VIENNE

VIENNE, a department of France, bounded on the N. by those of Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire; E. by those of Indre and Haute Vienne; S. by that of Charente; and W. by that of Deux Sèvres. Length, from N. to S., 80 miles; greatest breadth, 51; area, 2692 square miles. The surface is much diversified with hills, which nowhere rise to the height of mountains. The chain of hills which, under the name of the heights of Gatine, extends from the central mountains of France N.W. to the mouth of the Loire, traverses the S.W. of this department, and sends off a branch to the N.E. in the W. of the department. The central portion, too, is occupied by another series of high grounds, but the extreme E. of the Vienne is low. Nearly the whole country is watered by affluents of the Loire; but a small portion in the extreme S.W. is traversed by the Charente. The river that gives its name to the department is one of the chief tributaries of the Loire. It enters from the S., flows northwards for about 56 miles, and receives most of the other rivers of Vienne. Of these the most important are the Claine, the Dive, and the Vaude, which join it from the left; the Grande-Blourde, the Ozon, and the Creuse from the right; the last of which, however,

only flows along the border of the department. The Dive, an affluent of the Thoué, flows for some distance in the west. It and the Vienne are the only navigable rivers. In the N.E. of the country chalky strata prevail, but the geological structure of the remainder consists of secondary rocks; and among the minerals the most important are iron, marble, granite, limestone, millstones, whetstones, and lithographic-stones. The character of the soil is various; in some places it is poor, and in others pretty productive. The climate, though variable, is mild and healthy, except in the west of the country, where there are swamps that render the air insalubrious. By far the largest proportion of the entire area is occupied by arable land, on which wheat, rye, oats, hemp, flax, pease, and potatoes are the principal crops grown. The produce of corn is considerably more than the home consumption. A pretty large extent of ground is occupied by vineyards, but the wine made is not of the best quality. On the extensive natural and artificial pastures large numbers of live stock are raised; and the horses, mules, and sheep are of good breeds. There are many orchards of fruit-trees; and the natural forests afford abundance of chestnuts, which form an article of food to the poor. Besides agriculture and the working of mines and quarries, the inhabitants are largely employed in manufactures. Of these, the most important is that of arms and cutlery at Châtellerault. There are also made in the department coarse woollen cloth, lace, saddlery, and starch; and there are forges, furnaces, bleachfields, &c. The department is traversed by numerous roads, and by the railway from Paris to Bordeaux, from which another line diverges at Poitiers to Rochelle. Vienne has for its capital Poitiers, and is divided into five arrondissements as follows: