a mountain-chain in the south of France, dividing the valleys of the Lower Saône and Rhone from those of the Loire and Garonne. The highest peak is Mount Mezen, in the department of Ardèche (5970 feet). The principal formation is granite; and beds of trachyte and lava in many quarters give token of former volcanic action. The lower slopes are cultivated with great industry; the more elevated regions are pastoral; and the summits are generally clothed with forests of chestnut and pine. The Cevennes were made the retreats of the Huguenots in the beginning of the eighteenth century.