a department of the north-west of France, formed out of a portion of Lower Bretagne, and deriving its name from a shallow bay to the south of Vannes. It extends in west longitude from 2° 11. to 3° 55., and in north latitude from 47° 17. to 48° 14. It is bounded on the north by the department of the North Coasts, on the east by that of Ille-Vilaine, on the south by that of the Lower Loire and the ocean, and on the west by Finistere. It contains 2816 square miles, or 681,704 hectares, and is divided into four arrondissements, thirty-seven cantons, and 231 communes, and is peopled by 403,830 inhabitants, who for the most part speak a language nearly resembling that of Wales, but who are backward in all improvements, and live mostly in scattered villages or insulated small farms. The soil on the whole is fertile, and, in spite of a very negligent state of agriculture, produces a small surplus of the common grains, as well as butter, cheese, honey, and cattle, for exportation. The cultivation of hemp and flax is extensive, and the conversion of these plants into cloth forms the chief employment of the inhabitants. The fishery on the coast affords occupation to numerous persons, and some are engaged in producing both cast and hammered iron. The department, from the scarcity of wood, has much to suffer from the want of fuel. It sends four deputies to the legislature. The capital is the city of Vannes, containing 10,000 inhabitants.