MAYENNE AND LOIRE — 7th ed. (1842)

MAYENNE AND LOIRE, a department of France, formed out of the ancient province of Anjou. It extends in north latitude from 47° 4', to 47° 43', and in west longitude from 0° 2' to 1° 13'. It is bounded on the north by the department of the Mayenne and the Sarthe, on the east by the Indre-Loire, on the south by the Vienne, the two Sèvres and Vendée, and on the west by the Lower Loire. It is 3063 square miles, or 718,807 hectares in extent. The surface is a mixture of plains and hills, but the former predominate. The most hilly parts are on both the banks of the Loire, and in the southern parts on the frontiers of Vienne and the two Sèvres. The river Loire is navigable throughout the whole of the department, and receives the water of the numerous streams which during its course fall into it. The soil is naturally fertile but not in all parts carefully cultivated, and the practice of fallowing is generally pursued. It does, however, produce more corn than the consumption requires. It yields two good crops of hemp and flax, the conversion of which into linen affords employment to a great portion of the inhabitants. Fruit is generally grown, especially apples, pears, nuts and plums. The vineyards are extensive, and yield abundance of white wine, the select part of which is sold to Nantes, but the greater part of it is converted into brandy. In the neighbourhood of Samur some silk is produced, but the quantity has diminished since the revolution. There are some mines of iron and of coal, but they are worked to a very limited extent, especially the former. The forests are not extensive, and coal is valuable for fuel instead of wood. Besides the linen manufacture

there are cotton and woollen goods made, and some glass, hosiery and hats; and there are refiners of sugar and saltpetre, and many distillers. The department is divided into 5 arrondissements, 34 cantons, and 385 communes, and contains 401,240 inhabitants, who with the exception of a few scattered Calvinists, adhere to the Catholic church. The capital is the city of Angers.