SAÔNE-ET-LOIRE

SAÔNE-ET-LOIRE, a department of France, bounded

on the N. by that of Côte-d'Or, E. by Doubs, S. by those of Ain, Rhône, and Loire, W. by Allier, and N.W. by Nièvre. Length from E. to W. 85 miles, greatest breadth 68; area 3305 square miles. It is traversed from north to south, in the centre, by the Charolais and Mâconnais Hills, which form a northern prolongation of the Cévennes, connecting that range with the Côte-d'Or, the Faucilles, and ultimately with the Vosges. The southern portion of these hills consists of several parallel ridges, with valleys between them, down which rivers flow either to the Saône on the one side, or to the Loire on the other. Towards the north, the breadth of ground occupied by the hills diminishes; and the number of separate ranges is reduced to two, with a valley between, opening at either end to the level ground on different sides, so as to permit a communication; and this has afforded a passage for the canal that connects the Saône and the Loire. The highest summit of these hills is Mount Blauvray, 3280 feet above the sea. The ground on either side slopes gradually down to a level surface—that on the east side belonging to the basin of the Saône, and that on the west to the Loire. These rivers flow in opposite directions, the former towards the south, and the latter towards the north; and they, with their affluents, are the principal streams that water the department. Both are navigable through their whole course in Saône-et-Loire, and the Saône receives the Doubs and the Seille, the Loire, the Arceux, Arroux, and others, within its limits. The department has also some small lakes. Granite is the prevailing rock in the hills and western plain, while the geological structure of the Saône basin is oolitic. Along the banks of both the great rivers, however, there are tertiary deposits. The climate is in general temperate; among the hills it is cold and variable; but much more genial weather prevails in the lower ground. The soil is in general extremely fertile, and the surface is varied with rich corn-fields, green meadows, and vineyards, covering the hills and dales of the country. Corn is chiefly grown to the east of the Saône; the central portion between that and the hills is the vine-growing part of the country; and the western slope is chiefly occupied with pasture-land. Of the whole area, about 1,632,000 acres are occupied by cultivated land, 417,000 acres by wood, and 87,000 by heaths and waste lands. The corn produced is, on the whole, more than sufficient to supply the demand; for although some parts of the department import it, this is made up for by the exportation from other districts. The wines produced here are in considerable repute, though not esteemed of first-rate quality. A great number of cattle, and especially of sheep and pigs, are raised here; and the oxen of the Charolais have a reputation little inferior to the best Swiss breeds. It is calculated that there are in the department more than 240,000 horned cattle, 150,000 pigs, and 370,000 sheep. Wolves and wild boars are found in the mountains. The minerals of the country contribute in no small degree to its wealth. The coal-fields in the valley of the Arroux are among the richest in France; iron is also obtained in great abundance; and at Romanèche there is a rich mine of manganese, which yields annually about 80,000 tons of that mineral. There are, too, in the department quarries of marble, alabaster, and freestone. Besides the mining operations, various branches of industry are carried on. The most important of these is the manufacture of iron, and next to that those of glass, pottery, leather, cotton cloth, paper, hats, &c. The principal articles of trade are iron, coal, leather, corn, and wine. The internal means of communication are numerous, as there are two navigable rivers, joined by the Canal du Centre, numerous roads, and a railway which traverses the valley of the Saône. The department forms the diocese of Autun, and has several courts of law under that at Dijon. It contains also a lyceum, normal school, 5 colleges, 7 upper, and

Sao Sebastiao 670 elementary schools. The capital is Mâcon, and there are 5 arrondissements, as follows:—