Kit 



VIKNNK. 



VIENNE. 



1020 



The eswirooe of Vienna are'very picturesque. On the north it has 

 the beautiful Ulandi of the Danube ; on the west the lofty Knhlen- 

 berc Mountain ; on the MMith hilli oorered with thick forents and rich 

 riamni* tho Xoric Alps eommeoeing with the Schneeberg, and 

 toward* Modlin and Baden a dark circle of hills, valleys, ruins of 

 OMttfi antique churches, modern palaces, and handsome country-seats. 

 The imperial |laoe> of Schuubrunn and Luxemburg are at a short 

 dut*ao> from the city. 



The climate of Vienna i> extremely variable, great heat being often 

 suddenly followed by tercre cold. The isUnila and the parts of the 

 etty next the river are subject to inundations, aud the atmosphere is 



The inhabitant* of Vienna arc a gay, friendly, and hospitable people, 

 among whom a stronger quickly Buds himself at home. Beggars ore 

 not seen in the streets, and one may traverse them at all hours without 

 meeting with any kind of disturbance or annoyance, breaches of the 

 peace are rare, cases of drunkenness seldom occur, and gaming-houses 

 are unknown. Among the virtues of the Viennese charity is pre- 

 eminent They are also devoted to pleasure. Literary societies are 

 however very numerous aud the higher classes are very accomplished. 

 French, Englifth, and Italian arc currently spoken, as well as the native 

 German. The ladies are extraordinary proficients iu music, of which 

 they are excessively f.iml. 



Vienna, called by the Horuans Yimlobona, was long the head quarters 

 of a Human legion, and the capital of 1'annouia. When the Koman 

 power declined, it was overrun by the Goths aud linns, till, in 791, 

 Charlemagne annexed it to his dominions. It was then aud long 

 afterwards of small extent ; St. Stephen's cathedral, now in the centre 

 of the city, being when erected in 1114 without the walls. It how- 

 ever increased progressively from the mercantile advantages of its 

 filiation, and by being the usual residence of the dukes and emperors. 

 The most remarkable events in its annals are the various sieges which 

 it has sustained. In 1434 it was taken by Mathioa, king of Hungary, 

 who resided in it till his death, when it was restored to Auxtria. In 

 1589 the Turks, assisted by the Hungarian insurgents, approached the 

 city and destroyed the suburbs. In 1619 the Bohemian insurgents, 

 supported by a party in Austria, succeeded iu penetrating into the 

 city, but were almost immediately expelled. In 1025 it was threatened 

 by the Swedish general Torstenson. In 1678 the plague carried off in 

 the city 49,486 persona, and 73,323 in the suburbs. In 1633 the city 

 was besieged by a Turkish army, and reduced to extreme distress, 

 when it was relieved by John Sobieski, king of Poland, who, with 

 CO.OOO men, totally defeated the Turkish army of nearly 200,000. 

 In 17'J" it was threatened by Napoleon I., and occupied by him in 

 1805 arfd 1S09. Strict discipline was observed by his troops on both 

 occasions. A Congress was held at Vienna in 1811-15, at which the 

 territorial and political state of Europe was settled after the downfal 

 of Napoleon I. In the troubled period that followed the last French 

 revolution, Vienna was for a time iu the bands of insurgents. The 

 city was taken after a bombardment by the Austrian army under 

 Prince \Vindinchgr.itz ou the 1st of November 1848. 



YIKNNK, a department of France, bounded N. by Indre-et-Loire, 

 E. by the departments of Indre and Haute- Vienue, S. by Chareuto, 

 W. by Deux-Serres and Maine-et-Loire. Its greatest length from 

 north to south is about 80 miles ; the greatest breadth is 51 miles. 

 The area of the department is 2692 square miles. The population iu 

 1851 was 317,305. 



The department has no mountains. A chain of hills called the heights 

 of Qatine, which extends from the central mountains of Auvergue 

 towards the mouth of the Loire, crosses the south-western side of the 

 department ; and a branch from these hills extends towards the north- 

 east, between the Claiu and the Thoud. The central part, between 

 the Chun aud the Vienne, consists of tolerably high ground ; but the 

 part east of the Vieune is low. The north-eastern border of the 

 department is occupied by cretaceous formation*; the rest of the 

 department is occupied by the secondary rocks. The department has 

 several iron-works, quarries for milUtones, whetstones, lithographic- 

 stone, limestone, and freestone, aud a quarry of marble which takes a 

 good polish. There are sulphureous springs at La-Koche-Posay, near 

 the junction of the Creuso aud the Qartempo. 



The department belongs almost entirely to the basin of the Loire ; 

 a very small part in the south-west corner, about Civray, belongs to 

 the basin of the Charente. The Vienne, which is one of the principal 

 affluent* of the Loire, rues in the department of Correze, and after 

 traversing Haute- Yiumie and a part of Charente enters this department 

 on the south, just above Availles, and flows northward through the 

 department, which it quits below the junction of the Creuse. About 

 5 miles of the course of the Vienne are in this department : from the 

 the Clain to its month iu the Loire, a distance of about 

 40 mile*, it is navigable. Nearly all the other rivers of the department 

 are tributaries of the Vienna : the Grnude-lilourde, the Ozou, and the 

 Creuse join it on the right bank; and the Dive aud the Claiu on the 

 left tank : the Veude, wl.ich joins it on the left bank long after it 

 quit* this department, and the liable, a feeder of the Veude, have 

 their source amid the hills on the north of the department. The 

 Creuee has the last 20 miles of it* course on the border of this depart- 

 ment ; iU feeder, the Gartempo, rises in the department of Creuse 

 tut ha* the lower part of iU course, for nearly 40 miles, within or 



ipon the border of this department. The Anglin, a feeder of the 



Uartempe, and the Sarleron and Benaise, feeders of the Auglin, belong 

 tartly to this department. The Clain rises in the department of 

 Charente, but has nearly the whole of its course of more than 60 miles 

 n this department. None of the affluents of the Vienne are navigable 

 sxcept the CREUSE. The Dive, a tributary of the Thoud (an affluent 



of the Loire), is navigable for 8 miles. It rises iu this department, 



and has the greater part of its course within or upon the western 

 >order. The Charcnto just crosses the south-western corner of tha 

 K'partinentt 



The department is traversed by 6 imperial, 9 departmental, and a 

 jreat number of communal or parish roads : the most important is 

 .he high road from Paris to Bordeaux. The Paris-Bordeaux railway 



also traverses the department in its whole length, passing through 



Chiitcllerault, Poitiers, and Civray. 



The air is generally mild. The north wind prevails in winter, the 



north-west wind in spring, and the south wind in summer. The 



marshes in the west of the department are unhealthy. 



The area of the department may be stated in round numbers at 

 1,680,000 acres, of which more than 1,000,000 acres are under the 

 lough. The most productive soils are on the northern part of the 

 lepartment; those on the south and south-east are generally poor. 



The principal productions are wheat, rye, oats, hemp, flax, peas, ami 

 Dotatoes. The meadows occupy above 100,000 acres, and the heaths 

 >r open pastures nearly 190,000 acres. A great number of horses, 



mules, horned cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs are bred : poultry U 

 .buudant. The vineyards occupy 70,000 acres, and yield ordinary 

 phite aud red wines. The orchards occupy 14,000 acres, the woods 



200,000 acres. A considerable quantity of walnuts, chestnuts, and 

 'ruit are grown. 

 The deportment is divided into five arrondissements, as follows : 



1. In the first arrondissement the chief town is POITIERS. Among 

 the other places worth notice are Lusignan, on the Vonne : population, 

 2560. Neuville, between the Auzance and the Palu : population, 2800. 

 llircbeau, on a feeder of the Dive, which flows into the Thoud : popu- 

 lation, 2556, for the whole commune. Pivonne, on the Clain, has 

 a manufacture of coarse woollens, a corn-market, and about 2700 

 inhabitants. Lusignan has a manufacture of coarse woollens, aud 

 considerable trade iu grain and seeds. There was formerly a strong 

 castle at Lusignan, the site of which is now occupied by a pleasant 

 public walk. The house of Lusignan acquired the crowns of Jerusalem 

 and Cyprus. Jlirebeau was built by Foulques Nera, count of Anjou, 

 who also erected a castle here. In this castle Eldonore of Gbienue, 

 widow of Henry II. of England, was besieged (1202) by her grandson, 

 Arthur, duke of Bretagne, but was relieved by tha approach of her 

 son, King John of England, who took Arthur prisoner. The village 

 of VouiUe", on the Auzance, a feeder of the Clain, 10 miles \V. from 

 Poitiers, was the scene of the great battle in which Clovis and the 

 Franks defeated and slew Alaric II., king of the Visigoths, in A.D. 507. 



2. In the second arrondissement the chief town, C/idtellerattlt, is 

 situated ou the right bank of the Vienne, 20 miles by railway N. from 

 Poitiers, and has 11,959 inhabitants in the commune. It is in general 

 an ill-built town. The site of the old fortifications is occupied by 

 handsome residences and pretty walks. A fine stone bridge connects 

 the town with the suburbs, on the left bank of the Vienne. At the 

 town end of the bridge is a large mansion, flanked with four massive 

 towers, with a lofty arch in the centre of the building, under which 

 the high road enters the town. Chatellerault has important iron- 

 works, a college, tribunals of first instance and commerce, manufac- 

 tures of cutlery, jewellery, lace, hardware, side-arms, &c. 



3. In the third arrondissement the chief town, Civray, which 

 stands on the Charente, has a church of great antiquity, the ruins of 

 an ancient castle, a college, and 2210 inhabitants, who trade in corn, 

 chestnuts, and truffles. Avail/es, on the left bank of the Vienne, has 

 mineral waters, and about 2000 inhabitants. 



4. In the fourth arrondissement the chief town, Loiuhin, situated 

 on the slope of a hill 34 miles N. by \V. from Poitiers", has a tribunal 

 of first instance, a college, and 4457 inhabitants. It is an ancient 

 town, with wide streets of good houses, and surrounded by vineyards 

 which produce some of the best wine in the department : the town 

 has some pleasant walks (formed ou the site of the old castle of Lou- 

 dun), a theatre, and an hospital. Coarse woollen, leather, linen, jewellery, 

 and lace are manufactured ; aud considerable trade is carried on in 

 corn, wine, brandy, walnuts, and oil. Moncontour, a small place on the 

 Dive, gives name to the victory which the Duke of Aujou (afterwards 

 Henri III.) gained over the Huguenots, under Admiral Coligni, in 1S69. 



6. In the fifth arroudissemeut the chief town, Montmorilton, situated 



