(anc. Arar), a river of France, rises near Vionnemil, in the department of Vosges, and flows first southwest and afterwards directly south, till it joins the Rhone at Lyons. Besides the department in which it has its source, the Saone traverses those of Haute Saone, Cote-d'Or, and Saone-et-Loire; while in the lower part of its course it separates that of Rhone on the right from Ain on the left. Its most important affluent is the Doubs from the N.E.; and among the towns on its banks are Gray, Auxonne, Chalon, and Macon. It whole length is about 280 miles; and it is navigable as far as Gray, 190 miles above its confluence with the Rhone. By means of canals the Saone is connected with the Rhine, the Loire, and the Seine.

Haute, a department of France, bounded on the N. by that of Vosges, E. by Haut-Rhin, S. by those of Doubs and Jura, W. by Cote-d'Or, and N.W. by Haute Marne. Length from N.E. to S.W. 70 miles, greatest breadth 38; area 2064 square miles. The eastern part is occupied by the Vosges Mountains and their branches; the main ridge forms for a short distance the N.E. boundary, and has two principal summits here, the Ballon de Ser- vance, 3967 feet, and the Ballon de Lare, 3718 feet high.

This portion of the department is rugged and barren; but not so the remainder, which occupies the centre of the wide basin of the Saône. This basin is enclosed on the north and north-west by the Faucilles, the chain of Langres, and the Côte-d'Or; on the south-east by the hills of Lamont, a branch of the Jura Mountains. All these ranges are outside the limits of the department, but some of their offshoots extend into it; its surface, however, except in the north-east, is not mountainous, but consists of gentle slopes and level plains. Through the centre of the country flows the sluggish stream of the Saône, into which flow all the rivers that water the department. The Oignon rises among the Vosges on the N.E. frontier of Haute Saône, and flows south-west, separating for the greater part of its course this department from Doubs and Jura. It joins the Saône at Pontailler in the department of Côte-d'Or. In its geological character, Haute Saône is not uniform. The eastern portion consists of the primitive rocks of the Vosges; to the south and west of this lie beds of sandstone, and beyond these again there are strata of the various kinds that lie between the sandstone and the chalk formation. Iron, coal, granite, porphyry, and freestone are the most valuable minerals obtained in the country. Mineral and saline springs exist at various places. The climate is more moderate than in the surrounding departments, being neither so hot in summer nor so cold in winter. The autumns are very fine, but sudden changes of weather are not uncommon in spring. The soil in the loftier regions is not very good, and the mountains are almost all covered with forests; but the more level districts are of great fertility. Fine meadows occupy the plains; and the sloping hills are covered with vines and corn-fields. Although agriculture is not very far advanced, the produce of the country in corn and wine is more than sufficient for the consumption. About half of the area consists of arable land, and about a fourth is occupied by wood—oak, beech, and fir being abundant. About 150,000 acres are occupied by meadows and pasture-land, and 55,000 by moors and heaths. The vineyards, which cover an area of 30,000 acres, produce wine of a very ordinary quality. Wolves, foxes, squirrels, and otters, are among the wild animals of the country. Game is plentiful, and the rivers abound in fish. The rearing of cattle is much attended to, as well as of horses and pigs, and the breeds of all these animals are good; but sheep are neglected. It is calculated that the department contains 150,000 horned cattle, 32,000 horses, 110,000 sheep, 80,000 pigs, and 12,000 goats. The manufactures comprise iron, for which there are from 35 to 40 furnaces, 60 foundries, and 2 steel manufactories, ironmongery of all kinds, glass, pottery, leather, cotton thread and cloth, paper, oil, brandy, &c. Some trade is carried on in wine, corn, and other rural produce, horses, cattle, timber, and iron. Large quantities of the produce are floated on rafts of timber down the Saône, which forms one of the principal means of internal communication. There are numerous roads throughout the department; and a railway is in course of construction, which will traverse the country. Haute Saône belongs to the diocese of Besançon, and, besides Roman Catholic churches, contains 4 Protestant ones, and 3 synagogues. It has law-courts, subject to the Court of Appeal at Besançon, a normal school, 4 colleges, 7 upper, and 1100 elementary schools. There are three arrondissements, subdivided as follows:

| Canton | Consumers | Pop. (1856) | |--------|-----------|-------------| | Vesoul | 10 | 215 | 192,298 | | Gray | 8 | 165 | 81,301 | | Lure | 10 | 203 | 128,868 |

Total: 28 583 312,397

The capital of the department is Vesoul.

SAÔNE-ET-LOIRE, a department of France, bounded on the N. by that of Côte-d'Or, E. by Doubs, S. by those of Ain, Rhone, and Loire, W. by Allier, and N.W. by Nièvre. Length from E. to W. 85 miles, greatest breadth 68; area 3305 square miles. It is traversed from north to south, in the centre, by the Charolais and Mâconnais Hills, which form a northern prolongation of the Cevennes, connecting that range with the Côte-d'Or, the Faucilles, and ultimately with the Vosges. The southern portion of these hills consists of several parallel ridges, with valleys between them, down which rivers flow either to the Saône on the one side, or to the Loire on the other. Towards the north, the breadth of ground occupied by the hills diminishes; and the number of separate ranges is reduced to two, with a valley between, opening at either end to the level ground on different sides, so as to permit a communication; and this has afforded a passage for the canal that connects the Saône and the Loire. The highest summit of these hills is Mount Blauvray, 3280 feet above the sea. The ground on either side slopes gradually down to a level surface—that on the east side belonging to the basin of the Saône, and that on the west to the Loire. These rivers flow in opposite directions, the former towards the south, and the latter towards the north; and they, with their affluents, are the principal streams that water the department. Both are navigable through their whole course in Saône-et-Loire, and the Saône receives the Doubs and the Seille, the Loire, the Arconce, Arroux, and others, within its limits. The department has also some small lakes. Granite is the prevailing rock in the hills and western plain, while the geological structure of the Saône basin is oolitic. Along the banks of both the great rivers, however, there are tertiary deposits. The climate is in general temperate; among the hills it is cold and variable; but much more genial weather prevails in the lower ground. The soil is in general extremely fertile, and the surface is varied with rich corn-fields, green meadows, and vineyards, covering the hills and dales of the country. Corn is chiefly grown to the east of the Saône; the central portion between that and the hills is the vine-growing part of the country; and the western slope is chiefly occupied with pasture-land. Of the whole area, about 1,632,000 acres are occupied by cultivated land, 417,000 acres by wood, and 87,000 by heaths and waste lands. The corn produced is, on the whole, more than sufficient to supply the demand; for although some parts of the department import it, this is made up for by the exportation from other districts. The wines produced here are in considerable repute, though not esteemed of first-rate quality. A great number of cattle, and especially of sheep and pigs, are raised here; and the oxen of the Charolais have a reputation little inferior to the best Swiss breeds. It is calculated that there are in the department more than 240,000 horned cattle, 150,000 pigs, and 370,000 sheep. Wolves and wild boars are found in the mountains. The minerals of the country contribute in no small degree to its wealth. The coal-fields in the valley of the Arroux are among the richest in France; iron is also obtained in great abundance; and at Romanèche there is a rich mine of manganese, which yields annually about 80,000 tons of that mineral. There are, too, in the department quarries of marble, alabaster, and freestone. Besides the mining operations, various branches of industry are carried on. The most important of these is the manufacture of iron, and next to that those of glass, pottery, leather, cotton cloth, paper, hats, &c. The principal articles of trade are iron, coal, leather, corn, and wine. The internal means of communication are numerous, as there are two navigable rivers, joined by the Canal du Centre, numerous roads, and a railway which traverses the valley of the Saône. The department forms the diocese of Autun, and has several courts of law under that at Dijon. It contains also a lyceum, normal school, 5 colleges, 7 upper, and