HÉRAULT, a department in the south of France, formed from parts of the old province of Languedoc, is bounded on the N.E. by Gard, N.W. by Aveyron and Tarn, and S. by Aude and the Gulf of Lyons. It has an area of 2444 square miles, and is situated between 43° 10' and 44° N. lat., 2° 30' and 4° 10' E. long. Its greatest length is 84 miles, and its greatest breadth 50. About a third of the department consists of moorland, heath, and common, a fourth of arable land, a sixth of vineyards, and an eighth of wood. The southern prolongation of the Cevennes mountains forms the north boundary of the department. The highest point is about 4250 feet above the sea-level. The ridge forms the watershed between the waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and from it there flow the Vidourle, Mosson, Hérault, Livron, and Orb. Of these the Hérault, 80 miles long, is the chief, and gives name to the department. The Vidourle forms the boundary between the department and that of Gard. . The high mountains of the north are partly barren, partly wooded. In the extensive plains of the centre the vine and olive flourish, and figs, mulberries, and other fruit-trees are to be met with nearly in all parts. Grain is chiefly produced in the south. The soil of the north is chalky clay, of the centre light gravel, and of the south a strong rich loam. The “garrigues” are considerable portions of waste land, covered with heath and shrubs. St Loup, Couques, and St Thibéry, the first of which is 750 feet high, are extinct volcanic cones. The greater part of the south coast consists of a series of salt marshes, separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. The marsh of Thau, the largest, stretches from the mouth of the Hérault, and communicates, through the marsh of Frontignan, with ...