a department of France, bounded on the N. by that of Pas-de-Calais; E. by that of Aisne; S. by that of Oise; W. by Seine Inferieure and the English Channel. Its length from E. to W. is about 80 miles, its greatest breadth 47, and its area 2379 square miles. The surface is for the most part flat and monotonous; but is diversified in some places with low hills, gentle slopes, and pleasant vales. The general inclination of the country is towards the north-west; and in this direction all the rivers flow. Of these the largest is the Somme, which gives its name to the department, and flows through its centre. Its source is in the department of Aisne, not far from St Quentin; and after flowing for about 20 miles to the south-west, it enters this department near Ham, and pursues a northerly course to the sea. Its whole length is 115 miles, and it is navigable as far as Abbeville for vessels of 150 tons. From the left it receives the Ayre and the Celle; from the right the Miraumont, Nieve, and Maie. The Authie and the Breisle, the only other important rivers, flow nearly parallel to the Somme; the one forming the northern, and the other the southern boundary of the department. The coast, which is about 25 miles in length, is divided by the mouth of the Somme into two nearly equal parts, of very different character. To the north of the river the sea is kept back from the low lying country by a series of low sand-hills; to the south it washes a line of cliffs of chalk, clay, and marl, whose yielding substance has been in many places worn away by the violence of the waves. The line of coast has undergone considerable change, even within a historical period; for, in the ninth century, the sea covered the low ground north of the Somme for several miles inland. This tract was afterwards occupied by a large lake, and now forms one of the most fertile portions of the department. There are no considerable bays or indentations on the coast. The whole of the department consists in its geological structure of cretaceous strata, covered in general with a sandy clay. The country has a climate resembling that of the south of England, moist, variable, and temperate. It is exposed to all the winds, and those from the north-west are injurious to vegetation. Although the soil is not by nature very fertile, and the scenery by no means striking or romantic, the country everywhere presents an appearance of solid prosperity and quiet happiness. Its well-cultivated ground affords to the traveller the prospect of meadows and corn-fields stretching almost beyond the reach of sight, orchards laden with fruit, extensive farms, and numerous villages, whose inhabitants, though poor, are not miserable. Of the whole surface, 1,190,000 acres are occupied by arable land, 37,650 by meadows, 127,500 by forests, and 20,000 by waste land. Agriculture has made much progress recently, so that the country is considered one of the granaries of France. Besides corn, pulse, beet-root, hemp, and flax are the chief crops raised. The forests are not very extensive, but yield a valuable supply of timber. Horses, cattle, and sheep are reared in large numbers. The number of horned cattle in the department is estimated at 120,000, that of horses at 80,000, that of mules at 3200, of asses at 8000, of sheep at 500,000, of pigs at 70,000, and of goats at 5000. There are no important minerals in the department, except peat, of which a large quantity is annually obtained. Building-stones and paving-stones are quarried to a small extent; and clay for brickmaking is found in abundance. Although most of the inhabitants are employed in agriculture, manufactures are also carried on to a considerable extent. Amiens and Abbeville are the chief manufacturing towns, and woollen and cotton fabrics are their staple produce; cloth, lace, velvet, gauze, muslin, &c., being made. Besides these, Somme has also bleachfields, dye-works, tanneries, paper-mills, breweries, distilleries, oil-works, &c. The chief articles of trade are the rural produce of the country, and the manufactured goods. Numerous roads and several railways traverse the department; by means of the latter Amiens is connected with Paris, Boulogne, and Lille. There is also a canal, which stretches along the side of the Somme nearly to its source; and, by a junction with that of St Quentin, connects it with the Scheldt, Oise, and Seine. Somme forms the diocese of Amiens; and contains several courts of law, subject to a court of appeal in that town. Education is provided for by a lyceum, a secondary school of medicine, two communal colleges, a normal seminary, and 1100 elementary schools. The capital is Amiens; and the department is subdivided as follows:

| Arrondissements | Cantons | Communes | Pop. (1855) | |-----------------|---------|----------|------------| | Amiens | 13 | 253 | 101,413 | | Abbeville | 11 | 171 | 137,596 | | Doullens | 4 | 49 | 59,447 | | Montdidier | 5 | 144 | 68,124 | | Peronne | 8 | 184 | 110,039 | | Total | 41 | 850 | 566,619 |