Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/381

 FRANCE 369 and asses, 862,000; swine, 5,650,000; goats, 1,640,000. Within the last 50 years great at- tention has heen given not only to the im- provement of native breeds, but to the intro- duction of foreign ones, which has been gene- rally successful. The best breeds of cattle are those of Auvergne and Gascony ; the sheep of Berry are considered the finest ; the fattest swine are raised in Lorraine and the Pyrenees ; the horses of Limousin, Brittany, Perche, and Normandy are renowned, those of the last two provinces for their strength and size ; the mules of Poitou deserve the same praise. Poul- try, which is one of the principal articles in the husbandry of France, is raised with pe- culiar success in Maine, Augoumois, and Bur- gundy. Eggs are important articles of export, especially to England. Bees are principally raised in the departments bordering on the Mediterranean ; the most celebrated honey is that of Narbonne. The wild animals are fast diminishing all over the country; the black bear is confined to the higher ranges of the Alps and the Pyrenees, where the chamois and the wild goat are also found. The lynx appears rarely in these mountains and the Ce"vennes. Wolves, notwithstanding the ac- tive war of extermination carried on against them, are still found in some central depart- ments, especially the mountainous districts. The wild boar, roebuck, and fox are found in all well wooded parts. The red and fallow deer are becoming rare, while hares and rabbits are abundant. Several kinds of squirrels, the polecat, weasel, marten, hedgehog, and other small animals are common. Otters and a few beavers are found in some of the southern streams. Reptiles are few ; a venomous kind of viper and a harmless adder are to be found in some regions. Among the birds, which are very numerous, are eagles, vultures, falcons, &c. The rivers and coasts generally abound with fish ; fisheries are consequently an impor- tant industry and a great source of wealth. Several points on the N. W. and W. coasts fur- nish excellent oysters. The pilchard fishery, which is conducted mostly on the shores of Brittany, is the most important of all ; about 8,000 barrels of salted pilchards are sent into the market annually, and the inhabitants on the coast live in great part on fresh pilchards during the season. The herring fishery, the headquarters of which are at Dieppe, has also some importance, as well as the sole, ray, and mackerel fisheries. The tunny fishery is pur- sued on the Mediterranean. Dunkirk, Bou- logne, St. Valery-sur-Somme, Dieppe, Fecamp, and St. Malo send yearly a number of ships to the herring, mackerel, cod, and whale fisher- ies. The mineral wealth of France is equally large and diversified, although gold and silver are to be found in but very small quantities. The former appears in some small streams flowing from the Pyrenees ; a few mines of the latter are wrought, but with little profit, while the precious metal is extracted in larger quan- tity from lead and copper ores. Large beds of iron ore are found in nearly all parts of France ; they are mostly wrought in the departments of Ardennes, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Haute-Marne, Haute-Saone, Is6re, Pyr6ne"es-0rientales, Bas- ses-Pyre"n6es, Ardeche, and Aveyron. They yield annually about 700,000 tons, and give employment to about 15,000 hands. Marble, porphyry, granite, alabaster, and crystals are found in nearly all the mountains; slate in the departments of Ardennes, Maine-et-Loire, and Finistere ; building stone of many varieties everywhere. Coal beds of various kinds are also ^ numerous, and within the last 40 years considerable progress has been made in the working of mines. The most productive are to be found in the departments of Le Nord, Loire, Sa6ne-et-Loire, Aveyron, &c., and their annual yield is about 2, 000, 000 tons. Salt mines are worked in the departments of Meurthe-et- Moselle, Haute-Sa6ne, Doubs, Jura, Arie"ge, and Basses-Pyre'ne'es, while salt marshes exist along nearly the whole of the seacoast. The produce of both exceeds 1,000,000,000 Ibs. an- nually. Lead is extensively scattered through the mountainous districts, especially in Brit- tany. Copper is abundant in the Pyrenees, Alps, and Vosges. Together with these metals, zinc, cobalt, and manganese are found. Alum is gathered in Aisne, Oise, and Aveyron. The mineral springs, which are nearly 900 in num- ber, are divided into cold and hot, ferruginous, gaseous, sulphureous, and salt waters; the most renowned are those of Aix, St. Amand, Bagneres-de-Bigorre, Balaruc, Bareges, Bour- bon-Lancy, Bourbonne-les-Bains, Cauterets, Eaux-Bonnes, Forges, Mont Dor, Plombieres, and Vichy. Previous to the revolution of 1789 France contained 36 provinces, which differed from each other in extent, population, rights, immunities, and administration. By a decree of the national assembly, dated Jan. 15, 1790, the country was divided into departments, which were subdivided into arrondissements, cantons, and communes. According to the official census of 1866, there were 89 depart- ments, 373 arrondissements, 2,941 cantons, and 37,548 communes. In consequence of the loss of territory sustained through the war of 1870- '71, these numbers were reduced in the census of 1872 to 87 departments (including Belfort), 362 arrondissements, 2,865 cantons, and 35,989 communes. The following table shows the de- partments, the former provinces from which they have been chiefly formed, their popula- tion, and their capitals : PROVINCES. Departments. Popula- tion in 1872. Capital!. N. DIVISION. Flanders Artois Le Nord 1,447,764 761,158 557,015 790,022 377,874 398,250 454,012 544,776 Lffle. Arras. Amiens. Kouen. vreux. Alenjon. Caen. St. Ld. Pas-de-Calais Picardy Normandy.... fSeine-Inferieure.... Eure J Orne 1 Calvados Manche...