LOZÈRE

LOZÈRE, a department of France, formed from Gévaudan, a part of the old province of Languedoc, is bounded on the N. by the departments of Cantal and Haute-Loire, E. by those of Ardèche and Gard, S. by that of Gard, and on the W. by that of Aveyron. It is situated between N. Lat. 44. 7. and 44. 56., and E. Long. 3. and 4.; and is 65 miles long and 44 broad, with an area of 1995 square miles. This department takes its name from one of the summits of the Cévennes, which traverse it in the N. and E. The Margeride and Aubrac summits in the N. and W. belong also to this extensive range of mountains, which, with their traces of extinct volcanoes, precipitous cliffs, beautiful cascades, and stalactite caverns, present some of the most picturesque and delightful scenery. These mountains slope toward the Rhone, the Loire, and the Garonne, and form part of the basins of those rivers. The principal feeders of the Rhone are the Cèze (in which gold has been found), the Gard with its tributaries, and the Chassezac, which joins the Ardèche before reaching the Rhone; of the Loire, the Allier, with its tributaries the Chaperoux and the Ance; of the Garonne, the Lot, with its tributary the Truyère, and the Tarn, with its tributaries the Tarnon and the Jonte. None of these rivers are navigable in this department. The chief minerals are iron, copper, and lead, found mainly in Bagnols and Choldette. Industrial manufactures are almost entirely confined to woollen and silken stuffs. The department is agricultural, but is one of the poorest and most thinly peopled of all France. The soil of the Montagne district in the N. is chiefly of a basaltic and granitic nature, and produces only hay and rye;

that of the Causses district, in the centre, is calcareous, and is the most fertile in the department, yielding wheat, barley, oats, hay, and fruits; that of the Cévennes district, in the S. and S.E., is of a schistose nature, and grows chestnuts, potatoes, and mulberries. The wine is scarce and of a bad quality. Some attention is given to the rearing of the silk-worm and of sheep. The climate is generally severe, and the temperature variable; the winters are long and cold, and a great quantity of rain falls throughout the year. The towns are small and badly built, and the roads are but few and generally in a wretched condition. There are 5 Calvinistic churches in the department, 8 churches belonging to the national religion, and 17 schools. There are 3 tribunals of first instance, having the court of appeal at Nimes, 1 college, 1 normal school, 1 superior communal school, 591 elementary schools, of which 216 are communal. Lozère belongs to the tenth military division of France, that of Montpellier. Its chief town is Mende, with a pop. of 6944.

There are three arrondissements in this department, subdivided as follows:—