Ill 



> . . 



SHAFTESBUHY. 



618 



.. : 



Hi* wil rarie* much ; part of it is unproductive ; one-third of the 

 beat bud constantly in fallow ; yet the grain-harrMt exceed* the 

 of the department. The area of the department is 

 (0 acre*, of which two-third* are under the plough. The 

 ' production* are wheat, rye, barley, oats, flax, and hemp. The 

 via* i* grown chiefly in the south-west part, where the vintage is con- 

 verted iuto brandy. In the north-eastern part about Thouars some 

 tolerable white wine i* grown, but in small quantity. The vineyards 

 occupy above 60,000 acm; the gardens and orchards about 24,000 

 aerea Fruit-tree* mooted very well except among the hills; the 

 walnut U extensively cultivated. A considerable portion of heath is 

 in the valley of the Sevre-Xantaise, where the land is very poor. On 

 the pasture land* and open heaths a great number of cattle is fed. 

 The breed of homed cattle is very good, and a considerable number 

 are lent into Normandy, there to be fattened for the markets which 

 upply Paris. Sheep are also numerous, but the wool is of ordinary 

 quality. The awes and mules which are bred in the neighbourhood 

 of Melle are considered to be among the best in Europe. Swine and 

 poultry are numerous. 



The principal industrial products comprise shoe and glove leather 

 (which are prepared in the neighbourhood of Niort, whence vast 

 quantities of shoe* and boot* are exported), oil, vinegar, brandy, 

 pottery, woollen-cloth, iron, and paper. 



The department is divided into 4 arrondissements, which, with their 

 subdivisions and population, are as follows : 



1. Of the first arrondiescment and of the whole department the 

 chief town is NIORT. Among the other towns are the following : 

 Coulanget, near the Autise, 15 miles N.W. from Niort, haa a good 

 corn-market, and a population of 2000. St. Maixenl, on the slope of 

 a hill on the right bank of the Sevre-Niortaise, 14 miles N.E. from 

 Niort, has a college and 4320 inhabitants, who manufacture woollen 

 stuffs, and trade in corn, wool, and cattle. The town is ill laid out, 

 and the houses are ill-built, but the public walks are agreeable, and 

 the neighbourhood, which is very fertile, abounds with picturesque 

 scenery. Rohan-Rohan, also called Frontcnay, is on an elevated site 

 between two small streams, the Quirande and the Cournnce, 11 miles 

 S. from Niort, and fans about 2300 inhabitants. A branch of the family 

 of Rohan took the title of Rohan-Rohan from this town. 



2. In the second arrondissement the chief town, Brasutre (popu- 

 lation 2622), stands in a hilly country 35 miles N. from Niort, on a 

 feeder of the Argenton, and has a handsome church, an ecclesiastical 

 school, woollen and cotton manufactories, and a tribunal of first 

 instance. The college is at Thmtari, a town of 2244 inhabitants, on 

 the slope of a hill above the Thouet, 15 miles N.E. from Bressuire. 

 Thouars was a place of strength in the time of Pepiu in the 8th 

 century; and the English, when masters of Poitou, made it yet 

 stronger; it was however taken from them by Duguesclin in 1372. 

 It is surrounded partly by the river and partly by walls, and has two 

 handsome churches, a college, two hospitals, and a handsome castle 

 or mansion built by the Duchess de la Tre'mouille in the time of 

 Louis XIII. : there are three public walks. Woollens, linens, hats, 

 and cutlery are made ; and trade is carried on in corn, hemp, horses, 

 mules, and oxen. 



8. In the third arrondissement the chief town is Melle, an ill-built 

 town on a hill above the Boronne, 17 miles E.N.E. from Niort: popu- 

 lation 2676. Melle has a college, a tribunal of first instance, some 

 manufactures of coarse woollens, leather, paper, &c., and a consider- 

 able trade in corn, seeds, cattle, wool, and mules of fine breed. It is 

 situated in a beautiful and fertile country, of which, from its situa- 

 tion on a hill, it has a commanding prospect. Chcf-Boutonnc, an 

 ancient village near the source of the Koutonne, has a population of 

 2366, who manufacture serge, drugget, earthenware, and leather. 

 Laay, E.N.E. from Melle, on the Dive, has tile-works, and 2500 

 inhabitants hi the commune, who are engaged in agriculture and in 

 breeding horses and mules. In the neighbourhood are several large 

 mansions or chateau*. La-ltolhe-Saint-H(raye, 8 miles N. from Melle, 

 near the source of the Sovre-Niortaise, is pleasantly situated, and has 

 flour-will*, and 2650 inhabitants, who manufacture coarse woollens 

 and leather, and trade in seeds, flour, cattle, horses, and mules. The 

 castlo of La-Mothe, the Bnest specimen of turreted architecture in 

 Poitou, was demolished in 1842. 



4. In the fourth arrondissement the chief town is Partfienay, which 

 Is situated in a hilly well-wooded country, 33 mile's N.N.E. from Niort, 

 and has a college, a tribunal of first instance, and 4621 inhabitants in 

 the con:!.,';!. -. Parthenay i an ill-built place : it suffered materially 

 in the Englii-h war/-, ttio r ligious wars of the 16th century, mid the 

 Vcndean war. It stands on a slope on the right bank of the Thouet. 



There are some manufactures of woollen yarn, coarse woollens, and 

 leather; and considerable trade in corn and cattle is carried on. 

 Parthenay was the capital of the Poitevin district of Gatinc. At 

 A irvault, a tolerably handsome town of 2000 inhabitants, on the right 

 bank of the Thouet, there is a fountain which sends water iuto every 

 bouse in the town, and gives rise to a stream which drives a mill at a 

 very little distance from its source. It has the ruins of an ancient 

 castle and of a monastery. Woollen-stuffs, hempen cloth, linen, and 

 leather are manufactured ; and trade is carried on in clocks and 

 watches, sheep, wool, wine, brandy, corn, and flax. Muncoutant, 

 16 miles W.N.W. from Parthenay, near the S&vre-Nantaise, has above 

 2000 inhabitants. Thaenay, E. by N. from Parthenay, and near the 

 eastern boundary of the department, has about 2100 inhabitants in 

 the commune. 



This department, with the adjacent department of Vienne, forms 

 the diocese of Poitiers, the bishop of which is a suffragan of the 

 archbishop of Bordeaux. It is in the jurisdiction of the High Court 

 and the University-Academy of Poitiers, and it belongs to the 15th 

 military division, the head-quarters of which are at Nantes. It 

 returns two members to the Legislative Chamber of the French 

 empire. The Calvinists have five churches in Niort, Melle, St.-Maixent, 

 La-Mothe, and Lezay ; and seven meeting-houses in other places in 

 the department. 



SEYCHELLES, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, situated 

 between 3 40' and 4 60' S. lat, 55 10' and 56 E. long. These 

 islands rest on a bank of coral and sand, which extends from north 

 to south about 200 miles, and from east to west from 30 to 40 miles. 

 It is a kind of platform in the sea, on which the superstructure of the 

 islands has been raised. The general depth of water on the bank 

 varies between 12 and 40 fathoms. The number of islands alto- 

 gether is about 30, but most of them are small. They afford many 

 excellent harbours, which are never visited by tornadoes, and may at 

 all seasons be considered perfectly safe. The largest islands are 

 Malie 1 (30,000 acres), Praslin (8000 acres), Silhouette (5700 acres), 

 Digue (2000 acres), and Curieuse (1000 acres). The total population 

 is about 7000, of whom about 600 are whites ; the rest are blacks 

 and coloured persons. 



The surface of the islands is irregular, presenting a diversity of 

 hills, rocks, and ravines, without any considerable extent of level 

 ground. The rocks are granitic. The soil is generally thin, but good, 

 and produces wild fruits and vegetables in abundance. Among the 

 natural productions are cocoa-nuts, pine-apples, cucumbers, aud red 

 pepper. But the most remarkable production is the coco-do-mar, or 

 Seychelles cocoa-nut, formerly supposed to be produced at the bottom 

 of the sea, whence it took its name. The nuts weigh from 20 to 

 25 Ibs. each, and contain a white jelly-like substance, which is eaten, 

 but is tasteless. The shells, the fibrous covering, the leaves, and 

 stalks of this palm-tree, are all used for various purposes. Another 

 production is the Mahe wood, which is not inferior in colour and 

 solidity to mahogany, and is equally well-adapted for cabinet-work, 

 but is not found in sufficient quantity to allow of much being 

 exported. The grains most cultivated are rice and maize. Mandioc 

 is also grown, as well as cotton, coffee; tobacco, and the sugar-cane. 

 Cattle and sheep are in considerable numbers. The climate is fine 

 and healthy, aud the heat not oppressive. The thermometer varies 

 between 64 and 84 Fahr. 



The island of Mah<5 is about 16 miles in length, and from three to 

 four miles in width. The rugged chain of granitic hills which extends 

 through its centre is in its highest parts about 400 feet above tha 

 sea. The town of Mah(, which is the residence of the government 

 agent, is on the north-east side of the island. It is irregularly built, 

 in a small glen, and contains only a few good houses. It is not far 

 from a deep bay inclosed by a semicircle of tolerably high land. A 

 few small vessels belong to the island, and many large schooner-rigged 

 boats and numerous canoes. The smaller islands are only visited 

 occasionally to obtain cocoa-nuts or turtles. 



The Seychelles were partly explored in 1743, by order of Mah<$ de 

 la Bourdonnais, then governor of Mauritius. About the year 176S 

 the French formed a colony on the island of Mahe 1 . The Seychelles 

 were captured by the British in 1794, but were not occupied till the 

 capture of Mauritius in 1810. By the treaty of Paris, iu 1815, they 

 were ceded to the British, together with Mauritius. They are under 

 the governor of Mauritius. [MAURITIUS.] 



SEYNE. [ALPES, BASSES.] 



SKYNY. [POLAND.] 



SEYSSEL. [AiN.] 



SEZANNE. [MARNE.] 



SEZZE. [ALESSANDMA; FHOSINONE.] 



SFAX. [TUNIS.] 



SHAFTESBURY, or SHASTON, Dorsetshire, a market-town, a 

 municipal and parliamentary borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law 

 Union, is situated in 51 2' N. lat., 2 12' W. Ion?., distant by road 

 27 miles N.N.W. from Dorchester, 105 miles W.S.W. from London. 

 The population of the municipal borough in 1851 was 2503 ; that of 

 the parliamentary borough was 9404. The borough is governed by 

 4 aldermen and 18 councillors, one of whom is mayor ; and returns 

 one member to the Imperial Parliament. The livings are in the arch- 

 deaconry of Dorset and dioceee of Salisbury. Shaftesbury Poor-Law 



