﻿MORBIHAN. 



MORBIHAN. 



SM 



U boondcd N. hr C«t4»<)n-Nord, E. br IMe-et-Vilaiae, a by Loire- 

 InMrienre and Uia Bay of Biicay, *Dd W . b; the B«; of Biscay and 

 tba d«partmeiit of FioUt^re. It Um brtween 48* 27' and 48*16' 

 N. Ut., 2* 1' and S* S8' W. long. Ita gnatact l-ogthfrom north-weat 

 to aouth-aaat ia 82 milea; ita gTaat««t breadth i» Si mile*, but the 

 •T«taKe doea not exoecd 41 mile*. The area of the department ia 

 S828-8*qoare mile*. The population in 1811 was 447,898; in 1851 

 it amounted to 478,172, giring 182-08 inhabitant* to a aqnare mile, 

 or 7'45 above the avemge per rqiure mile for the whole of Francp. 



llie department i* formed out of part of Lower Bretagne. A aballow 

 inland aea (the OameUumn Mart meution<id by Juliua Caaar in the 

 aooount of lua fieroe oampaign againat the Veneti, ' Bell. Oall.,' liL 7-16), 

 which communicates by a narrow channel with the Bay of Biscay, and 

 extend* far inland to the aouth and west of Vannes, inclosing aererol 

 amall iaianda, is called Morbihan, from two Celtic words signifying 

 ' Little Sea.' Henoe the department takes its name. 



The ooast of the department, exposed to the continuous action of a 

 Tiolant sea, ia indented by a great number of bny«, roadsteads, and 

 harbonra. To the southward is the bay into which the Vilaine flows ; 

 north of this are tereral inlets of shallow water penetrating four or 

 Sts milea inland. There are also several islands, of which the prin- 

 «ipal i« that of Dumet. The Pointe de Penvins forms the north-western 

 booodaiy of the bay of the Vilaine ; this is succerded by the Pointe 

 St-Jacques and the Pointe du Grand Mont, and tbe shallow bey of 

 St-Oildas. North-west of this is tbe narrow entrance to the Morbihan, 

 which ia land-locked on every side, and extends about 14 miles from 

 east to west, and 6 miles from north to south. It is for the most part 

 occupied by shoals and sand-banks, but there are between these chan- 

 nels of deeper water by which vessels get up to Vannes, which is on 

 an inlet on the north side of the gulf. There are a great number of 

 islets in the Morbihan, the principal of which are J lu'-if oi'net and ilrz; 

 both of these are inhabited and under cultiration. 



Opposite the entrance to the Morbih»n is the remarkable headland 

 or peninsula of Q*ibtron, which extends southward nearly 10 miles 

 into the sea, and is connected with the mainland by an isthmus only 

 66 yards acn>s<, and so low that storm and 'pring tides sweep ove» it. 

 On tbe eastern side of this peninsula is tbe Bay of Quiberon, which 

 •IKnxls good anchorage for vessels of all sizes, and is defended by the 

 goos of Fort Peuthiivre, built on tbe isthmus. The peninsula is tree- 

 l<Bas and bare, but pretty well cultivated. The smnll fortified town of 

 Quibrron is on this peninsula. An English force Unded at Quiberon 

 in 1746, but was driven speedily back to their ships. In the year 

 1769 Admiral Uawke di-fraUd the French fleet ofl" Quiberon ; and in 

 1795, during the war which followed the French revolution, a body of 

 emiKrant^ conveyed and protected by a British squadron, took pos- 

 srsrion of this peninsula ; but they were compelled to surrender by 

 Oeneral Hoche, and thtir princijial officers were shot as traitoni at 

 Vannes. A chapel, containing a handsome marble monument, was 

 arreted on the peninsula in 1829, in memory of tbe emigrautK that 

 fell here on the occasion. South of the peuinsijla and gulf of Quiberon 

 are the islands of Houat, Hotdic, and BdleJle. Houat and Hoedic 

 are peopled by flshermen ; the latter is defended by a small fort 

 Brilelle is by f«r the larRest island on this jiart of tho coast. [Bellb- 

 Ils-B5-U>b.J North-weat of Quiberon is the river Etel, a gulf or 

 inlet extentliog 6 or 7 miles inUnd, landlocked on every side, with a 

 narrow entrance. North-west of this are Port Louis, or the ecstuary 

 of the Blavet, and the Bsttiary of the EIW, or Qiiimperld Opposite 

 to the mouth of the Blavet is the high and rocky isle of Gloue, about 

 6 mils* long and 2 milea broad. It has 32U0 inhabitants, who gain a 

 ■nba i s tsow by culiivatiuit the soil and by fishing. On the north-west 

 Boint of tbe islami there is a lighthouse of the first class, with a fixed 

 light, 88 feet high, iu 47* SB' N. Ut, 8' 81' W. long. The whole 

 length of the coast with iU windings, is estimated at 125 miles. Tho 

 most important harbours are those of Lorient and Port-Louis on the 

 aotuary of the BUvet; Auray and Vannes on the north shore of the 

 Morbihan ; and Hennebunt a river-port on the Blavet The nume- 

 rous inlets and harbours give great facilities for tho coasting aud 

 foreign trade. 



Tbe north of the department is covered by heath-clad hills, which 

 •lope down gnulually towards the south into vast aud fertile plains. 

 The »o«l of the department is for the most part light, except near the 

 coMt, where it is strong, deep, and fertile. Very nearly half of the 

 surface of the department ia covered with heaths aud moors. Scarcely 

 a Commune in the department is without some Druidical stones or 

 monuments. Half a mUe from Cdmac, a laige villaije near Auray, one 

 •f the most remarkable of these monuraenU is found. It is situated 

 in a vast plain, and conaisu of more than 1200 large unhewn stone 

 blocks, varymg from 5 to 24 feet in height, arranged iu 11 parallel 

 Ima, which extend from south-east to north-west, a length of 1678 

 yards, with a breadth of 103 yards, and terminate to the north-west 

 in a rarve, approaching to a semicircle. Many of the stones seem to 

 . ".^*? "*^' •^•" •""^e f«"«u from the upright position in 

 which it 1* snpposwl that all of tl.em were originally pUc d. 



The people tfmk a dialect of the andent Celtic language, but most 

 of them uDdrr.t*nd Fr. noh. aud speak it however iucorrectly. In 

 mannera, habits, and mode of life^ they resemble their neighbours of 



Ths deparimcnt is tiSTened by • great number of small rirers, 



soma of which are navigable by means of the tide to a short distance 

 from their mouths. 'The principal of them are — the Blavet, which 

 flows in a general southern direction from the department of Cdtos- 

 du-Nord, and enters the sea below Lorient, having a tide navigation 

 up to Hennebont; the Oiuf, which flows southeast from CAtesdu- 

 Nord, and enten the Vilaine on the eastern boundary ; the VUaine 

 [Ili-EEtVilaikeI ; and the ^uray, which falls into the Morbihan, 

 where it forms the harbour of the town of Auray. The department 

 is traversed by the Nantes-Brest Canal, which runs along the course of 

 the Oust and then crosses into the valley of the Blavet at Pontivy ; 

 and by the canal which rendan the BUv.et navigable from Hennebont 

 to Pontivy. It is also traversed by 7 state and 13 departmental 

 roads. Tba Paris-Brest railway, now in course of construction, crosses 

 the department passing through Ploermel, Hennebont >nd Lorient 



The temperature is mild, but fogs are frequent ; tbe prevalent wind 

 is the south-west The itch, which used to be endemic among the 

 inhabitants of the north-west of tbe de|>artment, has been of late year* 

 almost wholly eradicated from amongst them. 



Bread-stufis more than enough for the home consumption are pro- 

 duced ; a large surplus is ex|<orted. Lentils, turuips, Sax, hemp, and 

 oiiler-apples are also cultivated. Of wine the dep.irttuent yields little, 

 aud that little is bad. The common domestic animals are bred in 

 considerable numbers. Bees are numerous, and the honey of the 

 department is highly prized. Water-fowl and fish are abundant The 

 sardine fishery along the coa«t is very profitable, affording employment 

 to above 3000 men, and yielJing annually about 1,500,000 francs. A 

 good deal of salt is made by evaporation at several points on the sea- 

 shore. 



The department is composed almost entirely of primitive rocks. 

 Iron- and tiu-mines are worked ; lead is found ; granite, building- 

 stone, slate, ruck-crystal, potters' -clay, &c., are quarried. 



Linen is tbe chief manufacture ; corn, iron, wooUeu-stuSs, canvass, 

 porcelain, cotton-yarn, paper, and leather are also manufactured. 

 Ship-buildiug is extensively carried on, especially iu the dockyard of 

 Lorient, which turns out some of the best war ships and steamers in 

 the French navy. [LoBtEKT.] Corn, brandy, cider, fruits, butter, 

 tallow, salt honey, wax, hemp, cattle, salt-fish, hides, iron, fishoU, 

 &c., are the chief articles of commerce. Above 600 faira and markets 

 are held in the year. 



The department contains 1,631,178 acres. Of this surface 666,555 

 acres are under cultivation ; 170,637 acres are grass land ; 88,372 acres 

 are covered with woods and forests; 21,718 acres are laid out in 

 garlens, orchards, and plantations of different sorts; 720,415 acres 

 consist of heaths and moor-loud ; and 15,740 acres are occupied by 

 livers, marshes, und canals. 



The departuient is ilivided into four arrondissements, which, with 

 their subdivisions and population, are as follows : — 



Arrondissements. 1 Csatona. 



Cooustmes. 



PopnIatloatnlSSI. 



1. Tanncs . 

 1 J. PonllTj- . . . 

 1 3. Lorient . 



4. lMo«nncl . . . 



11 



7 



n 



8 



46 

 61 

 47 



133,171 



109,984 



148,779 



91,338 



Toul 



37 



117 



478,173 



1. Of the first arrondissement, and of the whole department, tha 

 chief town is Vanna, the capital of the ancient Vendi. which stands 

 at the head of an inlet from tho Bay of Morbihan, in 47° 89' 31' 

 N. lat, 2° 45' 19" W. long., at a distjince of 285 miles W. by S. from 

 Paris, aud has 12,396 inhabitants in the commune. Tbe principal 

 part of the town is built ou the top and southern slope of a hill 

 above the Marie, a river that runs into the Morbihan ; a portion of it 

 extends also into the valley, the houses beiu^ b>iilt on piles. Vann<'S 

 has an appearance of great antiquity, which is not diminished by its 

 dark narrow streets, overhanging houses, massive ramparts, aud gate- 

 entrances, four only of which out of six now remain. The most 

 remarkable buildings are — the cathedral, and a tower, which stands 

 in the centre of the town and is the only remaining vestige of the 

 Ch&tean de I'Hermiue. built in 1887. There is n sninll harbour lined 

 with quays, but ca|)"ble of admitting small cnift ouly. One side of 

 the harbour is planted with trees, and forms a fine promenade ; on 

 the other side are shipbuilding yardf. Other objects of note in the 

 town are — tho prefect's hotel, the bishop's palace, the barracks, three 

 hospitals, the public library of 8000 volumes, and tbe pronnnade 

 called Conn du la Qaronne. Venues give* title to a bishop ; it has 

 tribunals of fint instance and of commeroe, theological ami communal 

 colleges, and a school of hydrography. Coarse woollen cloth, liiieu, 

 calico, lace, ironmongery, leather, paper, beer, and salt are tbe chief 

 induxtrial products ; of these and of corn, hemp, butter, wax, honey, 

 eider, brandy, and Bordeaux wine, the commerce of the town consists. 

 Vannes was ravaged by the Northmen in A.D. 847 aud again in SGS. 

 In the contest between the houses of Hlois aud De Montfort for the 

 soveieignty of Brctngne tbe town was often Uikeo, nud suff-red from 

 both parties. The Duke Fran9ois II. made it the seat of a pailiameut 

 At Vannes, in 1582, the states of Bretagne agreed to the famous 

 address to tbe crown (requite) which decided the union of Bratagna 



