T A K 



65 



TAR 



the Garonne. The vineyards have an extent of about 

 90,000 acres. A large part of their produce is made into 

 brand)' for exportation. The wine is of fair quality, but 

 not first-rate ; and in general of a deep colour, which it 

 loses by age. 



The orchards and gardens occupy about 4500 acres : the 

 walnut and chestnut trees are of great size : the white 

 mulberry is cultivated in order to rear the silk-worm, 

 which is an object of attention, though not so extensively 

 as it might be made. The woods occupy about 110,000 

 acres. Game and fresh-water fish are abundant : great 

 quantities of the lamprey and the shad are taken in the 

 Garonne in the spring. 



The department is divided into three arrondissements, 

 as follows : 



Situa- Area in Population iu Can- Coin- 



Nam'', lion. Sq. miles. 1831. 1836. tons, mimes. 



Montauban E. 619 107,853 106.799 11 62 

 Moissac N.W. 341 62,489 62,735 6 49 

 Castel-Sar- 

 rasin 



1421 242.509 242,184 24 191 



In the anondissement of Montauban are Montauban, 

 on the Tarn (population, in 1831, 18,255 for the town, or 

 25.400 for the whole commune ; in 1830, 23,865 for the 

 commune) [MOXTAUBAN] ; La Fran9aise (pop. 3C86), near 

 the Tarn ; Varen, St. Antonin (pop. 2861 for the town, or 

 5482 for the whole commune), Montricoux, Bioulle, Negre- 

 pelisse, and Realville (pop. 3030), on or near the Aveyron ; 

 Bruniquel, on the Verre ; Parisot, on the Seye ; Caylus 

 (pop. 1518 for the town, or 5319 for the whole commune), 

 on the Bonnette ; Puy-la-Roque, Septfons, Caussade (pop. 

 2441 for the town, or 4479 for the whole commune), on or 

 near the Lere or its affluents ; Montpezat and Molieres, 

 on or near the Lemboulas ; Mirabel, between the Lerc and 

 the Lemboulas; and Montclar, on the Tesoounet. La 

 Fianraise has a manufacture of pottery from the fine clay 

 which is dust in the neighbourhood. St. Antonin is on 

 the right bank of the A\ eyron, at the junction of the Bon- 

 nette. There are manufactures of serge and other woollen 

 stuffs, and there are tan-yards and paper-mills: con- 

 sideiable trade is carried on in leather and dried plums. 

 Montricoux has twelve yearly fairs: marble is quarried 

 near the town. Negrepeliste was formerly inhabited 

 chiefly by the Huguenots ; and when Louis XIII. besieged 

 M.mtaulian \.n. 1021 , he put a garrison into this town ; 

 but the inhabitants rose upon the garrison, and put them 

 to the sword, in consequence of which the town was taken 

 and burnt by the royal army. Cotton goods are woven, 

 and trade is carried on in corn, wine, and hemp: there are 

 ten yi - At RraKille consideiable trade is carried 



on in corn and flour : there are five yearly fairs. Bruni- 

 quel has an iron-work. Caylus has eleven yearly fail's, and 

 a trade in corn. Caussade has some manufactures of linen 

 and woollen ; and the townsmen carry on trade in corn, 

 flour, saffron, and truffles : there are eight yearly fairs. 



In the arrondissement of Moissac are Moissac, on the 

 riitht hank of the Tarn (population, in 1831, 5950 for the 

 town, or It), 105 for the whole commune; in 1836, 10,618 

 for the commune) [Moiss.\c] ; Auvillard or Auvillar (po- 

 pulation 1903 for the town, or 2302 for the whole com- 

 mune), on the Garonne ; Valence (population 1994 for the 

 town, or 2875 for the whole commune), between the Ga- 

 ronne and the Bareuelone ; Lauzerte (population 1753 for 

 the town, or 3085 for the whole commune) and Miramont, 

 on the Petite Barguelone : Monjoy or Montjoye and Castel- 

 Sagrat, on or near the Saone; Le Bourg-du-Visa, on a 

 small feeder of the Saone ; Montaigut or Montaigu (popu- 

 lation 2000 for the town, or 4172 for the whole commune) 

 and Roquecor, on the Seune; and Dunes, near the west em 

 border of the department. At Auvillard or Auvillar 

 (sometimes written Auvillards) are manufactures of earthen- 

 ware and worsted hose: there are four yearly fairs. The 

 neighbourhood is productive in wine. Valence (distin- 

 guished as Valence d'Agen) has four yearly fairs: the 

 i tan leather and prepare quills for writing. 



Lauzcrto is in a picturesque situation on a rocky eminence, 

 ' junction of the Lendou with the Petite Barguelone: 



it has eleven fairs, where much business is done in corn, 



win' Montaigu has some manufactures oi 



;uid leather, and five yearly fairs. Dunes 



lairs for cattle, corn, and linen cloth. 

 P. C., No. 14W. 



In the arrondissement of Castel-Sarrasin are Castel- 

 Sarrasin, near the right bank of the Garonne (population* 

 in 1831, 3346 for the town, or 7092 for the whole com- 

 mune ; in 1836, 7408 for the commune) ; Verdun (popu- 

 lation 1809 for the town, or 4234 for the whole com- 

 mune), Le Mas-Garnier, and St. Nicolas-de-la-Grave, on 

 the Garonne ; St. Porquier, Scatalen, Montech, Fignan 

 or Finhan (population 1600 for the town, or 1730 for 

 the whole commune), and Grizalles or Grizolles (popula- 

 tion 1724 for the town, or 2091 for the whole commune), 

 between the Tarn and the Garonne ; Bouillac, near the 

 Lambon; Beaumont de Lomagne (population 3126 for the 

 town, or 4130 for the whole commune), on the Gimone; 

 and Lavit de Lomagne, near the Serre. Castel-Sarrasin 

 suffered much in the religious wars, and the quantity of 

 bones and of arms dug up in the neighbourhood bears tes- 

 timony to the frequency or severity of the conflicts it lias 

 witnessed. The town is agreeably situated in a fertile 

 plain about a mile from the Garonne, and is well built. 

 The old walls and ditches have been destroyed, and re- 

 placed by agreeable promenades. The townsmen manu- 

 facture serge and other woollen stuffs, hats, and leather: 

 there are three yearly fairs. There are one or two subor- 

 dinate government offices. Verdun, distinguished from 

 other places of the same name as Verdun-sur-Garonne, is 

 on the left bank of the river : it has much declined from its 

 former importance, but has still some woollen manufactures 

 and three yearly fairs. St. Nicolas-de-la-Grave is known 

 for the excellent melons grown in the surrounding district : 

 there are four yearly fairs. St. Porquier is known for the 

 extensive cultivation of tobacco and saffron in the neigh- 

 bourhood : it has three yearly fairs. Grizalles or Grizolles 

 is in a fertile plain, a short distance from the right bank of 

 the Garonne : the townsmen manufacture a considerable 

 quantity of cutlery, especially excellent scissars : there are 

 three yearly fairs for cattle and horses. At Beaumont-de- 

 Lomagne coarse cloth and other woollens, hats, and leather 

 are manufactured, and trade is carried on in corn : there 

 are seven fairs in the year. 



The population, when not otherwise described, is that of 

 the commune, and from the census of 1831. 



This part of France, at the earliest historical period, was 

 occupied by the Cadurci, a Celtic people, who were north 

 of the Garumna (now the Garonne), the Tarnis (now the 

 Tarn), and the river now known as the Tescou ; by the 

 Tolosates, also Celts, who inhabited the part south of these 

 rivers ; and by the Lactorates (of the Aquitanian stock), 

 in whose territories that, small portion of the department 

 which lies south of the Garonne and west of the Larax or 

 Rats was included. Perhaps some small portions of the 

 north-western border may have belonged to the Nitiobriges, 

 a Celtic people, and some portions of the eastern border 

 to the Ruteni, who were also Celts : but these portions, if 

 there were any, must have been very small. The Tasconi 

 of Pliny, who appear to have left tneir name to the little 

 rivers lescou and Tescounet, on the banks of which they 

 dwelt, were probably either a subdivision of the Tolo- 

 or a small tribe subject to them. In the, Roman 

 division of Gaul the Tolosates, with the Tasconi, were in- 

 cluded in the province of Narbonensis Prima ; the Cadurci 

 and the Ruteni in that of Aquitania Prima; and the Nitio- 

 briu'es and Lactorates in Novempopulana. 



Only two places mentioned by Roman authorities are 

 supposed to have been in tlus department. Cosa, men- 

 tioned in the Theodosian or Peutinger Table, was probably 

 on the bank of the Aveyron, near Realville ; and the Fines 

 of the same authority may be placed on the Tescou, near 

 the iunction of the Tescounet. 



Iii the middle ages, the north-western parts, about Mon- 

 taisrut, Castel-Sagrat, and Valence, as far south as the 

 Garonne, were included in L'Agenois ; the northern and 

 north-eastern parts, as far south as the Tarn, in the dis- 

 trict of Le Bas Quercy, except just about Parisot and St. 

 Antonin, which belonged to La Basse Marche in Rouergue ; 

 L'Agenois, Quercy, and Rouergue were all subdivisions of 

 Cinienne. South of the Garonne the whole was included in 

 Gascogne or Gascony ; the part west of the Larax being 

 comprehended in Le Condomois, a district of Gascogne 

 er; and the part eastward of the Larax in Lomagne 

 and Riviere-Verdun, two districts in Bas (Lower) otherwise 

 Noir (Black) Armagnac. The districts between the Garonne 

 and the Tarn belonged to the district of Le Toulousain, 

 or the county of Toulouse, properly so called, in Languedoc. 



VOL. XXIV.-K 



