1129 



GARONNE, HAUTE. 



GARONNE, HAUTE. 



1130 



Salat enters it on the right bank. Hence turning north-east it passes 

 Cazeres, where it becomes navigable ; between this place and Toulouse 

 it receives the Louge on the left bank ; the Volp, the Arize, and the 

 Ariege on the right. At Toulouse it is joined by the Canal-du-Midi, 

 and turns north-west, in which direction it continues generally to its 

 mouth, passing Verdun, Agen, St.-Macaire, and Bordeaux, a few miles 

 below which, at Bec-d'Ambes, it enters the sestuary of the Gironde. 

 Its principal feeders below Toulouse are the Giron, the Tarn, the Lot, 

 and the Dropt on the right bank ; the Save, the Gimone, the Gers, 

 the Baise, the Avance, and the Ciron on the left. 



The length of the Garonne is about 352 miles, of which 202 are 

 navigable, but the navigation is much impeded above Toulouse. The 

 river communicates either directly or by its navigable feeders with 

 twelve departments, the total river navigation of its basin being about 

 1000 miles. The tide ascends to St.-Macaire, about 25 miles above 

 Bordeaux, and vessels of the largest size go up as far as the latter 

 town. [BORDEAUX.] By this river and the Canal-du-Midi the Bay of 

 Biscay is united to the Mediterranean. 



The basin of the Garonne is bounded S. by the Pyrenees, E. by the 

 CeVennes, N. by the Auvergne Mountains and their western offshoots, 

 and W. by ramifications of the Pyrenees, which extend to the mouth of 

 the Gironde. Its greatest length from S. W. to N.E. is about 200 miles, its 

 greatest breadth about the same ; in its lower part however the basin 

 (including therein the Gironde) does not exceed 25 miles in width. 

 The valley of this river is remarkable for the richness of its products 

 in corn and wine, and for the beauty of its scenery. 



The Kstuary of the Gironde, which probably derives its name from 

 Gamnda, & name of the Garumna, which occurs in a letter of Sym- 

 ua to Ausonius, is formed by the junction of the Garonne and the 

 Dordogne ; it runs north-west, and connects those rivers with the Bay 

 of Biscay. From Bec-d'Ambes to its mouth the channel of the 

 Gironde presents a succession of islets and banks, which nearly divide 

 it into two equal branches, and render the navigation somewhat intri- 

 cate. Its length is about 40 miles ; its breadth at Bec-d'Ambes is 

 about a mile and three-quarters ; its greatest width is 7 miles ; at its 

 entrance into the Bay of Biscay the breadth is scarcely 3 miles. Its 

 shores below Blaye are uninviting, and present to view only bare rocks 

 and dreary heaths. This sestuary is subject to the mascaret, or bore. 

 [BORE.] The crest of the bore rises from 13 to 16 feet above the 

 surface of the river ; and this great mass of water, moving along with 

 impetuous velocity, often causes serious damage to vessels exposed to 

 its violence, not only in the Gironde, but also in the Dordogne, which 

 river it ascends for about 20 miles. [DORDOGNE.] 



(Dictionnaire de la France.) 



GARONNE, HAUTE, a department in the south of France, derives 

 its name from the river Garonne, which has the upper part of its 

 course in the department. It is bounded N. by the department of 

 Tarn-et-Garonne ; E. by those of Tarn, Aude, and Ariege ; S. by 

 Spain, from which it is separated by the Pyrenees ; and W. by the 

 departments of Hautes-Pyre'ne'es and Gers. Its greatest length, from 

 north-east to south-west, is about 100 miles ; its greatest breadth, at 

 right angles to the length, 63 miles. It is comprehended between 

 42 39' and 43" 54' N. lat., 26' and 2 1' E. long. Its area is 2431 

 square miles. The population by the census of 1851 was 480,794, 

 giving 197'77 to a square mile, or 23'19 above the average per square 

 mile for the whole of France. The population in 1841 amounted to 

 468,153. 



Surface, Hydrography, and Communications. The south of the 

 department is covered with lofty mountains, including part of the 

 crest and some of the branches of the Pyrenees, the peaks of which 

 rise in this department, or just close to it, from 9000 to 11,742 

 feet high. The last number expresses the height of Mont Maladetta, 

 from the snows and glaciers of which the Garonne springs. The 

 lower slopes are covered with thick forests of oak, pine, fir, &c., 

 or are occupied as sheep-walks and pasture-grounds. The mountains 

 are diversified by beautiful lakes and cascades, and intersected by 

 lovely valleys, such as that of Luchon. The lake and cascade of Oo, 

 near the village of Oo, at the extremity of the valley of Larboust, are 

 among the finest sights in the Pyrenees ; the cascade, which is broken 

 about midway in its descent, has a total fall of 1600 feet. The loud 

 roar of torrents and waterfalls echoing among rocks and woods are 

 heard with awe among the profound solitudes. The scenery higher 

 up the mountains is of the most savage description : the highest part 

 of the Pyrenees is covered with perpetual snow and ice ; frightful 

 precipices, yawning chasms, and naked rocks of enormous size are 

 seen on their sides. The slope of the mountains is in general at an 

 angle of about 35, but in some places the descent is precipitous like 

 a wall ; and in the granite and primitive limestone formation it is 

 not uncommon to see the rocks project far out of the perpendicular 

 high overhead. The communication with Spain is kept up by the 

 depressions in the mountains, here called ' ports.' The Portd'Oo, the 

 loftiest pass in the Pyrenees, is 9850 feet high. The north of the 

 department is occupied by hills of moderate elevations, separated by 

 extensive and very fertile plains. 



The department belongs entirely to the basin of the Upper Garonne, 

 which traverses it from south to north. Of the other rivers the prin- 

 cipal are the Neste, the Salat, the Ai iege, the Lers, the Louge, the 

 Touch, the Save, the Gimone, and the Tarn ; these are all directly or 



indirectly feeders of the Garonne. [GARONNE ; ARI&OE ; TARN.] 

 The department is traversed by the Canal du Midi for about 32 miles 

 of its length, and has by means of this canal and its navigable rivers 

 (the Garonne, the Salat, the Ariege, and the Tarn) a total navigation 

 of about 150 miles. It is also crossed in various directions by 7 impe- 

 rial, 31 departmental, and 30 parish roads. The projected railway 

 from Bordeaux to Cette passes through Toulouse and the north-east of 

 the department. 



Geology and Mineral Products. The supercretaceous strata extends 

 over all the north of the' department, and southward as far as the 

 junctions of the Salat and the Neste with the Garonne. The oolitic 

 and other kindred formations crop out beneath the supercretaceous 

 deposits, and occupy a narrow belt to the south of these. The 

 Pyrenees are formed of primitive limestone and other rocks. The 

 mineral treasures of the department are iron, copper, lead, antimony, 

 bismuth, zinc, coal, rock-crystal, slates, gypsum, marble, jet, and 

 granite. Gold is found in the sands of the Garonne and the Salat. 

 There is a salt spring at Salies. Mineral waters are found at various 

 places ; those of Bagueres-de-Luchon are the most celebrated. 



Climate and Produce. In the higher parts of the mountains the 

 winters are severe and long; in the lower hills and plains, which make 

 up the greater part of the department, the climate is mild ; here it 

 rarely freezes, and a fall of snow is almost unknown. The average 

 number of rainy days in the year is about 100; the rest of the year 

 is dry, and almost equally divided between bright sunny and cloudy 

 weather. The east and west winds predominate ; the latter bring 

 cold and rain. Tempests are frequent and violent. Goitrous affections 

 are common among the mountaineers. 



In the mountainous tracts it is only by dint of industry that any 

 returns can be procured by the farmer. The valleys are very pro- 

 ductive. The most fertile localities are the plain of Toulouse, the 

 productiveness of which is noticed by Julius Caesar (' De Bel. Gal.,' 

 i. 10); the valley of the Garonne generally; and the neighbourhood 

 of Rieux, iu the valley of the Arize, where two harvests are obtained 

 in the year. The department contains 1,555,832 acres. Of this surface 

 about one-half is arable land; 95,477 acres are grass-land; 120,858 

 are under vineyards; 275,357 under woods and forests; 13,853 are 

 orchards, plantations, and gardens; 114,142 heath and moor land; 

 and 11,654 are covered with waters, ponds, and canals. The popu- 

 lation is not so much clustered into villages, towns, and hamlets as in 

 most other parts of France ; but is scattered over the department in 

 farmsteads and cottages. 



The arable land is well adapted to the cultivation of wheat, maize, 

 buckwheat, millet, rye, and other grains and pulse. A great deal of 

 garlic is grown; flax, hemp, potatoes, chestnuts, tobacco, truffles, 

 melons, orange-flowers, fruit-trees, and medicinal plants are also pro- 

 duced. The quantity of wine grown in the department is 14,300,000 

 gallons, one-third of which is used for home consumption. The 

 quality is generally inferior. The uplands and the valleys furnish 

 abundance of excellent pasture ; the mountains abound with wood 

 suited for ship-building. Many oxen are bred in the extensive 

 pastures of this department ; asses, mules, sheep, and swine are 

 numerous. Poultry is abundant. The geese and ducks are plentiful, 

 and of great size ; numbers of them are salted for household use and 

 for exportation. A little honey and silk are produced. In the moun- 

 tains there are the wild boar, the roebuck, the wolf, the fox, the 

 heath-cock, and different varieties of the eagle. The partridge, 

 ortolan, and quail are taken in abundance in the plains. The rivers 

 and lakes abound with fish. 



The commerce of the department is composed of the products 

 already named, and of its manufactures, the chief of which are scythes, 

 files, copper utensils, mathematical instruments, porcelain, pottery, 

 tiles, coarse woollens, canvass, blankets, calico, tape, brandy, tin-ware, 

 and leather of various kinds. There are 78 iron-furnaces, and 331 

 factories of different kinds, including glass-works, copper-foundries, 

 cannon -foundries, gunpowder -mills, tobacco - factories, distilleries, 

 marble-sawing works, &c., and 1053 wind- and water-mills. The 

 department has considerable commercial intercourse with Spain, 

 whither many handicraftsmen annually emigrate to exercise their 

 callings. Fairs to the number of 360 are held in the year. 



The department is divided into 4 arrondissements, which, with 

 their subdivisions and population, are as follows : 



1. Of the first arrondissement and of thedepartment TO0LOUSE is 

 the capital. The other towns of the arrondissement are small. We 

 give the following with the population of the commune in each 

 case : Fronton, in the north of the department, is a well-built town 

 consisting entirely of brick houses, and has 2141 inhabitants. Grenade- 

 sur-faronne stands 15 miles N. from Toulouse, on the left bank of the 

 Save, a little above its confluence with the Garonne, and has 4281 



