PYRENEES, Lower, a department of France, lying at the foot of the Western Pyrenees. The country is beautifully diversified with mountains, valleys, forests, and wastes. The soil is better adapted for pasturage than tillage; but barley, wheat, oats, and maize, and vines, are cultivated; and there are mines of iron, copper, cobalt, with coal, slate, and marble. There are manufactories of coarse cloth, druggets, hosiery, linen, dimity, cotton yarn, &c. The superficial extent of this department is 755,950 hectares. The population in 1817 was 383,502; and the contributions for the year 1802 amounted to 1,523,760 francs. Pau is the chief town.