GARONNE, the ancient Garumna, a river of southern France, which rises in the Spanish Pyrenees not far front the massif of Maladetta, flows through the fine gorge called the Val d’ Aran, partly loses itself under the calcareous rocks that form the gulf of Clédes, enters France near the Pont du Roi, and proceeds in a general north-west direction till it falls into the Bay of Biscay. Rafts can be sent down the river from the Spanish frontier; boats can pass with the stream from the confluence of the Salat to Toulouse; from Toulouse downwards regular navigation with boats can be maintained; and seafaring vessels can sail up as far as Castets, 32 miles above Bordeaux. At Bee d’Ambes, near the confluence of the Dordogne, the river widens out to a breadth of from 2 to 4 miles, and takes the name of the Gironde, This estuary presents an almost uninterrupted succession of islands and banks, which divide it into two nearly equal branches, and render the navigation somewhat difficult. At the mouth stands the famous tower of Cordouan, which dates from 1584-1610, and ranks as one of the finest lighthouses on the coast of France. The current at Toulouse, when the water is at its lowest, amounts to 1271 cubic feet per second, but in the ordinary state of the river it is 5297 cubic feet. During ordinary flood it rises about 25 feet; but in exceptional cases, as in 1855 and 1856, this increases to 28 or even 30 feet, and as the banks of the river are low the inundations are very extensive. The principal affluents on the right are the Salat, the Ariége, the Tarn, the Lot, the Dropt, and the Dordogne; and on the left the Neste, the Bouge, the Save, the Gimoné, the Gers, the Baise, and the Ciron....
GARONNE, Haute-, or Upper Garonne, is one of the frontier departments in the south of France, being continuous with Spain along the line of the Pyrenees. To the N. lies the department of Tarn-et-Garonne, to the E. are those of Tarn, Aude, and Ariége, and to the W. those of Gers and Hautes-Pyrénées. The form of the department is very irregular. Its greatest length is 99 miles from N.E. to S.W., and its greatest breadth about 56 miles; but its area only amounts to 629,000 hectares, or 2428 English square miles. The northern portion is a fertile but mountainous stretch of country, with continual interchange of hill and valley nowhere thrown into striking relief; while towards the south the land rises gradually to the Pyrenees, which there attain a height of upwards of 11,000 feet. All the streams by which the department is Watered—the Neste, the Salat, the Lers, the Logue, the Touche, &c.—belong to the system of the river from which it takes its name. Except in the mountainous region the climate is mild, the mean annual temperature being rather higher than that of Paris. The rainfall, which averages 23 inches at Toulouse and 26 at St Gaudens, is distributed over 125 days. The winds are often violent. Thick forests of oak, fir, and pine exist in the mountains, and furnish timber for shipbuilding. The arable land (360,241 hectares, or 890,207 acres) is well adapted for the cultivation of wheat, maize, and other grain crops; and the produce of cereals is generally much more than is required for the local consumption. Oats, buckwheat, barley, flax, colza, and potatoes are all grown; fruit is plentiful, and about 54,000 hectares, or 133,441 acres, are occupied by vineyards, though the wine is only of medium quality. As pasture land is abundant, a good deal of attention is given to the rearing of cattle and sheep; and owing to the mountainous character of the southern region asses and mules are favourite beasts of burden, and may be estimated at 24,000 in number. Iron, lead, copper, and coal are among the mineral productions, as well as marble, both white and variegated, granite, freestone, lime, and slate. The manufactures are various though not individually extensive, and include iron and copper utensils, earthenware, woollen, cotton, and linen goods, leather, paper, watches, mathematical instruments, &c. Railway communication is furnished by the line from Bordeaux to Cette which passes by Toulouse, and there sends off branch lines leading to Albi, Auch, Foix, St Giron, and Bagnères de Luchon. The Canal du Midi traverses the department for 32 miles. There are four arrondissements—Toulouse, Villefranche, Muret, and St Gaudens, subdivided into 39 cantons and 585 communes. The chief town, Toulouse, contained 120,208 inhabitants in 1875; but there is no other town of even 5Ό00 in the department, the largest being St Gaudens with 4087. The population of Haute-Garonne in 1801 was 405,574, including the arrondissement of Castel-sarrasin with 60,545 inhabitants, which was detached in 1806; in 1851 it was 481,610, and in 1875, 477,730.
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