a department of the south of France, formed out of the ancient divisions of Grisonsvaudan and Biensois, which were formerly portions of Dauphiné. It extends over 3564 square miles, or, according to the royal assize, 841,230 hectares. It is divided into four arrondissements, and these into 45 cantons, with 558 communes, having 471,660 inhabitants. The latter mostly adhere to the Catholic Church, but there are about 7000 Protestants. The common language is a patois, composed of Celtic, Latin, French, Italian, and Greek, but in which the Latin words predominate. The pure French, with the southern accent, is generally spoken in the towns. The face of the country is generally hilly, and in many parts mountainous, exhibiting most picturesque natural scenery, rising gradually from the plain through which the Rhone flows to the lofty elevations bordering on Savoy, where the highest of them, the Col de Saix, is 10,296 feet above the level of the sea. Some of the numerous valleys which extend between the ranges of mountains are of peculiar beauty, especially the valley of the Isère or Grésivaudan, which is nearly fifty miles in length, and considered as the most delightful district of France. It resembles a well cultivated garden, through which, with many windings, the river flows, between meadows and corn-fields, where scattered mulberry and other fruit trees, fine vineyards, and small woods on the sides of the hills, are ornamented by country houses and neat villages intermingled amongst them. Though, from the elevation, a great portion of the department remains uncultivated, and is incapable of cultivation, yet the other portions are fertile and highly productive. The soil is sandy, mixed with small shells in the valleys, resting on granite, and is easily worked; it is well irrigated, and adapted to almost every vegetable production. The only navigable rivers are the Rhone and the Isère, whose contributory streams are numerous. There are also some canals, which serve the double purpose of navigation and of irrigation. There are several mountain lakes within the department, and some of them are 7548 feet in height. The climate varies with the elevation; some of the eastern sides of the mountains are constantly covered with snow, whilst the valleys are in summer intensely hot. The chief agricultural products are wheat, maize, barley, potatoes, hemp, flax, rapeseed, stone fruits, wine, chestnuts, filberts, and some medicinal plants, besides cattle and game. There are mines which yield small portions of silver, copper, iron, lead, and coal, but none of them is extensively worked. The manufactures are cotton, silk, and woollen goods, earthenware, gloves at the capital, Grenoble, in large quantities, fine linen, paper, glass, liqueurs and brandy. There is also much leather prepared for the glover's trade.