54 GEOGRAPHY. 



rising in the central Pyrenees, has as tributaries, the Arriege, the Tarn, with 

 the Aveyron, the Lot, and the Dordogne. It is navigable to Toulouse, and 

 empties into the Atlantic, having changed its name to the Gironde after its 

 union with the Dordogne. 3. The Loire, rising in the Cevennes, empties 

 into the ocean at Nantes, after receiving the Mayenne, Sarthe, Loiret, 

 Marne, Vienne, Cher, and Allier ; it is navigable to Roanne. 4. The Seine 

 rises in Burgundy, on the Cote d'Or, receives the Aube, Marne, Oise with 

 the Aisne, Yonne, and Eure, and empties into the Channel at Havre. 5. 

 The Scheldt rises in Picardy, becomes navigable at Cambray, and flows 

 on into the Netherlands. 6. The Maas, and, 7, the Moselle, rising in the 

 Vosges, water Lothringia ; the former flows through the Ardennes at 

 Givet in Champagne, towards the Netherlands ; the latter, with the Meurthe 

 and Orne, towards Germany ; both empty into, 8, the Rhine. This forms 

 part of the boundary between France and Germany, and receives from 

 Elsace the 111 and the Lauter. Coast streams of the Mediterranean are 

 Var, Herault, Aude ; of the Atlantic, Adour, Charente, Sevre, Vilaine, 

 Vire, Orne, and Somme. Besides the rivers, there are seventy canals, 

 measuring over 2000 miles in length. 



The climate varies from the heat of Sicily in the south to the rude blasts 

 of Northern Germany in the north, but the greater portion of the country 

 enjoys a mild temperature much like that of Southern Germany. 



The products of France are manifold ; on the whole, however, much as 

 in central Europe generally. Those more peculiar are wine, olive oil, 

 and silk. The wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, are cele- 

 brated ; and the warmer provinces to the north-west prepare large quanti- 

 ties of cider. The olive aiid silkworm are cultivated in the south, chiefly 

 in Provence. The rearing of sheep, hogs, and bees, is carefully attended 

 to, but the finer varieties of cattle and horses are not much cultivated. 

 The fisheries on the coast yield large revenues. 



France is justly celebrated for her industrial products, the entire annual 

 value of which is supposed to amount to about 2000 millions of francs. 

 The ingenuity and skill of the French are especially seen in the manufacture 

 of silks and leathers, jewelry, articles of vertu, watches, &c. The com- 

 merce of France is greatly facilitated by the extensive coast, the excellent 

 harbors, navigable rivers, canals, roads, steamboats, and railroads. The 

 exports of France amounted, during 1848, to over 1000 millions of francs, 

 her imports to about 700 millions. The political troubles and convulsions 

 of the last few years have, however, had a very disastrous influence upon 

 her general prosperity. 



The population of France, according to the census of 1846, amounted to 

 33,400,486 ; it consists of a mixed race of Celts, Romans, Franks, and Bur- 

 gundians. In Elsace, and in Lothringia, there are from two to three 

 millions of Germans ; in Flanders and Hennegau, one and a half millions 

 of Walloons and Flemings ; in Brittany a million of Cymri ; in Corsica 

 200,000 Italians ; in the Pyrenees 125,000 Basques and 6000Cagots (a race, 

 like the Cretins, degenerate in mind and body) : in addition to these are 

 about 60,000 Jews and 10,000 Zigeuni. 

 54 



