme. 

La Rochelle. 

Bourges. 
Tulle. 
Ajaccio. 
Dijon. 



387 St. Brieux. 

263 Gueret. 

682 Perigueux. 

637 Be8an(,'on. 

370 Valence. 

700 Evreux. 

426 CJhartres. 

285 Quimper. 

347 Nimes. 

684 Toulouse. 

465 Auch. 

651 Bordeaux. 



FRANCE AND COLONIES. 



888 



Vtfttmnt*. 


Am. 


Inba- 

Population. bitanti 

May, 1872. Dec. 81, IS76. ton Sq 

AlileT 


Arron- „ 
Uitte-Cantoiu. *,,"■■ 
lui-nu. No. "HI"""- 
No. ^»- 


Capital. 


H^rault . . . 
Illc-et-Vilaino . 
Indre . . . . 
Indre-et-Loire . 


2,393 
2,597 
2,624 
2,361 


429,878 
589,532 
277,693 
317,027 


445,063 
602,712 
281,248 
324,875 


185 
232 
108 
136 


4 
6 
4 
3 


36 
43 
23 

24 


335 
352 
245 

281 


MontpeUicr. 
lit-nnes. 
Cliateauroux. 
Touts. 


IsJre . . . . 
.lura . . . . 
T.Andes. . . . 
Loir-et-Cher . . 


3,201 
1,928 
3,599 
2,452 


575,784 
287,634 
300,528 
268,801 


681.099 
288.823 
303.508 
272,634 


181 
1.52 
117 
111 


4 
4 
3 
3 


46 
32 
28 
24 


665 
684 
331 
297 


Grenoble. 
l/oiis-le-Saumcr. 
AIont-de-Marsan. 
Ulois. 


Loire . . . . 
lx>ire (Haute-) . 
Loire-Infericure 
Loirct .... 


1,838 
1,916 
2,654 
2,614 


650.611 
308,732 
602.706 
353,021 


690,613 
313,721 
612,972 
360,903 


321 
1C4 
231 
138 


3 
3 
5 
4 


30 
28 
46 
31 


328 
262 
215 
319 


St. Etionne. 
I^ Puy. 

Nantes. 
Orleans. 


Lot 

Ix>t-et-Garonnc . 
J>07.ire . . . . 
ilaine-et-Loire . 


2,012 
2.067 
1,996 
2,749 


281,404 
319,289 
135,190 
518,471 


276.512 
316,920 
138,319 
817,258 


137 

153 

69 

189 


3 
4 
3 
5 


29 
35 
24 
34 


321 
319 
194 

380 


Cahors. 
Agin. 
SlonJe. 
Angers. 


Mamhe . . . 
M.<ime . . . . 
Slame (Haute-) . 
Jlayeune . . . 


2,289 
3,159 
2,402 
1,996 


644,776 
386,157 
261,196 
350,637 


639,910 
407,780 
252,448 
351,933 


236 
129 
105 
176 


6 
5 
3 
3 


48 
32 
28 
27 


643 

665 
250 
274 


St. L6. 
Chalons. 
Chaumont. 
Laval. 


Meurthe-et- \ 
Moselle ) 


2,025 


365,137 


404,609 


201 


4 


27 


696 


Kanoy. 


Sleuse . . . . 
Slorbihan . 
Nievre . . . . 
Kord . . . . 


2,405 
2,025 
2,632 
2,193 


284,725 

490,352 

339,917 

1,447,764 


294,0.59 

506,573 

346,822 

1,519,585 


122 
193 
132 
694 


4 

4 
4 
7 


28 
37 
25 
61 


687 
248 
313 
601 


Par-le-Duc. 

Vannes. 

Ncvers. 

Lille. 


Oise . . . . 
Ome . . . . 
Pas-de-Calais . 
Puy-de-Dome . 
Pyrenees (Basses- 
P>Tcnee9 

'(Hautes-) ) ' 
P>Tenees- 1 
Orientales } * 


2,261 
2,354 
2,551 
3.070 
) 2,943 

1,749 
1,592 


396.804 
398,250 
761,158 
566,463 
426,700 

235,1.56 
191,856 


401,618 
392.526 
793,140 
570,207 
431,525 

238,037 
197,940 


177 

167 
311 
186 
147 

136 
124 


4 

4 
6 
5 
5 

3 
3 


35 
36 
44 
60 
40 

26 
17 


701 
611 
904 
456 
558 

480 
231 


Beauvais. 

Alencjon. 

Arras. 

Clermont-Ferrand. 

Pau. 

Tarbes. 
Perpignan. 


Rhone . . . . 
Saone (Haute-) . 
Saone-et-Loire . 
Sarthe . . . . 


1.077 
2,062 
3,302 
2,396 


670,247 
303,088 
598,344 
446,603 


70.5,131 
304,052 
614,309 
446,239 


653 
147 
186 
186 


2 
3 
6 
4 


29 
28 
60 
33 


264 
583 
683 
386 


I-yon. 
Vesoul. 
Macon. 
Le Afann. 


Savoie .... 
Savoie (Haute-). 
Seine . . . . 
Seine Inf erieure 


2,224 

1,667 

184 

2,330 


267.958 

273,027 

2,220,060 

790,022 


268,361 

273,801 

2,410.849 

798,414 


121 

164 

13,102 

343 


4 
4 
3 
5 


29 
28 
'-8 
51 


227 
313 

72 
759 


Chambery. 
Annecy. 
Paris. 
Kouen. 


Seine-et-llame . 
Seine-et-Oise . 
Sivres (Deux-) . 
Somine 


2,215 
2,164 
2,317 
2,379 


341,490 
680,180 
331,243 
557,015 


347,323 
561,990 
336,655 
556,641 


157 
260 
145 
235 


6 
6 
4 

6 


29 
36 
31 
41 


629 
685 
356 
833 


JJelun. 
Versailles. 
Niort. 
Amiens. 


Tarn .... 
Tam-et-Garonne 

Var 

Vaucluse . . . 


2,217 
1,436 
2,349 
1,370 


3.52,718 
221,610 
293,757 
263,451 


359,232 
221.364 
295,763 
255,703 


162 
154 
121 

187 


4 
3 
5 
4 


35 
24 

28 
22 


317 
194 
145 
150 


Alby. 

Montauhan. 
Dniguipuan. 
Avignon. 


Vendee . . . 
Vienne .... 
A'ienne (Haute-) 

y.jsgts. . . . 

Yonne .... 


2,688 
2,691 
2,130 
2,266 
2,868 


401,446 
320,.i98 
322,447 
332.988 
363,608 

16,102,921 


411,781 
3.10,916 
336,061 
407,082 
359,070 

16^906,788 


100 
123 
157 
179 
126 


3 30 

5 31 

4 27 

6 29 
6 37 

362 2,863 


298 
300 
202 
631 
485 

36,056 


Roche-sur-Yon. 

Poitiers. 

Limoges. 

Epinal. 

Auxerre. 


Tot*l . . ." 


204,091 ! 





384 




FEANCE. 








Area and Population of French 


Colonies. 








Area. 




Inhabitants 






Engl. Sq. 


Population. 


to a Sq. 






MUes. 




Mile. 


Africa: — 












Algeria .... 


122,912 


2,867,626 


23 




Senegal 


62,000 


221,000 


3 




Gabon .... 


100 


5,000 


50 




Reunion 


764 


183,163 


239 




Mayotte, &c. 


257 


26,196 


98 


Asia : — 












India .... 


196 


271,460 


1,385 




Cochinchina . 


21,707 


1,600,000 


74 




Cambodia (protected) . 


32,380 


890,000 


27 


America: — 












St. Pierre and Miquelon 


81 


5,481 


68 




Guadeloupe . 


720 


173,149 


240 




Martinique . 


381 


160,831 


422 




French Guiana 


46,848 


32,500 


0-7 


Polynesia :— 












New Caledonia 


6,78.") 


68,300 


9 




Loyalty Islands . 


830 


13,334 


16 




Marquesas . 


478 


6,011 


13 




Clippertou . 


2 


no inh. 






Tahiti (protected) . 


438 


10,703 


25 




Tubuai, Vavitu, Oparo (do.) 


56 


700 


13 




Tuamotu Arch, (do.) 


2,670 


8,000 


3 




Gambier Islands (do.) . 
Total Colonies 


12 


1,.500 


125 




299,517 


6,633,954 


22 




France . 


204,091 


36,905,788 


181 




Grand Total . 


603,608 


43,439,742 


86 













FEANCE ; 

Its Departments, Natural Regions, and Principal Communes in 1876. 

Each Commune consists of a town and its environs. Its population, therefore, is greater than that of 
the town bearing the same name. In the text the population of the towns is given. 



Departments. 



CORSE (COR- 
SICA). 



ArrondissementB. 



Ajaccio, Bastia, 

Calvi, Corte, 

Sartene. 



Natural Regions. 



Banda di Dentro, Banda di 

Fuori. 



Communes of over 5,000 Inhabitants. 



Bastia (17,572), Ajaccio(17,050). 



THE PYRENEES, THE LANDES, AND THE BASIN OF THE GARONNE. 



PYRENEES- 
ORIENTALES. 

ARIEGE. 

HAUTE-GA- 
RONNE. 

PYRENEES 
(HAUTES-). 

PYRENEES 

(BASSES-). 



6ERS. 



TARN-ET-GA- 
RONNE. 

LOT-ET-GA- 
RONNE. 



Perpionan, 
Prades. 



Ceret, 



Foix, Pamiers, St. 

GiRONS. 

Toulouse, Muret, 
St. Gaud ens, 
Villefranche. 

Tarbes, ARQELiS, 
Baqn^kes. 

Pau, Bayonne, Mau- 
lEon, Oloron, 
Orthez. 



AucH, Condom, 

Lectoure, Lo.m- 

BEZ, MiRANDE. 

JIoxtauban, Castel- 
Sarkasin, Moissac. 

Aden, Mahmande, 
Nerac, Ville- 
necve-d'Agen. 



Capsir, Val de Segre, VaUespir, 
Aspres, Valleys of the Tet, the 
Agly, Salanque, &c. 

Valley of the Ariege, Couse- 
rans, &c. 

Lauraguais, Couserana, Com- 
minges, Nebouzan, Quatre- 
VaUees,Lomagne,Toulousain. 

Valleys of the Aure and the 
Adour ; Plateau of Lanne- 
mezan, Nebouzan, Astarac. 

Valley of the Gaves of Beam, 
Soule, Labourd, Lower 
Navarre, Landes, Touyas. 



Comminges, Astarac, Arma- 
gnac. 

Plateau of Quercy, VaUey of 
the Garonne, Lomagne. 

Agenais, Lomagne, Armagnac. 



Perpignan (28,353), Rivesaltes 
(6,329). 

Pamiers (8,967), Foix (6,362). 

Toulouse (131,642), St. Gaudeus 
(5,955), Revel (5,613). 

Tarbes (21,293), Bagnferes 
(9,508), Lourdes (6,471). 

Pau (28,908), Bayonne (27,416), 
Oloron Sto. Marie (8,644), 
Orthez (6,624), Hasparren 
(6,566), Biarritz (5,507), 
Salies (5,140). 

Auch (13,785), Condom (7,873), 
Lectoure (6,507). 



(26,952), Moissac 
Castel-Sarrasin 



Montauban 

(9,137), 

(6,906). 
Agen (19,503), VUleneuve 

(14,448), Marmande (8,961), 

Tonneins (8,199), Nirac 

(7,586). 



DEPARTMEXTS, NATURAL REGIONS, AND PRINCIPAL COMMUNES. 385 



THE PYRENEES, TUE LAKDES. AND THE BASIN OF THE GARONNE— (OwriHiiorf). 



DepulBMBti. 



LANDES. 
GIRONDE. 



Antndianmanta. 



Mont-db-Mabsan, 
Dax, St. Sever. 

BoBDKAi'X, Bazas, 
Blaye, La H£ulb, 
Lbspauhe, Li- 

BUL'KXE. 



Natnnl Bagiooi. 



Landce, Buch, MaranBin, Cha- 
losse. 

London, JI6doc, Bordclnis, Baza- 
dais, Benangc, Entre-Ueux- 
Mers, Libounmu, Blayais. 



Com m une* of over &,000 InhaUtaaU. 



Dax (10,260), Mont-do- Manuin 
(9,310). 

Bordeaux (216,140), Libourno 
(15,231), Bigles (6,202), 
Caud6ran (6,3U6), La Toate 
(6,311), Bazas (6,073). 



THE ALPS, THE RHOXE, AND THE MEDITERR.VNEAN COAST REGIONS. 



AUDE. 
HERAULT. 



CARD. 



ARDECHE. 

BOUCHES-DU- 
RHONE. 



TAB. 



ALPES-MARL 
TIMES. 

VAUCLUSE. 



ALPES 

(HAUTES-). 
ALPES 

(BASSES). 

dr6me. 



ISERE. 



SAVOIE. 



SAVniE 
(UAl'TE-). 



Cariassos.ve, Cas- 

TELNAIDAKV, Ll- 

Morx, Narbosse. 

MONTPBLLIER, B£- 
ZIBB8, LOD^YE, St. 

Pons. 



NiMEs, Alais, Lk 
Vioan, Vzis. 



PRrvAs, Labgen- 

TltRE, TOIRKO.N. 



Marseille, 
Arles. 



Aix, 



Dbaguiokan, Bai- 

OXOLES, TOCLON. 



Nice, Grasse, Pu- 
oet-Tuemers. 

Avignon, Apt, Cab- 

PBSTBA8, OhANOE. 



Gap, Bbiakcon, 

Embrl-x. 
Digne, Barcelok- 

NETTE, CaSTEL- 

lane, Forcal- 

QUIBR, .SiSTERON. 

Die, Mont£limabt, 
Nyoss, Valence. 

Grbxoblb, La Tour- 
Dv-Pis, St. Mah- 

CELLO', ViENSE. 

Ciiaxb£bt, Albebt- 

TILLE, Moi'TIEUK, 
St. jEAM-DE-MAt- 

rikknz. 
Aknecy, Bovsi- 

VILLI, St. JVLIEM, 

Tuoson. 



Monbigno Noire, Corbiires, 
RazO'S, Laiuaguais, Valley of 
the Aude, Lagoons (Etangs). 

Cevennes, Valleys of the Lez, 
the H6rault, the Orb, and the 
Aude, Lagoons. 



Cevennes, Valleys of the 
Gardons, A'auuage, Garrigucs, 
Marshes, and Dunes. 



Mountains of Vivarais, Coiron, 
Valley oi the Rhone. 

Camargue, Crau, Valley of the 
Durance, Hill Region, Shore 
Region. 



Basin of the Argens, Mountains 
of the Moors, Valley of the 
Gapeau, Shore Region. 

Valleys of the Roya, the Vesu- 

bie, the Tinee, and the Var, 

Shore Region. 
Ventoux, Leberon, Palus, 

Valleys of the RhGne and of 

the Durance. 



Que}Tas, Oisans, Champsaux, 

Devoluy. 
Mountains of Upper Provence, 

Valley of the Durance. 



Devoluy, Diois, Forest of Saou, 
Tricastin, Valley of the 
Rhone. 

Oisans, Devoluy, Lans, Vercors, 
Grande-Chartreuse, Grandcs- 
Rousses, Sept-Laux, Graisi- 
vaudan, Bifevrc. 

Plain of Savoy, Bauges, Mau- 
rienne, Tarentaise. 



Genevois, Faucigny, Chablaia. 



Carcassonne (26,971), Narbonne 
(19,968), Castelnaudary 

(9,042), Limoux (6,661). 

Montpellier (66,268), Beziers 
(38,227), Cette (28,690), 
Lodeve (10,628), Lunel, 
(8,315), Agdo (8,261), Pfeenaa 
(7,966), Bcdarieux (7,961) 
M^zo (6,826), Oermont- 
I'Herault (6,964), St. Pons 
(5,809). 

Nimes (63,001), Alais (20,893), 
Besseges (10,668), La Grand'- 
Combe (10,162). Beaucaire 
(8,777), St. Gilles (6,302), 
Uzds (6,586), Le Vigan 
(5,389), Anduze (5,110). 

Annonay (15,848), Aubenas 
(7,781), Privas (7,763), Tour- 
non (6,083). 

Marseille (318,868), Aix 
(28,693), Aries (26,095), 
Tarascon (10,409), La Ciotat 
(10,058), Aubagne (8,027), 
Salon (7,021), Martigues 
(6,963), St. Remy (6,999). 

Toulon (70,609), Hyferes 
(12,289), La Se\Tie (10,656), 
Draguipnan (9,223), Bri- 
gnoles (5,840). 

Nice (53,397), Cannes (14,022), 
Grasse (13,087), Menton 
(7,819), Antibes (6,762). 

Avignon (38,008), Carpentras 
(10,479), Orange (10,212), 
Cavaillon (8,454), L'Isle 
(6,608), Apt (6,687), Pertuis 
(6,649), BoUtoe (6,478). 

Gap (9,294). 

Digne (7,222),Manosque(6,l36). 



Valence (23,220), Romans 
(12,923), Mont^limart 

(11,946), Crest (6,600). 

Grenoble (46,426), Vienne 
(26,502), Voiron (11,064), 
Bourgoin (6,021). 

Chamb^ry (18,545). 



Annecy (10,976), 
(6,501). 



Thonon 



886 



FEANCE. 



THE JURA AND THE BASIN OF THE SOMME. 



Departments. 



AIN. 
JUEA. 

DOUBS. 



EHIN (BAS-). 
SAONE 

(HAUTE-). 
COTE-D'OK. 

sa6ne-et- 

LOIRE. 



RHONE. 



Arrondissements. 



BouRG, Belley, G ex, 
Nantua, Trevoux. 

LONS - LE - SaUNIER, 

Dole, Poligsv, 
St. Claude. 



BESANfON, Bai'me- 
le,s-Dames, Mont- 
beliard, pontar- 

LIER. 

Belfort. 
VesouLjGiuy, Lure. 

Dijon, Beaune, CH.i- 

TiLLON-suii - Seine, 
Semur. 

M.icON, AUTUN, Ch-\- 
LON - SUR - SaoNE, 

Charolles, Lou- 

HAN'8. 

Lyon, Ville- 

FaANCHE. 



Natural Eegions. 



Jura, Bugey, Dombes, Bresse. 

Mountains and table-laud of the 
Jura, Bresse, Finage. 



Mountains and table-land of the 
Jura. 



Gap of Belfort. 

Vosgos, FauciUes, Mountains of 

Lure, Valley of the Saone. 
Morvan, Auxois, Chatillonnais, 

Cote-d'Or, Plain of the Saoue. 

Morvan, Autunnaia, CharoUais, 
Brionnais, Bresse. 



Mountains of Lyonnais and 
Beaujolais, Valleys of th( 
Saone and the Rhone. 



Communes of over 5,000 Inhabitants. 



Bourg (15,692). 

Dole (12,924), Lons-le-Saunier 
(11,8'Jl), St. Claude (7,-550), 
Salins (6,271), Morez (6,419), 
Arbois ( 5,027 ), Poligny 
(5,010). 

Besau<;on (54,404), Montbeliard 
(8,938), Poularlier (5,714). 



Belfort (16,173). 

Vesoul (9,206), Gray (7,401), 

Fougerolles (5,459). 
Dijon (47,939), Beaune (11,421), 

Auxonne (6,532). 

Le Creusot (26,432), Chalon- 
Bur-Saoiie (20,895), Macon 
(17,570), Autun (12,8891, 
Montcuau-les-Mines (11,011), 
Tournus (5,527). 

Lyon (342,815), Tarare (14,383), 
Villefranche (12,486), Givors 
(11,910), ViUeurbanne 

(9,033), Caluire - ct - Cuire 
(8,702), Amplepuis (6,915), 
Coura (6,157), OuUins (5,674), 
Venissieux (5,224), Ste. Foy- 
lea-Lyon (5,118). 



THE CENTRAL PLATEAU. 



lozere. 

LOIRE 

(HAUTE-). 
AVEYRON. 



TARN. 



LOT. 

CANTAL. 

PUY-DE- 
DOME. 



CORREZE. 
DORDOGNE. 



VIENNE 
(HAUTE-). 

CREUSE. 



ALLIER. 



Mende, Flokac, 

Marvejols. 
Le Puy, Bkioude, 

yssinoeaux. 

RoUEZ, ESPALION, 

MiLLAu, St. Af- 

FRIQUE, VlLLE- 

FRANCHE. 

Alby', Castres, 
Gaillac, Lavaur. 



Cahors, Figeac, 

GOURDON. 
AURILLAC, MaURIAC, 

Murat, St. Flour. 
Clermont-Ferrand, 
Ambert, Issoire, 
RioM, Thiers. 

Tulle, Briye, Ussel. 
Perigueux, Ber- 

GERAC, NoNTRON, 

Rikekac, Sarlat. 
Limoges, Bellac, 

Roche - Chouart, 

St. Yrieix. 
Guebet, Aubusson, 

BoUROANEUF, 
BoUSSAC. 
MOULINS, Gannat, 
La Palisse, Mont- 

lUfON, 



Plateau of Gevaudan. 

Plateau of Velay. 

Causses, Segales, Hills of Kou- 
ergue. 



Montague Noire, Hills of La- 
caune, Sidobre, Albigeoia. 



Causae of Lot, Valleys of the 

Dordogne and the Lot. 
Cezallier, Cantal, Placeze. 

Plateau of Auvergne, Mountains 
of Forez, Valley of the Li- 
magne. 

Plateau of Limousin. 
Perigord, Nontronn.'iis, Sarla- 

dais. Valley of the Dordogne, 

Double. 
Plateau of Limousin. 



Plateaux of Marohe and Li- 
mousin. 

Plateaux of Bourbonnaia, Val- 
leys of the Loire and the 
Ailier. 



Mende (7,300). 

Le Puy (19,250), Y'ssingeaux 

(8,371). 

Millau (15,695), Eodez (13,375), 
Villefranche (10,124), Aubin 
(9,864), Decazeville (9,547), 
St. Afifrique (7,622). 

Castres (25,856), Alby (19,169), 
Mazamet (14,168), Gaillac 
(8,124), Lavaur(7,563).Graul- 
het (6,940), Cai-maux (6,160), 
Rabastens (5,161), Pay lam-ens 
(5,141). 

Cahors (13,660), Figeac (7,333), 
Gourdon (5,098). 

Aurillac (11,211), St. Flour 
(5,381). 

Clermont (41,772), Thiers 
(16,343), Riom (10,801), 
Issoire (6,250), St. Remy 
(5,572). 

Tulle (15,342), Brive (11,920). 

Perigueux (24,169), Bergerac 
(13,120), Sarlat (6,554). 

Limoges (59,011), St. Junien 
(8,221), St. Yrieix (7,429), St. 
Leonard (5,989). 

Aubusson (6,847), Gueret 
(5,859). 

Montlu(;on (23,416), Moulins 
(21,774), Commentry (12,978), 
Vichy (6,428), Gannat (5,568), 
Cusset (6,308), Montvicq 
(6,242). 



DEPABTMENTS, NATUKAL KEOIONS, AN1> PEINCIPAL COMMUNES. 887 



THE CENTRAL PLATEAU.— (C«»/iiiii«0- 



Departments. 



LOIBE. 



ArtoodiMemanta. 



St. Etienne, Mont- 

BRISu^', 1{UA.NNE. 



Natural Regioua. 



Hills of Foipz, Valley of llii 
Loixo, UcuujolaU. 



Commune* of over B,000 InhuUUnti. 



8t. Etipnno (126,019), Itounno 
(22,797), Uivo - do - Gier 

(1.5,004),St.C'hiimond(U,420), 
Firminy (11,972). Chambun- 
Feugerolles (8,314), Rica- 
marie (6,700), Terronoire 
(6,378), Montbrison (6,363), 
St. Julien-en-Jarret (6,230), 
Chazelles-siir-Lyon (6,915), 
Tssieuz (0,194), Panissi&rcs 
(6,017). 



CHAREXTE AND VENDEE. 



CHARENTE. 



CH.\RENTE- 
INFERIEURE. 



VIENNE. 



SEVRES 
(DEUX-). 

VENDEE. 



AxGOl'LtME, BaRBE- 
ZIEIX, CoG.VAC, 

CONFOLEMS, BUF- 
FEC. 

La Rochelle, Jon- 

ZAT, ^IaHENNES, 

RoCHEFOKT, St. 

Jkan - n'A>'G£LY, 
Saintes. 

POITIEBS, ChATEI- 

LBKAl'LT, ClVRAY, 

LOCDU.V, MONTJIO- 
RILLON. 

NlORT, Bbesscire, 
Melle, Parthe- 

NAY. 

La Roche- srR- Von, 
Fo.NTEN A Y - le - 
Comte, Sables- 
d'Olonkes. 



Confolcnnais, Terres-Chaudes, 
Pays-Bas, Bois, Champagne, 
Double. 

Double, Champagne, Socage, 
Murais. 



Plateau, Valleys of the Vienne 
and the Chareute. 



Socage, Plain, Miirsh. 
Socage, Plain, Marsh, IslanJs. 



Angouleme (30,513), Cognao 
(14,900). 



Rochefort (27,012), La Rochelle 

(19,583), t>aint«8 (13,725), St. 

Jean - d'Angely (7,172), St. 

Georges (5,208), Royas 

(5,165). 
Poitiers (33,253), Chatellerault 

(18,053), MontmoriUon 

(5,105). 



Niort (20,923), 
(5,091). 



Parthcnay 



Roche - BUT - Yon (Napoleon) 
(9,755), Sables - d'Olonne 
(9,347), Fontenay-le-Comte 
(8,453), Lu<;on (6,247), Noir- 
moutier (5,787). 



THE SASIN OF THE LOIRE. 



NIEVBE. 



CHER. 



INDRE. 



LOIRET. 



LOIR-ET- 
CHER. 

EURE-ET- 
LOIR. 

INDRE-ET- 
LOIRE. 

MAINE- ET- 
LOIRE. 



SABTHE. 
MAYENNE. 



Neters, Chateav- 
Chison, Clamecy, 
Cos.se. 

BouROEs, St. Amand- 
Mont-Rond, San- 

CERRB. 



Chateaubocx, Le 
Blakc, La Ch.\tre, 
Ibsoudck. 

OblSans, Oies, 

MoNTABOIS, PlTHI- 
VIER8. 

Blois, Bohorantin, 

Venuome. 
Chabtbes, Chateai- 

DVK, Dbeix, No- 

OE>T-LE-RoTB0f. 

TofRs, Chinon, 

Loches. 

ANCEB«,SAfOfe, ChO- 
LET, SaVHUR, 

SECRi. 

Le Mans, La FlJche, 
Mameb«, St. Ca- 
lais. 

Laval, Chateav- 
Gontier, May - 

ZNX 



Morvan, Valleys of the Yonne 
and the Loire. 



Plateau, Sologne. 



CTiampagne, Bois - Chaud, 

Brenne. 



Solopne, Val, Puisaye, G&tinais, 
Forest of Orleans, Beauce. 

Beauce, Val, Sologne. 

Beauce, Dunois, Drouais, Thy- 
m^rais, Perche. 

Oatine, Varenne, C!hampeigne, 

Plateau of St. Sfaure, Brenne. 

Anjou, Valine, Mauges, Socage. 



Coevrons, Lower Maine, Beli- 
nois, Giitine. 

Cocvions, Upper Maine, (Traon- 
Dais. 



Nevere (22,704), Cosne (6,851), 
Fourchambault (5,884), 

Clamecy (5,432), La Charile 
(6,086). 

Bourges (35,785), Vierzon-Villa 
(8,995), St. Amand-Mont- 
Rond (6,499), Vierzon-Village 
(6,731), Mehun-sur-Y6vro 
(6,326), Dun-le-Roi (5,001). 

Chateauroux (19,442), Igsoudun 
(13,703), Le Blanc (6,122), 
Buzan(;ais (6,109), Argeutoa 
(6,582). 

Orleans (52,157), Montargig 
(9,176), Gien (7,555), Briare 
(•5,152), Pithiviers (6,006). 

Blois (20,515), Vendome (9,221), 
Romorantin (7,826). 

Chartrcs (20,468), Dreux (7,922), 
Nogent - le - Rotrou (7,638), 
Chateaudun (6,694). 

Tours (48,325), Chinon (6,301), 
Loches (5,085). 

Angers (66,846), Cholet( 14,288), 
baumur (13,822), Chalonnes- 
Bur-Loire (5,530), Trelaz^ 
(5,264). 

Le Mans (50,175), La Flicha 
(9,406), Sabld (5,947), Mamers 
(6,342). 

Laval (27,107), Mayenno 
(10,098), Chateau - Gouticr 
(7,218), Erncc (.5,330). 



388 



FRANCE. 
THE BASIN OF THE l,01RE—{Confi,med). 



Departments. 



LOIRE - INFE • 
RIEURE. 



Arrondissements. 



Nantes, Ancenis, 
Chat EAUB RIANT, 
Paimbceuf, St. 
Nazaibe. 



Natural Regions, 



Plateau of Brittany, Valley of 
the Loire, Brifere, Guerande, 
Retz. 



Communes of over 5,000 Inhabitants. 



Nantes (122,247), St. Nazaire 
(18,300), Chantenay (9,953), 
Eeze (6,849), Blain (6,807), 
Guerande (6,804), Guemene- 
Penfao (6,167), Nort (5,765), 
Vertou (5,471), Chateaubriant 
(5,228), Vallet (5,200), An- 
cenis (5,177), Plesse (5,154). 



BRETAGNE (BRITTANY). 



MORBIHAN. 



FINISTERE. 



COTES-DU- 
NORD. 



ILLE-ET- 
VILAINE. 



Vannes, Lorient, 
Ploermel Pon- 



Quimper, Brest, 
Chateal'Lin, Mor- 
laix, Quimperle. 



St. Brieuc, Dinan, 

GUINGAMP, LaN- 

NION, LoUDEAC. 



Rennes, Focoeres, 
MoNTFORT, Redox, 
St. Malo, Vithe. 



Landes of Lanvaux, A'^annetais, 
Coast Region, Islands. 



Comoiiaille, Muntagne Noire, 
Valley of the Aulne, Landes 
of CarhaLx, Hills of Arree, 
Leon. 



Monts Menez, Leon, Tregorrois. 



Basin of the Vilaine, Marsh of 
Dol, Pays Malouin. 



Lorient (35,165), Vannea 
(17,946), Ploermeur (10,600), 
Ponti\'y (8,252), Languidio 
(6,433), Hennebont (6,050), 
Sarzeau (5,718), Caudan 
(6,707), Ploermel (5,505). 

Brest (66,828), Morlaix(15,183), 
Quimper (13,879), Lambe- 
zellac (12,379), Doiiarnenez 
(8,637), Landerneau (8,195), 
Crozon (7,763), St. Pol de 
Leon (7,005), Quipavas 
(6,802), Quimperle (6,633), 
Plougastel-Daoulas (6,506), 
St. Pierre-Quilbignon (6,301), 
Briec (5,906), Plougeumeau 
(5,951),' Pleyben (5,229). 

St. Brieuc (16,355), Dinan 
(8,180), Guingamp (7,895), 
Lannion (6,294), Loud^au 
(5,901), Plevin (5,664), Plouha 
(5,229). 

Rennes (57,177), St. Servan 
(12,281), Fougeres (11,873), 
St. Malo (10,295), Vitrj- 
(9,870), Le Grand Fougerae 
(6,370), Cancale (6,239), Re- 
don (6,446), Combourg(5,6o8), 
Pleurtuit (5,238). 



LOWER NORMANDY AND COTENTIN. 



MANCHE. 

ORNE. 
CALVADOS. 



St. Lo, Avranches, 
Cherbourg, Cou- 
tances, mortadj, 
Valognes. 

AiENfON, Aroentan, 

DOMFRONT, MOE- 
TAGNE. 

Caen, Bateux, Fa- 

LAISE, LiSIECX, 

Pont - L'EvtauE, 

ViRE. 



Avranchin, Cotentin, Hague, 
Marais (Marsh). 



Percbe, Merlerault, Alen(;on- 
naia, Marches. 

Bocage, Campagne of Caen, 
Auge, Lieuvin, Ouche. 



Cherbourg (37,186), Granville 
(12,627), St. L6 (9,706), 
Avranches (8,157), Coutances 
(8,008), Valognes (5,831), 
Tourlaville (5,757). 

AIen(;on (16,615), Flers (11,155), 
La Ferte-Mace (9,769), Ar- 
gentan (5,788), Laigle (5,196). 

Caen (41,181), Lisieux (18,396), 
Honfleur (9,426), Bayeux 
(8,614), Falaise (8,428), 
Conde-sur-Noireau (7,350), 
Vire (6,718), Trouville(5,886). 



BASIN OF THE SEINE. 



YONNE. 



AUBE. 



AUXERRE, AVALLON, 

JoioNT, Sens, 
tonnerre. 

Trotes, Nogent- 
sur-Seine, Arcis- 

SUR-AUBE, BaR- 
SUR-AUBE, BaR- 

sur-Seine. 



Avallonnais, Auxerrois, Pui- 
saye, Gatinais, Senonais. 

Champagne. 



Auxerre (16,239), Sena (12,309), 
Joigny (6,317), Avallon 
(5,930), Tonnerre (5,536), 
VLUeneuve-sur-Yonne(6,084). 

Troyes (41,376), Romilly-sur- 
Seine (6,190). 



DEPAETMENTS, NATURAL REGIONS. AND PRINCIPAL COMMUNES. 889 
BASIN OF THE SEINE-<0)«<i«i«rf). 



DepartiiMDts. 

MARNE 

(HAl'TE-). 
MAKNE. 



SEINE-ET- 
MAKNE. 



SEINE. 



AnondiaaemmtJL 



SEIKE-ET- 
OISE. 



AISNE. 



OISE. 



EURE. 



SEIXE-INFE- 
lUEUBE. 



Natsnl Bcgiona. 



Conunime* of over 5,000 Inhabitant*. 



Chacmont, Lanobbs, Platoau of Lnngros, Basaigny, 
Vasst. , ' VuUago, Porthois. 

Chalon8, Eperxay, Boiane, Porthoin, Arpnnno, 
Reims, Ste. Mkne- Chiimpagno Poiiilleusc, Brio, 
HoiLD, ViTKV-LB-, Reinoig, Tardenois. 

FRAXt«IS. 

Melvv, Covlom- Brie, Gatinais. 

MIERS, FONTAINB- 
BLEAl', MeAI'X, 

Provi.ns. 



Paris, St. 

SCEAUX. 



Dbnis, Paris Basin. 



Versailles, Corbeil, 
Etampes, Mantes, 
PONTOISE, Kam- 
BOflLLET. 



Gatinais, Hurepoix, Beauce, 
Mantois, French Vexin. 



Laon, Chateav- Brie, Valois, Tardenais, Laon- 



Thierby, Soissons, 
St. Quentik, 
Vebvins. 

BEArVAIS.CLERMONT, 
CoMPLkONB, SeN- 
LIS. 



nais, Vennandois, Soissonnais, 
Thierache. 



Xoyonnais, Beauvaisis, Sau- 
terre, Bray, Vexin. 



Norman Vexin, Campagne of 
Evreux and St. Andr^, Ouche, 
IJeuvin, Roumoia. 



Little 



Etreix, Les Asde- 
LTs, Bernat, Loc- 
TIERS, Post-Acde- 

MER. 

RoiEN, Dieppe, Le Roumois, Great and 
Havre, Neifcha- Caux 
TEL, Yvetot. 



St. Dizier (12,76-1), Langreg 
(10,376), Chaumont (9,226). 

Reims (81, .328), ChiUnnc-gur- 
Marno (20,236), tpemay 
(15.506), Vitn'-le-Franijois 
(7,616), Ay (6,0(i3). 

Moaux (11,735)), FontaincWeau 
(11,663), Melun (11,241), 
Proving (7,693), Montereau- 
fault-Vonno (7,041), Coulom- 
miirs (.1,240). 

Paris (1,988,806), St. Denis 
(34,908), Levallois-Pfrrot 
(22,744), Boulogne (21,556), 
Neuilly (20,781), Vincennes 
(18,243), Clichy (17,364), 
Ivry (15,247), Aubervilliers 
(14,340), Montreuil (13,607), 
Pantin (13,065), Puteaux 
(12,181), Courbevole(ll,934), 
St. Ouen (11,255), Gentilly 
(10,378), Issy (9,484), Charen- 
ton-Ie-Pont (8,822), Vanves 
(8,812), St. Maur (8,433), 
Asniereg (8,278), Maisons- 
All'ort (7,619), Nogent-gur- 
Marne (7,559), St. Mande 
(7,499), Colombes (6,640), 
Montrouge (6,371), Suresnes 
(6,149), Choisy-le-Koi (5,821), 
Arcueil (5,299). 

Versailles (49,847), St. Germain- 
eu-Laye (17,199), ArgenteuU 

(8,990), Rueil(8, 807), Etampes 
(7,840), SJirres (6,552), Meu- 
don (6,425), Pontoise (6,412), 
Corbeil (6,392), Mantes 
(5,649), Essonnes (5,334), 
Poissy (5,063). 

St. Quentin (38,924), Laon 
(12,132), Soissons (11,089), 
Chauny (9,198), Chateau- 
Thierry (6,902), Guise (6,250), 
Bohain (6,005). 

Beauvais (16,600), Compiegne 
( 1 3,393),Senli8 (6,545), Noyon 
(6,439), Clermont (6,101), 
Creil (5,737), Montataire 

. (5,105). 

E\Teux (14,627), Louviers 
(10,913), Bernay (7,644), Ver- 
non (6,636), Pont-Audemer 
(5,942), Les Andelys (4,574). 

Rouen (104,902), Le Havre 
(92,068), Elbeuf (22,213), 
Dieppe (20,333), Fecamp 
(12,684), SotteWUe-lcs-Rouen 
(11,763), Caudebee-l^s-Elbeuf 
(11,338), Bolbec (11,105), 
Yvetot (8,444), Petit-Qu6viUy 
(6,250), Darn^tal (5,618), 
Lillebonno (6,396). 



NORTHERN FRANCE. 



60MME. 



Amiens, Abbeville, 
DoULLENH, Mont- 

DIDIBH, P^ROn.NE. 



Vermandois, Santcrre, Amie- 
noig, Vimou, Ponthieu, Jlar- 
(juenterro. 



Amiens (66,866), Abbe\-ine 
(19,381), Villcrs-Bretonncux 
(5,366). 



390 



FEANCE. 
NORTHERN FRANCE— {Continued). 



Departments. 



PAS-DE- 
CALAIS. 



NOED. 



Arrondissements. 



Arras, Bethune, 
Boulogne, Munt- 
reuil-suu-Mer 
St. Omer, St. Pol. 



Lille, Avesnes, 

Cambrai, Douai, 
Dunkerqde, Haze- 
BRoucK, Valen- 
ciennes. 



Natural Eegions. 



Artois, Ponthieu, Boulonnais, 
Calaisis, Pays-Bas (Low- 
lands). 



French Hainaut, Cambresis, 
Pev^le, Wallon Flanders, 
Flemish Flanders, Waeter- 
inghes, Moires, Dunes. 



Comnmnes of over 5,000 Inhabitants. 



Boulogne (40,076), Arras 
(26,764), St. Pierre-les 
Calais (25,853), St. Omer 
(21,855), Calais (12,573), 
Bethune (9,315), Lens (9,383), 
Carvin (7,471), LiUera (7,003), 
Henin-Lietard (5,491), Lievin 
(.5,463). 

LiUe (162,775), Rouhabc 
(83,661), Tourcoing (48,634), 
Diinkerque (35,071), Douai 
(26,999), Valenciennes 

(26,083), Cambrai (22,079), 
Armenticres (21,746), Wat- 
trelos (15,325), Maubeuge 
(14,398), Denain (14.419), 
HaUuin (13,771), Bailleul 
(12,968), Fourmiers (11,888), 
Hazebrouck (9,857), La 
Cateau (9,597), Anzin (9,009), 
Marcq - en - Barccul (8,411), 
Gravelines (7,833), La Made- 
line (7,461), Estaires (6,949), 
Hautmont (6,973), Merville 
(6,912), Loos, (6,706) Co- 
mines (6,409), Solesmes 
(6,443), Fresnes (6,045), Croix 
(5,741), Vieux-Conde (5,681), 
Aniches (5,484), Haubardin 
(5,379), Bergues (5,368), 
Somin (5,110), Seclin (5,022), 
Quesnoy-sur-Deule (5,014). 



THE VOSGES. BASINS OF THE MEUSE AND THE MOSELLE. 



MEUSB. 



ARDENNES. 



VOSGES. 



MEITRTHE-ET- 
MOSELLE. 



Bar-le-Dic, Com- 
mercy, Montmedy, 
Verdun. 

MEzifeRES, Rethel, 
RocRoi, Seuan, 
vouziers. 

Epinal, Mirf.cocrt, 
Neuchateau, Re- 

MIREMONT, St. Vve. 



Nancy, Briey, Lune- 
yille, Toul. 



!Bar-le-Duc (16,728), Verdun- 
sur-Meuse (15,781), St. 
Mihiel (5,178), Commercy 
(5,151). 

Sedan (16,593), CharleviUe 

(13,759), Rethel (7,415), Givet 

(5,575), Mezierea (5,319), 

, Nouzon (5,411). 

Vosges, Faucilles, Slope towards Epinal ( 14,894), St. Die (14,511), 

"■ ' " Remiremont (7,866), Val 

d'Ajol (7,173), Gerardmer 

(6,543), Ramber^TlIers (5,281), 

Mirecourt (5,266). 

Nancy (66,303), Lun^ville 
(16,041), Pont-a-Mous8on 
(10,970), Toul (10,085), Bac- 
carat (5,764). 



Barrois, Verdunois, Argonne, 
AV'oevre. 



Champagne, Argonne, Rethe- 
lois. Plateau of Ardenne. 



the Saone, Slope towards the 
Moselle, 



Valleys of Lorraine, Toulois, 
Woevre. 




LIBRASy 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



3Wiii';2ii:iiiAnD. 



V'Hatd S'Sotoautm. S-Freyhtuy 



^' Iii/-f;-hitf 










'"N^_:«' 















v-^i« 






C*^.i^ 











LONDON. VII 




•ntfitt^if' £, 



; «c CO LIMITED 



SWITZERLAND.* 




CHAPTER I. 

General Aspects. — The Alps.! 

HE Helvetian Republic, or Switzerland, named after Schwitz, one of 
the least of its cantons, occupies a small area in comparison with 
that of the neighbouring states. Two hundred Switzerlands woxJd 
scarcely equal Europe in area ; and in huge empires, such aa 
Russia or Brazil, a territory so small in extent would hardly be 
deemed deserving of notice, and on some maps even its name would be looked 
for in vain. 

Yet, notwithstanding its smallness, Switzerland, owing to its geographical 
position, is one of the most important countries of Europe. Taken as a whole, 
and in spite of its erratic boimdaries, the result of wars and political vicissitudes, 
it occupies the very centre of what must be looked upon as the true Europe. 
Within it rise the most important, though not the highest, ranges of the Alps, 
hanng a large portion of their surface covered with perpetual snow and ice. 
Within it rise some of the most considerable rivers of Central Europe. Swiss 
lakes and glaciers are reservoirs of the water which fertilises many of the sur- 
rounding plains ; and to these snow-clad Helvetian Alps the plains of Lombardy, 
the vaUey of the Rhone, and Southern Germany are largely indebted for their 
prosperity. 

In a former age these bold moimtains were much dreaded, and travellers 
avoided the savage gorges and difficult roads of Switzerland, preferring to make 
wide detours in order that they should not be obliged to cross the Alps where 
they are highest. All this is changed now ; and travellers in thousands annually 
visit Switzerland to admire its glaciers, its mountain scarps and waterfalls, and 

• Berlepach, " Schweizer Kundo;" Studer, "Geologie der Schweiz;" Tschudi, "Thier leben der 
Alpenwelt;" Max Wirth, " B<«chrt'ibuiig und Statistik der Schweiz;" Egli, " Schweizer Kunde;" 
Hepworth Dixon, " The Switzore." 

t "Annuals of the Swiss Alpine Clubs : " " Bulletin Vaudois des Sciences Nahirelles;" G. Studer, 
" Teber Eis und Schnce ; " Oswald Heer, " Le blonde Primitif de la Suisse ; " Theobald, " Natur-Bildor 
aua den Khatischen Alpcn ; " Jaccard, " ilatcriau.x pour I'Uistoire Giologiquc de la Suisse." 



392 SWITZBELAND. 

a country which formerly proved so deterrent now exercises a most powerful 
attraction. A new passion has arisen amongst men, that of mountain climbing, 
and hence the multitudes who now admire Lake Leman, the glacier of the Rhone, 
the falls of Handeck, and the snows of the Jungfrau, virgin no longer. Switzer- 
land has become the common meeting-place of all those whose hearts beat with 
emotion when contemplating the superb spectacles there offered by nature, and 
something seems to be wanting imtil we have looked upon the Alps at least once 
in our lives. The very name of Switzerland evokes in our mind the idea of 
incomparable landscapes ; and many districts all over Europe are known as 
" Little " Switzerlands, because their scenery recalls some of the majesty or beauty 
of that wondrous land. 

But Switzerland also deserves to be studied on account of its history, political 
institutions, and inhabitants. The geographical position of that country has pre- 
served it from many vicissitudes which visited its neighbours, Italy, France, and 
Germany. In their mountain recesses the inhabitants were not only better able 
than the dwellers in the plains to preserve ancient customs and traditions, but, 
being in the enjoyment of greater political liberty, they were enabled to secure a 
prominent position as regards material wealth and education. Statistics prove that 
Switzerland occupies a foremost place amongst civilised nations, and it is the duty 
of the geographer to search out the causes of this pre-eminence.* 

Great, apparently, is the disorder which reigns in the arrangement of the 
mountain masses, spurs, and precipices of the Helvetian Alps. But though 
oscillations of the soil, avalanches, torrents, and other geological agencies have 
been actively at work for centuries, we are stLU able to perceive that as a whole 
the mountains of Switzerland radiate from a central group. 

This group, the key of the entire system, is the St. Gotthard ; and the ranges 
of Ticino, the mountain masses of the Simplon, the Bernese Oberland, the Titlis, 
the Todi, and the Grisons all converge upon it. As recently as the middle 
of the last century the summits of the St. Gotthard were thought to be the 
culminatino- points, not only of Switzerland, but of the whole of Europe. Colonel 
Michel du Cret, in 1755, estimated their height at 18,000 feet ; and it was thought 
absolutely necessary that mountains from which descended so many rivers must 
be of corresponding height. Further investigation has established the fact that 
the volume of a river is altogether independent of the height at which it rises. 
Still there cannot be a doubt that the elevation of the St. Gotthard was much 
greater formerly than it is now. In proof of this geologists refer us to the 
actual shape of the mountain, whose granitic core and outer envelope of schists 
and limestone have been exposed to an immense amount of destruction, causing 
its summit to have the appearance of a wrecked dome of huge proportions. Even 
in our own days geological agencies are busily at work reducing the height of 

» Area of Switzerland, 15,992 square miles, of which 26,830 square miles are habitable. Population 
(1877), 2,780,000 souls, or 172 to the square mile. Average height of the entire country aboTe the sea- 
level, 4,260 feet. 



GENIIRAI. ASPECTS— THE AI-PS. 898 

the mountain. The rounded, water-worn rocks which cover its slopes, and 
numerous small depressions filled with ice or water, according to the season, are 
evidences of the work of erosion. The torrents which rise in the snows of this 
mountain mass have carried away the dt^bris that filled up the ancient lakes, and 
the lower plains have been covered with u layer of alluvial soil. 

In our own days, the St. Gotthard, instead of being the culminating point of 
the Central Alps, is one of the least elevated of their summits. Its peaks barely 
reach a height of 10,000 feet, and they scarcely pierce the snow-lino. Even if 
we joined to the group of the St. Gotthard the crescent-shaped mountain ram- 
part extending for a distance of 20 miles between the Passes of Nufenen and 
Lukmanier, we should not meet with mountain giants of the first rank, whilst 
the glaciers of that portion of the Alps are altogether inferior.* Thanks to this 
depression in the crest of the Alps, and to the valleys which converge towards 
it, the region of the St. Gotthard affords the greatest facilities for crossing the 
mountains. The heads of the great valleys which the Rhine and the Rhone 
have excavated for themselves meet here, as do the transversal valleys of the 
Reuss and the Ticino. The high valley of Andermatt, an ancient lake basin, 
now alternately covered with luxuriant grass or with a winding-sheet of snow, 
thus occupies the real orographical centre of aU Switzerland ; and it is not a 
mere accident if the four cardinal roads of the Alps converge upon it. A great 
town would have grown up there were it not for the rigours of the climate. But 
towns, and even villages, can prosper only in more southern climes at such a 
height, and hence the political centre around which the cantons of Switzerland 
have grouped themselves has grown up at the mouth of the gorge of the St. 
Gotthard. It is there we meet with the famous village of Altdorf, the capital of 
the proud and uncultured people of Uri, who adopted a wild bull for their 
symbol, and in many a campaign marched at the head of the Confederates. 

The valleys which open out to the south of the St. Gotthard, and which are 
traversed by tributaries of the Po, were the first conquests made upon foreign 
soil by the people of Uri. Politically these valleys form part of Switzerland, and 
their inhabitants are undoubtedly contented with their lot ; but Ticino is, never- 
theless, Italian by climate, vegetation, and inhabitants, no less than the Valteline 
and the other valleys on the Piemontese and Lombard slopes of the Alps. The 
upper valley of the Ticino, resembling a huge fosse excavated at the foot of the 
St. Gotthard, forms a well-defined geographical boundary. The mountains of 
Central Switzerland rise abruptly above it, whilst in the north they slope down 
more gently. One portion of this southern slope, however, spreads out into a 
wide plateau before it sinks down abruptly towards the valley of the Ticino. 
We refer to the beautiful Val Piora, with its lakes embosomed amidst a carpet 
of flowers during summer. The eastern prolongation of this plateau abuts upon 
the pastures of the Lukmanier, where the central crest of the Alps can scarcely 

• Average height ofsummiU (according to Studer), 9,4 H foet ; culminating jwak of the St. GottharJ 
(Pizzo Rotondo), 10,463 feet; Pass of St. tJottluird, 0,937 feet; Pass of Xuf«ncu, 8,003 feet' Paaa of 
Lukmanier, 6,290 feet. 



394 



SWITZERLAND. 



be traced, only a few isolated rocks reraaining as geological witnesses of a mountain 
range whicli time has swept away. 

The group of the Ticino is composed, for the most part, of the crystalline rocks 
also met in the St, Gotthard. It is more elevated than the latter, the Basodino 
rising to a height of 10,649 feet, but only a small number of the other peaks 
exceed 8,200 feet. Southern in aspect, and receiving a very considerable amount 
of rain, the mountains of Ticino are worn and ravined more rapidly than any 
others in Switzerland. Every peak there resembles a huge ruin, its sides eaten 
into by the erosive action of water, and its foot encumbered with masses of fiillen 
rocks. Traces of ancient lakes are frequent, but the pent-up waters have long 



Fig. 280. — Val Pioea and the Liikmanier. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 




1 :-IUe. 



ago succeeded in sweeping away the obstacles which confined them. Elsewhere 
the sites of villages buried beneath avalanches of rock are pointed oiit, and there 
are some even which slid down the mountain slopes together with the soil upon 
■which they were standing. The "Cento Valli," which joins that of the Maggia 
a short distance above its embouchure into the Lago Maggiore, has been named 
thus on account of its innumerable ravines and heaps of debris resulting from the 
combined action of snow and rain. The torrents on the Italian side of the Alps 
do greater mischief than those on the north, whose current is far more gentle ; 
and, when in flood, they carry vast masses of rock down with them from the 
mountains. But, in spite of this, the people of Ticino, intent merely upon a 
present advantage, go on devastating the forests still covering their mountain 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— THE ALPS. 



896 



slopes, thus removing the only obstacle to the mould being carried away by the 
waters, and the country being changed into a wilderness. The life of the moun- 
taineers is by no means an enviable one. Up on the mountains he bus to 
contend with a rigorous climate and a sterile soil ; down in the valley his houses 
and fields are exposed to perpetual danger from floods. 

There is, however, one portion of Italian Switzerland which is more favoured 
by nature than the valleys debouching ujwn the Ticino. Wo refer to the 
grotesquely shaped territory which advances like a wedge into Italy, and is known 
as Sotto-Cenere, from the mountain range which shelters it from cold northerly 
winds. This district is one of the most curious on account of the great variety 
of its geological formations, for, in addition to granite, gneiss, red and black 
porphyrj', verrucano, and dolomite, we there meet with chalk, oolitic limestone, 
and a variety of tertiary rocks. The slopes beneath the mountain pastures are 
covered with oaks, beeches, walnut-trees, and cytisus. Groves of chestnut- trees 

Fig. 281. — The Slope of the Valleys Soith and North of the St. Qotthaud. 

According to Max Wirth. 



*400 

fooo 
•eoo 

liOO 

400 
UCTR 




I ' * ' 1 ' 



— ,- 

i..— i i. — i 



fei _i. _ : _ I i i I j I. I. j J i. j X L'-J-l 

H^-H-rrJ-— f— f— i \ — t— 4-— j— -|— -: • — i— -■i~r-!-l--ifl 

„.— h— -•■?>s»,,J^^_ :..-g .'~":r;-4lii_„.i j | i i J % ^...0..;-?— its 



_^ -J--"-T-!- 



- :-|-il-^ 



&hanJ 



HoTizontal Scale I : 1&5,0CI0. Teitical Scale 1 : l,lS5,00a 



hide the villages scattered over the lower spurs and foot-hills. Lower still, the 
terraces extending up the hillsides are planted with vines and mulberry-trees. 
All is verdure there, except a few steep rocks mirrored in the waters of the 
Ceresio. We have left far behind us the mountains of the north, and are, in 
truth, in Italy. 

But whilst the political boundaries of Switzerland extend in this manner fur 
into Lombardy, the Italian valley of the Toce takes us close to the St. Gotthard. 
There, within a space hardly 8 miles across, the Toce, the Ticino, and the 
Rhone take their rise and flow towards different points of the horizon. This 
narrow mountain isthmus, continued in the Monte Leone and the other summits 
of the Simplon, connects the St. Gotthard with the stupendous mountain masses 
of the Monte Rosa and Mont Blanc. The ridges which connect these moim- 
tain groups have evidently undergone a vast amount of degradation in a former 
epoch of the history of our earth. Originally the main crest extended from the 
St. Gotthard towards the south-west ; and an ideal line drawn in that direction 



SWITZEELAXD. 



AVD THE 

Scale 1 : 230,000. 



actually passes througt several very elevated mountains, including those of the 
Mischabel-Horner, the highest summits situated wholly upon Swiss soil. But 
this ancient mountain crest, being formed of mica slate, limestone, and felspathic 
rocks, not capable of offering a continued resistance to the action of water, was 
speedily destroyed by the mountain torrents. The water-shed recoiled more and 
more to the south, as far as the solid crystalline rocks of the Slonte Rosa ; and 
the imposing masses of the Mischabel, which formerly rose upon the main crest, 
look down now upon lateral valleys. Thus has the persistent action of water, con- 
tinued for ages, succeeded in displacing the crest of an entire mountain system. 

Destructive agencies are still at work 

Pig. 282. — The Sources op the Ehose, the Ticixo, i ^-l i • • ^ j 

_, ' ' amongst these mountain giants, and a 

traveller passing along the valley of the 
Rhone can scarcely fail to observe the 
heaps of debris resulting from them. 
Now and then the river is hemmed in 
by accumulations of this kind, having 
the appearance of veritable mountains. 
On ascending them we find ourselves 
face to face with gigantic amphitheatres 
of erosion, carved out of the mountain 
sides, and growing in size from year to 
year, owing to the continued action of 
snow and rain combined with frost. One 
of the most remarkable of these amphi- 
theatres is that known as the Illgraben. 
It measures nearly 2 miles across, and 
few volcanic craters can bear compari- 
son with it. A similar amphitheatre 
occupies the southern face of the beau- 
tiful mountain of Pierre-a-Voie, thus 
named on account of an ancient pil- 
grim's path paved with flagstones 
which leads right up to its summit. 
If we would form a just idea of the 
extent to which the mountains in 
that part of Switzerland have been 
demolished, we cannot do better than contemplate the jagged " Dents " du Midi 
and of Morales, which face each other on opposite banks of the Rhone. The 
magnificent portal opening between these mountains, rising to a height of 
more than 10,000 feet, has been carved out of the solid rock by atmospheric 
agencies alone. The mountain rampart which formerly connected these two 
peaks, joining the Bernese Oberland to the main chain of the Alps, has been 
swept away. The Dent du Midi is crumbling to pieces before our eyes. Frequently 
after heavy rains or sudden thaws, or in consequence of earthquakes, cataracts of 




OENKRAL ASPECTS.— THE ALPS. 



897 



rocks descend its Huuks into the valleys, and sometimes these obstruct the course 
of the Rhone, and would lead to disastrous inundations if labourers were not at 
once hurried to the spot to clear away the obstruction, and to open a way to tho 
pent-up waters. In 1855 showers of stones fell for weeks and mouths, and 



Fig. 283. — Ami'hitiibatub ui' tub Illoeadbn. 
Bmla 1 : 90,000. 




■■': 




'^'^- ■ -a 


r '^ 







_ 1 MUt. 



artillerymen were placed upon a conspicuous promontory, who watched tho 
mountain and fired ofi" a gun whenever a rock detached itself from its summit, 
thus giving timely warning to travellers and the inhabitants of the valley. 

The valley of the Rhone, with its barren soil and tracts covered with pebbles 

VOL. II. I) u 



S98 



SWITZERLAND. 



and swamps, would hardly lead us to expect that so much beauty shoidd be hidden 
in the valleys of the main chain of the Alps, which cliffs, hills of debris, and sudden 
turns in the road conceal from -view. We almost wonder how the inhabitants of 
the mountain villages are able to reach their homes, for many of their valleys are 
so completely shut in that the wind is hardly felt there, storms are almost 
unknown, and the quantity of rain is far less than in the wide valley of the Rhone. 
But having once surmounted the obstacles presented by the mouths of these 



Fig. 284. — The Matterhorn (Mont Cervin). 
Scale 1 : 150,000. 



'IflfTWi 




I p*\ v^cvw.^- 



■ 2 Miles. 



valleys, where the rivulets escape through narrow gorges, we find ourselves in 
quite another world. 

Amongst the lateral valleys ascending towards the main range of the Alps 
there are some to which groves of trees, small lakes, rivulets meandering amid 
a carpet of flowers and a covering of turf, impart a character of privacy. Others 
there are, of greater width, where the eye can range afar over barren mountain 
summits, fields of snow, and glaciers. One of the most charming of the latter, 
and, indeed, one of the most beautiful in the world, is the valley traversed 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

yNIVERSlTY of ILLINOIS, 



GENEILUi ASPECTS.— TUE ALPS. 8<J'J 

by the Visp of Zeriuutt, whore the beauty of the Alps is most fully revealed 
to VLB. Beneath us spread verdant meadows and woods, with numerous 
cottages scattered along the foot of the clifl's ; above us rise snowy summits 
glittering with ice. From the Giiruergrat the eye ranges from the Matter- 
horn (Mont Cervin) to Monte Rosa. At our feet we look upon a sea of ice, 
from which rises the bold pyramid of the Matterhoru right in front of us, 
its bare and sombre slopes, with u speck of snow here and there in a few cavities 
of the rocks, contrasting most strikingly with the glittering white snow-fields 
which environ them. Less elevated than Monte Rosa, but more imposing from its 
isolated position, the Matterhoru is one of the great storm-breeders of the Alps. 
The winds, refrigerated in their passage over fields of ice and snow, meet there the 
warm aerial currents coming from the plains of Italy. The clouds at times 
discharge themselves in snow ; at others they drift round the summit of the moun- 
tain like smoke. But frequently, too, the Matterhorn reveals itself in all its 
glory, standing out boldly against the deep blue sky, and then the paths which 
mountain climbers desirous of reaching its top w ill have to follow can be traced 
distinctly. There are other summits in the vicinity whose precipices and glaciers 
exercise a powerful attraction upon the members of our Alpine clubs, but, in spite 
of the daring exhibited, some of them remain yet virgin ground.* 

The range of the Bernese Alps, usually designated as the Bernese Oberland, 
which faces the summits of Monte Rosa from beyond the depression of the valley 
through which the Rhone takes its coui'se, is likewise attached to the mountain 
knot of the St. Gotthard, or, at all events, is only separated from it by the pass of 
the Grimsel and the glacier which gives birth to the Rhone. The boldest summits 
of the Oberland rise right opposite to the gap formed by the Simplon — that is, to 
the north of where the southern chain is least elevated — whilst the summits facing 
Monte Rosa are of inferior height. These mountains form a continuous chain, 
the most regular in all Switzerland. Nor are they much inferior in height to the 
mountains rising along the Italian frontier. The Finstcraarhorn, the Juugfrau, 
and others amongst their summits are famous throughout the world; whilst 
Meyringen, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, and Griudelwald exercise as great an 
attraction upon the admirers of nature as does the valley of Zermatt. Looked at 
from their base, or from the vantage-ground afforded by some promontory, these 
mountain giants leave an impression upon the mind which fully satisfies our sense 
of the beautiful. The bold contours of the mountain, the valleys at their foot, 
the fields of snow and ice which hang upon their slopes, and the cascades to which 
they give birth, combine themselves into a picture which, once beheld, impresses 
itself indelibly upon the mind. The Jungfrau, the Wetterhoru (Stormy Peak), 
and the WcUhorn can never again bo forgotten. 

The glaciers of the Bernese Oberland are the most extensive in the European 
Alps. From the valley of the Aar wo may travel for a distance of 30 miles to 

• Dufuur P.ak, the culminating summit of Monto Ro»a, 16,213 feot; MiBchabclhom (wholly on Swiiis 
soil), 14,937 feet; Muttrrhorn (Mont Cervin), 14,701 fuet. 

1, I. O 



400 



SWITZEELAND. 



the west, as flir as the Lotschen Pass, without once leaving the ice or the perennial 
snow. Still more to the west, as far as the Dent de Morcles, not a moimtain peak 
is seen without a glacier descending from its slopes towards the pasture-grounds. 
The largest of the glaciers, curiously enough, is met with on the southern slope of 
these mountain masses, facing the sun. This glacier, the largest not only of the 
Oberland, but of the whole of Europe, is that of the Aletsch. It is tributary to the 
Rhone, and covers an area of nearly 40 square miles. M. Ch. Grad estimates it 
to contain 40 milliards of cubic yards of ice, which, if it were to melt, would 



Fig. 285. — Glaciers of the Bernese Oberland. 
Scale 1 : 160,000. 







TsTib' 



C Ptrrua 



>. Milea. 



sustain the average volume of a river like the Seine for eighteen months. In 
comparison with this formidable glacier, those on the northern slope of the Ober- 
land are but of secondary importance. They do not present the same spectacle of 
sublime calm, but being more rugged, and descending farther down their steep 
valleys, they are more attractive to the beholder. They almost look as if they 
flowed down from the mountain summits. Seen from below, their white or bluish 
tints contrast with the green of the meadows and the forests. Sometimes they 
almost invade fields and orchards, and the inhabitants of Grindelwald have seen 
cherries ripen close to huge detached blocks of ice. The lower glacier of Grindel- 



iJNiV£fiSlTKof(LUNOlS. 



1, I'll I,, , 



lll II 




I I " 
I' I , " 

I I I II. I'll 

Im'I,;ii,|'i ' I, 

1 1' ii . " ' 1 1 
ii'i'|ii ■ ' 

,i,i . II 

1 1 h I , I, 
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I'll 

II II ' 'I ■' 
I II I|, 

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I ill I l| ''l| 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— THE AEPS. 



401 



wald, though recently its end has been melting awuy, and it appears to be retiring 
into the mountains, is still that amongst the glaciers of Switzerland which pene- 
trates farthest towards the lowlands. 

The glaciers of the Aar, at the eastern extremity of the Oberland, though 
comparatively small and sometimes almost concealed beneath mud and stones, 
possess an interest of their own. It was there the famous Agassiz, with some of his 
friends, established himself during several summers in succession in order to watch 
the phenomena of the glaciers. The rock which sheltered this band of conscien- 
tious explorers, facetiously called the " Hotel des \eucliatelois," exists no longer. 
It was incapable of resisting the persistent assaults made upon it by the glaciers. 
Its fragments were precipitated upon the glacier, and arc now descending upon its 



Fig. 286. — TuE Glacier of thb Blcmlisalt. 



WndaFrmn. 



Blamlisalpstock. 




back into the valley, to become in the end the prey of torrents which will triturate 
them into sand. The spot where these important researches into the nature of 
glaciers were instituted will always be hallowed to men of science. 

The formidable schistose summits of the Oberland, which for a long time were 
looked upon as inaccessible, now form the goal of the more ambitious amongst our 
Alpine climbers; but the limestone mountains to the west of them, and more 
especially the advanced buttresses of the Faulhorn, the Niessen, and the Stockhom, 
though less elevated, afford prospects of equal beauty. These were first visited by 
tourists in the sixteenth century, and do not, consequently, exercise the same 
attraction upon our modem tourists as the Jungfrau, the first ascent of which was 
accomplished in 1811. Standing upon one of these promontories, we are sus- 
pended, as it were, between the valley and the snowy giants which tower above 



402 



SWITZERLAND. 



it. At one glance we embrace the bold profile of the mountains, fields of snow, 
glaciers, pastures and forests, smiling valleys, and placid blue lakes, either reflecting 
the cliffs which bound them, or embedded in gardens and meadows. Equally 
beautiful are the landscapes which present themselves to the tourist in the valley 
of the Aar, whether near its head, where the torrent forms the fine waterfall of the 
Handeck ; lower down in the delightful valley of Hasli, with its gushing cascades, 
where the sculptured chalets of Meyringen nestle under the shelter of steep rocks ; 
or lower down still, in the plain of the Boedeli, upon which rises Interlaken, the 
leading town of pleasure of entire Europe. 

The mountains of the western Oberland consist almost entirely of oolitic lime- 



Fig. 287. — The Diablebets. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 



y\.'!o/;ofia 



■ / 



■H" 



'4 






^^" 



■^■?rB 



'"f1 



Spxpou^c 



n\.r: 



te^x)-^' 



"iV^ Oldenhom - . , . •.■ 



.. f ' 



,.ii ^■a;^^^ 







7 \l(' L, OT or. 



IMUe. 



stone and chalk, capable of offering but sniill resistance to the combined chemical 
and mechanical action of water, and are fast crumbling to pieces, producing in 
their decay some of the most magnificent spectacles to be witnessed in the Alps. 
Two of the jagged grey "teeth" of the Diablerets, a group rising superbly above 
the green pasture-lands, detached themselves in the last century, and tumbled down 
into the valley of Deborence, 6,000 feet beneath, where their broken fragments now 
cover an area of several square miles. Similar catastrophes have evidently occurred 
farther north, but in so remote a time that no tradition respecting them survives 
amongst the inhabitants of the countrj'. The huge circular valley known as the 



GENERAL ASPEOTS.— THE XI.V&. 403 

Creui-du-Champ may be likened to n gigantic punch-bowl, not unlike in its shape 
to the famous amphitheatre of Ga%arnie, in the Pyrenees. Like the latter, it forms 
a natural fortress of great strength, being surrounded on all sides by cliffs rising 
in terraces, and surmounted by extensive glaciers, from which descend numerous 
cascades. 

In the north and west the Bernese Alps ramify into numerous spurs and sub- 
sidiary chains, which gradually sink down into the plain. This is one of the great 
pasturing regions of Switzerland, the grass and herbage on these calcareous hills 
being most savoury. It is, too, a region of flowers. In spring the slopes of the 
mountains of Montreux are covered with narcissi, which are visible from a distance 
of 15 miles. An inexperienced traveller, on first seeing these carpets of flowers 
from afar, might be inclined to mistake them for particles of snow forgotten b)' the 
sun. Their odour, wafted by the wind to a considerable distance, is no less 
penetrating than that of the orange groves on the coast of Sicily.* 

Once more returning to tlie St. Gottbard as to the natural centre of the Swiss 
Alps, we perceive a distinct mass of mountains to the north-east of those of the 
Oberland, and on the same axis. This group gives birth to the glacier of the 
Rhone. Its principal summit is the Dammastock, rising in the midst of glaciers, 
and a range extends from it in a northerly direction. In these ranges rise some of 
the most glorious summits of Switzerland, such as the Titlis, with its vast pasture- 
grounds, and the Uri-Rothstock, bounded on all sides by steep precipices. These 
mountains of Unterwalden and Uri are formed of granite, oolitic limestone, 
chalk, and strata of eocene age. They ramify in the most extraordinary manner 
the labyrinthine Lake of the Four Cantons (see Fig. 324), being their exact 
counterpart. The summits, which rise to the north of the lake, appear to have 
formed part of the same mountain system at some former period. The principal 
summit is the Rigi, the most famous and most frequented Belvedere in the world. 
This mountain, rising in solitary grandeur from the lakes and plains lying at its 
foot, and afibrding a magnificent prospect of the snowy summits towards the east 
and south, forms, in truth, an admirable natural observatory, and tens of thousands of 
travellers are attracted to it annually. Railways not only convey these visitors to 
its summit, but also to many favourite points of view. In summer the top of this 
mountain exhibits more animation than many a town, and the telegraph wires 
which connect the numerous hotels with the dwellers in the plain are incessantly 
at work.t The Rigi is the first mountain in Europe which the engineers have 
rendered accessible by means of a railway, but it is no longer the only one. 
Sooner or later, all those mountains in Switzerland which annually attract crowds 
of tourists will be treated similarly, and Mount Pilatus, the ancient Fract-Mont, 

• Altitudes in the Bernese Oborland (in feet):— Main range: Finstcraarhom, 14,028; Junpfrau, 13,671; 
Monch, 13,439; Schreckhoni, 13,386; Diablercta, 10,667. Outliere : Faulhorn, 8,800; Niesen, 7,760; 
Stoclchorn, 7,196. 

t In 1876 there were thirteen telegraph offices on the top of the Rigi. The seaion of 1878 is supposed 
to have proved disastrous to several of the proprietors of hotels, the number of travellers having been very 
SDUill, owing to the commercial crisis in Germany. 



404 SWITZERLAND. 

whose craggy points are visible to the south of Luzern, is sure to have its railway 
at an early date.* 

The Eigi covers an area of about 15 square miles, and is formed almost solely 
of nagelfluh ; that is, a soft conglomerate enclosing an immense number of pebbles, 
derived, not from the Alps, but from the Black Forest, and carried thither and 
deposited in regular layers during the miocene period. The Rossberg, to the 
north of the Rigi, belongs to the same formations. It has become widely known 
through a landslip which occurred in 1806, when 52,000,000 cubic yards of rock 
slid down the mountain side, burying the village of Goldau, with its smiling fields, 
and filling up a portion of the Lake of Lowerz.t 

The mountain mass of the Todi, to the east of the valley of the Reuss, forms 
with the mountains of the Rhone that region of Switzerland which exhibits the 
most extensive traces of geological disturbance. The contortion and inversion of 
the strata are more considerable there than in any other part of the world hitherto 
examined by geologists. From the Gliirnisch to the Hausstock, a distance of 
10 miles, the beds have been uplifted and bent back in such a way that the lower 
beds rest apparently upon those which were originally deposited upon them, and 
the lower appears to be the higher part of the series. Similar features may be 
observed also in the valley of the Rhine beyond the Glarnisch. A most remark- 
able instance is afforded by the Windgiille, a mountain rising above the valley 
of Altorf. Upon its summit it bears a cap of porphyry, which has not been 
erupted, as Studer supposed, but has been uplifted by lateral pressure, together 
with the limestone beds upon which it reposes. The mountains to the north of 
the Todi are formed, like those of Unterwalden, of Jurassic and cretaceous rocks. 
Tertiary slates, locally known as fi/'ich, are also met with ; and these must have 
been deposited in a sea of considerable depth, for they abound in fossils of fish, 
but are altogether devoid of fossil molluscs and sea-urchins. The mountains 
belonging to this formation have gentle slopes, and their valleys are of exceeding 
fertility. The limestones, on the other hand, frequently form vertical cliffs. 
The Glarnisch, which rises in terraces above the town of Glarus, stiU belongs to 
the Alps, for glaciers descend from its upper slopes. They are the northernmost 
of Central Switzerland. Others, still farther to the north, are met with in the 
rano-e which extends from the Todi towards the north-east, and terminate above 
Chur, in Mount Calanda, famous on account of its crumpling rocks. That moun- 
tain is formed of fissured dolomite, resting upon beds of soft rock, incapable of 
resisting the action of denudation. The waste washed down from the mountain 
has formed huge sloping mounds at the foot of the cliffs, which constitute a 
characteristic feature of the landscape. Landslips are of frequent occurrence. 
One of these partially destroyed the village of Felsberg, at the foot of the 
Calanda. The inhabitants built themselves another village at a spot not menaced 

* According to Gatschet the name of Pilatus is derived from the old German word hilhta ; that ia, 
" split mountain." Popular legends connect it with Pontius Pilate, whose spirit is said to haunt a small 
lake near the summit. 

t Altitudes in feet :— Dammastock, 11,937 ; Ehoncstock, 11,822 ; Galenstock, 11,805 ; Titlis, 10,628 ; 
Uri-Bothstock, 9,610 ; PUatus, 6,792 ; Eigi, 6,906 ; Rosaberg, 5,190. 



OEXEKAI. ASPECTS.— THE ALPS. 



405 



l)\- falling rocks, but finding tlio situation too much exposed, they have returned 
to their old village, preferring to run the risk of a possible disaster rather than 
submit to an ever-present inconvenience.* 

The Calanda has been the goal of mountain climbers for centuries post. The 
mountains of St. Gull and Appenzell, which occupy the north-eastern corner of 
Switzerland, enclosed botwecu the Khine and the Lake of Constance, have proved 
equally attractive to admirers of nature on account of the fine prospects which 
may be enjoyed from their summits. One of them, the Speer ((),418 feet), is 
formed of the same conglomerate as the Ivigi. Another, the famous Scntis (S,213 
feet), is justly admired for its fine buttresses, sweet pastures, piled-up rock 
masses, and small lakes hidden away in its upper valleys. Farther to the south, 
the jagged crest of the Churfirsten (7,554 feet), as seen from the shore of the 



Fig. 288.— The Intsrted Strata op thb WindoIllb. 
Acooidiog to A. Hein. 










H'alitt lladtraa 



•"» tOTo" 

I t MMT Jam 



LtM^ Jura 
I>olomU(Tt\aty 



mufniM 



"Wallen Lake, presents a truly formidable appearance. So precipitously do the 
rocks rise from the lake that a site for only a single village could be found at 
their foot. 

The chaotic mountains of the Grisona, cut up as they are by innumerable 
gorges, and valleys, almost defy classification. Their geological structure is most 
complicated ; their crests more sinuous than elsewhere in Switzerland ; and the 
two hundred valleys and their ramifications form a veritable labyrinth. Yet 
these mountains, too, are joined to the central group of the St. Gotlhard, and that 
by one of the boldest and most formidable mountain masses of Switzerland, the 
granitic pinnacles of which form the culminating points between the valleys of 



Altitudes in Engliih feet :— Todi, 11,887 ; Hausatock, 10,355 ; Olamitch, 9,654 ; Calanda, 9,210. 



406 



SWITZEELAND. 



the Eeuss and of the Inn. This group of the Adula, which alone of all the 
mountains of the Central Alps retains its ancient name, is partly buried beneath 
glaciers which feed the Further Rhine (Hinter Rhein). Other mountains of 
great height, likewise bearing glaciers upon their shoulders, continue the principal 
crest which bounds the upper valleys of the Rhine in the south. 

Beyond we enter a natural region of the Alps which lies within the basin of 
the Danube. The deep depression through which the Inn flows towards the 
north-east, and which is separated from the head- waters of the Adda by no 
marked natural feature, forms one of the most curious breaks in the system of 
the Alps. Bounded on either side by irregularly grouped mountains, some of 



Fig. 289. — The Group op the Beknina. 
Scale 1 : 300,000. 




E o< Cr 



0. ferron 



6 Miles. 



them naked rocks, others covered with perennial snow and ice, this depression, 
for a distance of over 10 miles, is almost horizontal. The waters collect there in 
lakes, and it needed but the removal of a few yards of ground to divert the head- 
waters of the Inn into the Italian valley of Bregaglia. This " gap " of the upper 
Engadin is remarkable, too, on account of its direction. Unlike most other passes, 
which cross the main crest at right angles, it has the same direction as the axis 
of the Swiss Alps, and coincides with the limits between difierent geological 
formations. 

One of the grand mountain masses of Europe, that of the Bernina, rises in the 
Engadin immediately to the east of the head-waters of the Inn. This group of 



GENERAL ASPECTS.— THE ALPS. 



407 



mountains, with its boldly contoured granitic rocks, and its glaciers creeping low 
down into tbo valleys, may fairly challenge comparison with the mountains of the 
Oberland ; and neither forests nor verdant pastures, sparkling cascades nor placid 
lakes are wanting to produce a picture of great beauty. The prospect from the 
culminating points of the Bernina are all the more highly spoken of as only 
expert climbers are able to enjoy them. Standing upon the Roseg or the Morte- 



Fig. 290.— ThB CiLACIEKS or TSCHIERTA AXB MoKTBHATSfH. 

Accordinfr to 7.i.u!ir. SoOo 1 : 100,000. 




^.*wr --'*'--s 



MLiLA#^^3 



I at C- 



1 ililf. 



ratsch, the eye embraces at a glance fields of enow and ice extending for 20 
miles from east to west, and we are able to trace the crystal streams to which the 
glaciers give birth. But the view afforded by the isolated summits which face 
the glaciers to the north of the deep valley of Pontresina is far superior. 
Stationed on the simimit of the Piz Languard (" Long Regard "), we see spread out 
before us not only the entire group of the Bernina, the mountains of the Grisons, 
of the Tyrol, and of Northern Switzerland, but far beyond the St. Gotthard we 



408 SWITZERLAND. 

perceive Monte Rosa and the hazy outline of the French Alps, A panorama of 
almost equal extent may be enjoyed from the Piz Linard, which rises to the north 
on the other side of the Inn, and on the confines of the Austrian Vorarlberg. 
This mountain belongs to the group of the Selvretta, which is geologically 
interesting on account of the great variety of its rocks, which embrace nearly aU 
formations, from gneiss and crystalline slates to sedimentary deposits of eocene age. 
We even meet there with springs of carbonic acid gas — near Tarasp, in the valley 
of the Inn — the only springs of that kind hitherto discovered in such a locality, 
for they do not rise from a bed of lava, but from decomposed schists, and commu- 
nicate probably with the acidulous springs which rise lower down in the valley. 
The bodies of numerous small animals are found near the poisonous springs. 
Earthquakes frequently occur in the Engadin, but not as often as in the other two 
earthquake districts of Switzerland, viz. in the valley of the Visp, at the foot of 
Monte Rosa, and in the environs of Eglisau, betweep. SchafEhausen and the mouth 
of the Aar.* 

The Central Alps attain their greatest height and most considerable width in 
the Grisons and in the neighbouring Tyrol. They neither form a mountain- 
chain there nor a number of detached masses lying in the same axis, but form a 
veritable plateau, from which rise separate groups and numerous ranges ramifying 
in the most puzzling manner. All that portion of Switzerland which lies to the 
east of the Rhine rises from a platform no less than 3,200 feet in height, even in 
the valleys, and the mountain ranges extend thence into Germany and Italy. 
The contrast between Eastern and "Western Switzerland is indeed most striking, 
for the latter does not lie within the region of the Alps at all, and is bounded, not 
by an entangled mass of mountains like that of the Grisons, but by a succession 
of parallel ridges separated from each other by longitudinal valleys. 

* Heights of the mountains in the Grisons: — Piz Valrin (Adula group), 11,139 feet; Bemina, 
13,294 feet; Eoseg, 12,557 feet; Morteratsch, 12,31"feet; Laqguard, 10,717 feet ; Piz Linard, 11,210 feet. 





CHAPTER II. 

THE JURA.« 

TIE parallel ranges of the Jura form but a secondary mountain 
system in comparison with the suow-clad Alps. Nevertheless 
they arc an importmt feature in the general geography of Europe, 
aud by their influence upon the climate, the flow of rivers, and 
the distribution of the population, they have played a prominent 
part in history. 

In Switzerland the contrast between these two mountain systems, the Alps and 
the Jura, is most striking. Standing upon the plain which separates them, we 
look, on the one hand, upon the serrated chain of the Bernese Oberland, upon 
verdant slopes extending up to the snow-fields and glaciers, and, in spite of the 
great distance, are able to distinguish the varied hues presented by barren rocks, 
snow, meadows, and forests. The foot-hills present the greatest variety in their 
slope and height ; and wide cultivated valleys, penetrating far into the mountain 
recesses, and dotted over with towns and villages, still further enliven the picture. 
Turning round towards the Jura, we find ourselves face to face with a steep and 
uniform slope. Towns and villages form a thin white streak along its foot ; fields 
and vineyards occupy the lower slopes ; and sombre pine woods cover all above up 
to the bluish pasture-grounds in the far-off distance. A few rocky crets here 
and there rise above the long-stretched backs of the mountains, but they do not 
break the monotonous appearance of the chain. Some of these ranges, seen from 
a distance, appear to be of uniform height for miles ; but if we penetrate through 
one of the gorges scooped out by torrents, and scarcely visible from the plain, wo 
are surprised to find ourselves in delightful valleys. 

It is only towards Switzerland that the Jura presents itself as an apparently 
unbroken rampart. On the French side the mountains are not only lower, but 
they are idso far more irregular in their outline. True the culminating points of 
the chain rise to the south, entirely within the French territory, but the Swiss 
summits are little inferior to them in height, and the general elevation of the 

* Jacard, '* Deflcription da Junk Kouchatvlou et Vaudois;" A. Veziao, "Etudce Oeologiqucs but lo 
Jura." 



410 



SWITZEELAND. 



mountains is more considerable. Between Besancon and Neuchatel the parallel 
ridges of the Jura increase in height as we proceed from west to east, and the 
highest amongst them forms a rampart bounding the plain of Switzerland. But 
to the north of Solothurn the ridges gradually grow lower, until their height 
hardly exceeds 2,000 feet. To the east of the Aar the Jura is represented by the 
small ridge of the Lagern, whilst beyond the Rhine, near Schaifhausen, it rises 
once more in the Randen group, and then gradually merges into the plateau of 
the Rauhe Alp.* 

The Swiss Jura presents all those features which we have already noticed in 
connection with the French Jura — elongated valleys separated by parallel ridges, 
" combs," and gorges connecting one valley with the other. These features in 



Fig. 291.— The Vailey of Traveks. 
Scale 1 : 170,000. 




, - \ tAAo-»w3 



. 2 Miles 



combination produce picturesque scenery of astonishing variety. All the depres- 
sions are old lake basins, which were still covered with water during miocene 
ages. The valley of Travers, now drained by the Reuse, or Areuse, a tributary 
of the Lake of Neuchatel, is an instance in point. It receives the torrents descend- 
ing the terraced slopes of the " comb," or amphitheatre, of St. Sulpice at its upper 
end, and appears to terminate at the foot of a cliff which shuts it in on the east. 
But the slow erosive action of the water has overcome this obstacle. The river is 
now able to escape through a narrow gorge, its waters rushing headlong far 
beneath the railway suspended upon the flank of the mountains. All at once we 
perceive on our right a vast crater-shaped amphitheatre, known as the Creux-du- 

* Altitudes of the Jura (in English feet) :— Mont Teudie, 5,512 ; Mont Dole, 5,606 ; Chasseron, 5,286 ; 
Chasaeral, 6,280; Weissenstein, 4,580; Liigem, 2,827. 



TUE JURA. 



411 



Tent, or " Windy Pit." A geological exuiuiiiution of the ground shows tlmt this 
is a fullen-in cavity, or comb, such as are l're<juently met with in all limcBtono 
districts, which now communicates with the gorge of the Reuse. AVidely different 
is the aspect of a valley to the north of that of Travers. No running water 
enlivens it now, its bottom being occupied by a swamp and bog. Tlius, in ii 
district of circumscribed area, wo uro able to study a valley still vivified by 
running wafers, a " dead " valley, 

a falleu-in comb, and the tortuous Fig. 292.— Tub Clusb of Undervelieh. 

defile of tt " cluse." scuio i : is.ooo. 

In many other parts of the Swiss 
Jura the parallel mountain ram- 
parts are pierced by cluscs, bounded 
either by steep escarpments or by 
vast amphitheatres, and which per- 
mit the waters of the upper valleys 
to escape. Gorges of this kind con- 
nect Biel (Bienne) with the valley 
of St. Imier, the valley of Court 
with that of Undervclier, and, above 
all, the grand cluse of the Doubs, 
through which that river turns back 
upon itself, and finds its way into the 
Saono and the Mediterranean, in- 
stead of maintaining its original 
direction and flowing to the Rhine. 
There are even some cluses in an 
incomplete state, to which man has 
put the finishing hand. One of 
these is the gorge of Pierre-Pertuis. 
Nature had nearly accomplished her 
work there when the Romans over- 
came the remaining obstacles by 
means of a tunnel, which is still used 
by travellers. 

Except in winter or early spring 
the Jura does not present us with 
those contrasts between snow and 
verdure which form so attractive 
a feature of the Alps. There are, 

however, magnificent forests of fir-trees, which uro said to have given the 
mountains their name, the meaning of which is supposed to bo " forbidden 
woods." There is likewise an abundance of fine pasturage, reaching down to 
the margins of the small lakes which occupy some of the valley bottoms. These 
lakes, for the most part very shallow, are in many instances being invaded 




Por<.lt 



iMile. 



412 



SWITZEELAND. 



by bogs, and several Lave disappeared entirely, tbeir water having been sucked 
up, as it were, by the moss and other thirsty plants which grow along their 
banks. 

The rain which falls upon the Jura not only fiUs the lakes and surface torrents, 
but a considerable portion of it finds its way through creiix (pits) and emposieux 
into underground channels and caverns, and reappears again at the foot of the 
mountains. The most remarkable of these subterranean rivers is the Orbe, the 
most important tributary of the Rhine, having its sources in the Jura. The 
Orbe rises in France, in the small Luke of Rousses ; lower down it traverses two 



Fig. 293. — Meanderings op the Doubs at St. Ursanne. 
Scale 1 : 50,000. 



^? So' E. of Paris 




T^.o'E.nf Cr. 



, IMile. 



other lakes on Swiss territory, those of Joux and Brenet ; and then, at the base of 
high cliffs, it rushes into a cavern, only to appear again 2 miles farther to the 
north-east, and 735 feet below the point where it disappeared. Its volume then is 
sufficient to turn all the mills of the manufacturing village of Vallorbe. 

The whole of the surface drainage of the plateau of Fonts, to the north of the 
Reuse, is swallowed up by sinks, and reappears, 900 feet below, in the springs 
known as Noiraigue. Elsewhere springs no sooner mount to the surface than they 
disappear again, and the rivulets to which they give rise alternately flow on the 
surface and through underground channels. Of this kind are the rivulets which 



THE JURA. 



413 



converge upon the sink known as Creux-Genat, in the environs of Porrentruy. 
Many of these subterranean channels feed the Lakes of Neuchutel and Bienne 
through springs rising horn the bottom of these hikes. The localities where these 
lacustrine springs make tlioir appearance are well known to huntsmen and fisher- 



Fig. 294. — The L.^ke of Jovx. 

Scilc 1 : 400,000. 



B.ot P. 




m£^ 



^-m^L^ 



e A4t nA^>v. 



i Miles. 



men, for in winter, when the remainder of the lake is covered with ice, the water 
immediately above them continues open. Fish and wild fowl abound there, and 
hence they are known as entner, or duck pools. If the level of the lakes were 
to fall, these springs would give rise to rivulets. 




vol,, n. 



K E 




CHAPTER III. 
GLACIAL PERIOD* 

HE Jura, which affords so many opportunities for studying geo- 
logical and hydrographical problems, furnishes likewise the most 
decisive proof of the vast extension of the glaciers in a former 
age. When exploring these mountains scientific men obtained 
the first glimpse of an age in which a great portion of Europe 
was covered with a cap of ice. 

The Jura itself had its valley glaciers, which carried down blocks of rock to a 
lower level ; but in addition to these rocks, which are clearly derived from the 
Jura itself, we meet with others on its eastern slope which are as certainly of a 
different origin. Formerly geologists were perplexed when asked to account for 
the presence of these prodigious masses of rock. Were they ruins of mountains 
no longer in existence ? or had they been carried thither from the Alps, in spite of 
their being at a distance of 120 miles ? We now know that the latter hypothesis 
was the correct one. These enormous erratic blocks have really been carried 
down the Alps, and we are even able, in manj' instances, to point out the locality 
whence they have been derived and the route which they followed. This mass 
of granite, we are able to say, came hither from the Monte Rosa ; that block of 
mica schist tumbled down the sides of the St. Gotthard. Formerly the whole of 
the northern slope of the Alps was bounded bj^ a vast sheet of ice, formed by the 
confluence of five glaciers, which filled up the valleys now drained by the Rhone, 
the Aar, the Reuss, the Linth, and the Rhine. The blocks of rock which tumbled 
down from the mountain-tops slowly travelled with these glaciers down the valley. 
They were carried over the plains and the cavities now converted into lakes, and 
would have been carried bej'ond the frontiers of Switzerland had not the trans- 
versal chain of the Jura interposed a barrier. It was upon its slopes they dropped 
when the glaciers melted away, and there we find them still, after hitndreds and 
perhaps thousands of centuries. Some of the blocks carried by the Rhone glaciers 

* Oswald Heer, " Le Monde rrimitif de la Suisse ; " Arnold Guyot, in Bull, de la Societe dcs 
Sciences Naturelles de Neuchutel ; VioUet-le-Duc, " Le Massif du Mont Blanc ; " J. Tyndall, " The Glaciers 
of the Alps ; " Studer, " Ueber Schnee und Eis." 



GLACIAL PEKTOD. 415 

have been deposited upon the flanks of Mont Chasseron, at a height of 4,G00 feet 
above the sea. It was there, right opposite to Martigny and Villeneuve, at the 
entrance to the Rhone valley, that the central stream of the Rnone glacier struck 
the Jura ; and on either side of the Chasseron, whether we proceed north or south, 
the height at which erratic blocks are met with graduallj' decreases. Some of 
these blocks have a volume of 176,000 cubic feet, and are quarried as building 
stones. 

Erratic blocks of this kind are not only met with on the slope of the Jura, 
upon which the ancient glaciers impinged, but also along the slopes of all the 
Alpine valleys down which they formerly crept. Blocks of enormous size may 
be seen in the valleys of the Limmat, the Reuss, and the Aar. The Luegiboden, 
near Interlaken, is nothing but a huge erratic block of granite, having still a 
volume of 460,000 cubic feet, although much of it has been carried away by 
quarrymen, including a block forwarded to America to serve as the pedestal of a 
monument to "VTashington. The erratic rock, known as bloc monstre, on the 
hill of ilontel, near Bex, above the valley of the Rhone, has a volume of no less 
than 530,000 cubic feet. Many of these glacier-borne rocks have been deposited 
on the banks of the Lake of Geneva, and close to that town there is one of huge 
size known as the Pierre a Niton. The Romans probably consecrated that rock 
to Xeptune, and in our own days it has been converted into a gauge for registering 
the oscillations of the lake. But what is the volume of these huge blocks in com- 
parison with that of the pebbles, the sand, and the mud carried down the hills by 
these ancient glaciers, and further distributed by the floods when they melted 
away ? Most of the rocks and the soil removed whilst the existing valleys were 
being scooped out by the glaciers have been deposited upon the wide plains below 
them. Sometimes the glaciers melted so rapidly as to carry away the soil in 
streams ot mud, similar in all respects to those which descend from some of the 
volcanoes of the Andes whenever a subterranean lake bursts it« bonds. Pieces of 
ice were in every instance carried along with the mud, and the cavities which 
they filled have been discovered in the hardened conglomerate into which age has 
changed the mud. These rivers of mud sometimes filled up whole vallcvs to 
the brim. Below Sembrancher, in the valley of the Dransc, the mud rose to a 
height of 1,400 feet, as proved by the traces of it still existing upon the sides of 
the valley. But this enormous liquid mass at length burst the rocky barrier, 
stretching across the valley from the superb pyramid of Catogne to the mountain 
of Vence, and, when liberated, it inundated tlic lower portion of the valley. 

The ancient moraines of valley glaciers, though in reality far less important 
witnesses to glacial action than the horizontal strata to which they gave birth, 
nevertheless more frequently attract attention on account of their uneven surface 
and the prominent part they play in the scenery of the country. The valley of the 
Limmat is traversed by no less than six ancient terminal moraines, one of which 
crosses the Lake of Zurich opposite Rappcrswyl, and has been made use of in the 
construction of a bridge 5,250 feet in length. Zurich itself is built upon an 
ancient moraine, and so are several other towns at the lower end of lakes, and 

E E 2 



416 



SWITZEELAND. 



even some in the plain, including a portion of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. 
The interesting district to the north-west of Luzern, which a flood would convert 
into parallel islands, and where are the Lakes of Sempach, Boldegg, and Hallwyl, 
and the swampy grounds crossed by the Eeuss, exhibit many traces of an inva- 



Fig. 295. — The Catogse. 
Scale 1 : 80,000. 



'4.° WE.o)P.-i.-is 



^fo::: 




Cifi.VE. of Gr 



IMile. 



sion of glacial mud. The scenery and aspect of a considerable portion of the 
rugged plain which separates the Alps from the Jura are due to ancient moraines. 
There these accumulations of stones no longer present the chaotic appearance of 
former days. Their surface now is covered with soil, and they nearly all are 
clothed with woods, forming a most charming contrast with the lakes which sepa- 



GLACIAL PERIOD. 



417 



rate them, with the rivulets windinp: nlong their foot, and with the cultivated fields 
surrounding the villages. The charniing .scenery at the lower ends of the Lakes 
of Thun, Ziirieb, and liienno (Bid) is the outcome of the diversities of contour 
resulting from the passage of ancient glaciers. 

The flora of this region of moraines proves that a remarkable change took 
place in the climate when the ice invaded the country. The ocean still covered 
the plain between the Alps and the Jura during the miocene age. The sandstones 
and pebbly conglomerates deposited at that time are rich in species of plants and 



Fig. 296. — The .Vnciknt Oi.AriEiis of Kasteiin Rwittfrlavp. 



r 



I E. of l'w» 







^}^ it nit r If 



•••i/niiaty 



animals, whose presence proves to us that the mean temperature must then have 
varied between 04" and 08^ Fahr. To this climate of Louisiana or Florida suc- 
ceeded one analogous to that of Greenland. The Alpine plants, which are the 
same as those of Lapland, descended from the mountain summits into the valleys, 
and from the latter into the plain, and they are found now throughout Switzerland 
as far as erratic blocks are met with, their limit coinciding in a most remarkable 
manner with a flora of arctic aspect. M. Martins, who has more especially studied 
the vegetation of the Arctic regions and of the Alps, tells us that the aspect of 
the valley of Fonts, in the Jura of Neuchitel, and at an elevation of 3,300 feet 



418 



SWITZERLAND. 



above the sea, recalls certain portions of Lapland. But then the Alpine flora of 
that valley grows upon glacial mud carried hither from the Alps. 

These vestiges of the past — erratic blocks, glacial mud, and Alpine plants — 
have enabled geologists to draw a map indicating the ancient glaciers. The most 
important among them was that of the Rhone. It filled up the basin of the Lake 
of Geneva, covered the plain of Switzerland to a depth of more than 3,000 feet, 
and extended north as far as what is now known as the Aargau, where it was 
joined by the glacier of the Aar. But it did not penetrate the Alps of Fribourg, 
which had their own system of glaciers. The erratic blocks deposited within this 
wide area have mostly been traced to that portion of the Alpine chain which 
extends from the St. Bernard to the Simplon. The glaciers of the Reuss and of 
the Linth likewise extended to the barrier of the Jura, but only at its eastern 
extremity, whilst the glacier of the valley of the Rhine spread itself over a con- 
siderable portion of Southern Germany. Glaciers of vast extent likewise crept 
down the Italian slope of the Alps, filling up, wholly or in part, the existing lakes. 
The Lake of Lugano, like that of Ziirich, is divided into two portions by an ancient 
terminal moraine, which the retiring glacier left behind, and which is used now 
as a road. 





^X^^^^fe^i 




CHAPTER IV. 

RIVERS AXD I^VKES.' 



T^!=rp7r][N comparison with the glaciers of a former age, the geological 
reconstruction of which has led the way to other discoveries con- 
nected with the history of oiir earth, the glaciers of the present 
day are of small account. They hardly cover more than 5 per 
cent, of the total area of the country, and their average thickness is 



certainly small compared with that of the ancient glaciers which made Switzerland 
another Greenland. Still, if there were to occur a sudden cessation of rain, and 
if these glaciers, which now hang like huge reservoirs above the rest of Europe, 
were to be melted to keep up the present volume of the rivers rising in Switzer- 
land, the supply would suffice only for five years, even though we estimated them 
to have an average thickness of 300 feet.t 

But it is well known that the difference in bulk which a glacier exhibits in 
summer and winter is relatively small, and that rivers and lakes are in the main 
dependent upon rain and melting snows for their supply of water, which they 
obtain either indirectly through springs, or directly through avalanches and surface 
drainage. The most important river of Switzerland, as respects the area of its 
catchment basin, is the Ticino, or Tessin, which is to a less extent fed by glaciers 
than any other river of the country. Though its principal vallej' is called 
Bedrette, which is synonj'mous with " glacier valley," the streams of ice which 
descend into it melt away before the mid-day sun. After heavy rains the volume 
of the Ticino, measured above where it enters the Lago Maggiore, lias reached 
150,000 and even 200,000 cubic feet a second (the average throughout the year 
being only 3,700 cubic feet), and it is then a river t\vice as powerful as the Rhone 
at the forks of Arches. The Verzasca is likewise a largo river. After leaving 

• Riitimeyer, "Thai- u. Sctbildung ; " Studcr, " Gesclucht*; der rhysischon Gcographio der Sehwciz." 
t A Government Conunission (in 1871) computed the ana covered by glaciers at 8091 square miles, 

viz. 390-3 square miles in the basin of the Rhone, 289G square miles in the basin of the Ithinc, 70'6 square 

miles in the basin of the Inn, and 4S'G square miles in the basin of the Po. 

An official statement published in 1878 gives lower fifjures, viz. 710 square miles for the whole of 

Switzerland, 375 for th« canton of Wallis (V'ulais), 138 for the canton of the Urinous, 108 for that of Bern, 

44 for Uri, &c. 



420 



SWITZEELAND. 



its wild gorge it spreads over a bed of gravel, which it pushes far into the lake, in 
front of the mouth of the Ticino. The Maggia, on the other side of the lake, is 
ordinarily a river like the Adour, but when in flood it may well bear comparison 
with the mighty Ehone.* The alluvium brought down by these three rivers is 
rapidly silting up the upper end of the lake. A comparison of ancient documents 
with our most recent maps would appear to show that this silting up, aided, no 
doubt, by the devastation of the forests which formerly clad the mountain slopes, 
is proceeding at an increasing rate. Seven hundred years ago the village of 
Gordola was the principal port on the upper part of the lake ; it is at present hardly 
a mile from its shore ; whilst the new port of Magadino has to be shifted every 
ten years, the shore of the lake flying it almost visibly. The port of Locarno, 
close to the delta formed by the Maggia, has to be perpetually dredged, at a 



Fig. 297. — The Upper Exd of the Laoo Maggiore. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 



EofP 




/?S^-^^^L,„>^—ry 



. 1 Mile. 



considerable expense, for the sand is for ever invading it. If we assume that 

the matter held in suspension by the three rivers, the Ticino, the Verzasca, and 

the Maggia, and annually deposited in the lake, amounts to the one-thousandth part 

of their entire volume, the Bay of Locarno, in spite of its depth of 160 feet, will 

be silted up in the course of three hundred and fifty years, and the three rivers, 

then united into one, will be able to invade the lower portion of the lake. The 

alluvium deposited by these rivers remains injurious to health as long as it has not 

been turned over by the hoe or the plough. In summer the swampy plain of the 

Lower Ticino exhales deadly miasmata, and the inhabitants of several villages are 

at that time obliged to fly to the cabins they have in the mountain valleys. 

* Average rolume : — Ticino (Tessiii), 3,700 cutic feet ; Verzasca, 353 cubic feet ; Maggia, 2,200 cubic 
feet. 



RIVERS AND LAKES. 



421 



Far more sixlubrious are the shores of the Cerisio, or Luke of Lugano, a double 
bafiin, within which the two ancient ghiciers of the Ticino and the Adda formerly 
united into a single river. AVhen the glaciers retired the basin of the Cerisio 
was left with but a few inconsiderable affluents. The alluvium brought down by 
them from the mountains is only of trifling quantity, and the lake shrinks conse- 
quently very slowly. This lake, not being subjected to sudden flood.s, might easily 



Fig. 298. — The Lakeb of Luoako avd Como. 

f-ciUc 1 : 250,000. 



K.xl I'. 




fi Miles. 



E.»(Cr. . 



be transformed into a huge reservoir, whence the neighbouring fields of Lombardy 
might be irrigated. Signor Yilloresi, an Italian engineer, has proposed to connect 
it by means of a tunnel, only 2 miles in length, with the Lake of Como, and to 
convert the latter into a basin of distribution, whence the water would be conveyed 
to the sterile lands of the Somma. The water available for such a purpose has 
been estimated at between 560 and 1,120 cubic feet, according to the season. 



422 



SWITZEELAND. 



If the Ticino is fed only in a small measure by melting ice, such is not the case 
with respect to the Rhone, which has more extensive glaciers in its upper valley 
than any other river of Europe. The glaciers occupy nearly one-half the total 
area of those of all Switzerland, and the ice river of the Aletsch, as well as the ice 
streams creeping down the slopes of Monte Rosa, is without a rival. The Rhone 
glacier, properly so called, is not only of considerable extent, but it is also much 
admired for its natural beauties, more especially on account of its terminal face, 
furrowed by huge crevasses. Formerly it was bounded only by naked rocks and 

Fig. 299. — The Aletsch Glacier. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 







if.-f- 









8°|5'E.ofCr. 



lllils. 



turf, but M. Gosset has planted its banks with Scandinavian trees, and a forest may 
be seen in close proximity to the ice. From this frozen river issues a small torrent, 
which is usually regarded as the head of the Rhone. The mountaineers, how- 
ever, do not look upon the glacier as the veritable source of the Rhone ; they 
derive that river from a small tepid spring which rises at the foot of a neighbour- 
ing rock. In addition to the Rhone glacier there are two hundred and sixty others 
which regulate the flow of the river, for it is precisely in summer, when the rain- 
fall is least and the evaporation greatest, that the ice melts most rapidly. Some- 



ElVERS .VXD UiKES. 423 

times, however, these glaciers fhemselvcs give rise to floods. Some of tho upper 
side valleys are closed in by iialurul dams, formed of moraines and fragments of 
ice. The water accumulated behind these barriers, when it bursts them, rushes 
down the valley, carrying fragments of stone, houses, and trees before it, and 
denuding the fields of their arable soil. In order to prevent the recurrence of 
such floods it has been found necessary to pierce these dams, so that the water 
may escape. The small Lake of Moeril, or Merjelen, on the eastern side of the 
Aletsch glacier, from which it is separated by a lateral moraine, has been treated 
in this manner, and it has since remained permanently at the same level. 

The Dransc, which joins the Rhone where it abruptly changes its direction 
before entering the gorge of St. Maurice, was blocked up by the glacier of Grctroz 
in 1818. Its upper valley was converted into a lake, and, when the pent-up waters 
at length liberated themselves, they produced one of the most disastrous floods 
known in connection with the Rhone valley. Immediately on issuing from the 
rock-bound gorge referred to, tho Rhone enters upon an alluvial plain, formerly 
covered by the Lake of Geneva. This plain has an area of 34 square miles; 
and the depth of the alluvium which covers it, and all of which has been deposited 
there by the Rhone, is unknown. A few ancient moraines rise above it. The 
village of Port-Valais, which formerly stood upon the banks of the lake, is now at 
a distance of over a mile away from it, the whole of the intervening land having 
been deposited in the course of three centuries. It is also asserted that the 
delta of the Rhone has so rapidly grown during a single generation that the 
inhabitants of Yilleneuve are no longer able to see Le Bouveret, which faces them 
on the southern shore, it being now hidden from view by a peninsula covered w^th 
poplars, willows, and houses. The heavier fragments brought down by the river 
form flats and sand-banks close to its mouth, whilst the triturated sand is carried 
a considerable distance into the lake. It has been ascertained, by soundings, that 
the bottom of the eastern extremity of the lake is slightly convex in front of the 
mouths of the river, a phenomenon satisfactorily explained by the deposition of 
alluvial matter. 

Though much smaller now than in former ages, the Lake of Geneva, or Leman, 
is the largest lake of Western Europe. It is also one of the deepest, its bottom 
extending down almost to the level of the sea.* To drain it bj' a river equal in 
volume to the Rh(5ne would require no less than ten years, supposing, of course, 
that its tributaries ceased to flow. Like the ocean, it has its storms, its waves, its 
surge ; but the most careful observations have not hitherto established the existence 
of tidal currents. The seiches are a phenomenon of quite a difiercnt kind, and 
are produced by sudden changes in the pressure of the atmosphere, which result in 
a swelling up of a portion of the lake, sometimes to the extent of 6 feet. These 
seiches occur at regular intervals, and the laws which govern them are now 
thoroughly imderstood.t 

* Lake of Oenera: — Average height above sea, 1,217 feet; average area, 223 square miles; greatest 
depth, 1,099 feet ; average depth, 492 feet ; approximate contcDt«, 86,193 million tons of water, 
t See Forcl in Bull. <U la Soc. Vaud. det Scienca Naturclkt. 



424 



SWITZERLAND. 



The Lake of Geneva belongs both to the Switzerland of the Alps and that of 
the Jura. Crescent-shaped, it consists in reality of two separate basins — that in 
the east overlooked by the buttresses of the Alps, that in the -west bounded by the 
gentler slopes of the Jura. These two basins indicate by their direction the system 
of mountains to which they belong. The eastern sheet of water stretches north-west, 
like all other Alpine lakes, whilst the parallel banks of the western sheet of water 
stretch towards the south-west; that is, in the same direction as the Lake of Neuchatel 
and the other lakes of the Jura. The two basins differ likewise as to their configura- 
tion. The western lake is shallow, and gradually narrows towards the debouchure of' 
the Rhone, the blue waters of which rush from the lake to mingle soon after with 



Fig. 300. — The Lake of Geneva. 
Scale 1 : 660,000. 





9^ti^r}B^;' %y(^^l 



y.\l'),. tf^i 



'■■£i^&i&m 




. 10 Miles. 



the turbid ones of the Arve. It is to be regretted that no dam has hitherto been 
built across the Rhone at Geneva, which would enable us not only to regulate its 
level, but also to supply motive power to the numerous factories along the river, 
and last, not least, to mitigate the floods which now so frequently carry havoc into 
the fertile fields of France. Careful observations made at Tiyons during forty 
floods show distinctly that if such a dam had been in existence at the outlet of 
the Lake of Geneva, the rise of the flood would have been less to the extent 
of from 15 to 24 inches. By completely stopping the discharge of the lake during 
a week its level would rise onlj' to the extent of 20 inches. By diverting the 
Arve into the lake we might certainly mitigate the floods on the Lower Rhone ; 
but this would entail a very considerable expenditure, whilst it would prove a 



RR'ERS AND LAKES. 425 

possible nuisance to tlie city of Geneva, whose port might become silted up by the 
vast mass of alluvial matter broufjht down that river.* 

Formerly the level of the lake was much higher, and ancient lake beaches, 
dating back to the termination of the glacial period, may still be traced at an eleva- 
tion of 100 and more feet above its present level. It is equally certain that 
during the pliocene age, wliich preceded the two glacial periods, the Jura Moun- 
tains extended into Savoy. At that time the lake was shut in, on the west, by 
a huge mountain barrier, and its waters spread far north to the height of land 
at Entre-Roches, which separated it from the basin of Neuchatel. On that 
height of land, the elevation of which is the same as that of the ancient lake 
beaches discovered above the Rhone valley, near the Fort of L'Eeluse, we find 
accumulations of pebbles, partly derived from the Valais, partly from the Bernese 
Oberland. "We do not know in what direction the lake discharged its surplus 
waters during these remote ages. Xo trace of an ancient outlet has hitherto been 
discovered. 

Amongst the lakes lying wholly upon Swiss territory that of Neuchatel is the 
largest. Like its neighbour of Geneva, it was far more extensive in a former age, 



Fig. 301. — Profile of the Lake of Geneva. 

Petit Lao 



Vntetuure 




BnrUantal Scale 1 : 650,000 (same as Map). Vertical Scale 1 : 320,000. 

for it included not only the two neighbouring Lakes of Biel (Bienne) and ilorat, 
but the whole of the plains to the south, as far as the height of land at Entre- 
Roches, and the swampy plains which stretch eastward to the valley of the 
Aar. Even during the present century it has happened sometimes, when the 
rainfall was exceptionally heavy, that the three lakes became once more united 
into one.t The damp land which separates the three lakes, and in the midst of 
which rise a few wooded hills — ancient islands or promontories — is known as the 
"See-land," or "Lake-land," and its cultivation has only been rendered possible 
by a carefully devised system of drainage. The banks of these lakes are low, 
and they are shallow. Whilst most of the Swiss lakes occupy deep cavities, with 
precipitous sides and a flat bottom, the three lakes of the plain are in manj- parts 
fringed by " white bottoms " (bkincs fotuh), covered only by a few feet of water, 
which, however, does not conceal the white-coloured mud beneath. Reeds grow in 
many places, and much of the shore is alternately a swamp or covered by the water 

• Fall of the Rhone between the lake and the month of the Arve (average}, 10'63 feet ; horse-power 
availalilc, 7,000 ; actually utilised, 400. 

^i 6q.m. Max. JW. ^f^dr!^ 

t Lake of Neuchatel 1,427 827 472 246 18,000 

Lake of Bid (Bienne) . 1,424 16-2 2fi3 130 1,680 

LakeofMorat . 1,427 10-4 167 98 81 



42G 



SWITZEELAND. 



of the lake, according to the season. As to the bed of the Lake of Neuchatel, far 
from being a uniform level, it consists of a succession of ridges, running in the same 
direction as the neighbouring chains of the Jura, and extending north-east into 
the Lake of Bienne, where one of them rises above the water, forming the island of 
St. Pierre. A similar ridge occupies the basin of the Lake of Morat. 

These three lakes of the Jura have grown much smaller during the historic 
period, the alluvium carried into them by torrents and the formation of bogs along 
their banks tending to the same result. Near the bridge over the Thiele, between 
the Lakes of Neuchatel and Bienne, and about 14,000 feet from the actual shore of 
the latter, piles have been discovered, which were evidently placed there when the 

Fig. 302. — The Lakes of Neuchatel, Bienne, and Mokat. 
Scale 1 : 626,000. 




C. PerroD 



. 10 jnies. 



The darker shade indicates a depth of over 328 feet. 



surrounding country was still under water. An abbey, built in 1100 close upon 
the shore of the lake, is now at a distance of 1,230 feet from it. Quite recently a 
shrinking of the Lake of Neuchatel has led to the discovery of pile dwellings, and 
of numerous prehistoric remains. This natural shrinking of the lakes is accele- 
rated by the "correction" of their emissaries. A fall of 10 feet in their level 
would result in the recovery of a considerable tract of land capable of being 
cultivated, whilst the drainage of the marshes which surround them would much 
improve the salubrity of the country. The bogs near the Lake of Morat, which 
formerly were frequently inundated by the Broye, have now been drained, and are 
being cultivated : the village of "Witzwyl and several farmsteads now occupy what 



i 



LiSRARy 

Oh THE 

UNIVERSlTy of JUINOIS, 




t3 

a 

H 

in 
O 

M 
W 
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a 

£-1 



RIYERS AND LAKES. 



427 



was not many years ago an nnproduclivo wasfo. Tlio Fppcr Tliiolo, wliich fli)ws 
into the Lake of Xeucliatcl, and the Broyc, a tributary of the Lake of Morat, 
frequently overflow their banks, and if it wore not for the lake reservoirs into 
which they discharge themselves, their floods would carry destruction far down 
the valley. "When these two rivers are in flood the Luke of Neuehatcl receives 
21,200 cubic feet of water every second, its discharge during the same time not 
exceeding 3,500 cubic feet. It is thus that lakes act as regulators of the flow of 
rivers. But the Aar, a powerful river, likewise traverses the plain of the lakes, or 
"Seeboden," and there is no lake to regulate its floods or to receive the alluvium 
carried along by it. Engineers are about to provide it with such a reservoir. A 
canal, connecting the Aar at Aarberg with the Lake of Bicnne, is designed to 
convey its flood waters into the latter ; whilst the Lower Thiele, converted into a 

Fig. 303. — The Lakes of Bhienz and Tuun. 
Scale 1 : '<CO,00a 



ruZ.t>tf 



n^ 





i SI lies. 



GJJa^o del 



The dark shading expresses a depth of over 660 feet. 



navigable canal, will regulate the discharge of the lake. In making the excava- 
tions for this canal a Roman tunnel, 2,800 feet in length, was discovered near the 
village of Hageneck, at a depth of 300 feet below the level of the di%'iding ridge. 

The redoubtable Aar is " regulated " in its upper course by the twin Lakes of 
Brienz and Thun. Formerly these two lakes formed one sheet of water, but 
during the glacial period immense quantities of mud and stones, the waste of the 
mountain masses of the Oberland, were carried down the valley of the Lutschine, 
and deposited in the very centre of the elongated lake, which was thus separated 
into two basins.* Denudation and deposition still proceed, though at a very slow 
rate, and both lakes are gradually being silted up. The Upper Aar, which enters 
the upper end of the Lake of Brienz, collects the debris throughout its basin, 
which includes the glacier of Unteraar, and, rushing over the Handeck Falls, 



Height aljove the sea, in feet . 
Average area, in square miles . 
Depth, greatest, in feet. . 
Depth, mean, in feet 
Contents, in million tons of wulor 



e of BrieDz. 


Luke of Thun 


1,853 


1,837 


110 


185 


856 


702 


6G0 


600 


G,000 


7,940 



428 



SWITZEELAND. 



deposits it in. the lake. Lower down, the Lake of Brienz is joined by the Lutschine, 
which is fed by the vast glaciers of the Oberland, including that of Grindelwald. 
Formerly this furious mountain torrent frequently devastated the country around 
Interlaken ; but about the middle of the thirteenth century it was confined within 
an artificial channel, and diverted by a direct course into the lake. Amongst the 
rivers which join the Lake of Thun the Kander is the most important. It brings 
down immense quantities of pebbles and mud. As recently as the beginning of 
last century it joined the Aar, about a mile below the town of Thun, but the sudden 



Fig. 304. — The Gkindelwald Glacier. 
Scale 1 : 100,000. 




_ 2 Miles. 



inundations which it caused were ot so disastrous a nature that the patricians of 
Bern caused it to be diverted into the lake. The roof of the tunnel which they 
constructed for that purpose has since fallen in, but the river continues to flow in 
the desired direction. The alluvium deposited by it covered an area of 142 acres 
in 1870, and, as the depth of the lake there cannot have been less than 200 feet, 
its mass may be estimated at 42,000,000 cubic yards. 

The ancient lakes which formerly extended along the foot of the Jura, below 
the confluence of the Aar and the Thiele, exist no longer. The alluvium carried 
down by torrents, the growth of peat mosses, and the labour of man have converted 



BIVEBS ANP LAKES. 429 

them into pasturc-lmids. All the small lakes of Northern Switzerland, ns those of 
Scmpach, Baldegg, Ilallwj-l, Grcillon, and Pfiitfikon, ns well as tlie three largo 
ones of Luzem, Zug, and Zurich, belong to the hydrographical domain of the Alps, 
or of their foot-hills. The junction between the river systems of the Alps and the 
Jura takes place at the triple confluence of the Aar, the Rouss, and the Liniraat. 
At a fonner geological epoch these three rivers flowed along the foot of the 
Jurassic ridge of the Liigern, towards the Lake of Constanz ; but in the end 
the united force of these rivers broke through the barrier of the Jura. Geo- 
graphically the passage which they opened for themselves forms the Gate of 
Switzerland to a traveller coming from the direction of Germany. 

The centre one of the rivers, the Heuss, is the effluent of the Lake of the 
Four Cantons, which of all the lakes of Switzerland most resembles a Norwegian 
fiord. Between Luzern and Brunncn, or between Kiissnacht and Stad, the lake 
appears to consist of a single sheet of water, but in reality it is formed of several 
separate basins, some joined to each other by narrow straits, others intersecting 
each other at right angles. At a former geological epoch, when the Lakes of 
Zug, Lowerz, Sarnon, and Lungern still formed part of the system of the Four 
Cantons, the labyrinth of these water-ways was even more intricate. Abrupt 
turnings, bold promontories, wide bays bordered by villages, glistening villas and 
sombre forests, cultivated fields and distant views of the Alps, are productive of 
the most picturesque efiects, and many there are in whose opinion this is the 
most beautiful lake in all Switzerland. Historical associations increase the 
interest with which we contemplate its beauties. Formerly the lake was popu- 
larly considered to be almost unfathomable, and fishermen seriously talked about 
abyssal depths of 5,000 feet. They believed that the steep precipices which bound 
it continued at the same gradient mitil they met beneath its waters. They do 
extend beneath the surface of the lake, but only as far as its flat bottom, which 
in the basin of Uri lies at a depth of Cl^ feet. The depth of the large basin is 
853 feet, that of the Lake of Zug 644 feet.* 

The lakes drained by the Limmat have a geological history similar to that of 
the twin Lakes of Brienz and Thun. They, too, were cut in two by alluvial 
masses carried down by the glaciers. The Lake of "Wallenstadt, or Wallen, most 
resembles an abyss. Bounded by the steep walls of the Churfirstcn, this narrow 
and sombre lake resembles a gorge which has been invaded by a river. And such 
has actually been the case. The Rhine, which now flows to the east of the 
mountain masses of Appcnzell and enters the Lake of Constanz, formerly flowed 
through the narrow mountain defile which opens to the south of the Churfirstcn, 
and, taking the direction of the river Linth, the Lake of Ziirich, and the present 
bed of the Limmat, it joined the Aar. A strip of alluvial land, about 43 miles 
in length, and only IG feet high in the centre, now separates the Rhine from 

• Height above the sea, in feet . 
Average area, in square miles . 
Depth, greatest, in feet .... 
Depth, average, in feet ■ . 
Contents, in million tons of water 
VOL. 11. F K 



Lake of Luicm. 


Lake of Zug. 


1,431 


1,367 


437 


14-7 


853 


644 


490? 


390 P 


16,950 


4,560 



430 



SWITZEELAND. 



its ancient bed. A flood of unusual height might some day enable it to overcome 
this obstacle, as very nearly happened in 1817 ; and, if once it resumed its ancient 
course, it might not again return to its present bed. The people of Ziirich fear 
such an event, and for this reason they offer the most powerful opposition to the 
construction of a canal which is to join the Linth to the Rhine, and the railway 
engineers were prevented from carrying their line through a cutting. 

Below the Lake of Wallenstadt commences the valley of the Linth, formerly a 
swamp, converted into dry land by the detritus washed down from the Alps of 
Glarus. The torrent which performed the greater portion of this geological work 
was formerly much dreaded on account of its sudden floods, which laid waste the 
fields, and decimated the population by breeding miasmatic fevers. The famous 



rig. 305.— The Swamps op the Linth. 

Scale 1 : 220,000. 




. 2 Miles. 



Swiss geologist, Escher, surnamed of the Linth, diverted the course of this river 
into the Lake of Wallenstadt, and canalised the sluggish Mag, which formerly 
meandered amongst swamps. The Limmat (Linth- Mag), which drains the Lake of 
Zurich, is joined in the suburbs of that town by the Sihl, a river which 
frequently overflows its banks, but which might easily be diverted into the lake. 

The Aar, haviag been reinforced by the Eeuss and the Limmat, is a larger 
river than the Rhine * at the confluence of the two rivers, but its course being 
more sinuous, and its valley of less importance than that of the smaller river, the 
name of the latter has been bestowed upon the united streams. In its general 

* Average volume of the Rhine at the confluence with the Aar, 15,010 cubic feet a second ; of the Aar, 
18,080 cubic feet. 



RIVERS AND LAKES. 



431 



features the Rhine bears a striking resemblance to the Rhone. Both rivers rise 
near the St. Gotthard, in a great transversal valley of the Central Alps ; both 
purify their waters in a large lake; and, in their passage through the same 
Jurassic range of mountains, fhey both form cataracts and waterfalls, though 
separated by that time by an interval of 180 miles. The elbow at Basel has its 
analogue in the elbow at Lyons. Both rivers then flow straight towards the 
sea, the one to the Mediterranean, the other to the German Ocean, and the volume 
of water they discharge is about tlie same. 

The principal head-stream of the Rhine is not the Vorder-Rhein, which rises in 
the neighbourhood of Andcrmatt, but the Hinter-Rhein, or Further Rhino, which 
has its source on the Adula. It is not " born amongst reeds," but rises from an 
icy cave, amidst a chaotic mass of rocks, rejoicing in the epithet of " Hell." Lower 



Fig. 306. — Thb Socrces op thb Rhine. 
Bade 1 : 926.000. 




10 Miles. 



down it traverses many another "hell," the most famous amongst which is the 
fearful gorge of the Via Mala, bounded by precipitous rocks rising to a height of 
1 ,500 feet. Immediately below that famous cleft in the mountains, within which 
the river is confined to a bed hardly 30 feet wide, the Rhine is joined by two 
mountain torrents. One of these is the Una, the waters of which are sometimes 
black as ink, owing to the triturated slate they hold in suspension ; the other is the 
Albula, or " white river," which is a more formidable stream than the Rliine itself. 
It issues from the gorge of Schyn, or Mai Pass, hardly less wild than that of the 
Via Mala, and exceedingly interesting on account of its geological formation. 
Formerly, before the Albula had opened itself a passage through this gorge, it 
flowed north, in the direction of Chur. 

The Rhine, now an imposing river, flows past the piled-up rock masses of the 

F F 2 



432 SWITZERLAND. 

Calanda, and is joined by several valleys, amongst which that of the Tamina is best 
kno^vn on account of its overhanging rocks, at whose foot rise the thermal springs of 
Pfaffers. The Rhine then flows through a wide alluvial plain, and below Sargans, 
where its old bed branches off to the left, in the direction of the Lake of "Wallen- 
stadt (see p. 429), it enters the ancient lake basin, now to a great part filled up by 
its alluvium. This filled-up basin is more extensive than that of the Rhone above 
the Lake of Geneva, its area amounting to no less than 116 square miles, and it is 
continually encroaching upon the Lake of Constanz. A few isolated hills, not yet 
destroyed by errosive action, rise in the midst of this vast alluvial plain. The 
river, which here forms the boundary between Switzerland and Austria, frequently 
overflows Its banks, and the maintenance of embankments * and the drainage of the 
land require unremitting attention, in spite of which the Rhine has repeatedly 
broken through the barriers which confine it, and excavated itself a new bed. 
In many parts of the vaUey the average level of the river is from 6 feet to 10 feet 
higher than the adjoining plain. When building a bridge near Buchs, an old 
stone embankment was discovered at a depth of 16 feet below the actual level of 
the valley. 

The Lake of Constanz is the remnant of a vast sheet of water which formerly 
stretched from the Swabian Jura to the mountains of the Tyrol. It is a German 
lake rather than a Swiss one, and its German name, Bodensee, is derived from a 
small village at its north-western extremity. In its general features it resembles 
the Lake of Geneva, but it is smaller and more shallow. Its waters present the 
phenomenon of seiches, locally known as Ruhssen. Its elevation above the sea 
being greater than that of the Lake of Geneva, and its position more northerly and 
less sheltered against cold easterly winds, ice forms along its banks nearly every 
winter, and five times in the course of the last four centuries the lake was frozen 
over entirely. 

The Lake of Geneva formerly discharged its waters Into the Rhine, whilst the 
Lake of Constanz was tributary to the Danube. Subsequently, after the latter lake 
had become a member of the basin of the Rhine, its waters discharged themselves, 
towards the north-west, through the arm now known as the Lake of TJeberlingen. 
At the present time the lake overflows through a canal 2J miles in length 
iato the Untersee, or Lower Lake, which may almost be looked upon as a distinct 
lake, as it lies about 3 feet below the Bodensee. It is much shallower. For- 
merly its waters escaped through a vaUey now occupied by the rivers Aach and 
Biber, but they now Issue from the south-western corner of the lake at Stein. In 
its passage through the Jurassic hUls below that town the current of the river is 
strong. At Schaff hausen a forsaken bed of the river, now known as the Klettgau, 
branches off on the right. A short distance below that town, close to the old castle 
of Laufen, the Rhine plimges over a ledge of rock and forms a waterfall 66 feet in 
height. In the midst of the foaming waters rise two jagged rocks, the one 
pierced by a natural tunnel, through which the waters rush when the river is In 

* Lake of Constanz (or Bodensee) t-^Height above the sea, 1,306 feet ; area (average), 208 square 
nnles ; depth, greatest, 906 feet ; depth, average, 490 feet ; contents, in tons of water, 80,850 millions. 



RIVEKS AKD T.AKl'.S. 488 

flood, and both covered with shrubs, whose leaves are over moistened by tho mist 
which perpetually hangs over tho fulls and is drifted about by the wind. Tho Falla 
of Laufeu, frequently called after tho neighbouring town of Schufi'hausen, are the 
most considerable of Europe, no less than 330 tons of water, on an average, roaring 
over them every second. They set in motion the wheels of numerous factories. 
Above its junction with the Aar the lUiiuo is joined by the Thur, an impetuous 
river, which frequently overflows its banks. 

Below the Aar the Rhino has still to surmount several obstacles before it 
reaches tho plain. It forms a few small rapids, known as the Kleine Laufen. They 
present no obstacle to vessels descending tho river, but the Great Rapids, or 
Grosse Laufen, near Laufenberg, interrupt navigation. The Rhine by this time 
has traversed the whole width of the Jura. It flows over a bed of granite con- 
nected with the Black Forest, and enters a natural region very diflerent from 
Switzerland. Soon after, at Basel, the river turns abruptly towards the north, and 
intersects the wide plain of Alsatia and Baden, bounded on the one side by the 
Vosges, on the other by the Black Forest. Two-thirds of the surface drainage of 
Switzerland pass beneath the arches of the bridge of Basel. The volume of the 
Rhine, not including the water conveyed into it by tributaries not fed from Swiss 
sources, is double that of all the other rivers of Switzerland (Rhone, Ticino, 
Maggia, and Inn) at the spots where they leave Swiss territory.* 

• Average volume of the rivers of Switzerland at the Swiss frontiers, as determined by a Federal 
Commission in 1871 (cubic feet per second) :—Khine, 28,854; Rhone, 9,535; Ticino (Tessin), J,708 ; 
Haggia, 2,190 ; Verzasca, 353 ; Inn, 1,765 ; minor rivers, 424 ; total, 46,829. 

The volume of the Rhine at Basel, including the water conveyed into it by its Grennan tributaries, is 
35,300 cubic feet a second. 




CHAPTER V. 

CLIMATE, FAUNA, AND FLORA.* 




HE variety in the vertical configuration, of the country materially 
affects its climate, and nearly every valley and every mountain side 
has a climate of its own. Speaking in a general way, we may observe 
that the climate in the Jura and on the northern slope of the 
Alps is far more inclement than would be exiDected from the 
latitude, whilst the towns on the southern slopes, being protected against 
northerly winds, enjoy a milder climate than other places equally distant from 
the equator, but situated on an open plain. Thus, whilst the mean annual 
temperature at Locarno, on the bank of the Lago Maggiore, amounts to 55° 
Fahr., that of the Swiss plain, between the Lakes of Geneva and Constanz, 
does not exceed 49° Fahr. In fact, every place in Switzerland has its distinct 
climate, t On ascending a mountain the mean annual temperature decreases 
1° Fahr. for every 349 feet we ascend. This is the average, the extremes 
being 300 and 419 feet, according to the locality. The mean annual temperature 
on the passes of the St. Gotthard and Simplon is not much below freezing point ; 
that on the St. Bernard is considerably less. The mean temperature of the 
Monte Rosa and of the highest peaks of the Oberland has been estimated at 
6" Fahr., which is the climate of Greenland or the Arctic regions. The average 
height of the snow- line is 9,180 feet, but in exceptionally warm summers the 

* H. C. Lomtard, " Les Climats des Montagnes ; " Dufour, " Eecherches sur le Fohn du 23 Sept., 
1866, en Suisse ; " Tschudi, " Des TTuerleten der Alpenwelt." 

Meteokological Table. 









Height. 


Mean Temperature (Degrees Pahr.) 


Precipitation 


Lat. N. Feet. 


January. July. Year. 


Inches. 


Basel, 47° 34' . . . . 804 


31° 66° 48° 


25 


St. Gallen, 47° 26' 






1,810 


29° 65° 49° 


— 


Zurich, 47° 23' 






1,420 


29° 66° 48° 


33 


Bern, 46° 57' . 






1,910 


27° 63° 46° 


46 


Chur, 46° 50' . 






2,000 


29° 66° 49° 


— 


Neuchatel, 46° 49' 






1,440 


33° 64° 47° 


— 


Lausanne, 46° 31' 






1,640 


30° 64° 49° 


40 


Geneva, 46° 12' 






1,330 


31° 5' 64° 48° 


32 


St. Gotthard, 46° 3 


V 




7,090 


18° 46° 30° 


— 


St. Bernard, 45° 50 






8,170 


15° 43° 28° 


61 



CLIMATE, FAUNA, AND FLORA. 



486 



snows completely melt away on summits having an altitude of over 11,000 
feet ; and even the jagged rocks of the ilischabel, which rise to a height of 14,000 
feet, may then occasionally bo seen without a patch of snow. 

The mountains of Switzerland intercept winds and clouds, and tho amount 
of precipitation is consequently more considerable than in tho neighbouring 
countries. Dense fogs frequently drift over tho swampy plains, the lakes, or 
shut-in valleys, but, as a rule, tho sky is rather loss clear half-way up tho moun- 
tains than either in tho lowlands or upon tho mountain summits. The clouds 
are generallv intercepted by tho mountains at an elevation of 5,000 feet, and 
then descend in rains. Higher up, precipitation, in the form of snow, is less 
abundant. The annual rainfall varies in the plain of Switzerland between 25 

Fig. 307. — Rain Map op Switzerland. 



I«- 


!»• 


!«• 


,r 


.riotr. 




=^ 




^!§^t— 7/ 


M 


^^ 


:: J 


jfcl ^ £^^^ 


- 


.-.1,-ii.i 1,1.1: 


t - 




.J 


1 


J*^^^~ — 


— -.^^^fcfc^fc^f^ 




^ 






Cf 



il h ,1 /( tl I h 




tfc '*-w 



^ 



^ 



80— to in. 



60-80 in. 



and 4G inches. This is far more than falls in France, but very much less than 
falls on the upper mountain slopes. On the Pass of St. Bernard the annual 
amount of precipitation, including rain and snow, exceeds 5 feet. Agassiz 
saw more than 56 feet of snow fall upon the passes in a single winter. On 
the southern slope of the Alps, in the valley of tho Ticino, the rainfall resulting 
from the contact of warm winds witli the cold mountain slopes is more consider- 
able still, and sometimes exceeds 9 feet in the course of a single year. 

Proportionately to its area, Switzerland receives a greater quantity of rain than 
any other country in Europe ; and the quantity of water which flows down its 
rivers to the sea is very considerable. The combined volume of these rivers, 
which flow to the north, west, and south — into Germany, France, and Italy — is 
four times greater than that of the rivers of France, always bearing in mind 



436 SWITZEELAND. 

the difference between the areas of the two countries. In addition to these 
rivers, which carry fertility to distant countries, Switzerland possesses in its lakes 
and glaciers vast reservoirs of water. 

North-easterly and south-westerly winds prevail, as in France and Germany, 
and the conflict between the polar and equatorial currents is going on perpetually 
and with varying success. Mountains and valleys, however, by intercepting 
or turning aside the atmospheric currents, produce the most extraordinary 
irreo-ularities. Sometimes a violent wind blows on a pass, whilst in the vaUey 
below the air is calm, or moving gently in an inverse direction. It is by no 
means rare for a northerly wind to penetrate some valley from the south, or 
for a westerly wind to do so from the east. Moreover, in all the valleys which 
are bounded by high mountains, the wind must either blow up or down. In 
the canton of Valais, for instance, the winds either blow from the west or from 
the east ; whilst in the valley of the Rhine, between Chur and the Lake of 
Constanz, only northerly and southerly winds are known, and the same is the case 
in the valley of the Ticino, between the St. Gotthard and the Lago Maggiore. 

The general law in accordance with which the winds blow down the hills 
durinc the night and in the morning, and up the hills during the heat of the 
day, has been observed to prevail throughout Switzerland, and more especially 
on the lakes, where fishermen are obKged to pay special attention to this 
phenomenon. Except when interfered with by general atmospheric currents, 
a breeze begins to blow every afternoon from the bottom of the lake towards the 
mountains, the air above which has become rarefied through the heat of the sun. 
After sunset the mountains cool suddenly, and during the night the wind blows 
down the lake. Local circumstances, such as temperature and configuration of 
the mountains, cause the hour of change to vary for each lake basin. Thus in 
the canton of Ticino, where the steep slopes are exposed to the full heat of the 
sun, the breva, or uphill breeze, begins to blow at eleven in the forenoon, whilst 
the contrary current sets in early in the evening. On the Lakes of Ziirich and 
Constanz, which occupy valleys open towards the west, and are surrounded by 
mountains of less height, and less exposed to the rays of the sun, the breezes set 
in several hours later. 

The fdhn, known to the Romans as/avonins, brings about the most sudden 
changes of temperature, and disturbs more than any other wind the general 
equilibrium of the atmosphere. This wind, so much dreaded and yet so bene- 
ficent, has been a subject of frequent discussion amongst meteorologists. Dove, 
Miihry, and others look upon the fcihn as a tropical counter- current of the 
trade winds. Others, including Escher of the Linth and Desor, believe that it 
originates in the Sahara, and flows in towards the area of low atmospheric 
pressure in "Western Europe. M. L. Dufour, who most carefully investigated the 
fohn of the 23rd of September, 1866, found that the meteorological conditions of 
Algeria coincided on that day in the most striking manner with those of Switzer- 
land, both countries having been visited by the same tempest. The fohn usually 
blows in winter or in early spring, and difiers much according to season or 



CLIMATE, FAUNA, AND FLORA. 



487 



locality. As a rule it is hot, dry, and enervating. During its passage over the 
high Alps it cools, and causes heavy rains to fall upon the Monte Rosa and other 
summits of Ticino ; but, as it plunges down again into the valleys, it regains its 
heat by condensation, and blows warm. It is the fiihn which melts most of the 
snow in spring, sometimes in the course of a few hours laying bare extensive 
mountain slopes. " Without the fiihn," stiy the peasants of the Orisons, " neither 
God nor the golden sun would prevail over the snow." But this wind, so beneficent 
on many occasions, is terrible in its fury. "Woo to the vessel that ventures upon 
a lake exposed to its full blast. It lashes the surface of the water into mighty 
waves, and converts the lake into a culdrou of seething water. 

As we rise from one climatic zone to the other, all that has life in it — plants, 

Fil?. SP*. — A C.*"1N "K T!IK Am'TNF ('ivI', with f VtVW "!■ TUF AlTFI* AM> CNv M TFMIOHV. 




animals, and human beings — diminishes. Nearly the whole of the population of 
Switzerland has settled down in the plains, in the hilly regions, and in the 
valleys which extend into the Alps. A contour-line drawn at a definite height 
along the mountain slopes would mark, in many parts, the upper limit of human 
habitations. There is only one town, viz. Chaux-de-Fonds, in the Jura of 
Neuchatel which has been built at an elevation of more than 3,200 feet, and that 
almost in despite of the climate. Many villages in the Alpine valleys have an 
elevation of between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, and in the dreary valley of Avers, 
which is tributary to the Vorder-Ilhein, where the year is made up of 
"nine months of winter and three of cold," wo meet with the hamlet of Juf, 
inhabited by descendants of German settlers. Juf, at an elevation of 6,700 feet 
above the sea-level, is the highest village in Europe permanently inhabited. 



438 SWITZERLAND. 

The hospice of the Great St. Bernard, at a still higher elevation (8,108 feet), is 
open throughout the year for the reception of travellers crossing the pass. A 
few huts have been built even beyond the limits of perennial snow as places of 
shelter for mountain climbers. The most elevated amongst these is the one on 
the Matterhorn, which stands at a height of 12,790 feet. 

It is well known that the climate exercises a most potent influence upon the 
inhabitants of the upper valleys. The movmtaineers, as a rule, are stouter and 
heavier-limbed than the dwellers in the plain. Owing to the light air they breathe, 
they are less subject to maladies ; and consumption, which carries o£F so many 
victims in "Western Europe, is hardly known amongst them. Experience has 
clearly established this fact, and thousands of consumptive patients now pass the 
winter in the midst of snow and ice, in the villages of the valley of Davos and in 
the Grisons, which have an elevation of 5,080 feet.* On the other hand, the 
deaths from lung diseases and pleurisy increase with the altitude. These diseases 
are contagious amongst the mountaineers, and are much dreaded. In German 
Switzerland they are known as A/peiisfic/i, or " stroke of the Alps." Asthma, 
scrofula, and rheumatism are more frequent in the Alpine valleys than in the 
plains. In damp places deficient in sunshine, and more especially where the 
water runs over magnesian rocks, many of the inhabitants are afflicted with wens 
or suffer from cretinism. Cleanliness, however, and an improved diet, cause these 
diseases to diminish from year to year. 

Bodily and mental afflictions are more frequent in Switzerland than in the 
neighbouring countries, and only the number of blind is less.t But Switzerland 
possesses, in its diversified climate, varying with the elevation above the sea, the 
most powerful means of combating these maladies. By a change of residence we 
may obtain lighter air, more warmth, or less moisture. Jean Jacques Rousseau 
clearly perceived these advantages when he expressed his surprise that " bathing 
in the salubrious and beneficial mountain air had not yet become one of the great 
resources of medical science or of moral education." The wish of the great 
philosopher has been amply fulfilled, and thousands of our townsfolk now annually 
visit Switzerland in search of bodily, if not of moral strength ; and they crowd the 
great hotels on the mountains and in the valleys, on the Rigi, the Seelisberg, 
the Muverau, the Bellalp, and many others, where a prospect may be enjoyed of the 
Monte Rosa or of the snow-clad peaks of the Bernese Oberland. The watering- 
places of the country, such as Schinznach, Baden, Pfaffers, Leuk (Loueche), or 
St. Moritz, are quite as much indebted to the pure mountain air for their success 
as to the character of their water. As to the mountaineers themselves, they are 
always having " changes of air," though by no means for the sake of their health. 

• Deaths from consumption amongst a thousand inhabitants : — All Switzerland, 77 ; Basel (836 feet), 
106 ; Geneva (1,230 feet), 101 ; Valais (1,640 feet), 49 ; Fribourg (2,060 feet), 37 ; Zug (1,670 feet), 17. 
In England the proportion is 1 24 per mille. 

t Insane, in the canton of Bern, according to Dr. Fetscherin (1871), 1,292, or 1 in 391 ; idiots, 1,512, 
or 1 in 335 ; idiots in Switzerland (census of 1870), 7,764, or 1 in 344 ; deaf and dumb, 6,544, or 1 in 408 ; 
blind, 2,032, or 1 in 1,313. 

In France the number of deaf and dumb is only one-fifth of the above, but the blind are slightly more 
numerous. 



CLIMATE. FAUNA, AND FLORA. 439 

They ascend the mouutaius to mow the grass ; retiu-u to the lowlands to attend to 
their vineyards ; and grow their oats and potatoes at some intermediate point. In 
the Valais we meet with numerous parish communities alternately inhabiting 
three distinct villages, according to the season. 

It would not by any means be easy to trace the upper limits of various zones 
of vegetation, for local conditions, exposure to the sun, and human industry or 
interference bring about numerous exceptions. Even at Juf, far above the region 
of forests, the perseverance of the inhabitants compels the soil to yield a few 
vegetables. On the southern slope of the Alps, and in the valleys of the Valais 
(Wallis), which are sheltered against northerly winds, the vegetation ascends to a 
greater height than in German Switzerland. The vine, for instance, flourishes on 
the slope of Monte Rosa up to a height of 2,950 feet, whilst in the canton of St. 
Gall it cannot be grown beyond 1,700 feet. In Northern Switzerland cereals can 
be gro\\'n up to 3,600 feet, whilst rye succeeds up to 5,900 feet in the Grisons, and 
up to 6,500 feet on the slopes of ilonte Rosa. Irrespectivelj^ of exceptional cases, 
we mav sav that cultivation in Switzerland ceases at 3,940 feet. About one- 
half of the country lies thus above the region of agriculture, and much of the lower 
land is either unfit for cultivation or covered with lakes or forests. Fields, pro- 
perly so called, only occupy the seventh part of it, and they diminish almost every 
year, as meadows prove more remunerative. Next to Norway, Switzerland, of all 
European countries, derives least support from its agricultural resources, and 
nearly half the bread eaten by the inhabitants is imported from abroad. 

The great wealth of the country consists of its forests, its meadows, and its 
mountain pastures ; for trees cover one-sixth of the total area, and pastures nearly 
one-third. In the Valais, in the Grisons, and in the Ticino we find many barren 
slopes, but, as a rule, the mountains of Switzerland are distinguished for their 
verdure. The lower slopes are covered with forests, their upper ones with aro- 
matic herbs and grasses ; and their freshness and beauty impress us all the more if 
we call up in our mind the tottering precipices of the Alps of the Dauphine, the 
scorched rocks of the Apennines clad with meagre shrubs, or the dreary sierras 
of Spain, ashy-coloured or of a glaring red. The oak is comparatively rare in 
Switzerland, but nearly all the other forest trees of the lowlands of Europe 
ornament its valleys and the lower spurs of the Alps. The walnut-tree 
grows to an enormous size ; beeches and chestnut-trees cover the slopes a 
little higher up ; and to these succeed black woods of firs and pines, the most cha- 
racteristic trees of Switzerland. Higher still we meet with larches, the wood of 
which is highly valued, until at last the creeping pine alone is capable of success- 
fully struggling against the wind and the cold. Its roots are longer than its 
branches, and these latter repose flat upon the ground amongst a carpet of rhodo- 
dendrons, and are thus protected against the violence of the storms. Formerly 
the forests extended higher up the hillsides, either owing to the refrigera- 
tion of the climate, as some meteorologists assert, or, what is more probable, 
because of the wanton destruction of forests by man, for a single tree soon perishes 



440 SWITZEELAND. 

where an entire forest would survive. The trunks of trees discovered in peat 
mosses prove conclusively that the slopes of Val Piora and of the Lukmanier were 
formerly covered with forests up to a height of 7,200 feet, where only pastures are 
found now. The upper limit of the forests has retired no less than 1,300 feet. 

As we ascend the mountains the minor flora likewise changes its character. 
Down in the valleys carefully manured meadows yield abundant crops of hay, hut 
hio-her up our grasses disappear, and species of arctic plants take their place. In 
spring the herds of cows leave the stables in which they pass the long winter, 
and, headed by a " leader " crowned with flowers and furnished with melodious 
bells, they depart for the Alps. They stay for some time on the lower pastures, 
but when the snow melts away from the upper slopes they mount higher and 
higher in search of the aromatic herbs which impart so delicious a flavour to the 
milk they give. Every patch of pasture is made use of ; and if cattle cannot reach 
it, sheep or goats are taken thither, the herdsman frequently carrying the animals 
upon his back. On the approach of winter the herds once more return to the 
valleys, and the Alps are given up to solitude. 

Far below the upper limit of mosses and other arctic plants animal life has 
ceased to exist in the mountains of Switzerland. Only about thirty species of 
insects and arachnidoe venture into the regions of persistent snows, which extend 
from 9,100 feet upwards. Between 9,800 and 10,800 feet we meet only with a 
few spiders. A field rat (Arvicola nivalis) has been seen at an elevation of 13,000 
feet above the sea, but it has not yet been determined whether this little animal, 
which burrows its holes beneath ice and snow, lives permanently at such a height, 
or only visits such altitudes occasionally during summer. Not only quadrupeds 
and other land animals diminish with the height, but also fishes. The small lakes 
above 6,900 feet, which are frozen during a great part of the year, are very poor 
in them. 

Many plants have disappeared during the historical epoch, more especially 
species peculiar to heaths, swamps, and lakes, and the huntsmen have exterminated 
several beasts which formerly inhabited the forests and the mountain sides. The 
bison, or auroch, and the beaver, still numerous during the Middle Ages, exist no 
longer. No deer has been seen in Switzerland for more than a century ; the roe 
and wild boar have become exceedingly scarce, if they have not disappeared alto- 
gether ; and it is very doubtful whether a tortoise was seen a short time ago, as 
asserted. There stiU remain a few wild goats and wild cats. "Wolves are more 
numerous, and frequently invade the sheepfolds. The last bear was killed in 
AppenzeU in 1673 ; and as those in the Grisons, in Ticino, and in the Upper Yalais 
are sure of early extermination, the city of Bern will have to send to Asia or 
Africa for its symbolical animals. The chamois, or gemsbuck, is being pursued to 
extermination — eight himdred and twenty of these animals were killed in 1876 — 
and the time is not very distant when the Swiss mountains will be inhabited only 
by herds of domesticated animals. 

Birds of prey^ and more especially the lammergeier, or bearded vulture, which 
sometimes attacks even children, are diminishing too, but there is no reason to 



CLIMATE, FAUNA, AND FLORA. 



441 



suppose that even a single species has been exterminated. The species of birds are 
three times more numerous than the species of all otlicr vertebrate animals together, 
but three-fourths of these are merely birds of passage or occasional visitors, which 
make their home in Switzerland during w^ter or summer. Looking to the geo- 
graphical position of Switzerland, in the verj' centre of the temperate zone, and to 
its bold mountain ranges, it is easily understood why so large a variety of birds of 
passage should temporarily stay in its valleys. These birds, when crossing from 
one slope of the Alps to the other, will naturally seek out the lowest depressions ; 
and the Pass of St. Gotthard, with the valley of the Rcuss leading up to it from the 
north, and that of the Ticino from the south, forms one of the great high-roads 
most frequented by those winged migrants. The high valleys at Urseren and 
Andermatt afford convenient resting-places, and it is there that Swiss ornitholo- 
gists have captured some of their most valued specimens. These birds, indeed, 
pointed out to man, long before Alpine roads were thought of, the easiest passages 
across the mountains. 




CHAPTER VI.* 
THE PEOPLE. 




] HE plains of Switzerland were inhabited centuries before the time to 
which our most ancient historical documents go back. Even 
the ages which intervened between the two glacial periods saw 
man encamped in the valleys of the Alps. At Yizzicone, on the 
Italian slope, the beds formed by moraines belonging to these two 
periods are separated by a layer of lignite, within which has been found a mat 
made of rush. Branches cut off from firs have been discovered in a sedimentary 
deposit dating back to the interglacial period, at the eastern extremity of the Lake 
of Ziirich ; and Herr Riittmeyer feels convinced that these branches were to be 
used for making baskets or a hedge, and prove the existence of man at that remote 
age. When the Romans took possession of the country several epochs of civilisa- 
tion had already successively passed over it without a line to record what had 
happened, and it is only in our own days that evidence of these past ages has been 
discovered in caverns, in the lakes, and in the peat bogs. The first remains of 
human beings, together with their primaeval implements, were discovered in 
caverns. At Veyrier, near Mont Saleve, Messrs. Gosse and Thioly discovered 
human bones and implements made of the horns of reindeer, which afford us a 
glimpse into the life led by these troglodytse. Other caverns at Thayngen, near 
Schafi"hausen, which were inhabited during the reindeer period, have yielded 
veritable treasures, including a bone upon which an artist of that bygone age has 
rudely engraved the figure of a reindeer. Of the mammals which then inhabited 
Switzerland there now remain only three, viz. the stag, the wild cat, and the wolf. 
The southern slopes of the Alps appear to have been inhabited by men of a 
different race, perhaps by Etruscans, and of these, too, prehistoric remains have been 
discovered. One of the tributary valleys of the Maggia, the Val Lavizzara, or 
"potters' valley," is thus named on accoimt of a soft stone, which was formerly 
made into pots. It is very probable that this name refers to an epoch of primitive 

* Eiitimeyer, "AtcIut. fiir Anthropologie," VIII. ; " Veranderungen der Thierwelt der Schweiz;" 
RazoumoTsky, " Histoire Naturelle du Jura ; " F. Keller, " Die Keltischen Pfahlbauten in der Schweiz ; " 
Troyon, "Habitations Lacustres;" Oswald Heer, "Die Pflanzen der Pfahlbauten ; " A. Heim, "Fund 
aus der Kenthierzeit." 



THE PEOPLE. 



448 



^ig. 309.— The Lakb op Pfaffikon. 
Scale 1 : GS,000. 



»• !6XotP«pi 



civilisation, when man, not yet acquainted with the potter's wheel and the burning 
of chiy, made his vessels of stone. 

When the reindeer had disappeared, the glaciers had retired up the valleys, 
and the mosses of Lapland had been superseded by forests and grasses, the country 
was inhabited by a different race, known to us as the Lake dwellers. Swiss 
fishermen liad long been acquainted with the fact that there existed rows of piles 
in the shallow bays of some of the lakes, but they had no notion of their origin, 
and the archfpologists of the neighbourhood merely looked upon them as the 
remains of Roman embankments. Razoumovsky, towards the close of the last 
century, correctlj' guessed their origin, 
but his explanation passed into oblivion 
until an unexpected discovery enabled the 
learned to arrive at the truth. During 
the whiter of lSo3-0-l the level of the 
Lake of Ziirich fell much more than is 
ordinarily the case. The inhabitants of 
Obermcilen availed themselves of this op- 
portunity, and, by throwing up embank- 
ments in advance of the old coast, they 
managed to secure a considerable tract of 
land. On this land, beneath a layer of 
mud, were discovered pieces of charcoal, 
stones blackened in the fire, cut bones, 
and utensils of every description, which 
clearly showed that a village had an- 
ciently existed there. Herr Ferdinand 
Keller carefully examined these remains, 
and soon after made known the result of 
his examination in a work on " Celtic Pile 
Dwellings in the Swiss Lakes." This 
was the starting-point in a subject of 
inquiry which has largely contributed 
towards laying the foundations of the 
new science of prehistoric anthropology. 

It was no difficult task to reconstruct 
the pile dwellings of the.se distant ages. 

The carbonised beams discovered amongst the piles clearly belonged to a platform 
constructed a few feet above the water. Interlaced branches and fragments of 
clay hardened in the fire formed the circular walls of the huts, whose conical 
roof was constructed of reeds, straw, or bark. The stones of the hearth have 
fallen beneath the place which they formerly occupied. Vessels of clay, heaps of 
leaves and moss, which served as beds, arms, trophies of the chase, such as the 
antlers of stags or the heads of bisons, which ornamented the walls — they all have 
been discovered embedded in the mud. In the peat bogs which formerly were 




jMiIra 



m^ 



Swamps. 



Islands TTith pile 
dwell UigB. 



Woods. 



444 



S'^^TZEIlLAND. 



covered by the Lake of Pfaffikon, even stuffs made of flax and hemp, and pieces 
of carbonised wheaten bread, have been discovered. By the side of the piles we 
are still able to identify dug-out trunks of trees which were used as boats, whilst 
rows of piles indicate the position of a bridge which connected the pile village 
with the mainland. In a few instances an estimate of the number of houses and 
of their inhabitants could be made. Fp to the present time no less than two 
hundred of these villages have been discovered in the Swiss lakes, some of them 
having as many as five hundi-ed houses. The population of these villages, which 
need not, however, have existed simultaneously, may be estimated at 100,000 souls. 
This much is certain, that these lake dwellers of Central Europe were perpetually at 



Fig. 310. — The Pile Dwellings of Simtzerland. 
Scale 1 : 2,200,000. 




60 Miles. 



war with each other, and that, like the Papuans and Dayaks of our own day, they 
built their houses in the midst of the waters in order to be secure against sudden 
attacks. 

The only lakes of Switzerland in which no remains of pile dwellings have 
hitherto been discovered are those which are very deep throughout, as the Lake 
of Lugano, or which are in the cold zone, as those of Thun and Brienz. Lake 
dwellings, some on piles, others placed on heaps of stone, bordered nearly the whole 
of the shore of the Lakes of Neuchatel, Biel (Bienne), and Morat (Murten). 
Nearly one-half of all those known to exist in Switzerland were discovered there. 
But they are not the oldest, it appears, for it is principally on the banks of the 
Lakes of Ziirich and Constanz that pile dwellings belonging to the stone age are 



Till-: I'KOl'I.K. 416 

met with. M. Troyon has calcuhito<i, from flic nilo at which alluvial mud is being 
deposited between the old pile village near Chamblon and the actual southern 
extremity of the Lake of Ncuchutel, that that village must have been built 3,;5(H) 
years ago. The climate and flora of Switzerland were at that time pretty much 
what they are now, except that water-chestnuts and water-lilies grew abundantly in 
the lake, where they are no longer met with. All the cultivated plants belonged 
to species which still exist in the country, but they were less productive. Cereals 
and vegetables have been much improved since that time, and the grains of the 
former arc now larger and heavier. The animals were the same as now, ^v^th the 
addition of the aurochs and the marsh pig, which have disappeared, and the bison, 
the elk, and the beaver, which have retired to other parts of Europe. Domestic 
fowls had not yet been introduced from the East. Curiously enough, no bones of 
hares have been discovered near the pile villages. Perhaps the lake dwellers 
looked upon this animal as impure, as do the Laplanders of our own day, and 
rejected it as an article of food. The cave dwellers of Thayngen had no such 
scruples, for the bones of hares abound there. 

The progress from the stone age to the ages of bronze and iron took place 
either gradually through the influence of commerce, or it was brought about 
abruptly by foreign invaders. Coarse earthenware, dating back to the time of 
the Romans, proves that the lake dwellings were still inhabited at the beginning 
of the Christian era. Many of them exist virtually to the present day, for towns 
have arisen in their places. Zurich occupies the site of a lake village dating back 
to the stone age, whilst during the age of bronze there existed pile dwelUngs on 
the site now occupied by Geneva. 

To what race of man belonged the first inhabitants of the Swiss lakes ? We 
do not know. MM. Riitimeyer, Keller, and other savants competent to form an 
opinion, look upon the dwellers in these villages as the ancestors of the modern 
Swiss. Others believe that tliese autochthons were Fins, or perhaps Iberians. 
According to them the Celts arrived subsequently, cither during the bronze age, 
or during that of iron, and they exterminated the aboriginal inhabitants. These 
invaders, the Helvetians, whose name (Elvii or Elvetii) probably means herdsmen, 
conferred the name of Ilelvetia upon the region of the Central Alps, a name which 
survives to the present day. The Celtic names of their villages, the shape of their 
weapons, the crescents which they wore as amulets, and their custom of burning 
the dead — all this proves their Gallic origin. The cultivated plants and the 
domesticated animals, of which remains have been discovered in their pile 
dwellings, prove conclusively that they carried on commercial intercourse with 
Mediterranean countries. 

The Celtic tribes — viz. the ITelvetlans of the plains and the Ilauracians of the 
Tura — occupied, however, only "Western Switzerland, the more mountainous regions 
in the east being held by men of a difi"erent race. Many names of villages prove 
to us that the country to the east of a sinuous line drawn from the St. Gotthard 
and the Bernese Alps to the mountains of St. Gall and Appenzell was occupied by 

VOL. II. G o 



446 SWITZERLAND. 

Rhsetians, or Rotes, who were either a Celtic tribe or the ancestors of the 
Etruscans. When the great migration of peoples took place, the German 
invaders proved sufficiently numerous to force their language and customs upon 
the Celts who had preceded them. The territories invaded by Alemanni and 
Franks form the German Switzerland of the present day, whilst that portion of 
ancient Helvetia which is now known as French Switzerland was conquered by 
the Burgundians, who soon became merged in the Latinised population of the 
country. The Aar forms approximately a natural frontier between the Alemanni 
and the Burgundians. 

M. His, who has examined a large number of skulls found in old sepulchres, 
distinguishes four types, viz. those of Sitten (Sion) , Hohberg, Disentis, and Belair. 
These types still exist amongst the present inhabitants of Switzerland. The skull 
of Sitten is Celtic : it is long and wide, with a rounded top. The skull of Hohberg 
is long and narrow, and resembles the skulls discovered in Roman tombs. The 
skull of Belair is of middling length, and is Burgundian ; the square skulls of 
Disentis are Alemannic. This latter type pi-evails throughout Switzerland as well 
as in the whole of Southern Germany. 

No notable changes have taken place in the population of Switzerland since 
the great migration, except that there has been an expansion in the direction of the 
mountain valleys, which were not formerly cultivated. The descendants of the 
ancient Rhsetians, who formerly inhabited the lower plains, appear to have been 
gradually driven into the hills by conquering Franks and Alemanni. It is said 
that the valley of the Reuss, in the canton of Uri, was occupied by German 
settlers only in the eighth century. Several of the plateaux of the Jura remained 
even longer in a state of nature, for the serfs belonging to the monasteries only 
settled in these sombre forests towards the close of the tenth century. Sub- 
sequentlj% in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, francs habergeants, for the 
most part natives of Geneva, settled in the Jura, and, in consideration of their 
bringing the land under cultivation, the seigneurs exempted them from the 
principal taxes as well as from corporal punishment. 

According to mediaeval legends, another ethnical element is said to have become 
merged in those which form the bulk of the inhabitants of Switzerland. In many 
parts of the Valais there are buildings said to have been erected by Saracens, and 
it is asserted that these invaders have left visible traces of their presence amongst 
the inhabitants of some of the more remote valleys. This much is certain, that 
the Mussulmans made frequent incursions into Switzerland during the tenth 
century, say between 936 and 960. They penetrated as far as St. Gall and the 
Lake of Constanz ; they occupied the Great St. Bernard and other passes leading 
from Italy into Switzerland, and levied blackmail upon travellers ; they even 
took themselves wives in the coimtry, and some amongst them no doubt settled 
there ; but their numbers were certainly not large enough to exercise an 
appreciable iniluence upon the character of the inhabitants. The supposed 
Arabic names of some of the mountains of the Monte Rosa group — such as 
Almagel, Allalin, Mischabel — are more easily explained from Italian patois. 



THE PEOPLE. 



447 



Another legend, preserved by the first hisforluns of Switzerland, and put into 
excellent verse in Schiller's William Tell, tells us how, in some remote ago, 
Frieslandors from the Baltic established themselves in the actual canton of Schwitz, 
which was named after them. These northern colonists are credited with having 
first cultivated the Ilasli valley, but no historical document has been forthcoming 
in support of this legend, and the German dialects spoken in Switzerland 
contain no trace whatever of the idiom spoken in Friesland. "Whether there ever 
existed such a person as "William Tell or not, the poetical details of his history can 

Fig. 311. — The Languaoes of Switzerland. 
SciUe 1 : 3,000,400. 




be traced to the North, and they prove that the Alemanni of Helvetia, the Fries- 
landers, and Scandinavians possessed a common stock of legends. 



The German dialects spoken in Switzerland resemble those in use in the 
neighbouring countries of Alsatia, Baden, and Swabia. They are brisker, more 
precise, and clearer than the literary language which is graduallj' superseding them. 
Many differences exist between the various dialects, not only as regards pro- 
nunciation, but also with respect to antiquated expressions still in use, and the 
admission of words of Latin, French, or Italian origin. As a rule, they are charac- 
terized by rough gutturals, and the force with wliich dentals and hissing sounds 
are pronounced. 

During the Middle Ages German was spoken in a greater part of "Western 
Switzerland and the "Valais than now, but far less in the Central Alps. The names 

GG 2 



448 SWITZERLAND. 

of place3 prove to us tliat " Romanche " or "Ladin" dialects were then in use, 
not only in the whole of the Grisons, but also on the Walcn Lake (/.('. Welsh Lake), 
in the mountains of Appenzell, and in the Austrian provinces of the Vorai-lberg 
and the Tyrol. Gradually encroached upon by German, these dialects of Latin, with 
which are mixed a few old RhaBtian words, and which have had a printed literature 
since the sixteenth century, survive only by force of habit or, in a few villages of 
the Grisons, by local patriotism. Nearlj^ all the inhabitants now speak German or 
Italian in addition to one of the local patois used in the two upper valleys of the 
Rhine and in the Engadine. A few villages purely German are surrounded by 
Romanche territory. They were founded by Frederick Barbarossa to protect the 
passes of the Alps. German, moreover, is spoken on the southern slopes of the 
Bernese Alps, in the eastern Valais, and even on the Italian slope of the Alps, to 
the south of the Monte Rosa and the St. Gotthard. The small village of Bosco, 
in Ticino, is German, and so are the villages in the Italian valley of Pommat. 
Italian, on tlie other hand, is spoken in the two villages of Stalla and Marmels, to 
the north of the Julier Pass, on a tributary of the Rhino. 

The limit of French does not coincide, like that of Italian, with a range of 
mountains. On the contrary, French has almost everywhere crossed the Jura, 
which one might suppose would form its natural boundary. In the canton of 
Neuchatel and in the Bernese Jura the dialect of Franche-Comte is spoken, whilst 
farther south we hear a Provencal patois. In the Valais a French dialect, very 
like that of Auvergne, is spoken as far as the transversal range which bounds the 
valley of Herens, or Erin, on the east. In the canton of Fribourg French extends 
beyond the river Sarine to the foot of the Alps. In the Bernese Jura it is spoken 
as far as the banks of the Lake of Bienne (Biel), excepting only in a narrow slip 
extending along the foot of the Jura to the north of Chavannes. The number of 
French-speaking Swiss has slightly increased, as compared with those talking 
German.* 

Fribourg, which was founded by a Count of Zahringen on French soil, was 
originally a German town, but French prevails there now, German being only 
spoken in the lower town. It is said that in families where the children speak 
both languages perfectly, French, in course of time, supersedes the German, no 
doubt because French is easier and clearer. Nor must we lose sight of the fact 
that French patois are only spoken in the villages, whilst the inhabitants of the 
town speak literary French with more or less purity. In German Switzerland, 
on the other hand, most of the patois have a literature of their own, and are 
spoken side by side with High German even in the towns. French thus enjoys 
the advantages which result from greater uniformity and cohesion, which enable 
it to resist eifectually the centralizing tendencies emanating from Bern. 

* Languages spoken in Switzerland : — 

German 

French ... 

Italian 

Romanche .... 



Families. 

1870. 


Per Cent. 


1860. 
Per Cent. 


384,-538 


69-16 


69-50 


133,575 


23-98 


23-37 


30,079 


5-69 


5-03 • 


8,779 


1-17 


1-69 



THE PEOPLE. 



449 



Differences of race und language have influenced but sliglitly tbo religious 
tenets held by the people, in spite of what cert^iin authors may assert. Feudal 
influences, rivalries between towns, conflicting interests, and the continual wars 
between the cantons are quite suflicicnt to account for the religious divisions 
which grew up at the time of the Reformation and exist to the present day. The 
French cantons of Vaud and Xouchatel are almost exclusively inhabited by 

Fig. 312.— CusTi'MEa is Uax. 




Protestants ; Geneva is pretty equally divided between the rival confessions ; 
Fribourg and Valais are Catholic. It was Geneva, a town in French Switzerland, 
which merited during many years tho epithet of " Protestant Rome ; " whilst 
another French town, Fribourg, sheltered the Jesuits, and still remains, with 
Luzem, a German town, the stronghold of Roman Catholicism. On the other 
hand, the German cantons of Burn, Basel, Zurich, and several others are Protestant. 



450 



SWITZERLAND. 



Fiff. 313.— Costumes in Friboveo. 




St. Gallen, whicli has been formed out of a large number of miniature states, has a 
mixed population, whilst the four ancient Forest Cantons are wholly Catholic. 



THE PEOPLE. iSi 

It is said that in the canton of Appenzell there exist striking physical differences 
between the Protestant iuhabitauts of Outer Rhoden and the Catholics of Inner 
Rhoden. These latter are less tall than other Germans of Switzerland ; they are 
of slighter build, have brighter eyes, and a freer gait. As to the Romanches of 
the Grisons, their villages are partly Protestant, partly Catholic. The Italians of 
Ticino are Catholics, but those of the valley of Lregaglia belong to the Reformed 
Church. Upon the whole, the Protestants are in the majority, tliree-tifths of tho 
total population, and the three most important cantons, Bern, Ziirich, and Vaud, 
being of that confession. Of the few thousand Jews nearly a third live in the 
canton of Aargau.* 

In spite of difference of race, language, religion, local customs and institutions, 
the Swiss of the various cantons possess many features in common which distinguish 
them from other natives of Europe. As compared with their neighbours, and more 
especially with those on the southern slopes of the Alps, they are certainly not 
distinguished by beauty of face or noble bearing. They do not shine by brilliant 
qualities or seductive manners, but they are powerful. The best-known tj-pe of a 
Swiss is a man with largely sculptured features, broad chest, of a rather heavy 
gait, with bright eyes and strong fists. The Swiss is slow, but tenacious. Ho 
does not allow sudden fancies to turn him aside from anything he has undertaken 
to carry out, but in case of need he knows perfectly how to utilise the ideas of 
others. In all he undertakes he looks to practical results, and he has certainly 
succeeded in winning for himself a greater amount of substantial liberty than most 
other Europeans. Amongst all nations the Swiss has most nearly realised the 
ideal of democratic institutions. 

* Religioiu confeadoos of Switzerland (1870): — Protestants, 1,566,347, or 69 per cent; Roman 
Catholics, 1,084,369, or 40-6 per cent. ; Dissenters, 11,435, or 04 per cent. ; Jews, 6,996, or 0-26 per cent. 




CHAPTER YII. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 




TIE Swiss are largely indebted to nature for their political institu- 
tions and national independence. Mountains, lakes, and tortuous 
valleys have done as much as stout hearts and strong arms to place 
them iu the front rank of free nations. During the Middle Ages 
nearly everj' commimity whose territory was enclosed by swamps, 
forests, or mountains managed to govern itself, but nowhere except in Switzerland 
did these natural defences prove strong enough to enable the population to maintain 
their independence. 

Legendary history fixes upon the central region of the Alps as the birthplace 
of the Ilelvetian Confederation. Within this natural fortress, which was bounded 
on three sides by snow-clad mountains, at that time not crossed by roads, and pro- 
tected on the fourth by a tempestuous lake, passed all those events which are related 
iu the legend of William Tell. There, on the meadow of Rutli, three Switzers, 
the fathers of the fatherland, swore to be independent. The men of Uri, Schwitz, 
and Unterwalden not only enjoyed the advantage of inhabiting a country which 
could be easily defended, but they were also morally fit for the task that devolved 
upon them. The sons of colonists who had brought those wide valleys under 
cultivation, they were animated by a spirit of liberty, and possessed that audacity 
which appears te animate the pioneers of aU countries who are the builders of 
their own fortunes, and issue triumphantly from a struggle with nature. The 
name of Schwitz, which was subsequently adopted for the whole country, signifies, 
according to Gatschet, " clearing the ground by fire," and this recalls the forcible 
manner in which these colonists took possession of the land which subsequently 
they held against all comers. 

Victorious in " three or four small battles of everlasting memory," it was an 
easy thing for these Alpine mountaineers to find allies amongst the towns and 
nobles who held the hills and the plains, whUst on the southern slopes of the Alps 
they increased their territories by conquest. The Swiss cantons originally con- 
stituted themselves so as to form a geographical region, defended in the south and 
* AU statements of population refer to tlie year 1870, except when otherwise expressed. 



TICIXO. 153 

east by the Alps, and in the west by the pamllel ridges of the Jura. The Rhine, 
in the north, formed a boundary which it was easy to cross, but the Black Forest 
and the plateau of Swabia restricted intending invaders to a few roads, besides 
which the intestine dissensions of Germany proved at all times the surest safe- 
guard of the Swiss cantons. The fact that the Swiss held the upper courses of 
rivers descending into Italy, Franco, and Germany enabled them to render 
services to their neighbours, if so inclined, or to play them off against each 
other. 

The mountains have insured the independence of Switzerland, but the bulk of 
the population nevertheless lives in the plain. The region extending from the 
Lake of Geneva to the Lake of Constanz, and from the foot of the Alps to the foot 
of the Jura, forms only the fourth part of Switzerland, as far as area is concerned ; 
but nearly its whole population, wealth, and industry are concentrated there.* 

The principal towns rise in this plain, and the most imiwrtant highways of 
commerce intersect it. Differences of race and customs disappear more rapidly 
there than in the Alpine valleys, but still they exist. Of all countries of Europe 
Switzerland presents the greatest diversity in the aspect of its towns, every one 
of which possesses some feature of originality, and differs from all others. 

The towns on the southern slope of the Alps, with their campaniles and 
coloured houses, are quite Italian in their aspect. Bcllinzona (2,501 inhabitants), on 
the Ticino, which was formerly held in subjection by the {jeople of Uri, Schwitz, and 
Unterwalden, is the least gay amongst the three alternate capitals of the canton of 
Ticino. Locarno (2,667 inhabitants), which occupies a picturesque position at the 
upper end of the Lago Maggiorc and at the mouth of the Maggia valley, is the lowest 
town of Switzerland (653 feet), and the air we breathe there is of the balmiest. 
Lugano (6,024 inhabitants), 230 feet higher, but more favourably situated for com- 
merce, is in the midst of the rich fields of the Sotto-Cenere, and has become the most 
populous town of the canton. It is one of those towns of Europe which attract 
most strangers, and they meet there with beautiful scenery, the blue waters of a 
lake, luxuriant vegetation, and picturesque villages perched upon the hillsides.f 

Area (exclusive of Lakes T^ > .^- », •. 

andOlacierB). PopuJahon Density 

g j£ (lb70). {In. toil Sq. Mile). 

• Alps 8,885 809,531 90 

Pkin 4,082 1,400,856 345 

Jura 1,669 438,014 202 

t Tieitio{in German and French Teuiii). — Area, 1,088 square milts; population (1870), 119,620 (1876) 
121,768, almost without exception Roman Catholics. German is spoken in the village of Boseo ; Itjiliau, 
more or less pure, throughout the rest of the canton. Ticino includes the valleys of the 'l"ieiuo, 
Verzasca, and Maggia, which flow into the Lago Muggiore, as well as a portion of the fertile basin of tho 
Lake of Lugano, which is separated from the rest of the canton hy the Pass of Monte Cenere (3,775 feet). 
The principal passes leading into Northern Switzerland are those of the St. Gotthard and tho Lukniunier. 
At the foot of the former is the \'iUage of Airolo. The northern portion of the canton is ^Upiiie, tho 
southern Italian, in its character. Exports ; — Cattle, silk, straw mats, eheeso, timber, chestnuts, snails, 
and pot-stono. Thousands of tho inhabitants annually leave their homes and make a living as chestnut- 
roastcn, chocolate-makers, masons, or bricklayers in Lombardy and elsewhere. Most of the Italian iee 
and coffee shop-keepers in London are Ticiuesc. The principal tuwns are Lugtino, Locarno, and 
Bellinzona. 



454 SWITZERLAND. 

In the upper valleys of the Ehone, on the French slope of Switzerland, we onlj- 
meet with small villages. Brieg (Brigue, 1,076 inhabitants) , at the foot of the 
Simplon, is a bustling place, and, owing to its many old towers with sparkling 
roofs, has something Russian in its aspect. Viq^ (Viege, 723 inhabitants) is a 
favourite resort of tourists (see p. 399). Lcnk (Loueche, 1,220 inhabitants) is 
famous on account of its saline waters. Sion (Sitten, 4,895 inhabitants), on the 
Rhone, the capital of the ancient Seduni and the principal town in the canton of 
Valais,* is an old Gallo-Roman city, commanded by two ruined castles, one of 
them, though only dating back to the Middle Ages, being known by the Roman 
name of Valeria. Martigny (Martinach, 1,490 inhabitants), at the foot of the 
Great St. Bernard, is a place of considerable strategical importance. St. Maurice 
(1,666 inhabitants), known up to the thirteenth century as Agaunum, is no less 
so, for it defends the gorge through which the Rhone enters the alluvial plain 
extending to the Lake of Geneva. 

Not far from St. Maurice, within the canton of Vaud,t is the wealthy 
village of Bex (3,804 inhabitants), with productive salt works, and one of the 
favourite resorts of foreigners, who take the baths or breathe the invigorating 
forest air. Foreign visitors have likewise contributed towards the prosperity 
of towns or villages like Montreux, Clarcns, and Vecei/ (7,887 inhabitants), 
which stand on the northern side of the Lake of Geneva. The beauty of this 
lake, within whose placid waters are mirrored the surrounding mountains, and 
the mild climate, have naturally attracted many foreigners to this favoured 
corner of Switzerland, and towns like Vevey are quite cosmopolitan in their 
character. 

Lausanne (26,520 inhabitants), the capital of the canton, occupying a hill about 
the centre of the lake, commands as fine a prospect as the towns higher up, and, 
like them, it annually attracts swarms of visitors. But, in addition to this, it is a 

• Valuis (in German Wal/U).—Axe&, 2,026 square mUes ; population (1870), 96,887, (1876) 100,490, 
nearly all Eoman Catholics. The canton includes the valley of the Ehone, from its source down to the 
Lake of Geneva. It is bounded in the north hy the Bernese Alps, in the south by Alpine ranges, culmi- 
nating in the Monto Rosa. The Furka Pass leads from the head of the Ehone into the valley of the 
Eeuss, and to the northern foot of the St. Gotthard. The Grimsel and Gemmi Passes, the latter above 
Leiik, and certainly one of the finest in Switzerland, connect the Valais with Northern Switzerland, and 
the Nufenen, SimplOn, and Great St. Bernard with Italy. The products are wine, walnuts, cherries, cattle, 
sheep, goats, cheese, iron, argentiferous lead, sulphur, anthracite, anda little gold in the sand of the rivers. 
About two-thirds of the inhabitants speak French, one-third German, and a few Eomanche. The Valais 
joined the Confederation in 1597. The principal tovras are Brieg, Leak (Loueche), Sion, Martigny, and 
St. Maurice. 

t Vaud (in German Waadt).—Aieii, 1,244 square miles ; population (1870), 231,700, (1876) 242,439. In 
1870 there were 211,686 Protestants, 17,592 Catholics, and 610 Jews. French is spoken almost through- 
out. The canton extends along the northern shore of the Lake of Geneva as far as the Lake of 
Neuchatel, and beyond the Jura to the French frontier. The greater part of the country is hiUy and of 
exceeding fertility. It produces com, tobacco, fruit, chestnuts, walnuts, wine. The breeding of cattle 
and dairy farming are important. The mineral kingdom furnishes coal and salt. There are iron works, 
where ores from the Bernese Jura are smelted, and watchmaking is carried on in the Jura, but other 
branches of industry are hardly known. Much has been done for popular education within the last forty 
years. Up to 1803 Vaud belonged to the canton of Bern ; since then it has been an independent member 
of the Confederation. The principal towns are Bex and Aigle, in the Ehone valley ; Vevey, Lausanne, 
Merges, and Nyon, on the Lake of Geneva ; and Yverdun, on the Lake of Neuchatel. 



GliNEVX. 



455 



busy commercial place, upon wliich several lines of railway converge, and the seat 
of the principal Court of App.\il of the Confederation. It grows rapidly, and at 

Fig. 314. — The £A^T(u.\ Kxtrehity of thk Lake or Geneva. 
Scale 1 : 60,1<U0. 




^ 



3 [zn 



ttz-tia OTor 666 foot 



The abading expreiw* be ileptli of the lolie. 
___>_^^_ 1 Mile. 



no distant time will form one town with its port of Oiichy, with which a railway, 
having a very steep gradient, connects it. 



Genera {Genire in French, Genf in German, 67,357 inhabitants, including the 



456 



SWITZERLAND. 



suburbs) occupies an excellent geograpbical position at the lower extremity of the 
Lake of Geneva,* where the Rhone issues from it, and is joined by the Arve. 
Upon it converge all the roads which connect Central Germany with Southern 



Fig. 315.— Geneva. 
Scale 1 : 35,000. 



E.of Or. 



Km^ 




«-l3 



Half a Mile. 



France, for it is there that the gap between the Alps and the Jura permits of an 

* Gwera .■— Area, 108 square miles; population (1870), 93,195, (1876)99,352. In 1870 there were 
47,858 Catholics, 43,638 Protestants, and 961 Jews. The canton includes the town and the surround- 
ing country. The soil is not fertOe, but hy perseverance it has heen converted into a flourishing garden. 
Nearly one-half of the cultivated area is planted with vines. 



CiENKVA. 467 

easy passage, Geneva is the natural mediator between Lyons, lower down on llio 
Rhone, and Central Europe. It is almost matter for siu'iiriso that this city, wliich 
has so frequently been chosen for international meetings, should to this day 
remain the " greatest amongst the small towns " of Europe. But the rigorous 
winters, the cold northerly winds, or bises, the fogs which frequently hang over 
the country, and the small area capable of cultivation, sufficiently account 
for the slow growth of the population. At present only a single line of rail- 
way passes the town, namely, that which connects Lyons with Bern and Basel. 
No branch lines have yet been constructed to Annecy, to the foot of Mont 
Blanc, or to the Jura, and for the present there is little prospect of their being 
built. 

Geneva, which became the capital of a cirifas in the foui'th century, has 
occupied for ages a position quite exceptional. Restricted to its narrow terri- 
torj' and overshadowed b}' a mountain ■wliieh it could not even call its own, 
the city remained for a long time a republic of exiles. Calvin disciplined its 
citizens in his repellent fiishion, and strangers differing from them met with 
no friendly reception. The men who governed it were for the most part 
descendants of French or Italian refugees, whom religious difTerencos had 
driven from their homes, and they souglit above all things to keep up the 
energy and the spirit which had dictated the doings of their forefathers. 
But this small body of men, so remarkable on account of its exclusiveness, 
was equally so for its love of study and intellectual vigour. Geneva, during 
the last three centuries, has produced more men of eminence in science and 
literature than any other town of equal size. It was the birthplace of Jean 
Jacques Rousseau, of Horace de Saussure, of Necker, Sismondi, Topffer, and 
Pradicr, and some of its families have almost become scientific dynasties. Manj' 
amongst the famous children of Geneva may perhaps be claimed also by the 
Parisians, amongst whom they found a second home ; but, for all that, the Swiss 
city has at all times been distinguished for its patronage of education and science. 
Its schools are among the best of the country ; its newly founded university 
occupies an honourable position ; there are valuable natural-history collections and 
many learned societies, including a geographical one. The " city of Calvin," 
which is just now erecting a sumptuous monument in honour of a Duke of 
Brunswick, might certainly be called upon to place an expiatory memorial 
upon the spot where Michael Servetus, the illustrious Spaniard, was burnt at the 
stake. 

Geneva is no longer the " Rome of Protestantism." Its old walls have fallen ; 
its ramparts have been converted into walks or sumptuous streets ; new roads, 
lined by countrj' houses, extend in all directions, and join the former villages of 
Plainpalais and Carouge to the city. The time when the whole of the alluvial 
peninsula between the Arvc and the Rhone will be covered with houses is fast 
iipproaching. The " old Genevese " now constitute onl)' a minority in their own 
town, which has become one of the most cosmopolitan cities of Europe, within 
which reside about one-fourth of the foreigners who remain during the winter in 



458 SWITZERLAND. 

Switzerland.* Geneva, though its population is now double what it was some j'ears 
ago, has unfortunately lost the two great branches of industry which carried its 
fame into all parts of the world, viz. the manufacture of jewellery and watches. 
France and the United States, which formerly obtained these articles from the 
workshoiJS of Geneva, are now able to supply their own wants by home manufac- 
ture, and many of the Genevese masters have been ruined. t The Arve and the 
Rhone are capable of supplying motive power to an almost unlimited number of 
factories, but have not yet been utilised (see p. 424). As a place of commerce 
and money market Geneva possesses considerable resources. 

Geneva owes its importance to the vicinity of France ; but, as long as Italy 
remained the centre of civilised nations, the most populous town of Switzerland 
naturally existed in a different part of the countrj'. Aventicum, a Celtic town, 
having as patroness a deity named Aventia, became the capital, and its geogra- 
phical position justifies the selection made. It stood on the shore of the Lake of 
Morat, or Murten, which was more extensive then, in a depression of the undu- 
lating plain which separates the Alps from the Jura. It was nearer to the Lake of 
Geneva than to the northern frontier of Helvetia, and the Romans were able to 
reach it from Agaunum (St. Maurice, in the Rhone valley) in two or three days' 
march. At it they established the central custom-house for the whole of the 
eastern frontier of Gaul. The Alemanni destroyed the town, and there now only 
remain a few walls covered with shrubs, two towers, pavements, statuettes, mosaics, 
and inscriptions. The surrounding country, which was amongst the best culti- 
vated in Helvetia, became one of the most barren, and in the Middle Ages was 
known as Urhtlancl ; that is, "fallow land." Since then a new town, Avcnclies, has 
been built upon the hills overlooking the site of ancient Aventicum, and numerous 
villages have sprung up in the environs. To the north-east of it, on the shores of 
the lake, is Morat (Murten, 2,328 inhabitants), still enclosed by a turreted wall, 
and famous on account of the defeat inflicted upon Charles the Bold of Burgundy 
in 1476. To the south-east is Frihourg (Freiburg, 10,904 inhabitants), the capital 
of the canton of the same name, and, like Murten, near the linguistic boundary. 
Its Gothic cathedral and gabled towers command the deep valley of the Sarine 
(Saane), here spanned by a suspension bridge nearly 1,000 feet in length, and 

• Population of Geneva, according to M. P. L. Dunant : — 

1843. lOTO. 

Natives of the canton 68 per cent. 384 per cent. 

„ other Swiss cantons . . . . 20 „ 22-6 „ 

Foreigners 21 „ S90 „ 

Foreigners residing in Geneva : — 

1880. 1870. 

French and Savoyards 11,579 14,251 

Germans 1,509 2,038 

Italians 600 763 

Others 500 1,127 

14,188 18,179 

1865. 1875. 

t Master jewellers and watchmakers .... 225 205 

Workmen employed by them 1,586 1,028 



NEUCHATEL. 



450 



passing higli above the river, llic liousi's, and fields. Another bridge crosses the 
neighbouring gorge of the Gotterin at a height of 318 feet.* 

From Tverdiin (5,889 inhabitants), near the southorn extremity of the Lake of 
Xeuchatel, diverge all the roads which lead to the Lake of Geneva. It is the 
modern representative of the Gallic city of Ebrodunum, and fourteen centuries 
ago the lake, from which it is now separated by a swampy plain, still washed its 
walls. The castle of Granson, three miles to the north, defended the road 



Fig. 316. — MoRAT (Mcbten) am) its Laks. 
Bode 1 : 100,000. 



tofP 




(ofO 



1 Mile. 



which passed between the Jura and the western shore of the lake, and near it 
Charles the Bold suflFered a terrible defeat in 1476. 



Neuchatcl.i the capital of a canton, occupies a commanding position near the 

• Fribourg (Freiburg).— Area, 664 square miles ; population (1870), 110,832,(1876) 113,952. In 1870 
there were 93,0.51 Catholics and 16,819 Protestanta. About 74 per cent, of the inhabitants speak French. 
The canton is drained by the Saane, or Sarine. The south-eastern portion is mountainous, but none of 
the Bommits reach the snow-line. ITie greater portion is hilly, with rich meadows and pasture-lands, and 
Gruyire cheeses are known throughout the world. The cereals grown generally cover the requirements 
of the population. Amongst the products are timber, wine, fruit, peat, and coal. Straw-plaiting is carried 
on extensively, and there are tan-yards, saw-mills, a glass factory, and a beet-sugar factor}-. Watches 
are manufactured at Murten. In educational matters the canton is very backward, except in the district 
of Murten, which is inhabited by German Protestants. The principal towns are Fribourg, Murten, and 
Bnlle. 

t XeueliiUl (Xcuenburg).— Area, 312 square miles ; population (1870), 97,284, (1878) 99,729. In 1870 
there were 84,334 Protestants and 11,345 Catholics. Eighty-seven per cent, of the inhabitants speak French. 
The canton lies between the eastern shore of the Lake of Kcuchitel and the French frontier. It is intcr- 
■ect«d by four parallel ridges of the Jura, covered with forests or poor herbage. Wine is grown along 



460 SWITZERLAND. 

point of junction of the roads and railways which skirt the shores of the hike and 
run through the valley of Travers into France. It is a fine town, the houses in 
its modern quarter being for the most part built of a light-coloured limestone. 
The wealthy landowners and nobles of the canton form a sort of aristocracy, but 
Neiichatel is justly proud of its schools, its museum, and its library. Chaux-dc-Fonds 
(19,930 inhabitants), in a valley of the Upper Jura, close to the French frontier, 
and about 3,300 feet above the sea, is the great industrial centre of the canton, 
and its most populous town. In the sterile mountains, where the soil refused to 
yield subsistence to the men who dwelt iipon it, it became necessary to look to 
industrial occupations as a means of subsistence. The first watch was made at 
Chaux-de-Fonds in 1680, and since then that branch of industry has grown 
immensely, and is carried on also at Le Lode (10,334 inhabitants), and in many 
villages in the vicinity. The district remains to the present day the chief centre 
of watchmaking in the world, and although the number of workmen has recently 
decreased, the number of watches turned out is larger than ever.* Ironically the 
natives compare the " village " of Chaux-de-Fonds with the "city" of Neuchatel. 

A portion of the manufacturing district of the Jura lies within the canton of 
Bern, which extends from the highest summits of the Alps to the frontiers of 
France.t The capital of this canton and of the entire Confederation (3,600 inha- 
bitants) occupies an advantageous site half-way between the Rhone and the Rhine, 
and on the Aar, which affords the easiest access to the Oberland. During the 

the foot of tho Jura. Clipose forms an article of export, l)ut two-thirds of the com required have to be 
imported. The manufacturing industry is of importance. Cotton stuffs, lace, and watches are the 
chief articles produced. The principal towns are Neuchatel, Chaux-do-Fonds, and Le Locle. The 
principality of Neuchatel originally belonged to Burgundy. Rudolf of Haljsburg ceded it in 1288 to 
John of Chalons. In 1707, the reigning prince having died without heirs, the Estates acknowledged the 
claims of Frederick of Prussia, and Neuchatel remained a Prussian dependency until 1857. As such it 
became a member of the Swiss Confederation in 1815. 

* In 1870 there were 4,505 watchmakers at Chaux-dc-Fonds; in 1877 only 4,172. About 1,450,000 
watches are annually manufactured in the Swiss Jura, their estimated value being £1,200,000, or 
16s. each. 

t .B,-™.— Area, 2,660 square miles; population (1870), 500,455, (1876) 528,670. In 1870 there were 436,307 
Protestants, 66,015 Roman Catholics, and 1,400 Jews. About one-seventh of the inhabitants speak French. 
Geographically this canton, next to that of the Grisons, the largest of Switzerland, consists of several 
well-detined regions. The Bernese Oberland, with its glaciers and lakes (including those of Brienz and 
Thun), has been fully described elsewhere. Cattle-breeding and dairy -farming are the principal occupa- 
tions of the inhabitants. The valleys of Simmen and Saanen — the one tributary to the Lake of Thun, 
the other to the river Aar^are famous for their fine breeds. Wood-carving employs many of the inha- 
bitants during winter. The principal towns or villages of the Oberland are Thun, Interlaken, Brienz, 
Meiringen, and Saanen. The Mittelland, or hilly region, is intersected by the rivers Aar and Emmen, and 
is for the most part a fertile region. It extends north into the Upper Aargau, the most productive 
district of the canton. The Emmen Thai is famous for its cheese, its wooden houses, its wrestlers, and 
its floods. The principal towns in this section of the canton are Bern, the capital, on the Aar ; Langnau 
and Burgdorf, on the Emmen ; and Wangen, in the Upper Aargau. The Seeland (see page 425) is drained by 
the rivers Aar and Zihl. the latter being the effluent of the Lake of Biel, or Bienne. Lastly, there is the 
Bernese Jura, comparatively sterile, but a busy seat of industry. Its leading towns are Moutiers and 
Porentruy. The canton of Bern is wealthy, no doubt, but in no other part of Switzerland are the contrasts 
between rich and poor so marked. Cattle-breeding, dairy-farming, and in the plain the cultivation of 
com and potatoes, employ the bulk of the inhabitants. About 150,000 tons of iron are produced annually 
in the Jura, and the manufacture of linens and other textile fabrics, lace, watches, carved woodenware, 
leather, &c., is of some importance. The national costume of the Bemese is amongst the most picturesque 
to be met with in Switzerland. 



BEBX. 



461 



wars of the Middle Ages this po&ition entailed great strategical advantages, more 
especially as the town stands upon a peninsula bounded on thi-ee sides by the steep 
banks of the river. A wall built across the neck of this peninsula thus sufficed to 
protect the inhabitants in case of attack. Bern, unfortunately, is not favoured bv 



Fig. 317.— Bern. 
Scale 1 : (0,000. 




I MUc. 



the climate, and the extremes of temperature are greater hero than in any other 
town of Switzerland.* It is much exposed to the winds, and the death rate is very 
high, especially in the poorer quarters. The damp tortuous street following the 

• Extremes of temperatoro at Bern, 972 and —22° Fahr. DifTerence, 119-2° Fahr. Mean unuual 
temperature, •16' Fahr. 

VOL. II. 11 U 



402 



SWITZERLAND. 



windings of the Aar is one of the most insalubrious places in Europe, and maladies 
reign there permanently as in a hospital. The wretched streets of this quarter con- 
trast painfully with the palatial buildings which rise among the gardens to the west 
of the city, and whence may be enjoyed the fine panorama presented by the mean- 
dering Aar and the snow-clad Alps rising in the distance above verdure-clad hills.* 
Amongst the most remarkable buildings of the town are the Federal Palace, 



Fig. 318.— View of Been. 




■f*^ 










erected in 1852 — 57, the Gothic Minster, the Hospital, the Post Office, and the 
bold Nydeck Bridge which leads to the famous Bear Pit. Bern is the seat of a 
university, possesses several libraries and miiseums, but cannot compare with 
Ziirich as regards scientific associations. Amongst its famous children more 
warriors are mot with than men of learning : of the latter A. von Haller (died 
1777), the poet and physician, is perhaps the most widely known. 

* Death rate of Bern (1855 — 67), 35-2 per 1,000 inhabitants; in the upper quarters of the town, 12'6 
per 1,000; in the Aarherger-Gasse, 748 per 1,000. 



BEEN. 



4C8 



Bern, which according to some etymologists is i\ corruption of the Celtic name 
of Verona, whilst others derive it from Barcii ("bears"), still preserves a mediaival 
physioguomy in its interior (juarters. The pomp uud strength of feudal Switzer- 
land are called up before our mind when wo look at the solid walls of the houses, 
at the buttresses which support them, at the "rows" similar to those of Chester, 
at steep-peaked roofs, and fountains ornamented with quaintly sculptured figures. 
We can almost fancy these streets being filled with men-at-arms flushed with 
victory or returning from the pillage of a village, waving their banners and blow- 
ing their horns. Uern has u few factories on the banks of the Aar, industrial 
suburbs beyond the public walks, and extensive quarries near the neighbouring 



Fig. 319. — Ikterlaken. 
Scale 1 : 70,noo. 




1 Mile. 



C xm ^£vw 



village of Ostermundingen, but the great industries of the country, the manufacture 
of cheese, linens, and cloth, and straw-plaiting, are principally carried on in the 
wealthy communes of the Emmenthal, at Laiignau (G,214 inhabitants), Sumisicald, 
and 2?Mr(/f/o/;/" (Rerthoud, 5,078 inhabitants), each of which towns has its agencies 
throughout Switzerland and in many foreign countries. In tlie old castle of 
Burgdorf Pestalozzi established his educational institute (1798 — 1804). At T/iiin 
(Thoune, 4,623 inhabitants), whore the Aar escapes from the lower lake of tho 
Obcrland, there are likewise a few factories, but that town is important ratlier 
because so many travellers annually pass through it on their road to Intcrlaken, 
within easy reach of the delightful scenery of the Obcrland. It is the military 
capital of Switzerland, the seat of the Military College of the Confederation, and 

11 II 2 



464 



SWITZEELAND. 



of an arsenal. It is a quaint city, with " rows," overlooked by an old castle, now 
converted into a prison, and the parish church built ujDon the summit of u 
commanding hill. In the vicinity of Bern and in the Alpine valleys of the 
canton there are many wealthy and populous villages, some of them remarkable 
on account of their huge wooden houses ornamented with sculptures. 

Interlaken, on the alluvial plain of the Bodeli, which separates the Lakes of 
Thun and Brienz, is one of the favourite haunts of tourists. It is named after a 
convent ("inter lacus"), suppressed in 1481 in consequence of the immoral life 
led by the nuns, and now occupied as a school. The climate is mild, and the 
environs abound in delightful v.alks. The valley of the Lauterbrunnen, in the 
south, leads up to the famous falls of the Staubbach and Schmadribach. The icy 
summits of the Jungfrau tower majestically beyond it. The glacier of Grindel- 
wald is within easy reach, and a steamer rapidly conveys the traveller to Brienz, 



Fig. 320. — BiEL (Bienne) and the New Bed of the Aak. 
Scale 1 : lon.onn. 



,E.i of Pari 




7"2o'E.ofCr. 



C rerroi 



1 Jlue. 



with its pretty boating girls, to the Giesshaeh, and the charming Hasli valley, whose 
chief viUage, Meiringen, fell a victim to a fearful conflagration in February, 1879. 
Biel (in French Bienne, 8,113 inhabitants), favourably situated at the northern 
end of the lake named after it, opposite to the mouth of the valley of Suze, which 
leads into the Jura, and close to the Aar navigation, has become a great place of 
commerce, and its inhabitants speak of it as a Zukunftstadt ; that is, a town having 
a future in store for it. Quite the reverse might be said of Solothurn (Soleure, 
7,054 inhabitants),* lower down on the Aar, which reflects its turrets and crenel- 
lated walls, and almost deserves to be called a " town of the past ; " whilst Olten 

• Solothurn.— Area, 303 square miles; population (1870), 7-l,713, (1876) 77,803. In 1870 there 
were 62,072 Catholics and 12,448 Protestants. German is spoken thi-oughout. The canton includes a 
portion of the fertile valley of the Aar, which abounds in orchards, and produces com for exportation, 
whilst the Jura, in the west, is sterile. There are valuable quarries of marble, limestone (at Olten), and 
millstones, as well as iron mines. Silk-wea^ong is carried on on the northern slope of the Jura, in the 
BO-caUed " Black Boys' Land." The only towns of note are Solothurn and Olten. 



Li5RARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. 



BASEL. 



•IG5 



(2,998 inhubitauts), still lower down in tlie valloy, has bwome an iiiipirlaiit railway 
centre, and increases annually in connuorce and industry. Hosiery, glass, and 
parquetry are manulacturcd, and there arc huge railway workshops for tbo con- 
struction of locomotives and rolling stock. The railway which pierces the Jura in 
tlie tunnel of llauensfein, and runs past Liintiil (.■1,87.'3 inhabitants) to Basel, placca 
Olten in cunununication with the railway sj'stums of Frauce and Germany. 

Basel* (44,834 inhabitants), by its commerce, history, and general influence 
upon the economical condition of Switzerland, has much in common with Geneva. 



Fig. 321.— Basel (Bale). 
Roilo 1 : 50,000. 



>°t.l > t-... l.~ 







UuU n SUlc. 



Admirably situated upon a terrace at the great elbow of the Rhine, where that 
river enters upon the plain of Alsatia, it occupies commercially the same position 
towards Germany and Xorthern Franco as that held by Geneva with reference to 
Southern France. Nay, its market is even more extensive, and two-thirds of the 

• lintrl tia French Siilr) furms two oantons, viz. Basel To«ii (14 squnro miles, 51,515 inhaliiUintj in 
187C|and Basil Countrj- (103 B<niare miles, 55,548 inhatiitants). The capital of the latter is I.i< stal. Tbo 
countrj- is hilly and fertile. Agriitilture, dairy-farmingr, and horticulture are carried on with sueccas. 
The silk indu-itry is very imixjrtant, and there arc also cotton, paper, and woollen mills, and tobacco 
manufactories. Basel Countrj-, tin-d of the jinssurc exercised by Uie wealthy town, si'Vered its connec- 
tion with it in 1833, and now forms an inilejK'ndent canton. It was tho first canton to adopt a purely 
democratic coDstitutioii, but Basel Town, in spitu of iU jiatricians, has since done the same. 



466 



SWITZERLAND. 



imports of Switzerland pass ttrough its custom-house. Its manufactures of silk, 
of ribbons, and of chemical products give rise to a very important trade with 
foreign countries.* Rich and powerful long before Geneva, Basel, like its 
southern rival, became a place of refuge at the time of the Reformation, and one 
of the great centres of scientific research. Erasmus and (Ecolampadius taught in 
its schools, and Holbein resided there for many years. Euler, Bernoulli, and 
other natives of the town rank amongst the most famous men of Switzerland, 
and some of its old families rival the Genevese " dynasties " in the number of 
men of merit belonging to them. Old customs have been more strictly pre- 
served at Basel than at Geneva. Strangers have not yet succeeded in altering 



Fig. 322. — PouuENTiav. 
Scale 1 : 60,000. 




1 MUe. 



the aspect of the town ; and the natives, who are strict Protestants, form the vast 
majority of its inhabitants. Amongst the numerous missionary institutions, 
that of Chrishona, in a neighbouring village, is the most considerable. Basel is 
reputed to be one of the most important money marts of the world, t but it may 
also boast of its university, its scientific collections, its picture gallery, -mih many 
paintings by Hans Holbein, and its library, rich in precious manuscripts. The 
Gothic cathedral, built of the beautiful red sandstone abounding in the Yosges, 
rises boldly above the Rhine, which flows beneath it. Near it is the famous 

• The silk industry employs 40,000 operatives and 6,o00 power-looms, and the value of the silk 
manufactured annually is estimated at £1,600,000. 

f In 1875 82 families paid property tax on a capital averaging £80,000 each- 



AARGAU. 



4G7 



chamber in which mot the Council of Basel, and which is scrupulously preserved 
in the condition it was in in the fifteenth century. A sloping bridge will soon 
connect Basel Proper with Little Basel, on the opposite bank of the Rhine. 

Basel is the natural market of the Bernese Jura, the principal town in which 
is Porreiifrni/ (Pruntrut, 5,341 inhabitants), the former residence of the Bishops of 
Basel. Near it is the village of Boiifol, known on account of the potterj' manu- 
factured there. 

Ascending the Rhine, we pass the salt works of Schweizerhall, Augst, Rhein- 



Fig. 323. — The Conpluen'CE of the Rhine, the Aau, the Kevss, and the Limmat. 

Srale 1 : .-iOO.OOO. 



6'lEofParM 




j-llOTt-nf >:<-. 



b Miles. 



felden, and Ryburg. Augst occupies the site of Augusta Rauracorum, a town founded 
by Lucius Munatius Glaucus, which formerly experienced the same amount of com- 
mercial prosperity as that enjoyed in our own days by Basel, its fortunate successor. 
One-half of the village of Augst lies within the canton of Aargau, the capital 
of which is situated in the valley watered by the Aar.* Aargau (5,449 inha- 

• Aargau (in Vrejieh Argov'u). — Area, 543 square miles; population (1870), 198,875, (1876) 201,567. In 
1870 there were 107,703 Protestants, 89,1^0 Catholics, and 1,541 Jews. The canton includes the lower 
valley of the Aar, which is joined within its boundaries by the Reuss and the Limmat, and extends north 
to the Rhine. It is for the most part hilly and fertile. The products include wine and salt (300,000 cwts. ). 
There are cotton-mills (265,000 spindles), dye and print works. Straw-plaiting occupies about 30,000 
operatives during winter. Much has been done for education. The principal towns are Aargau, Zofingen, 
Baden, and Reinach. 



468 



SWITZEELAND. 



bitants) is not a large town, but its inhabitants are distinguished for their culture, 
and many industries requiring skill, intelligence, and even a scientific training, 
such as the manufacture of instruments, are carried on. Eighteen centuries ago, 
Vindonissa, at the triple confluence of the Aar, the Limmat, and the Reuss, was 
the great strategical centre of the country. It was upon this town that the Roman 
roads converged which crossed the Alps from Italy, and the legions stationed 
there were favourably placed for supporting those which held the frontiers of the 
Rhine and of the Danube. But its very importance led to the destruction of this 
stronghold. Several times captured towards the close of the Empire, there now 
remain but a few insignificant ruins, and only its name survives in that of the 

Fig. 324.— The Lake of the Fovr Cantons (Vif.rwaldstattek See). 
Scale 1 : .SOO.OOa 



T 






Eof.P. 




5 Miles. 



village of Windisch. The wars of the Middle Ages prevented the recon- 
struction of this ancient city, but several towns have sprung up in its vicinity, 
such as Bnigff, at the mouth of the Boetzberg tunnel ; SchinznarJi, famous on 
account of its sulphurous waters ; and Baden, the hot springs of which were highly 
appreciated by the Romans. It is certainly curious that no large town should 
have arisen in so favourable a locality. On a hill which rises to the south are 
the ruins of the feudal castle of Habsburg, the ancestral home of the imperial 
family of Austria. 

If we trace the Reuss to the point where it issues from the Lake of the Four 
Cantons, we reach Luzern (14,524 inhabitants), the political and commercial 



THK FOREST CANTONS 409 

metropolis of primitive Switzerland, and the capital of a large canton.* Its position, 
at the lower end of the lake and upon its effluent, is analogous to that of Geneva, 
Ziirich, and Constanz. AnoUier river, the Little Emnie, joins the Reuss about a 
mile below Luzern. Turretcd walls surrounding the town, an old lighthouse, or 
fucenuj, the blue and swift waters of the Reuss, the lake, and the view of the 
mountains which enclose it, render Luzern one of the most attractive cities of 
Switzerland. The number of strangers who pass through it every summer is very 
great. Luzern, the most Catholic city, was the capital of the Swiss " Sonderbund," 
or " Separatist League," which fought between 1845 and 1847 in favour of the 
pretensions of the Jesuits. Its most remarkable monument is a lion carved out of 
the solid rock, from a design bj' Thorwaklscn, and recalls the time when the 
Switzers sold themselves as soldiers to the sovereigns of Europe. Though favour- 
ably situated, Luzern has little commerce or industry, but, like Ziirich, it expects 
great things from the completion of the tunnel through the St. Gotthard. 

ScmjMuh, the village rendered famous through the battle fought there on the 
9th July, 1386, lies to the north-west of Luzern, on a small lake. Kitssnacht and 
Wdggis are villages on the Lake of the Four Cantons, and at the foot of the Rigi. 

In the three other Forest Cantons t the towns are few in number, and even the 
capitals are hardly more than villages. Altorf, or Altdorf (■2,7"24 inhabitants), is 
still the simple village as in the legendary age of William Tell ; Stanz (2,070 

• LtizfTH (in French Lu(tr»t).—kiea, 579 square miles : population (1870), 132,338, (1876) 133,316. In 
1870 there were 128,338 Catholics and 3,823 Protestants. The canton includes three distinct regions, viz. 
the Gail, in the north, the centre of which is occupied by the Lake of Sempach ; the country adjoining the 
Lake of the Four Cantons, together with the valley of the Reuss : and the mountain valleys drained by the 
Little Emmc and its tributaries. The most important of these valleys is known as Enllibuch. Its 
inhabitants depend almost wholly upon dairy-farming for their subsistence, and, like their neighbours in 
the valley of the Great Enmio, they are expert wrestlers. The mount.iins bounding these v.alleys rise to 
a height of 7, HO feet, and are covered with turf and aromatic herbs. There are no glaciers in tho 
canton. Agriculture and dairy-fanning are the principal occupations. The soil, almost throughout, is 
fertile. There arc extensive forests. 

+ The Forest Cantons, or Vicrwaldstatte, are Luzern, Schwyz, TTri, and Unterwalden. Luzern has 
been noticed above. 

Schwyz (Schwitz, hence Switzcr and Switzerland). — Area, 351 square miles; population (1876), 4!*, 216, 
nearly all Catholics. l"he canton extends from the Lake of the Four Cantons to that of Ziirich, and may 
be described as a platform 2,700 feet in height, above which rise the naked rocks of the Slythenand other 
mountain summits. The Rigi lies almost wholly within the limits of the cantons, a plain and the small Lake 
of Lowerz separating it from the rest of the canton. The valleys are fertile, tho most important amongst 
them beiag those of the Sluota, which flows into the Lake of the Four Cantons, and of the Sihl, a tribu- 
tary of the Lake of Ziirich. Cattle-breeding and dairy-farming are the principal occupations. Silk and 
cotton mills have been established by Ziirich manufacturers. ITie only places of impoi-tancc arc Schwyz 
and Gcrsau. 

rn'.— Area, 415 square miles ; population (1876), 16,900, all Catholics. Tho canton extends from tho 
southern bay of the I>ake of the Four Cantons up to the St. Gotthard and Furka Passes, and thus includes 
the valley of the Reuss, known at its head as Crseren Tlial, and all its tributary valleys, with the 
famous Mayenthal. Cattle-breeding and dairy-farming support the majority of the inhabitants. Com is 
grown on about 14,000 acres ; forests cover about 42, and glaciers 44 square miles. Altdorf and Andermatt 
are the principal villages. 'ITie Great St. Gotthard railway will traverse this canton throughout its length. 

UiiUncalden extends from the southern shore of tho Lake of the Four Cantons, and includes the valleys 
of the Samer Aa and of the Engelberg Aa, the one extending up to the Briinig Pass, the other to tho 
foot of the snow-clad Titlis. Since 1100 Untenvalden has formed two cantons, one "nid" ("below"), the 
other " ob dem Wald " (" above the forest "), whose combined area is 296 square miles, with a population 
(1876) of 27,002 inhabitants, nearly all of whom are Roman Catholics. The country is distinguished for 
its picturesque scenery. Its meadows and pastures are luxuriant, and cheese (20,000 cwts. annually), 
fruit, walnuts, spirits, and cidor arc exported. ITie princiiml villages are Stanz aud iNiruun. 



470 SWITZERLAND. 

inhabitants) and Sarnen (3,720 inhabitants), the capitals of the two half-cantons of 
TJnterwalden, are merely villages. Brunncn, on the lake and the Axenstrasse, 
is one of the most-frequented places on the St. Gotthard road, with large 
storehouses. Gcrsau (2,274 inhabitants), formerly the capital of an inde- 
pendent republic, is visited now by a few foreign valetudinarians in search of a 
sheltered abode. Schwyz (6,154 inhabitants), at the foot of the Mythen, is a 
larger place than either of the above, but the number of inhabitants assigned to 
it in the census includes those of several of the villages in the vicinity. It lies 
close to the Lake of Lowerz, beyond which is Goldmi, built on the debris resulting 
from the great landslip which took place in 1806, and buried four villages. 
Einsiedlen, the native place of Paracelsus, consists of a few detached hamlets, the 
most considerable amongst which has for its centre a famous old abbey, annually 
visited by 150,000 pilgrims and tourists. The printing-office there, which limits 
itself to the production of religious books, is one of the largest establishments of 
that kind in Europe. The great boast of the monks at the abbey is to have 
collected, in the ninth century, the most ancient copies then existing of the monu- 
mental inscriptions of Eome and Pavia. The gorge of Morgarten, to the south- 
west of Einsiedlen, recalls the decisive victory achieved by the Confederated Swiss 
in 1315 over the iron-clad knights of Austria — a victory which insijired them 
with confidence in themselves. 

Zug (4,277 inhabitants), on a lake named after the town, is the capital of a 
small canton of great antiquity, but not otherwise remarkable. Cham, a village 
on the same lake, has a paper-miU, a cotton-mill, and the extensive establishment 
of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company.* 

Zurich'^ (56,695 inhabitants), the principal town of north-eastern Switzerland, 

* Zur/. — Area, 92 square miles ; population (1876), 21,775, nearly all Roman Catholics. The canton 
includes the country to the west, north, and east of the Lake of Zug, together with the valley of the Lorze, 
the effluent of the Aegeri Lake. lis surface is hilly and fertile. Agriculture and dairy-farming are the 
principal occupations, hut there are also cotton-mills. Zug is the capital. The canton joined the Con- 
federation in 1352. 

t Zurich. —kiea., 666 square miles ; population (1870), 284,786, (1876) 294,994. In 1870 there were 
263,790 Protestants, 17,972 Catholics, and 504 Jews. The canton includes the greater portion of the 
Lake of ZUrich, together with the land on hoth sides of it, and extends to the Rhine in the north. The 
principal valleys are those of the Limmat, of the Glatt, of the Toss, and of the Thur, all of them tributary 
to the Rhine. In addition to the Lake of Ziirich there are the Greifensee and the Lake of Phiiffikon, hoth 
in the raUej' of the Glatt. The Schnebelhorn (4,248 feet), on the frontier of St. Gallen, is the highest 
summit within the boundaries of the canton, the whole northern half of which is undulating, with fertile 
fields, rich meadow lands, and wooded hilln. Agriculture ia carried on with great care, and the use of 
agricultural machines general. The land is much subdivided. About 12.5,000 acres are under the 
plough; 116,000 acres consist of meadows ; 13,000 acres are planted with vines ; and 128,000 acres are 
covered with forests. Market gardening is carried on with greater success than elsewhere in Switzerland. 
The breeding of cattle and dairj'-farming are of great importance. The mineral kingdom supplies coal, 
peat, gypsum, marl, and building stones. Manufacturing industries flourish. The cotton manufacture 
employed, in 1871, 660,136 spindles, 6,265 power-looms, and 9,536 operatives. The manufacture of silk 
gives occupation to 18,000 operatives, most of whom work at home. About £2,000,000 worth of .silk stuff's 
are exported annually, j-ielding a profit of no less than £720,000. The woollen and linen industries were 
of greater importance than they are now. The machine shops and foundries (3,563 operatives) are the 
most important in Switzerland. There are likewise potteries, paper-mills, chemical works, saw, oil, and 
gypsum mills. Straw-plaiting is principally carried on in the Rafzerfeld. Much has been done to promote 
the education of the people, perhaps more than in any other canton of Switzerland. The principal towns 
are Ziirich, Winterthur, Wadensweil, Uster, and Horgen. The canton joined the Confederation in 1351, 
fifteen years after its Patrician Government had been overthrown by the people. 




. . J\*V>J' ' ■' \'A'T lf r ' 




U5RASY 

<3F THE 

UNIVERSIIY of ILLINOIS, 



OLABUS. 171 

at the foot of the Uotlibcrg, and at the lower end of its lake, where the rivers 
Limiuat and Sibl effect their junction, is far more accessible than Luzern, and 
commands some of the most imiwrtant natural bi;^h-roads. ITence its strategical 
iiuportauce. It was at Zurich, on the Jird N'ondcniiaire of the year VIII., that 
Massena saved Franco by annihilating the Russian army marching upon Basel. 
The city of Zwingli is but little inferior to that of Calvin, as regards the number 
of its inhabitants, but it is far superior to it in the facilities which are offered 
by its numerous educational institutions, its Polytechuicum, its university, its 
museums and libraries. Ziirich makes great efforts to deserve the epithet of 
" Athens of Switzerland," which its citizens have bestowed upon it. Scheuchzer, 
the tirst man who studied the physical geogniphy of the Alps in a scientific spirit, 
was a native of Zurich, as was also Lavater, the famous physiognoiuist. It is a 
manufacturing town, too, with silk and cotton mills, foundries, and machine shops. 
Steam-engines constructed at Zurich have been exported even to England and to 
America. ^lore than half the corn trade of Switzerland is conducted by Ziirich 
houses, its leather fairs are well attended, and the visits of commercial travellers 
are more frequent than in any other town of Switzerland. Zwingli preached in 
the old parish church, a basilica of the twelfth century. The silk and cotton 
industry enriches also many of the neighbouring towns and villages as far as the 
canton of Zug. Wahl (5, 0-55 inhabitants) and Usfer (5,808 inhabitants), to the 
east of Ziirich, on the river Aa, which connects the Pftiffikon with the Qreifen 
Lake, are busy manufacturing centres. The river Aa, which supplies motive 
power to the numerous mills of these towns, is popularly known as the " river 
of millions." Wintcrthur (9,404 inhabitants), next to Ziirich the most important 
town of the canton, is the modern representative of the Roman station of Vitodurum. 
It is ambitiously termed the Liverpool of Switzerland, because it imports so 
much cotton. There are, however, few towns of equal size which can boast of 
more varied industries, or of a larger number of educational and other public 
institutions. Its foundries and machine shops are more especially noteworthy. 

Giants* (in French Glaris, 5,516 inhabitants) is the capital of a canton and a 
busy manufacturing and commercial centre, but in the mountain country of the 
Grisons,t which lies beyond it, there are no manufactures, and Chtir (in French 

• Glarut.— Area, 267 square miles ; population (1876), 36,129. In 1870 there were 28,238 Protcstanta 
and 6,8S8 Catholics. The canton includes the valley of the Llnth, as far as the Walon Lake, and is 
quite Alpine in its character, glaciers covering 6 per cent, of its surface. Formerly a land of herdsmen, 
it haa become a manufacturing country, cotton and woollen mills and hosiery manufacture emjiloying 
more hands now than dairy-farming or agriculture. The battles of Naeft-ls (1352 and 1388) resulted in 
the liberation of the canton from the yoke of Austria. 

t Graubundcn (Grisons).— .rVrea, 2,774 square miles; population (1870), 91,782, (1876) 92,906. In 1870 
there were 51,887 Protestants and 39,843 Roman Catholics. The canton is the largest in Switzerland, 
but very thinly inhabited. It includes the valley of the Upper Rhine ; the valley of the Upper Inn, or 
Engadin, separated from the former by the Albula Alps ; and the valleys of Calanca and Misocco, on the 
southern slope of the Alps, and tributary to the Ticino. Only about 5 per cent, of the area is cultivated 
(barley is grown up to 5,810 feet, wheat up to 4,740 feet). Wine is grown around Chur and on the 
Italian elopes. Sericulture and the breeding of snails (for exportation to Italy) are likewise of some 
importance. The mines supply lead, copper, silver, and iron, and there are quarries of marble, alabaster, 
and pot-stones. Amongst the 6fty mineral springs are Tarasp and St. Jloritz. 

In the tenth century the Grisons were annexed to the Gorman Empire, and numerous eccleaiattical 



472 SWITZEELAND. 

Coire, in Italiau Coira, in Romaic Quoira, 7,552 inhabitants) is the only town 
deserving the name. It is, above all, a place of trafBc, for the roaas which run 
over the Alpine passes of the Spliigen and the Bernardino into Italy, and those 
which cross the Julier, Albula, and Fluela Passes into the Engadin, diverge from 
it. The cathedral is a remarkable building, said to date back to the eighth 
century, and there are also the remains of a Roman tower (]Mars in Oculis). 
Other places of interest are Ilanz, the capital of the Grey League, and Discntis, 
with one of the oldest abbeys in Christendom, founded in the seventh century by 
Sigisbert, the Scotch apostle, but burnt, together with its invaluable library, in 
17C9, by the French, both on the Rhine, and Samaden, St. Moritz, and Tarasp, in 
the Engadin. The latter two are famous watering-places. Sf. Morifz, in the 
Upper Engadin, 609 feet above the sea, has acidulous and ferruginous springs, 
whilst Tarasp (4,912 feet), in the Lower Engadin, and its neighbourhood, abound 
in springs of nearly every kind, including mofettas, or gas springs. At both 
places huge hotels have been constructed for the accommodation of visitors. The 
villages in the Engadin are generally wealthy, many of the inhabitants having 
made their fortunes abroad as pastrycooks or coffee-house keepers. 

Descending the Rhine, wo pass from the Grisons into the canton of St. Gallon.* 
On our left we perceive Ragatz, a famous bathing town, suj)plied from the springs 
of Pf affers, higher up in the Tamina valley, which here debouches upon the plain 
of the Rhine. The only Swiss town in that plain is Altstdttcn (7,575 inha- 
bitants). But long before we reach it a road and railway branch off towards the 
west at Sargans, and, passing to the south of the Walen Lake, conduct to the 
curious old city of Rapperswyl, on the Lake of Ziirich, here crossed by a wooden 
bridge. St. Galkn (16,675 inhabitants), the venerable capital of the canton, lies 
to the west, beyond the Alps of Appenzell, in a valley tributary to the Lake of 
Constanz. One thousand years ago, in the age of the Carlovingians, the abbey of 
St. Gall was the most famous school of learning in the world. A monk there 

and secular lords ruined the wealth of the country by their continual quarrels. The people at various 
times rose against them, and destroyed the 183 castles which they had built. In 1393 the inhabitants of 
the Lower Rhine valley, of the Albula valley, and of the Engadin, formed the League of God's House 
(Lia Ca De), at the head of which was the Church of Chur. In 1424 the inhabitants dwelling along the 
two head-streams of the Rhine and on the Italian slope formed the Grey League (Lia Grischa, in German 
Graubundeii, in French Grisons), thus named on account of the grey dress usually worn. In 1428 — 36 the 
small villages to the east of Chur, in the Praetigau (Landquart valley"), the Schanfigger valley (Scana 
\-ieus), and the Davos valley formed the League of the Ten Courts (Lia dellas desch dretturas). In 1473 
these three leagues combined and joined the Swiss Confederation. Of the inhabitants 30 per cent, speak 
German, 14 percent. Italian, and 56 per cent. Romaic dialects. These latter, however, in addition to 
their patois, speak in most instances either German or Italian. 

* Sf. Gallen (St. Gall).— Area, 780 square miles; population (1876), 196,834. In 1870 there were 
116,060 Roman Catholics and 74,.573 Protestants. The canton includes the valley of the Rhine down to 
the Lake of Constanz, the flourishing old county of Toggenburg, drained by the river Thur, to the north 
of the depression through which the Rhine formerly took its course, and which extends from Sargans, in 
the east, to the Lake of Zurich in the west. Within it lie Lake Walen and the vale known as Gaster. The 
southernmost portion of the canton is exceedingly rugged, and partly covered with glaciei-s. Dairy- 
farming and agriculture are of importance ; and there are productive coal and iron mines, slate and other 
quarries. The manufacturing industry is mostly confined to the old county of Toggenburg. It supplies 
cottons, lace, embroidery, linen, and silk. The principal towns are St. Gallen, Altstatten, Wattwyl, 
Rorschach, Wallenstadt, and Rapperswyl. 



TIIUROAU. 478 

compiletl the famous chroulclo wLii-li recounts the achievements of Charlemagne ; 
and Gerniau becauK' a fixed Lmguage there long before Luther translated the 
Bible. This famous old abbey was suppressed in 18l»t>, but its library, with its 
1,506 precious codices and 21,000 volumes, has been carefully preserved. In 
addition to it there exists a town library of 28,000 volumes. The founder of the 
abbey, St. Gall, an Irishman, lies buried in the abbey church. The town, 
in sjjite of its great elevation above the sea (:i,'.Hio feet), has grown into a 
manufacturing centre since the thirteenth century. Formerly the linen manu- 
facture predominated, but now embroidered muslins form the staple produce, 
and the vast meadows surrounding the town and its suburbs have been 
converted into bleaching grounds. The manufacturers of St. Gall are a pushing 
race, and maintain agents in all parts of the world. The valley of Toggenburg, 
which is drained by the Thur, and has Watticyl (5,494 inhabitants) for its capital, 
lies to the west of that town, and forms one continuous street of factories, and 
one-eighth of all the cotton stuifs manufactured in Switzerland are produced there. 
Uerismi (9,727 inhabitants), the largest town of the canton of Appenzell, belongs 
to the manufacturing district of St. Gall. As to Appenzell itself (3,<J86 inha- 
bitants), it is remarkable rather on accoimt of its past than for the work accom- 
plished in its workshops. As an evidence of olden times, the iron eliain and collar 
of the pillory still remain attached to the walls of its town-hall.* 

Thurgaut is to far less an extent a manufacturing country than the valleys of 
St. Gall, Ziirich, or Lower Appenzell. Fratictifekl (5,138 inhabitants) and its other 
towns and villages are distinguished rather for the orchards and gardens by which 
they are surrounded. liomaiis/iont (3,141 inhabitants), on the Lake of Constanz, 
and the neighbouring port of Eorschach (3,493 inhabitants), in the canton of 
St. Galleu, are imported grain marts. The shipping trade between the Swiss and 
Gei-man shores of the Bodensee is far more active than on the Lake of Geneva. 
On the latter the steamers are obliged to compete with railways running along the 
northern shore, for the southern is bounded for the most part by steep and almost 
deserted mountains. On the Bodensee, on the other hand, the vessels cross the 
lake transversely, thus connecting the terminal stations of the German and Swiss 
railways. 

The Bodensee (Lake of Constanz) forms with the Rhine a natural frontier on 

* Appaiztll, since 1597, haa boon divided into the Catholic hulf-cantoa of Inner Khoden and the Pro- 
testant one of Outer Rhodcn. Tho former includes the upper valley of the Sittem, with Appenzell for its 
capital. Tlie inhabitants depend mainly upon dairy-fanning. In Outer Rhodun many of the inhabitants 
iiro engaged in muslin-weaving, embroidery, and other industries. Tho Appenzellcrs are noted for their 
gaiety and intelligence. They are excellent WTCstlers and marksmen. They were formerly tho subjects 
of the Abbots of St. Gall, but, being cruelly opi)ressed by them, they formed themselves into lihodcn 
(Botten, i.e. bands), and recovered their independence. 

t Thiirgau (in Frcn'.h Thurgoiie). — Area, 382 sqiure miles ; population (187C), 85,075. In 1870 there 
were 69,231 Catholics and 23, -454 Protestants. Tho canton extends along the Lake of Constanz and the 
Rhine to within the neighbourhood of .Schaffhausen. Tho Tliur and tho Murg are the princi])al rivers. 
The surface is undulating, and of great fertility. The Thurgau is the granary of Switzerland, and its 
orchards are very extensive. Wine, cider, potato brandy, fruit, corn, fish, and cotton stuffs are exported. 
Fraucnfcld is tho capital. 



474 SWITZERLAND. 

the north of Switzerland, but a small canton, that of Schaffhausen, lies beyond that 
river. Its capital (10,303 inhabitants) is one of the most curious cities of the 
Confederation, for by the side of old towers and walls rise the modern factories. 
The water of the Rhine has been conveyed into nearly every house, where it 
supplies a cheap and efficacious motive power. The Byzantine minster, built 
between 1104 and 1453, possesses a bell of 1486, inscribed "Vivos voco, mortuos 
plango, fulgura trango ! " The Gothic church of St. John's is said to be the 
largest in Switzerland. The neighbourhood of this original town abounds in 
delightful sites. No doubt grander scenery maj' be seen in other parts of 
Switzerland, but none more charming.* 

* Schaffhausen, — Area, 114 square miles, population (1876), 38,925. In 1870 there were 34,466 Pro- 
testants and 3,051 Catholics. The limestone of the Randen, a miniature of the Swahian .Jura, approaches 
close to the Rhine. Asjriculture and cattle-hreeding are the principal occiipations. Corn, potatoes, wine, 
and cattle are exported. Cast-steel files, railway carriages, and crucibles are manufactured. The 
canton joined the Confederation in 1501. 




''W 



CHAPTER VIII. 

AGRICTLTURE, INDUSTRY, AND COMirERCE.* 




jLTIIOUGII fur less than one-half of the area is capable of being 
cultivated, and much of the remainder lies at so great an elevation 
above the sea as to be incapable of being utilised except as forests 
III- pasture, the population of Switzerland increases annually to 
the extent of 12,000 or 15,000 persons. In spite of its extensive 
glaciers and snow-tields, the population is as dense in Switzerland as it is in 
France. 

The agricultural produce is not sufficient for the support of the inhabitants, t 
About one-third of the corn required has to be imported from Germany, Hungary, 
and the Danubian Principalities, and has to be paid for out of the profits derived 
from manufacturing industries. The vine is cultivated with care, and the sunny 
slopes on the Lakes of Geneva and Neuchatel and of the Lower Valais form one 
continuous vineyard, from which the dreaded phylloxera has hitherto been success- 
fully excluded. But the wine produced does not meet the demand, which is very 
large in some of the cantons, and France is called upon to make up the deficiency. + 
Similar deficiencies take place in all other kinds of agricultural produce : only 
fruit is grown in quantities sufficient for home consumption, more especially in 
the northern cantons of Aargau, Zurich, Schaffhausen, and Thurgau. 

The nature of their country precludes the Swiss from contending with neigh- 
bouring countries as to ordinary agricultural productions, but their unrivalled 
meadow sand pastures largely compensate them in this respect. Formerly, too, 

* .\ccording to occupations the population of Switzerland is distributed as follows : — 

Agriculture and cattle-breeding 4 4 -4 per cent. 

Industry .... . . . 3-1-0 .. 

Commerce ... 5-2 

Conveyance and trallic . ..... 1'8 ,. 

Officials, professional men, and artists 3-9 .. 

Servants (rendering personal services) . . 6"3 

Persons of indciicndent means 39 „ 

t Luzem, Solothum, Fribourg, and ScbufTbausen export corn ; Valais and Aurgau grow nearly 
sufficient for home consumption. All other cantons are compelled to import largely. 

; The annual production of wine is estimated at 2.541,000 gallons. It is most considerable in Vuud, 
Valais, Ziirich, and Thurgau. 



476 



SWITZERLAND. 



their forests yielded a supply of timber and fuel amply suflScient for home con- 
sumption ; * but since the beginning of this century the forests have decreased 
considerably. In some of the cantons, and more especially in the Valais and 
Ticino, the trees have been cut down without the least thought of the future, and 
the disastrous consequences of such wanton destruction have not failed to appear 
in a deterioration of the climate and an increase in the destructive action of mountain 
torrents. The Forest Cantons no longer deserve that name. The Kern-Wald, 
which anciently separated the two portions of the canton of Unterwalden, has 
almost disappeared. Strict laws have been promulgated for the protection of 
national and communal forests ; but much of the forest land appears to have 

Fig. 325.— The " Se.nnhutten,"' ok Herdsmen's Cabins, of the Simmenthai. 

Scale t: H5,IX)0. 



fp^* (4s%fYS«»*MlFji- - -J, 







..». 2 MileB. 



definitely become private property, in spite of the stipulation that it should be 
restored to the communes after a lapse of eight or nine years, and is not afiected 
by these laws. Thus, year after year, we are compelled to witness a diminution 
in the forests of Switzerland, and a proportionate increase in the cost of timber and 
fuel. The Swiss now import large quantities of timber and of fuel, in spite of the 



* Distribution of the area of Switzerland (1878) : — 








Area. 


Per 




Ai-ea. 


Per 


Acres. 


Cent. 




Acres. 


Cent. 


Aratleland. . . 1,500,180 


14-7 


Glaciers 


454,390 


4-4 


Vineyards . . 75,370 


0-7 


Lakes .... 


353,530 


3-5 


Meadows . . . 1,600,000 


15-6 


Houses 


39,980 


0-3 


Pastures . . . 2,242,000 


21-9 


Roads, rivers, waste land 


2,067,110 


20-3 


Forests . . . 1,906,290 


18-7 


Total, unproductive 


2,915,010 


28-5 


Total, productive 7,323,840 


71-5 









AGEICULTURE, INDUSTRY. AND COMMERCE. 477 

fact that they possess almost inexhaustible stores of the latter in their vast peat 
bogs and their beds of lignite and anthracite. 

Fortunately the mountaineers are not able to destroy the meadows and Alpine 
pastures, which constitute the principal source of wealth of the country. They 
only suffer occasionally from floods, which cover them with rubbish. The mountain 
pastures arc ohhvT A//i)iiiifle — that is, commons belonging to the parishes (ii'i-o per 
cent.) — or they are the property of corporations (!) per cent.) or of private owners. 

The Alpine pastures are divided into nearly 300,000 Stosse, each capable of 
supporting a cow, and varying in size from 1 to 10 acres, according to their 
fertility. They are valued at .£"3,200,000, and yield animnlly a profit of over 
£400,000. Every citizen is entitled to pasture a certain number of cows or other 
animals upon the common pastures. The village usually appoints a Scnn, or 
herdsman, and sometimes also a " checsemaster," who divides the cheese, butter, &c., 
amongst the persons interested. The private pastures are usually farmed, and the 
manufacture of cheese and butter is frequently carried on by associations, as in 
the French Jura. The day on which the herds leave the villages for the mountain 
pastures is a universal holiday. The herds gradually proceed from Slaffel to 
Sinjftl, and in August, or earlier if the weather prove unfavourable, they return 
as slowly to the villages. The Senn, or herdsman, lives in a hut constructed of 
rough timber, and furnished with the necessary apparatus for making cheese. 
Another hut serves as a storehouse. In the morning, when the Senn steps 
outside his hut, he blows his Alpine horn, made of the bark of the birch, or 
yodels, and the animals intrusted to his care obey the accustomed call and 
collect around him to be milked. It is a hard life the Senn leads on his Alp, 
and veiy little of romance is attached to it. 

The manufacture of cheese and butter is generally carried on by associations, 
as in the French Jura. Swiss cheese is highh- esteemed on the continent. The 
best sorts are made at Gruyere, in the canton of Fribourg, and in the Emmcnthal.* 
The making of butter suffers in consequence of the high prices paid for cheese, 
but condensed milk forms an important article of export. The cattle of Switzer- 
land, noted for their strength and the quantity of milk they yield, belong in the 
main to two races. The finest representatives of the brown race are met with 
in Schwyz, whilst the brindled race is principally seen in the Alps of Bern and 
Fribourg. The latter is said to resemble the cattle of Jutland and the Baltic, 
and is supposed to have been introduced by the Burgundians.t Swiss sheep and 

* In 1875 398,000 cwU. of cheese, valued at £1,400,000, were exported. 

1866. 1R76. 

t Horses 100,324 100,935 

Asses and Mules *,475 3,145 

Milch cows 653,205 692,460 

Other catUc 440,086 443,470 

Sheep 447,001 367,550 

Goals 375,482 390,155 

Pigs 304,428 334.215 

Beehives — 177,825 

The import of cattle and butter regularly exceeds the export. 
VOL. n. I I 



478 SWITZERLAND. 

horses generally belong to inferior breeds, but something has recently been done 
by the Federal authorities to improve the former. The goats are actually mis- 
chievous, for they destroy the forests. 

Silkworms are bred in Ticino, and snails, for exportation to Italy, in the 
Grisons. 

In former times, when only a small area had been brought under cultivation, 
the forests and pasture-lands did not suffice for the maintenance of the population 
of the countr}'-. If a mountaineer desired to acquire wealth he was compelled to 
expatriate himself for years, and to go in search of it to the towns of neighbouring 
countries. Even now the " Fathers " of many wealthy Alpine parishes take every 
needful precaution in order that the population intrusted to their care shall not 
outgrow the resources afforded by the land. Bound to support those of its 
members who become indigent, they do not readily authorise marriages ; and if a 
family should grow too rapidly they jirovide its younger members with a viaticum, 
and advise them to go in search of fortune in the wide world. In former times 
these expatriated sons of the country, provided they enjoyed good health, found 
ready employment as mercenaries. More than twenty-one centuries ago, we are 
told by Polybius, the Celts came down from the Alps and from the Upper Rhone 
vallej'-, and sold themselves to the Romans, in order that they might fight other 
Celts living in the plains of the Po. War became the favourite occupation of the 
mountaineers, elated by their great victories over Austrians and Burgundians. 
Some of the cantons actually made money by trading in their poorer citizens. 
They concluded conventions witli France, Austria, the Pope, and several Italian 
states, by which they bound themselves to furnish regiments of soldiers, either for 
parade or for actual fighting. For, 

"If heroes yon ivould have, the pay must he high." * 

As recently as 1855 one of the Swiss cantons entered into a so-called "capitu- 
lation " with Rome and Naples. But neither Luzern nor any of the little cantons 
would dare now to sell the flesh of their sons. The young men whom they 
expatriate now must seek to make a living by some other means than soldiering. 

Nearly every mountain \illage cultivates a special trade, which those amongst 
the young men who emigrate practise in the towns in which they establish them- 
selves. The emigrants from one village are all of them chimney-sweeps ; those 
from another glaziers or masons. There are others which only send forth knife- 
grmders, cloth-dealers, florists, or colliers. The men from the valley of Blegno, 
in the canton of Ticino, are chestnut-roasters, although the chestnut-tree does not 
grow in their mountain vallej^ The Engadin and other parts of the Grisons 
supply Europe with pastrycooks ; whilst the southern valleys of Ticino annually 
provide Italy with builders, designers, and painters. These emigrants are, as a 
rule, quite as careful with their savings as the parish authorities are with their 
parochial treasure chest. They spend little, pocket halfpence or sovereigns as 
may chance, and, having realised a competency, they return to their native valley, 

• Le Regiment du Baron Madrnce. 



AGraCL'LTUUE. iXDUtiTllY, ANT) COMXrERCE. 479 

where they build themselves a house, and live as " gentlemen " amidst their fellow- 
countrymen. In visiting the remote Alpine valley u stranger feels sometimes 
surprised that ho should bo accosted in his own language. One-fourth of the natives 
of Ticino speak French, and many German ; hundreds are able to speak a few 
words of Spanish, Arabic, Greek, or Bulgarian. On returning to their homes, 
manv of these emigrants keep up their connection with the countries in which 
they realised their fortunes. The Swiss of Glarus, St. Gall, and Toggenburg 
have established agencies in all the principal towns of Europe, as far as Scandi- 
navia and Russia, and in the East. China, Brazil, and the United States are 
amongst the best customers of the handicraftsmen dwelling in the valleys of the 
Alps and of the Jura.* 

Industry is, in fact, the great source of wealth, which enables the Swiss to 
live in spite of the small agricultural and mineral resources of the country. 
Mining is carried on to some extent, but the mineral resources of the country 
are not verv great, and the working of many mines has been discontinued, owing 
to the cost of fuel. Iron ores are found in the Jura, in St. Gallen, Solothurn, and 
Valais. About 632,000 cwts. of ore are raised annually. The Alps are supposed to 
be rich in iron ore, but, owing to the want of fuel, it would not pay to work them. 
There are copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, and bismuth mines, but their produce is very 
scantj'. Grold in small quantities is found in the sand of some rivers, and silver 
in the argentiferous lead of Yalais, Bern, and the Grisons. The salt works of 
Bex, in the Yalais and to the west of Basel, are more productive. They yield 
about 660,000 cwts. annually, in spite of which considerable quantities of salt 
have to be imported from abroad. From 10,000 to 15,000 tons of asphalt are 
obtained annually in the Val de Travers, in the Jura. Coal is found in the Valais, 
in Bern, and in Fribourg ; lignite in some of the other cantons ; but the quautitj' 
raised (about 'JO, 000 tons a year) is insignificant. Peat is found in most of 
the cantons. Marble, roofing slates, millstones, and building stones are quarried 
extensively. 

Necessity, which compelled so many to emigrate, induced those who remained 
at home to emploj' the long winter in manufacturing articles in wool or coarse 
linens, which they sold at ridiculously low prices. Such was the modest begin- 
ning of Swiss industry, which now holds so respectable a place. Though obliged 
to import most of the raw produce, Swiss manufacturers were able to undersell 
their foreign competitors, for they paid lower wages, especially in the mountain 
districts, and the many rivers and rivulets furnished them gratuitously with a 
motive power for their machinery. On the other hand, Switzerland labours under 
the disadvantage of being cut o£E from the sea, which places it at the mercy of its 
neighbours, who could annihilate its commerce by the erection of customs barriers. 
Most of its industries, moreover, have no connection at all with the district in 
which they are carried on, such as exists between the factories of many foreign 
countries and the coal or iron mines in the vicinity of which they grew up. 

* In 1870 the numb«r of Swiss residing abroad was estimated at 72,600. Their real uuiiiber, how- 
ever, is sapposed to be 230,000. 

Tl2 



480 



SWITZERLAND. 



Watches, for instance, can be manufactured equally well in other countries,, 
and Swiss watches actually find no longer a market in France or the United 
States.* 

But, in spite of this, Geneva and the Jura are the most important centres of 
watchmaking in the world. t This branch of industry is carried on exclusively 
in French Switzerland. The Jura supplies principally plain watches ; Geneva, 
watches in highly ornamental cases ; and Le Loche, pocket chronometers. To 
regulate these latter an observatory has been established at Neuchatel. The 
export of watches to the United States, which formerly yielded £520,000, hardly 
reaches now £200,000 — a most serious blow to so important a branch of Swiss 
industry. The German cantons in the plains and hilly district — Glarus, Ziiricb, 



Fig. 326. — I.NDUSTEiAL Map of Switzeiiland. 




Watches 



Cottons and Linens. 



Straw-plaiting 
and Horsehair. 



St. Gallen, and Appenzell — engage in cotton- spinning, employing 2,000,000 
spindles and 16,000 power-looms. Silks are manufactured in Ziirich and Basel, 

• Statistics of tho leading industries of Switzprland (1875) :— 

Textile indiLstries . . . 

Watclim.aking .... 
Silks and ribbons 
Machine shops .... 
Total 

The average working day U 12 hours 24 minutes, 
t Watchmaking in 1875 : — 

Switzerland .... 1,600,000 watches, value £3,520,000 

France 400,000 „ „ 1,000,000 

England 200,000 „ „ 640.000 

United States .... 200,000 „ „ 600,000 



Opera 
Males. 
75,(100 


ives. 

Females. 
7-1,000 


Total of 
their Wages. 
£4,320,000 


Average W.ages 
per Day. 
Is. lOd. 


67,000 


13,000 


2,520,000 


2s. 5d. 


33,000 


27,000 


2,016,000 


28. 3d. 


20.000 


— 


804,000 
£9.660.000 


2g. 7d. 


185,000 


115,000 


2s. 5d. 



AGRICULTURE, INDU.STUY, AKD COJklMERCE. 



481 



which are formiduble rivals of Lyons. This brunch of industry is very old, but it 
only attained largei- proportions tlirough the ininiigratiou of Italian and French 
I'rotestauts during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The abolition of tho 
silk duties in Knglaud gave on immense development to it, whilst tho protective 
policy of the United States threatens it with destruction. Silk goods valued at 
£1,000,000 were exportetl to America in 187'2. In 187(i the exports had fallen to 
little more than a million I Tho mechanical embroidery of textile fabrics, chietly 
carried on in St. Gallon, Appeuzcll and Thurguu, has likewise grown into an 
important branch of industry.' The manufacture of linen, straw-plaiting, the 
distillation of liqueurs, and wood-curving, which gives so much pleasure to the 
visitors of the Bernese Uberland, are amongst the minor industries. Xor must 
we omit to notice the machine builders of Ziiricli and Olten, and the many 

Fig. 327. — An Atalancbb ok tub Ebemb Fldh. 




handicraftsmen who devote their attention to the production of a groat variety 
of fancy articles, amongst which the jewellery of Geneva occupies a most respectable 
place. The iron works only produce 160,000 cwts. of pig-iron a year. 

M. de Laveleye has pointed out that the Swiss workmen, as compared with 
those of other countries, enjoy a great advantage by sharing largely in the 
property in the land. It is quite true that at Ziiricb, Glarus, and elsewhere 
many of the native workmen own a patch of meadow land, a potato-field, or 
a couple of cows, looked after by the wife or the children. But in Switzerland, 
as in all manufacturing countries, the workmen are for the most part solely 
dependent upon their wages. In proof of this we may cite the canton of Glarus, 

• In 1876 there were 10,237 embroidirinij; machines, and including the workshops they were valued ut 
£1, 800,000. About 25,000 ojieralives were tuiployud in that branch of induatry. 



482 



SWITZERLAND. 



where the generjil wealtli has more than quadrupled since 1850, but where, not- 
withstanding, only one-third of the population consists of landowners, whilst half 
the canton is the property of no more than thirty individuals. 

Thanks to its manufacturing industry, Switzerland is able to carry on a veiy 
considerable commerce.* The imports from France include woollen stuffs and silks, 
wine, flour, jewellerj^, and hardware. Italy supplies almost exclusively raw silk. 
Germany furnishes corn, flour, and all kinds of manufactured goods. The exports 
include silks, cotton goods, lace, watches, jewellery, straw-plaiting, cattle and 
cheese, wine, liqueurs, musical boxes, wood-carvings, machinery, asphalt, &c. 
Free trade has been adopted in principle. The customs duties arc principally 



Fig. 328. — The Passes oveu the Alps. 
Scale 1 : 2,400,000. 




10 Miles. 



levied upon luxuries and alcoholic drinks, and the transit dues were abolished in 
1867. 

J^ature has opposed great obstacles to the development of commerce. In a 
country of mountains, torrents, avalanches, and landslips, the construction of 
carriage roads entailed a considerable amount of labour, and their maintenance is 
costlj'. It is well known that travellers only venture timidly info certain moun- 
tain gorges, and speak with a subdued voice for fear that the vibration of the air 
might cause an avalanche to rush down the mountain slope and involve them in 
destruction. In spite of these difficulties, the network of excellent carriage roads 
which now embraces the plain and the hilly regions leaves but little to be desired. 

* In 1S74 the imports and cxpoits were rouglily estimated at £43,200,000, or £16 .58. per head. 

In 1876 the imports included 289,394 head of live stock; £107,613 worth of merchandise taxed ad 
valorem, and 43,322,071 cwts. of other goods. 

The exports included 105,782 head of live stock; £246,330 worth of wood and coal ; and 4.453,979 
owls, of other goods (401,915 cwts. of cheese, 225,491 cwts. of colton stuffs, 107,747 cwts. of cotton yam 
and twist, 24,216 cwts. of raw silk, 58,341 cwts. of silk stuffs and ribhons, &c.). 



AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, AND C(,»MM1:RCE. 



483 



More tban twenty carriage rouds conuect the two slopes of the Jura. Every 
one of the lakes is skirted by roads, some of them, like the Axenstrasse, 
being hewn out of the solid rock. Excellent roads likewise cross the principal 
passes of the secondary ranges of the Alps, and some amongst these, such as that 
of the Briinig, which connects Interlakon with the Lake of the Four Cantonp, is 
frequented annually by thousands of travellers. As to the Central Alps, many of 
the paths which lead across these have not yet been made practicable for carriages. 

Fig. 329. — The Devil's Uhidob and the Koad of the St. Uottuauo. 




The lamous old puss which tiie Romuus dedicated to Jupiter Pa'uinus, in whose 
honour they erected a temple upon its summits, now replaced by the monastery ot 
St. Bernard, is practicable only for mules. The Lukmanier, which, next to the 
Maloggia in the Engadin, Is the lowest pass over the Central Alps, still waits for 
its carriage road. The Septiiner was much frequented by the Romans, and the 
road which led over it joined that over the Bernardino on the northern slope at 
Curia (Chnr), on the southern at Clavenna (Chiavenna), but merely a footpath 
leads across it now. On the other hand, passages which were not frequented for- 



484 



SWITZEKLAND. 



merly have been conquered by man. The most important road which in our days 
crosses the Alps, that of the St. Gotthard, penetrates valleys which were not 
known to the Roman legionaries. Its name is tirst mentioned in 1162. Four 
other international high-roads connect the two slopes of the Swiss Alps. Early 
in the century not a single international carriage road crossed the Alps 
between the Mediterranean and the Brenner. It was Napoleon who constructed 
not only the roads over the Mont Cenis, the Little St. Bernard, and others across 
the Franco-Italian Alps, but also built the famous road over the Simp/on (6,595 
feet), which was completed in 1806. Several great high-roads have since been 
constructed for the purpose of facilitating communications between Switzerland 



Fig. 330. — The Railways oi- Switzerland. 

Scale 1 : 1,280,000. 




U 



. 50 MUes. 



and Italy. The road of the St. Gotthard (6,936 feet) connects the Lake of the 
Four Cantons with the Lago Maggiore and Milan. The roads over the Splugen 
(6,947 feet) and the Bernardino (6,770 feet) join the valley of the Hinter-Rhein, 
the one with the Lake of Como, the other with the Lago Maggiore. The Maloggia 
(6,100 feet) connects the Upper Engadin with the Luke of Como, the Bernina 
(7,670 feet) with the Val Telina. Amongst the passes wholly within 
Switzerland that of the Furka (8,000 feet), which connects the valley of the Rhone 
with the road over the St. Gotthard, is one of the most important from a military 
point of view. Four carriage roads cross the Alps which separate Chur from 
the Engadin, \-iz. those of the Fluela (7,888 feet), the Alhida (7,584 feet), Julier, 
and Septimer (7,347 feet). The most elevated bridle-path, and the highest pass 



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Jl archie r / inestorie 



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AOBICULTUUE, INDUSTRY, AXD (dMMi;!:!!;. 



485 



in ull Europe, leads ovor the Muttcrjoch (Ptmaijc de St. Tlieodule, 10,020 feet). 
Accurdiug: to the miiiibor of travellers whieh eross them annually tliey rank in the 
following order : — .Siinplon, Spliigeu, beruardiuo, and La Maloggia.* 

But high-roads, however carefully coustructed, no longer sulHee for the require- 
ments of eonunerce : railways, placing the country into connection with the railway 
systems of other countries, have become indispensable. Tlie first railway, that 
from Ziirieh to Haden, was opened in 1847, but at present the plain of Switzer- 
land has more railways in proportion to its area than any other country of 
Europe ; perhaps too many, if we judge them by the profit their constructors derive 
from thcm.t They may possibly become more prolltable after they have been 
placed in direct comniunicaliou witli the Italian railways, and this great work has 
been seriously taken in hand. Germany and Italy, which are most interested in the 
realisation of this plan, have combined with Switzerland to construct for that 
purpose a tunnel beneath the Tass of St. Guttliard. Amongst all the great works 

Fig. 331.— XuK Tls.nel op the St. Ootthahh. 




P«vle ]. 175000 



_JMIU3 



Granitoid (hieiaa. Schistose gnci« and mica schist. Oneiss, Mica schist Mica 
gneiss. schist, and gneiss, schist. 

quartz. 



recently accomplished, this piercing of the St. Gotthard will bo one of the greatest 
and one of the most necessary. Switzerland would, in course of time, become a 
kind of blind alley, unless a road were opened through it available for the transit 
trade. Goods and passengers are now obliged to travel by way of France or 
Austria, but, as soon as the tunnel of the St. Gotthard shall liave been opened for 
traffic, commerce will avail itself of the advantage it offers, and some of its stations, 
high up in the mountains, will become great eiidrpots of European importance. 
Results such as these cannot, however, bo attained without exercising a potent 

• III 1875 the four principal Alpine pusses were crossed by the following number of travellers: — 
St. Gotthard, 6o,.500 : Siinplon, 27,700 ; Splugtu. 24,150 ; Bernardino, 24,000. 

AltoiietbcT the Alpine routes weie nutde use of by 225,000 travellers in carriages, und by ut leu.st as 
Diuny pedestrians. 

t In 1877 there were I,5C0 miles of Milway. constructed at un expense of £34,000,000. In 1S7C the 
revenue deriveil from them was £2,1 3;i,G20, or £l,o02 a mile. 

'i'hu Post Oniee (1870) forwarded C5,03.i,290 letters, 20,389,833 parcels, and 45,050,000 news| apera. 

The telegraph lines have a length of over 4,000 miles, and 2,018,858 luess-iges were, sent in 1876. 



486 



SWITZERLAND. 



Fi, 



332. — DiAGllAM OF THE TuNXELS OP THE 
SiMPLON AND THE St. GoTTHAKD. 

Horizontal Scale 1 : 4,000,000. 
Vertical Scale 1 : 40,000. 



KoTile l.eone 



influence upon political geography. The high chain of the Alps, which hitherto 
formed an almost impassable barrier between nations, will exist no longer. 
Manners and customs which survive only in remote districts will be swept away. 
The difficulties presented by this vast enterprise have been great ; financial mis- 
calculations have led to embarrassment ; but the work is nevertheless progressing 
satisfactorily, and the year 1880 will no doubt see its accomplishment. The lines 
of railwaj' which give access to it from the Forest Cantons and Ticino can be 
opened soon after.* 

But this is not all. If German Switzerland ijierces the Alps which separate it 
froni Italy, French Switzerland likewise desires to obtain a direct outlet towards 

the south, and its interests are identical 
with those of Northern France. In fact, a 
straight line drawn from Paris to Milan — 
that is to say, in the direction of Brindisi, 
Egj^t, and India — passes through the 
canton of the Valais. Engineers, anxious 
to find the most favourable locality where 
they might pierce the Alps, have fixed 
\i])on the Simplon. This is the veritable 
gateway into Italy, but the gate requires 
ofDening. As compared with other Alpine 
railways, that proposed to run through 
the tunnel of the Simplon will possess the 
inestimable advantage of having very 
gentle gradients. Its construction will 
be less costly, and its traffic can be carried 
with far greater facility. It is, therefore, 
much to be desired that its construction 
should be taken in hand at an early 
date.t 

Another gap, the Pass of Maloggia, 

at the other extremity of Switzerland, 

at the head of the Inn, appears to offer 

many advantages for the construction of a 

railway traversing the Alps obliquely, 

and connecting the valley of the Danube 

with the Gulf of Genoa. But this railway, very different from the proposed line 

over the Simplon, would for a considerable distance be at an elevation of 5,900 

feet above the sea, and on reaching the edge of the pass, very appropriately called 




• to 30 3o ^oSo 6070 80 gouoiuiioi3aiV«i^ tftoi;o doigoioouofto & 



* The total lengtli of the tunnel, between GiJsclienen on the north and Airolo on the south, is 48,947 
feet, or 9'3 miles. 

t Comparison of Alpine tunnels ; — 

Mt. Cenis St. Gotthard 

(completed). (constructing). 

Length in feet .... 40,133 48,947 

Altitude „ .... 4,100 3,785 2,360 



Simplon 

(proposed). 

61,493 



AGKICULTUIUi, INDUSTRY, AND COMMKBCE. 



487 



that of the " bad quarters, or lodgings," it would be necessary to construct very 
costly cmbankmeuts in order to reach the valley of Bregaglia, lying far below. 



Although years may pass before the lines through the St. Gotthard and the 
Simplon are opened for traflBc, the number of travellers is ever on the increase, 
and Switzerland has almost becojne one huge hotel. During the summer season 
they arrive in thousands, and all the languages of Europe may then be heard.* 
Many of these visitors, attracted by the salubrity of the climate or the advan- 
tages of living in a free country, permanently settle there, and even during 
winter the resident foreign jwpulation is very considerable.! Manufacturing 

Fig. 333.— Tub Pass of SIalogou. 

Scale I : 95,000. 







1 MUe 



towns like Geneva, Basel, Ziirich, or St. Gallen attract many German or French 
workmen, whilst Italian may be heard wherever railway embankments are being 
thrown up or houses built. 

Tlie natives of Switzerland whom a traveller encounters whilst passing rapidly 
from hotel to hotel do not give a fair idea of the bulk of the population. Indeed, 
the "exploitation of foreigners " is not the least profitable industry of the country.? 
Hotel-keepers, carriers, guides, horn-blowers, openers of gates, guardians of water- 
falls, and a host of mendicants, who make their living out of foreign visitors, never 

• In 1869 InterUkea waa visited by 175,000 strangers, who stayed there from a night to scvorul 
weeks. 

t Number of forcisrners domiciled in Switzerland (1870), 160,900, of whom 63,117 were Germans, 
62,228 French, 18.073 Italians, 2,297 English, 1..5y9 Russians, 1,404 .Xmericana. 

X The foreigners who annually visit the Oberlund arc said to leave £1,200,000 behind them. 



488 



SWITZERLAND. 



hesitate when a chance of making something out of him presents itself. Every- 
thing is sold, down to a glass of water, or even a gesture indicating the route a 
traveller is to follow. Fine sites are taken possession of and enclosed with 
barriers, in order that strangers desirous of enjoying the prospect can be made to 
pay for it. "Waterfalls and cascades are concealed behind hideous palisades, in 
order that the travellers not willing or able to pay may be shut out from their 
enjoyment. It is only natural that this avidity should disgust foreign visitors, 
but in a world where the love of lucre is being perpetually called forth it is diffi- 
cult to form an opinion of the true moral standard of the persons with whom we 
come temporarily into contact. 

If we would study the Swiss as he is, we must step beyond this world of hotels, 

Fig. 334. — The Moxch, -with the Jvnofkau, the Silberhorn, the Schneehokn, the Altels, and 

Blvmlisaii", in the DISTANC'K. 




the only one with which most foreign visitors become acquainted. In forming 
our opinion of the moral character of the people we must be guided not only by 
our own personal experience, but also by the statistics published by the different 
cantons and by public societies. Much has certainly been done for elementary 
education ; but although Switzerland ranks high in that respect, many of its 
cantons lag far behind, and the diffusion of knowledge is much less general than 
in Germany. In many cantons every child receives an elementary education, and 
some of the adults attend superior schools, but there are others which leave much 
to be desired in that respect. The school-house is the finest building in many 
villages, and in some of the towTis veritable palaces have been constructed to serve 
the purposes of education. In the north-eastern cantons, where the vast majority 
of inhabitants are Protestant, the proportion of children attending school to the 



AGRICULTURE, IXDUt^TKV. AND COMMKRCE. Iht) 

whole population is as 1 to 5, while iu the Imlf-riotcstant cantons it is as 1 
to 7, and in the TJoniun Catholic cantons as 1 to [). Parents urc hy law com- 
pelled to send their children to school, or to have them privately taught, from 
the age of six to that of twelve years ; and neglect may be punished by fine, and 
in some cases by imprisonment. The law has not hitherto been enforced in the 
Roman Catholic cantons, but it is rigidly carried out in those whore the Protestants 
form the majority of the inhabitants. In everj' parish there are clemenfary 
schools, where the rudiments of education, with geography and history, are taught, 
and the number of secondary schools is verj' considerable. Industrial schools, in 
which girls are taught needlework, exist in connection with many of the elementary 
schools. Superior schools exist in fifteen of the principal towns. Tiicre arc 
colleges at Geneva and Lausanne, and universities at Basel (founded in 14(iO), IJern, 
Ziirich, and Geneva. These latter are organized on the German system. IS'o less 
than 280 professors and teachers are attached to them, and they are attended by 
1,200 pui)ils. A Polytechnic school was established at Ziirich in 18.j5, and is 
maintained bj' the Federal Government. There are in addition five agricultural 
schools, sixteen training schools for elementary teachers, a military academy at 
Tliun, and six seminaries for the education of Poman Catholic priests.* Teaclicrs 
and professors are in many instances better paid than in the neighbouring coun- 
tries, and they enjoy the respect of their fellow-citizcns.t 

The number of public libraries is large, and there exist numerous societies for 
the promotion of art and science, all of which exercise a most beneficial influence 
upon the education of the people. Amongst societies embracing the whole of 
Switzerland, and counting their members by thousands, may be mentioned the 
Art Union, the Natural History Society, the Historical and Antiquarian Societies, 
the Unions of Choral and Gymnastic Societies, the Unions of Swiss Physicians and 
Lawyers, and a Society for the Promotion of Art Indusfry.+ 

• Educational statistics : — 6,500 clcmentarj' schools arc attended l)y 420,000 pupils. They nre main- 
tained at an annual expenditure of £268,000. Education is most widely diffused in the cantons of Basel 
Town, Zurich, and Vaud, where only 4 out of everj- 1,000 inhabitants are illiterate. In the cantons of 
Unterwalden (nid dem AVald^ Fribourg, Valais, .Schwyz, and Appenzell (Outer Rhodcn) the number of 
illiterates varies Itetween 113 and 315 per 1,000. 

Out of every 1,000 recruits no less than 9 are unable to read! 

t In the canton of Ziirich, which takes the lead in all matters relating to education, the elementary 
teachers are ]iaid £92 to £140 annually in the town, and £48 as a minimum in the country districts, in 
addition to which the country schoolmasters are provided with lodgings. 

J In 1876 there existed 2.5 large public libraries in Switzerland, with 920,500 volumes; 1,629 school 
and people's libraries, with 087,950 volumes. 

There existed likewise 5,652 societies or clubs, with 230,000 members. 

About 4 1 2 periodicals are being published ; 266 in German, 1 18 in French, 16 in Italian, 6 in Romaic, 
.-ind I in English- 



CHAPTER IX. 

GOVERNMENT AKD ADMINISTRATION. 




WITZERLAND, with its diverse races and languages, is not governed, 
like most other states, by a monarch or by a political part)\ 
In spite of the centralizing tendencies which have been at work 
more or less actively since the commencement of the nineteenth 
century, each canton consists in reality of a confederation of com- 
munes, or parishes, every one of which attends to its local affairs, whilst the 
Republic itself includes a number of cantons enjoying a large amount of autonomy. 
In former times Switzerland was cut up into several hundred independent states, 
every one of which was governed on different jDrinciples, and which hung only 
loosely together in case of emergency. The valley formed the natural unit of 
these states — the Republican cellule of the entire organism as it were. The Grisons 
present a striking instance of this kind. The communes there are sej^arated by 
barriers of mountains, rocks, and snow-fields, and were thus able to maintain their 
independence. They combined into three leagues for the purpose of administering 
the interests they had in common, and these three leagues again formed them- 
selves into a federation for the defence of the country against foreign aggression 
(see p. 491). 

The Swiss Republic, taken as a whole, did not at that time realise our ideal of 
what such a bodj'' politic should have been. Feudal practices, and military expedi- 
tions undertaken for the sake of conquest, formed a strange and curious contrast 
to the practice of local liberty. Serfdom existed, and in Solothurn was abolished 
only in 1782. The inhabitants of the plain and of the hills, whom nature had not 
protected against the incursions of armed bands, became the "cattle" of feudal 
lords and princely abbots. The laws differed throughout the country, and the 
privileges accorded to members of the Confederation varied according to the 
accidents of conquest or of alliances. Some of the towns enjoyed the title of 
"allies," without being sovereign ; others were admitted as "protected towns ; " 
others, again, were treated as victims of conquest, and had to obey the behests of 
individual cantons, or of the Swiss "people" met in " Tagsatzung," or Parliament. 
It required the terrible shock of the French Revolution to change this state of 



GO\'ERNMENT AND ADMINISinATIOX. 491 

affairs, and to turn Switzerland into paths more comformiible witli our modern 
ideas of civilisation and civil liberty. Tho curious distribution of Protestants and 
Catholics in Switzerland clearly proves the fyrauiiical manner in which each of 
these little states was formerly governed. Keligion, festivals, and, in fact, every- 
thing, was enforced by laws and customs. It merolj' depended upon the issue of a 
battle whether the inhabitants of a certain district should conform, at least out- 
wardly, to the ceremonies of one of the two contending confessions. Hence this 
strange intermingling of Catholics and Protestants, independently of diUerences 
of language or of natural geographical boundaries. But toleration has recently 
become the rule, and religious strife is less violent than it used to be. Still 
even recently a new relijjious sect has been establislied, that of the Old Catholics, 
whose principal stronghold is in the cantons of Solothurn, Bern, and Aargau.* 
They constituted themselves a separate Church in June, 1876, elected a bishop, 
and now number 80 congregations, with 75,000 members. The cantonal 
authorities at the same time took measures to repi-ess the opposition which 
some of the Catholic clergy oft'ered to the laws of the state, and more esiiecially 
to the election of priests by the parishioners, as being contrary to the laws of the 
Church. In the Jura and in Geneva military force was employed to maintain the 
authority of the state, and quite recently the priests appear to have submitted. 
Peace, however, has not been restored, and the suppression of monasteries and 
convents is not calculated to allay the discontent of the clergy and of a con- 
siderable body amongst the laity. There now remain 32 monasteries and 53 
convents in Switzerland, the former with 438, the latter with 2,132 inmates. 
Amongst the farmer the Benedictine abbeys of Eiusiedlen, Engelberg, and 
Dlsentis, and the monasteries of the St. Bernard and the St. Gotthard, are the 
most famous. 

Some of the smaller cantons (Glarus, Uri, Appcnzell, and Unterwalden) 
have retained their old popular assemblies, or lamhgctneimhu, at which all citizens 
of the canton deliberate in common. The latulsgemeinden of Schwyz and Zug have 
been abolished — the former in 1798, the latter after the religious war waged 
against the Sonderbund. The meetings in the two Forest Cantons of Uri and Unter- 
walden are attended by a considerable amount of display, and are very curious 

• The Swim Confederation (Eidgcnossenschaft) was founded in 1315 by the eantons of I'ri, Sohwyz, 
and Unterwalden; Luzem acceded in ISS'i, and thus arose the federation of the four Forest Cantons 
CWaldBtutte). Zurich joined in 13.51, Zug and Glarus in 1352, Bern in 1353. The Federation thin 
lusumed the title of " Eidgenossenschaft of the Eipht Towns." Tliis union imparted strength to the Con- 
federation, and it became aggressive, and the great victories at Granson and Murten (1470 and U76) 
established ita fame. By the treaty of Basel (U99) tho independence of the Swiss Confederation had 
iH-en virtually aeVnowledgcd, although it remained nominally a member of the Empire until the treaty of 
Westphalia (1648). Solothurn and Fribourg joined tho Federation in 1481, Basiel and SchalThausen in 
1501, and Appenzell in 1513. The thirteen cantons named formed the Federation up to tho outbreak of 
the French Kcvolution. In addition to them there were " associates," such as tho Abbots of St. Gall and 
the town of Biel, who sent representatives to the Parliament ; confederates or allies, including the 
Orisons, the Valais, Keuchitel, Geneva, and a portion of the bishopric of Basel, and MuUiausen, in Alsjitia ; 
and "subjects" (the Thurgau, Vau I, and other territories). French armies overthrew the old Federa- 
tion, and established in its place an Helvetian Republic (1798), which a few years afterwards became 
virtually a dependency of France. The Valai.t and Geneva became French department*. The Congress 
of Vienna (1813; established Switzerland within its actual limits and guaranteed its neutrality. 



492 SWITZERLAND. 

spectacles, recalling a bj'gone age. In reality, however, the virtual power reposes 
in the hands of a few leading families. Far more influential is the landsgcmeinde, 
which meets at Trogen, in the canton of Apjoenzell, for it is frequently attended by 
more than 10,000 citizens. The assembly of Glarus, however, has succeeded most 
in maintaining its ancient prerogatives. This meeting, in accordance with ancient 
custom, is attended also bj^ the children. Seated beneath the hustings, thev listen 
to the speeches made by their fathers, and are thus initiated into the politics of 
the canton. In the larger cantons a body chosen by universal suffrage exercises all 
the functions of the landxgemeixden. 

Five cantons (Geneva, Neuchatel, Yalais, and Ticino) retain the representative 
institutions which up to 1863 were in force in the majority of the cantons. A 
Common Council — Grosser Rath, or Grand Conseil — is elected by universal 
suffrage every two, three, or four years. The Executive (Staatsrath, or Conseil 
d'Etat) is elected by the Common Council, as are also the judges of the superior 
court, who usually servo for nine years, and the prefects, or Amtmiinner, of the 
districts. The Common Council is a legislative body, and only bills affecting the 
constitution of the canton must be submitted to a popular vote before the- become 
law. 

All other cantons — and they are the majority — have recently given themselves 
purely democratic constitutions. In all of these the Common or Cantonal Cou"ncil 
is elected by universal suffrage, and in some of them also the executive, the 
judges, and principal officers. Bills and estimates are prepared by the repre- 
sentatives of the people, but they have no final force until the body of citizens has 
had an opportunity to express an opinion with respect to them. This " Referen- 
dum " is either obligatory or facultative. In the former case all bills must be 
submitted to a popular vote ; in the latter they are submitted only on the requisi- 
tion of a certain number of citizens, or in the case of money bills, if the sura voted 
exceed a certain amount. In addition to this, a certain number of citizens 
may compel the Council to take into consideration any bill that may be 
deemed of public interest. Moreover, in some of the cantons the Common 
Council may be called upon to retire before the expiration of the usual term 
of office. Self-government is rigidly carried out in all these democratic com- 
monwealths, most of the officers being elected. The members of the repre- 
sentative bodies throughout Switzerland, as well as most of the magistrates, 
are either honorary servants of their fellow-citizens or receive a merely nominal 
salary. 

The local laws differ in many particulars. The penalty of death and 
corporal punishment have been abolished throughout ; the gambling hell at Saxon 
will soon be closed ; but vestiges of mediaeval processes still remain. Other cantons 
have proved themselves more accessible to modern ideas. In Ticino the principle 
that criminals should be punished only with a view to their moral regeneration is 
universally accepted, and the punishment is frequently remitted. The numerous 
ancient laws still in force in many cantons lead to an immense amount of 
litigation ; but there can be no doubt that the pressure exercised by the Federal 



GOVERXMEXT AND ADMIXISTRATION. 



493 



TTigli Court of Justice at Lausanne will finallj* lead to the acceptation of a code 
which shall have force throughout the Federation. 

The greatest difference between the members of the Federation results from 
their inequality in area and population. The area of the canton of the Grisons 
is nearly two hundred times more extensive than that of the half-canton of 
Basel Town, whilst the canton of Bern has forty-six times more inhabitants than 
that of Unterwaldon nid dem "NVald. But, in spite of these great differences of area 
and population, the nineteen cantons and six half-cantons enjoj' the same rights 
and privileges in their local government, the only disability of the half-cantons 
being this, that they are represented in the State Council only by one member 
instead of two.* Of all the Federal republics Switzerland approaches nearest to 
our ideal of a Government carried on by the people. In accordance with the 
constitution, the sovereignty of the people is acknowledged, and the powers of the 
State are wielded by functionaries elected by them, or ajipointed with the consent of 



Zilrich . 
JBom (Bemc) 
tl.iizem (Lucerne) 

trri . . 

tSchwyz (Schwitz) 

tUntcrwalden ol) i 
dem W'ald J 
Untcrn-aldcn nid j 
dem AV.ald ( 
Glarus (Claris) 
tZtig . 
tFribourgfFrcibui^) 

tSolothum (SoleuTp) 
Bastl (Bale) Towti 
„ Country 
SchaflFhausen 
Apponzell, Outer j 
Rhoden * 

tAppcnzell, Inner ) 
Rhoden i 

JSt.Gallen(St. Gall) 
JGianbunden(Gri- \ 
sons) ) 

tAargau (A^go^ie) . 
{Thurgau (Thur- > 
govie) / 

tTicino (Tcssin) 

Vaud (TVaadt) 
tValais (Wallis) . 

Ncuchatcl "I 
(Xcucnburg) J 
JGenfeve (Genf, ) 
Genera) / 

Total 



• Total Area. 
Sq.51. 
6.56-9 
2659-9 
679-5 
415-4 
350-8 

18.33 

11-2-2 



266-9 

92-3 

644-4 



Glaciers. 
tq.M. 

lU-4 

44-3 
0-5 

3-9 

1-4 
13-9 



0-04 

0-4 

2-9 
138-7 



131 
4-3 

375-2 



710-0 



luhnbitonts. 

Lakes. Dec. 31, 1870 July 1, 1876 Inhnb. to rrcrailing 

Sq M. (Census). (Estimated), a Sq. M. Nationality. 

29-2 284,786 294,994 443 German 

47-4 606,455 628,670 236 Germ., French 

25-2 132,3;!8 133,316 230 German 

7-8 16,107 16,900 41 

21-0 47,705 49,216 141 



4-4 

124 

2-7 
13-1 
451 

0-1 



0-04 
0-2 

29-6 

6-8 

3-3 

50-4 

25-6 

156-6 

6-7 

36-9 

11-6 

635-1 



14,415 

11,701 

35,151 

20,993 

110,832 

74,713 
47,760 
54,127 
37,721 

48,726 
11,909 

191,015 
91,782 

198,875 
93,300 

119,620 

2.31,700 

90,887 

97,284 

93,196 

2^69,095 



15,009 

11,993 

36,179 

21,775 

113,952 

77,803 
51,515 
65,548 
38,925 

48,879 

11,907 

196,834 
92,906 
201,567 
95,074 
121,768 
212,439 
100,490 

102,843 

99,352 

2,759,854 



82 

107 

134 
236 
177 

259 

3,680 

280 

344 

488 
195 

252 
34 
373 
250 
lU 
195 
50 

331 
920 
173 



French, Germ. 
German 



( Germ. .Romaic, 
( It.ilian 
German 

German 

Italian 

French 
( French, Germ., 
( Italian 

French 
French 



t Catholic cantons. 



VOL. II. 



X Mixed Catholics and Frotestants. 
K K 



494 SWirZEELAXr. 

their representatives. The legislative powers are vested in the people and their 
representatives, and measures of paramount importance must be referred to the 
voters, without whose approbation they cannot pass into laws. Every citizen may 
propose a law, and if he can obtain the support of one- thirteenth of the electors of 
his eaaton he mav take the opinion of the cantonal authorities upon it. In this 
macnsr the whole of Switzerland has been converted into a huge parliament, of 
which every Swiss citizen is a member. 

The central authority, up to l&i8, was exercised by the Tagsatzung, or Diet, 
which alternately sat at Zurich, Luzem, and Bern. Each canton or half-canton 
was represented bv a Delegate, compelled to vote in accordance with the instructions 
furnished by his constituency. The large and wealthy cantons had no more to 
sav than the small ones, and the half-cantons had virtually but a consultative 
vote, for by a legal fiction two half-votes were not considered to count as a fuU 
vote, and a bill was not considered to have been carried if 11 A votes had been 
recorded in its favour. The small cantons actually governed the country. These 
evils were put a stop to by the Constitution adopted on the 12th September, 1848, 
on the conclusion of the Separatist war, which converted a loose federation of 
sovereign cantons into a Federal state. 

In virtue of this Federal pact, amended in a spirit of centralization in 1874, 
no canton is permitted to form political alliances with other cantons or with 
foreign states. All sovereign powf rs have been delegated to the Xational Assembly. 
It alone can conclude treaties or declare war ; the military forces, towards which 
each canton contributes a contingent, only obey its orders ; it coins money and 
superintends weights and measures ; it carries on the postal and telegraph services, 
and levies the customs duties. The Federation likewise watches over the rights 
and pri^-ileges of the citizens, and interferes whenever a canton attempts to 
violate the law. 

Religious liberty is guaranteed, and elementary education throughout 
Switzerland is to be compulsory, secular, and gratuitous. If 30,000 citizens or 
ei»ht cantons require it, each bill carried by the National Assembly must be 
submitted to a popular vote. This is called a Referendum. 

Bern has been chosen capital of the country, and is the seat of the Jfational 
Assembly, or Bundes-Versammlung, which consists of two chambers. The State 
Council fStanderath) is composed of forty-four members, chosen by the cantons 
and half-cantons, the former being represented by two, the latter by one member. 
The National Council (Xationalrath) consists of 135 representatives of the people, 
chosen in direct election at the rate of one deputy for every 20,000 souls. A 
general election of representatives takes place every three years. Every citizen 
of the Republic who has attained the age of twentj- years is entitled to a vote ; and 
any voter, not being a clergyman, may be elected a deputy. The chief executive 
authority is deputed to a Bundesrath, or Federal Council, consisting of seven 
members, elected for three years by the Federal Assembly. The President and Vice- 
President of the Federal Coimcil are the first magistrates of the Republic. Both 



GOVERNMENT A.\l> AHMIXISTRATIOX. 495 

are elected liy tbo Federal Assembly for the term of one year, and are not 
re-eligible till after the expiration of another year. The seven members of the 
Federal Council— each of whom has a salary of X'480 per annum, while the 
President has t'.j40 — act as ministers or chiefs of the seven administrative depart- 
ments of the llepublie. 

The eleven members of the Federal Tribunal are elected for six years by the 
Federal Assembly. It decides on all matters in dispute between the cantons, or 
between cantons and the central Government, and acts in general as a High Court 
of Appeal. Its seat is Lausiinne. The constitution of 1874 abolished corporal 
punishment and the penalty of death, and transferred all legislation on commercial 
matters and copyright to the National Assembly. 

There is no standing army, but all citizens are called upon to render military 
service between the ages of twenty and forty-four, or to pay an exemption-tax 
should they be physically unfit. The BtiiHlcs-Auszitg (field force, absurdly called 
elile in the French cantons) consists of all men up to thirty-two, and each canton 
is required to furnish a force equal to at least 3 per cent, of its population, and in 
addition a reserve of half that strength. The Landwchr (militia) includes all 
men who have passed through the Auszug. Most of the expenses connected witli 
the army are borne by the Federation.* 

The cantons le\-y the recruits, appoint the officers, and carry on tlie adminis- 
tration of their contingents. The Federal authorities furnish the instructors, 
and exercise a general control. All legislation on militarj' matters emanates from 
them. 

The army, though not a standing one, nevertheless weighs hea%-ily upon the 
Federal and cantonal budgets, and a deficit has become almost chronic since the 
middle of the present century. The first Federal loan was contracted in 1867, 
and fresh loans will have to be contracted in future every year unless the cantons 
are called upon to cover the deficiency in the public revenue. This, however 
would be a dangerous experiment, for most of the cantons raise their revenues by 
direct taxes, and would resent any increase of the heavy burden they are obliged 
to bear even now. The Federal revenue is derived chiefly from customs, for the 
Post and Telegraph Offices yield but a small surplus. A portion of the revenue is 

• Federal army (December, 1876) : — 
Acszio. 

Staff 

Infantry, 107 battalions 
Cavalry, 24 squadrons and 12 troops 
Artillery, CD batteries and train . 
Engineers. 8 battalions 
Hospital Corps .... 
Administrations .... 
Permanent Instructorb 



Each man undergoes six to eight weeks' setting-up drill, and as long as he remains in the Auszug he 
annually attends a week's or a fortnight's training, according to tbe branch of the army to wliich he 
belongs. 





Lamiwehb. 




620 


Stuff .... 


HO 


98,188 


107 battalions 


81,617 


2,046 


24 squadrons and 12 troops 


2,279 


1.5,530 


23 batteries and train 


7,421 


2,2S5 


8 battalions 


1,484 


8S7 




— 


292 




604 


187 




— 


12{>.fi:Jo 


93,515 



496 



SWITZEELAND. 



paid over to the cantons. These latter derive their chief revenue from a property 
tax of one and a half per miUe.* 



* Eevenue and expenditure of the Confederation : — 



1S74 
1875 
1876 
1878 



Revenue. 
£1,873,792 
1, .580,640 
1,659,496 
1,642,600 



Expenditure. 
£991,295 
1,570,640 
1,704,880 
1,684,920 



The military expenditure amounted to £580,239 in 1876, as compared with £127,439 in 1872. 

The public dcht of the Eepuhlic amounts to £1,170,000. As a set-off against the debt there exists a 
so-called " Federal fortune," including lauded property and invested capital. It is valued at £1,271.33.', 
hut only yielded £11,736 in 1876. 

The cantonal debts probably amount to £400,000. 

Taxation, inclusive of what is levied by the cantons, is sufficiently onerous to excuse a great amount 
of grumhUng. 




INDEX. 



Aar, 427, 429, 430 
Aar, Canal of the, 465 
Aargiiu, 466 
Abbc\-iUe, 334 
Abizc, lU 
Adour, 4o 
AJiiln, 406 
AgJe, 118 
Agdc, Capd", 110 
Agen, 67 
Agiiillon, 67 
A him, 200 
Aigueperso, 196 
Aigucs-Mortts, 103, 121 
Aiguillier, 182 
Aiguillon, 218 
Ain, loO, 133 
Ain DeiMirtment, 157, 3S6 
Airo, 68, 337 

Aisne Department, 310, 389 
Aix, 127 
Aixe, 200 
Aix-les-liains, 145 
Ajol, Valley of, 353 
Alais, 120 
Albcres, 23 
Albert, 332 
Albertrille, 145 
Albi, 192 
Albigeois, 191 
Albula, 431 
Aldorney, 209 
AJpn(;on, 275 
Al.-sia, 162, 167 
Alet, 115 

Al.tsch Glacier, 400, 422 
Allaasac, 198 
AUevard, 142 
AUier, 201, 223 
AUier Department, 201, 38 
Alprs-5Iaritime8, 134 
Alpilli-8, 77 
Alps, French, 78 
Alturf, 469 
AlUtatten, 472 
Amberieu, 157 
Ambert, 197 
AmbletcoBC, 336 
Amboise, 236 
Amiens, 332 
Amplepui*, 173 
Ancenis, 243 
VOL. II. 



AndelvB, 315 

Andoiinatt, 393 

Androzieux, 204 

Andiize, 120 

Angers, 239 

Angouleme, 212, 213 

Anianc, 1 1 8 

Aniche, 339 

Anneey, 140 

Annocy, Lake of, 90 

Annonav, 124 

Antibes," 134 

Autifer, 290 

Appcnzell, 473 

Aps, 123 

Apt, 139 

Aran, 31 

Arbois, 159 

Arbreale, 173 

Are, 77 

Arc, Pont d", 96 

Areachon, 42, 72 

Arcis-sur-Aubc, 291 

Arcueil, 307 

Ardk-he, 95 

Arddche Department, 122, 385 

Ardennes, 349 

Ardennes Department, 350, 390 

Ardres 337 

Argeles, Glacier of, 36 

Argens, 107, 130 

Argcntan, 276 

Argentat, 197 

Argentcuil, SCO 

Argenton, 233 

ArgoWe, 467 

Ariegp, 55 

Arlanc, 197 

Aries, 63, 128 

Annagnac, 65 

Armentiires-sur-Lys, 340 

Armissan, 117 

Arques, 321 

Arras, 337 

AiTeau, 60 

Ar8-en-R6, 217 

Arve, 88, 90 

Asnieres, 307 

Aspc, 02 

Aspres, 53 

Attigny, 352 

Aubapie, 127 

L I, 



Aubo, 281 

Aube Department, 291, 388 

Aubcnas, 122 

Aubirvilliers, 307 

Aubin, 191 

Aubusson, 200 

Aiuli, 65 

Aude, 27, 28, 106, 115 

Aude Department, 115, 38A 

Audineourt, 160 

Angst. 407 

Amnale, 321 

Aunic, 210 

Auray, 258 

Aure, 00 

Aun-. Kiver, 273 

Aurillac, 194 

Auriol, 127 

Auterive, 58 

Authion, 224 

Autnn, 169 

Auvergne, 181 

Auxerre, 290 

Auxonne, 165 

Avallon, 290 

Aveuches, 458 

Aventicum, 458 

Avcsnes, 337 

AvcjTon, 06 

AvcjTon Department, 190, 3S8 

A^Hgnon, 137 

Arize, 294 

A\Tanches, 275 

Ax, 55 

Axenstrassc, 470 

Ay, 294 

Azincourt, 334 

Baccarat, 354 

Baden, 4GS 

Bagneres-de-Bigorre, 60 

Bagneres-de-Luchon, .'36, 67 

BagiioUes, 276 

Bagniils-8nr-C(^zc, 121 

Bailleul, 342 

Balanic, 119 

Bfile, 465 

Banduls, 131 

Baiai836 RoiiKs6, 134, 136, IJT 

Bajiaume, 3:)7 

Barbttste, 67 

Barbczieux, MH 



498 



INDEX. 



Barcelonnette, 140 

Bareges, 02 

Barfleiir, 274 

Bar-le-Duc, 350 

Bar-sur-Aube, 291 

Bar-sur-Seine, 291 

]5asel, 465 

Basques in the Pj-renees, 37 

Basses-Alpes, 140, 386 

Basses-Pyrenees, 62, 384 

Bussin, 276 

Bastide, La, 193 

Batz, 229, 231 

Baume-los-Dames, 161 

Baux, 129 

Bavai, 338 

Bayeux, 276 

Bayonne, 63 

Bazas, 09 

Beam, 45, 62 

Beaiicaire, 121, 122 

Beauce, 233 

Beaufort-en-Vallee, 239 

Beaugency, 234 

Beaujcu, 173 

Beaujolais, 173, 188 

Beaumont, 65 

Beaune, 167 

Beauregard, 235 

Beauvais, 314 

Bedarieux, 117 

Begles, "2 

Belfort, 162 

Belpoeh, 115 

BeUac, 200 

BeUegarde, 53, ISl 

Belle^-iUc, 173 

Belley, 157 

Bellinzona, 453 

Berck-sur-Mer, 331 

Bcrgerac, 199 

Bergues, 342 

Bern, 461 

Bern, Canton, 460 

Bemay, 316 

Bemina, 406 

Berro, 112 

Berthoud, 463 

Besancjon, 161, 162 

Besseges, 120 

Bethune, 337 

Bex, 454 

Bezenet, 201 

Beziers, 117 

Biarritz, 64 

Biel, 463 

Bienne, 464 

Bicnne, Lake of, 426 

Bifevre, Plateau of, 94 

BQlom, 197 

Bize, 117 

Blamont, 354 

Blanc, 233 

Blanquefort, 73 

Blanzy, 170 

Blaye, 73 

Blois, 234 

Blumlisalp, 401 

Bocage, 276 

Bodensee, 473 

Boen, 205 

Bohain, 311 

BiUene, 139 

Bonaguil, 67 

Bonfol, 467 

Bonneval, 86 

Bonneville, 147 



Bordeaux, 69, 70 

Bom, Pays de, 41, 69 

Bort, 197 

Bosco in Ticino, 448 

Bosmoreau, 200 

Bouchcs-du-Rhone, 124, 385 

Bougival, 308 

Boulogne, 307, 335 

Boulogne HiUs, 323 

Bourbon-Lancy, 170 

Bourbon-rArchambault, 204 

Bourbonno-les-Bains, 291 

Bom-bourg, 342 

Bourg, 73, 157 

Bourgancuf, 20O 

Bom-g-de-Peage, 142 

Bourg-d'Oisans, 143 

Bourges, 232 

Bourget, Lake of, 91, 92 

Boiirgoin, 144 

Bourg St. Andeol, 123 

Bourgueil, 237 

Bouscat, Lc, 72 

Boussac, 2Ul 

Bouxnnes, 342 

Bouzigues, 119 

Brantonie, 199 

Brassac, 197 

Bray, 287 

Brehat, 202 

Bresse, La, 353 

Bressuire, 220 

Brest, 200 

Brctagne, 246 

Breteuil, 316 

Brian(;on, 139 

Briare, 234 

Brides, 145 

Brie, 297 

Brie-en-Comte, 298 

Brieg, 454 

Brienne, 291 

Brienz, 464 

Brieuz, Lake of, 427 

Briev, 355 

Brignolles, 133 

Brigue, 451 

Brionne, 316 

Brioude, 190 

Brittany, 246 

Brive, 198 

Brugg, 468 

Brunnen, 470 

Bugue, Lc, 199 

Burgdorf, 463 

Burgundy, 148 

Bussang, 353 
Bussy-le-Grand, 107 
Buzan(;ais, 233 

Cadillac, 69 

Caen, 277 

Cagots, 63 

Cahors, 193 

Calais, 336 

Calanda, Mount, 404 

Calas, 189 

Caluirc, 172 

Calvados Department, 276, 388 

Camargue, 101 

Cambrai, Ii38 

Camembert, 276 

Campan, 60 

Cancale, 265 

Canigou, 25 

Cannes, 135, 138 

Cantal, 181, 194, 386 



Cap-Breton, 68 

Capvern, 62 

Carcanieres, 55 

Carcassonne, 116 

Carentan, 247 

Carhaix, 261 

Carignan, 351 

Carlat, 194 

CarUtte, 26, 28 

Carmaux, 191 

Caronte, 113 

Carpentras, 138 

Cassel, 342 

Cassis, 127 

Casteljaloux, 67 

Castelmoron, 07 

Castclnaudary, 115 

Castel-Sarrasin, 05 

Castets, 09 

Castillon, 73 

Castrcs, 193 

Catcau-Cambresis, 338 

Catogne, 410 

Caudorun, 72 

Caudi-y, 338 

Caxines, 116 

Caussade, 66 

Causse of Mejean, 175, 176 

Cauterots, 02 

Caux, 288 

Cavaillon, 138 

Cayeux, 334 

Cazaubon, 05 

Cazeres, 68 

Celts, 10 

Cenis, Slont, 85 

Cento Valli, 394 

Cerdagne, La, 28 

Ceiet, 63 

Cerons, 09 

Cette, 118 

Cevennes, 174 

Chabeuil, 142 

Chablais, 146 

Chagny, 108 

Chaise-Dieu, 190 

Chalabre, 115 

Chalin, 162 

ChaUes, 145 

Chalonnes, 239 

Chalons-sur-Mame, 293 

Chalons-svir-Saone, 108 

Chains, 200 

Chamagne, 353 

Chambery, 145 

Chamboi^ 201 

Chambon, Le, 204 

Ch:imbord, 236 

Chamonix, 87, 147 

Champagne, 284 

Champagney, 164 

Champagnole, 159 

Champtoce, 239 

Channel Islands, 206 

Channel Tunnel, 328 

C'hantenav, 243 

ChantiUyi 313, 314 

Chantonnav, 221 

Charente, 206, 207,213 

Charonte Department, 212, 387 

Charente- 1 nferieure, 214, 3i)7 

Charenton, 307 

Charite, 231 

CharleviUe, 351 

Charollais, 188 

CharoUes, 170 

Chartres, 235, 236 



INDEX. 



499 



Chartrcuso, 143 

Churtnusf, Unindo, 82, 87 

Chuasirou, Muut, 415 

Chati-aubriaut, 245 

Chatcuu-Chinon, 232 

0>ut«au-ilu-Loir, 241 

Chatiaudua, 234 

Oiatcau-CJontier, 242 

ChaU'auneuf, 234 

Chitoaunfuf-l£andon, 189 

Cliateaurenault, 237 

Chiteauroux, 233 

Chatcau-'lTiiirry, 311 

CbaU-Mon, 196 

ChaU'lIerault, 219 

Cliatillon, 167, 2o3 

Chatix>. 233 

Ojauffailli-s, 170 

Cliauinont-en-Ua«ign_v, 292 

Ckaunv, 312 

Chaussado, La, 231 

Cham-igny, 219 

Chaux, lo'o 

Cliaux-di-Fonds, 460 

Chavagruai', 194 

ChazflU-s-sur-Lyon, -'05 

Chenoncoaux, 236 

Chtr Department, 232, 387 

Chirbourjf. 273 

Chessy-Us-XIints, 173 

Chinon. 237 

Choisv-leltoi, 307 

Cholet, 239 

• 'homdrac, 124 

Chrishooa, 466 

Chur, 471 

Churfirsten, 405 

CinteiraUlle, 58 

Ciotat, 127 

Cirev, 354 

Ci\-rav, 218 

Clairsic, 07 

Cluirvaux, 159 

Oaniecv. 232 

Clermont, 195, 314, 350 

Clennont-l'Hcxault, 118 

Horv, 234 

Clksun, 243 

Cloves, 236 

Clunv, 169 

Clusis. 147 

Coire, 471 

Coiron, 122 

CoUioure, 53 

Combourg, 265 

Commentry, 201 

Comnienv, ^J50 

Compi;-^e, 312, 314 

Concamc-au, 259 

Condc-8ur-Xoireau, 278 

Condon, 65 

Confolens, 212 

Conftanz, Lake of, 432 

Corbeil, 309 

Corl.ie, 332 

Corbiere--*, 29 

C<.rde^ 192 

Comouaille, 250 

Correze Department, 197, 386 

Cosne, 231 

Costabona, 53 

Cote-d'Dr, 104 

Cotcntin, 246, 270 

Cotos, 73 

C'6tcs-du-\ord Department, 261, 

388 
CdUi St. Aadii, 143 



Coition Alps. 78 

Couehes-lcs-Minea, 169 

Coulmiers, 234 

Coulonimiers, 298 

Couronne, La, 214 

Coursan, 116 

Coutanees, 274 

Cninsae, 191 

Cr.ion, 242 

CVapponne's Canal, 99 

Crjiu of Crapponne, 99 

t'reev, 334 

(.Vil, 314 

Crest, 142 

Creiise De[>artmont, 200, 386 

Cn-usot, Le, 109 

Croisie. 231, 245 

Crussol, 124 

Cuers, 132 

Cuire, 172 

Culoz, 91 

Cusset, 202 

Damctal, 318 

Dauphinc, 80 

Dax, 68 

Deeazeville, 191, 192 

Decizc, 231 

Denain, 338 

Dent du Midi, 396 

Deols, 233 

Devil's Bridge, 483 

Di'voluv, 83 

Diablerets, 402 

Die, 14? 

Dieppe, 320 

Dieu-le-Fit, 142 

Digne, 140 

Diifoin, 170 

Dijun, 165 

Dinan, 203 

Disentis, 472 

Dives, 279 

Dol, 265 

DGle, 1.59 

Dol-er-Verchant, 15 

Domlies, 156 

Domfront, 276 

Donmie, 199 

Doniremv, 353 

Douzv, 231 

Dorat, 200 

Durdogni', 187 

Dordogne Department, 198, 386 

Dure, Mont, 183 

DoiLii, 339 

Douamenez, 2C0 

Doubs, 151, 154 

Duubs at St. Ursannc, 4 1 2 

Doiibs Department, 159, 380 

Doue-la-Fontaine, 239 

Doullens, 334 

Dourdan, 309 

Hover, .^trait of, 328 

Drae, 92. 94 

Draguignan, 133 

Dranse, 423 

Drf ux, J36 

Drnme, 94 

Drome Department, 111 

Dunkirk, 343 

Dun-le-Koi, 232 

Durance, 97 

Eauzc, 65 
Kliene Fluh, 481 
iCbreiiil, 202 



Keluse, L", 90, 151 

Kinsii-dUn, 470 

Klbiuf, 317 

Klne, 53 

Kirilirun, 139 

Knj,iidin, 406, 472 

Kngliien, 309 

Entlebueh, 468 

Kntre-deux-Mere, 09 

K|>emay, 294 

KpiiiHo, 109 

isjiinal. .•)62, 363 

Knlns 226 

I'.niir, 242 

Kspalion, 191 

Kspiuouze, 174, 176 

Ivssonnc, 309 

Kstngel, 66 

Ktuin, 350 

Etanipes, 309 

Ktuples, 334 

Ktretat, 318 

Ku, 321 

Kure Department, 314, 3S9 

Eure-et-Loir, 236, 387 

Evaux, 201 

Evien, 147 

Evreux, 316 

Evron, 242 

EjTiioutiers, 200 

FasTies, 349 

Falaiso, 279 

FaueiiniV, 146 

Faueiiles, 345 

Faulhom, 401 

Fa verges, 146 

Feeamp, 319 

Felletiu, 200 

Felsberg, 404 

Ffere-Champenoise, 294 

Fernev, 157 

Ferric-res, 298 

Ferti- Bernard, 241 

Ferte-.Macc, La, 276 

Ferte sous- Jouarrc, 298 

Feurs, 204 

Fi;,'iac, 193 

Finistire Department, 258, 388 

Fimiiny, 204 

I-leniings in Prance, 329 

Fkrs, 276 

neuranee, 65 

Florae 189 

Fuhn, 436 

Foix, 55 

Fontainebleau, 297, 298 

FonUnav, 290 

Fontenay-le-Comt«, 220 

Fontenov-lc-Chiteau, 354 

FonteWelle, 129 

Fontcvrault. 239 

Forcalquier, 140 

Funst Cantons, 469 

Fore/., 188 

Forigny, 276 

Fougeres, 205 

FougiToUes, 164 

Fouillouse, 204 

Four Cantons, Ijiko of, 429, 468 

Fourchambault, 231 

Fourmies, 337 

Fnintlu-Conitf', 14S 

Frjinqiii, 109 

Fniii.'ufeld, 473 



500 



INDEX. 



Freiburg, 458 

Froil, 123 

Frcjua, 133 

Frejus, Pass of, 85 

French national character, 20 

Fresnay-Ie-Vicomte, 241 

Fresnoy-le-Grand, 314 

Frevent, 334 

Fribourg, 458, 459 

Frontignan, 119 

Fronton, 58 

Frouard, 354 

Fumay, 351 

Funiei, 07 

Fuveau, 127 

GaiUac, 193 

GaiUon, 315 

Gallargues, 120 

Ganges, 118 

Gannat, 202 

Gap. 140 

Gard, 96, 98 

Gard, Department of, 119, 385 

Gardanne, 127 

Garde-Freinet, 132 

Gardon, 96 

Garonne, 48, 71