a department in the S.E. of France, separated by the Durance from the department of Vaucluse on the north; and by the Rhone from that of Gard on the west; the Mediterranean bounds it on the south, and the department of Var on the east. Area, 1,267,674 acres, of which above one-half is covered with wood and water, or is waste. The northern and eastern parts are covered with mountains, spurs of the Estrel and Alpine systems, the highest of which, S* Victoire, is only 3420 feet above the level of the sea. In the W. and S.W. are the great alluvial plains of Cran and Camargue. The former of these, an immense tract of land lying between the Alps and the sea, is covered with boulders of all sizes, evidently the consequences of diluvial action. The Camargue is comprised within the delta of the Rhone, and is continually gaining upon the sea by the fresh deposits which that river is daily bringing down. Though portions of it are cultivated, the greater part is covered with marshes, ponds, and canals. Some of these ponds or lagoons are of great extent, particularly those of Valcarès and Berre. The first of these covers nearly the half of Camargue, and has no communication with the sea, while the latter extends between the most easterly arm of the Rhone and Marseilles, and discharges itself into the sea by a narrow passage called the canal de Martigues. The only canals in the department now navigable are the canal of Arles, 28½ miles in length, extending from the town of that name to the Port de Bouc, and that of Crapeau, connecting the Durance and the Rhone. In spring the climate is warm and dry; in summer the heat is intense, and is rarely mitigated by rain. In winter the mistral, a cold north wind, prevails. wind from the high country of the Cevennes, sometimes prevails. The inhabitants cultivate with success the olive, vines, figs, almonds, capers, melons, and mulberries; while on the mountains there grow a variety of aromatic plants, such as thyme, lavender, absinthe, rosemary, and hyssop. The principal forest-trees are the oak and pine. A considerable quantity of potatoes is grown, but the supply of corn is quite insufficient to supply the demand. About one-thirteenth of the surface is covered with vineyards, producing annually 17,610,000 gallons of wine, of which a large proportion is exported. But the wealth of the department consists in its horses, cattle, and sheep. Of horses, it maintains about 10,000; of horned cattle, 4000; of sheep, from 400,000 to 500,000. These are distributed among a vast number of proprietors (25,000, according to some authorities), who, on the approach of summer, unite their flocks and drive them to the hilly regions in the north of the department. Another source of wealth is the produce of silk, which amounts annually to about 730,000 lb. The principal articles of manufacture are soap and soda; but there are also a few oil-mills, tanneries, coral-works, sugar-refineries, and silk-mills. There are also several marble-quarries in the department; and the tunny, shad, and anchovy fisheries are valuable. Though the manufactures are not very important, the commerce of the department is extensive, as Marseilles has now for many years been the largest and wealthiest seaport in France. The public revenues amount to nearly two millions sterling, of which the customs produce more than a half.

The following is a table of the arrondissements, cantons, communes, and population of the department for 1851:

| Arrondissements | Cantons | Communes | Population | |-----------------|---------|----------|------------| | Aix | 10 | 59 | 112,026 | | Arles | 8 | 31 | 57,749 | | Marseilles | 9 | 16 | 229,914 |

This department has given birth to several distinguished men—Petronius the Latin poet, Tournefort and Adanson the naturalists, Puget the sculptor, Vanloo the painter, Massillon the pulpit orator, and the historians Thiers and Mignet.