OABIX 



GARONNE. 



am 



thai surround* it, but it has important silk factories, breweries, and 

 Un-yanU. A manganese mine i worked near it VfshuAm, a sta- 

 tioo on the Nlme* and Alais railroad, ha* silk-reeling ectabliahmenU, 

 and 1006 inhabitant*. 



3. Of the third arrondis*ement the chief town, Utit, itandi 12 mile* 

 N. from Ntmea, among the mountain* on the right bank of the Auson, 

 a feeder of the Oard, and ha* a tribunal of first instance, a college, 

 and 6413 inhabitanU in the commune. It i* built on a hill, from the 

 ba*e of which ipring* the fountain of Eure, or Aura, the water* of 

 which wtre (in Roman time*) conducted to N'lmen by an aqueduct 

 The mo*t important building* are the court-house ; the old caitle 

 of the duke* of Use*, which U fortified, and greatly resembles the 

 famous Bastille of Pan* ; and the former cathedral. The inhabitants 

 are engaged in the cultivation of the olive, and of the mulberry for 

 the production of ailk, and in the manufacture of silk hosiery, coarse 

 woollen*, leather, and paper. The town trade* also in corn, wine, 

 brandy, oil, cattle, raw silk, Ac. Ragnolt, on the right bank of the 

 Cexe, in a district famous for its wines, is an ill-built place with 

 narrow street* and 4900 inhabitant*. There is a pretty square orna- 

 mented with two fountains ; the college buildings, the hospital, and 

 the canal that draws off the waters of the Ceze for purposes of 

 irrigation, deserve mention. Coarse cloth, serge, thrown silk, cards, 

 brandy, and leather are manufactured. Pont-St.-Eiprit, well situated 

 for trade on the right bank of the Rhone, is an ill-built town, con- 

 sisting of narrow irregular streets, and defended by a citadel The 

 population amount* to 5239, who carry on a considerable trade in 

 wine, oil, fruit, silk, and provisions. The town, which is surrounded 

 by ramparts, was anciently called St-Savournin. It took its present 

 name from the bridge which crosses the Rhone here, and which Una 

 rousted the impetuosity of that river since 1309, the year in which it 

 was completed. It consists of 19 large and 4 smaller arches; the 

 expense* of its erection were defrayed from the offering* given in a 

 chapel dedicated to the Holy Qhost (Saint Esprit), whence the name. 

 JtemotUitu, a small place of 1370 inhabitants, is situated near that 

 portion of the magnificent Roman aqueduct now called Pont-du-Oard. 

 This aqueduct, which was constructed to convey the waters of the 

 fountain of Eure to the city of Nemauaus (Nlmes), spans a narrow 

 gorge between two arid hills on each side of the Gard. It consists of 

 three arcades built one over the other, 656 feet long and 173 feet high 

 above the low-water mark of the river. The lower arcade consists of 

 6 arches, through one of which the Gard flows ; the second is com- 

 posed of 11 arche* ; and the third, which supports the channel of the 

 aqueduct, of 35 arches. The whole structure, with the exception of 

 the channel, which ia 6J feet broad and the same in depth, is built of 

 large cut stones without cement Between the Pont-du-Gard and 

 Nlme* there i* a portion of the aqueduct more than 7 miles long, 

 which, being under ground, is still in perfect repair. Arrived at 

 Xemausus, the waters were conducted by three branch aqueducts to 

 the amphitheatre, to the public fountains, and to the supply of private 

 houses. Several country house* also were supplied by conduits with 

 water from the main trunk. Soquemaure, a town of 4471 inhabitants, 

 stand* in a rich wine district on the right bank of the Rhone, which 

 is here passed by a suspension-bridge. It has silk-reeling factories, 

 brandy distilleries, hydraulic saw-mills, and a great manufacture of 

 wine-cask*, of which 20,000 are made annually. The trade of the 

 place consist* of the Rhone wines, brandy, horse*, and cattle. Villr- 

 tinn la-Avignon stands on a hill on the right bank of the Illume, 

 opposite Avignon, of which it may be called a suburb, and to which 

 it was formerly joined by a famous bridge. [AVIGNON.] The most 

 remarkable structures are the former abbey of St-Audn?, now con- 

 verted into a dwelling-house ; the former Carthusian monastery ; the 

 church, which contains amongst other monument* the tomb of the 

 Prince deConti; and the public library. The population is 3671, 

 who manufacture silk, linen, saltpetre, ropes, tiles, and lime. 



4. In the fourth arrondissement the chief town, Le-Viyan, is 

 beautifully situated at the foot of the Ce'vennes, 40 miles W. from 

 Mime*, and ba* a tribunal of fint instance, a college, and 4945 inhabit- 

 ant*, who manufacture silk and cotton hosiery, white and shoe leather, 

 and cotton-yarn. It i* well built, and i* considered to be the prettiest 

 and most salubrious town in the Ce'vennes. In the principal square 

 there U a monument erected to the heroic D'Aatas, a native of Vigan, 

 who saved the French army near Oeldern in 1760 from a night sur- 

 prise, at the cost of hi* life. St.-Uipi*lili-<lu-l'ort, east of Vigan, on 

 the Viduurle, i* a modern town, which take* it* origin from a fortress 

 noted her* in the ICth century. It i* traversed by a canal which 

 supplies several fountain* and turn* a great number of mill*. The 

 town U well built, ba* a tribunal of commerce, and 5297 inhabitanU, 

 who manufacture cotton and silk stockings, woollen stuffs, glue, and 

 leather. Quutac, farther down the Vidourle, is a small place with 

 1590 inhabitant*. La-SaUe, a long straggling village on a feeder of 

 the Gardon-d'Andnze, has 2354 inhabitants, who manufacture hosiery, 

 silk, yarn, and leather. .Sam*, a small place on the Vidourle, between 

 QIUSMC and St-HippoliU, bm* 2608 inhabitanU. N.-ar it are the 

 bot-*prings of Kunsange. Stuntnt, 8 mile* from Vigan, ha* 2978 

 inhahitauU and some cotton manufacture*. Valltrawjut, a prosper- 

 ous little town, with a population of 8853, is situated 10 mile* N. 

 from Vigan, in an excellent mulberry district A great deal of ailk 

 of the be*t quality i* produced ban. 



The department form* the see of the bishop of Nlmes, ia included 

 in the jurisdiction of the Cour Royale, and University Academy of 

 N't men, and belongs to the 10th Military Division, of which Mont- 

 pellier is head-quarters. There is a diocesan seminary in Nlmes, 

 and a secondary ecclesiastical ichool in Beaucaire. Besides a univer- 

 sity Nlmes has a royal college or high school, in which the ancient 

 language*, mathematics, and the physical science* are taught Com 

 munal college*, or secondary schools, are established in Beancaire, 

 Alain, Uzes, and Le-Vigan. The department returns three members 

 to the Legislative Body of the French Empire. 



(DictioMMirc de la f 'ranee ; .^iMutii/ue dt la France; Official 

 Paper i.) 



GARD A, LAGO DI, the ancient Benactu, the largest of the Italian 

 lakes, is in Austrian Italy, between the province of Breccia on the 

 west and that of Verona on the east ; the boundary between the two 

 provinces traverses the lake in iU length. IU south coast belong* to 

 the province of Mantua. The northern extremity of the lake enters 

 the territory of Trent in the Tyrol IU length, from north by east 

 to south by west, is 32 mile* ; and iU greatest breadth, which is in 

 iU southern part, is above 13 miles, but it i* much narrower towards 

 the north. From iU position it i* exposed to the sweep of the north 

 winds from the Alps, which agitate iU waters like a troubled sea 

 a fact which did not escape the observation of Virgil (' Georg.,' it 160). 

 IU greatest depth is about 950 feet. It receives at iU northern 

 extremity the river Sarca, which rise* in the mountains of Tyrol, and 

 numerous other streams on iU east and west banks. The Mincio 

 issuing from iU south-east extremity passes the fortress of Peschiera. 

 Two ridges of mountains run parallel to its east and west banks ; 

 that on the east is more rugged and nearer to the coast, but the 

 western ridge leaves a fine and fertile strip of land between it and 

 the shore, and is known by the name of Riviera di Sal6. The south 

 coast of the lake forms part of the great plain of Lombardy ; and on 

 this side the beautiful peninsula of Sertnione, the aucient Sirmio, 

 projects into its waters. On this peninsula was the paternal residence 

 of the poet Catullus. The waters of the Lago di Garda are of a deep 

 blue colour, and abound with fish. On the melting of the snow iu 

 spring iU level, which is 230 feet above the sea, is raised about 5 feet. 

 Some account of the territory along the banks of this lake, the 

 scenery of which has been praised by Catullus, Dante, and other poets, 

 is given under the heads BRESCIA and VERONA, THE PROVINCES or. 

 Steam-boats ply on the Lake of Garda, between Desenzano on iU 

 south coast and Riva at iU north extremity, in the Tyrol The lake 

 has some small islands near its west coast, the largest of which in 

 called Lecchi, from the name of the family to which it belouga : this 

 islet is little more than one mile in circumference. The town of Garda, 

 from which the lake is now named, appears from inscriptions found 

 there to have been inhabited in Roman times, but iU ancient name is 

 unknown. From an inscription found iu the village of San Vigilio, 

 ou the east shore, it appears that Benacus was the name of the tutelary 

 deity of the lake, the Pater Benacus of Virgil Several inscriptions 

 have been found also at Toscolano, on the west shore, in which the 

 name Benacenses occurs ; and it is probable that in this place there 

 was a temple or sanctuary, which was a place of resort for all the 

 Benacenses or people of the lake side. 



GARDANNE. [BoucuKS-DU-Rn6NB.] 



GARFAGNA'NA is a highland district of the northern Apennines, 

 on the borders of the states of Tuscany, Genoa, and Modena, includ- 

 ing the valley of the Upper Serchio above iU junction with the Lima. 

 The valley extends from the sources of the Serchio in a south-east 

 direction for about 24 miles between the main ridge of the Apennines 

 and the lofty group called Alpe Apuana, which divides the valley of 

 the Serchio from that of the Magra, and also from the maritime 

 districU of Carrara, Massa, and Pietrasanta. The most elevated 

 summits of the Alpe Apuana, called Pisaniuo and Piczo d'Ucoello, 

 are between 6000 and 7000 feet high. The climate of Garfagnana is 

 cold and foggy, and exposed to boisterous winds from the mountains. 

 The lowlands of the valley produce some corn, hemp, and flax, and 

 in some sheltered and favoured spots the olive and mulberry ; but tin- 

 main resource of the people is their pastures and their foreiU of 

 chestnut-trees, the fruit of which is to them a substitute for bread. 

 They export some silk, cheese, undressed skins, chestnut*, wool, and 

 timber. There are al*o iron and coal-mine*. The Garfagnana contains 

 67 parishes, and is divided for administrative purposes into six juris 

 dicti.ni-, three of which belong to the duchy of Modena, two to the 

 duchy of Lucca, and one to Tuscany. The principal towns are 

 Ciutclnuoru, with 2700 inhabitants, and some good buildings, being 

 the residence of the Modenese governor ; it ha* a college, an hospital, 

 and a moute di pieth. The poet Arioeto was at one time governor 

 of this place, of which he give* a curious account Oalltcano, with 

 about 1000 inhabitanU, the head place of the district, belonging to 

 Lucca, liarga, with 2500 inhabitants, head town of the district, 

 belonging to Tuscany. 



GARONNE, the ancient Garumna, a river in the aouth of France, 

 rise* in the Val-d'Aran, near the foot of Mount Maladetta, in the 

 Spanish Pyrenees, and enters France at a place called Pont-du-Roi, in 

 the department of Haute-Goronne. From this point it runs north 

 part St.-Beat to Montrejeau, where it i* joined on the left bank by 

 the Neste ; its course is then easterly a* far as St-Martory, where tho 



