VAUCLUSE, a department of France, formed in 1793 out of the county of Venaissin (695 square miles), the principality of Orange (62½ square miles), and a part of Provence (515½ square miles), lies between 43° 39' and 44° 26' N. lat. and 4’ 38' and 5° 45' E. long., is bounded by Drôme on the N., Basses-Alpes on the E., Bouches-du-Rhône (from which it is separated by the Durance) on the S., and Gard and Ardèche (from which it is separated by the Rhone) on the W. It has also an enclave, the canton of Valréas, in the department of Drôme. The western third of Vaucluse belongs to the Rhone valley, and consists of the rich and fertile plains of Orange, Carpentras, and Cavaillon. To the east, with a general west-southwest direction and parallel to one another, are the steep barren ranges of Ventoux, Vaucluse, and Lubéron, consisting of limestones and sandstones. The first-mentioned, which is the most northerly, has a maximum elevation of 6273 feet; the culminating peak, on which is a meteorological observatory, is isolated and majestic. The Vaucluse chain does not rise above 4075 feet. The most southerly range, that of Lubéron (3691 feet), is rich in palaeontological remains of extant mammals (the lion, gazelle, wild boar, &c.). The Rhone is joined on the left by the Aygues, the Sorgue (rising in Petrarch’s celebrated fountain of Vaucluse, which has given its name to the department), and the impetuous Durance. The Sorgue has an important tributary in the Ouvèze and the Durance in the Coulon (or Calavon). These and other streams feed numerous irrigation canals; their channels are sometimes quite dry in summer. The climate is that of the Mediterranean region. The valley of the Rhone suffers from the mistral (see vol. ix. p. 507); but the other valleys are ...sheltered by the mountains, and produce the oleander, pomegranate, olive, jujube, fig, and other southern trees and shrubs. The mean annual temperature is 55° Fahr. at Orange and 58° at Avignon; the extremes of temperature are 5° and 105° Fahr. Snow is rare. The south wind, which is frequent in summer, brings rain. The average annual rainfall is 29 inches in the hill region and 22 in the plains.
Of the total area of 881,610 acres 679,737 are cultivated,—cereals occupying 232,250 acres, market and other gardens 41,085, meadows, pastures, and orchards 89,950, industrial vegetable products 18,993, summer fallows 58,489, vines 24,699, and woods and forests 197,049. The live stock in 1880 included 11,412 horses, 16,602 mules, 4410 asses, 2079 head of cattle, 46,406 pigs, 11,660 goats, and 165,040 sheep of native and 6983 of improved breed. There were 11,701 beehives (104 tons of honey and 23 tons of wax). Amongst wild animals the otter and beaver occur along the bank of the Rhone. The crops in 1884 were returned as follows—2,151,385 bushels of wheat, 7309 of meslin, 39,476 of rye, 60,208 of barley, 1677 of buckwheat, 17,162 of maize, 240,850 of millet, 445,920 of oats, 4,247,600 of potatoes, 21,680 tons of beetroot, and 197 tons of tobacco. In 1880 early vegetables were produced to the value of £384,940, and stone fruit to the value of £13,341. The olive crop amounted to 233,928 bushels (622 tons 17 cwts. of oil). In 1884 4,779,236 gallons of wine were obtained (average for preceding ten years 2,562,384 gallons). In the same year 766 tons of silk cocoons were produced. The phylloxera has reduced the area of the vineyards from 79,000 to 13,000 or 14,000 acres; American vines are now being introduced. The culture of madder and the mulberry is diminishing, while the Chinese grass-cloth plant, beetroot, sorghum, and millet are grown in increasing quantities. The truffle markets of Carpentras and Apt are important. Lignite and coal (11,382 tons in 1882), iron, and sulphur are mined; rich deposits of plaster, stone, clay, and ochre are worked; and there is a large variety of mineral springs. The chief industrial establishments are manufactories of madder dye, silk-mills (4295 workmen), silk-spinning factories (3365 spindles and 411 workmen), oil-mills, flour-mills, paper-mills (1047 workmen and 2700 tons of paper in 1880), wool-spinning factories (2645 spindles and 369 workmen), confectionery establishments, manufactories of pottery, earthenware, bricks, mosaics, tinned provisions, chemicals, candles, soap (2500 tons in 1880), and hats, breweries, puddling works, iron and copper foundries, cabinet workshops, blast furnaces, saw-mills, edge-tool workshops, and nursery gardens. Coarse cloth, carpets, blankets, and ready-made clothes are also produced. Vaucluse has 135 miles of railway, 97 of national roads, and 2380 of other roads. The population increased by 74,670 between 1801 and 1865, but from that date to 1886 it diminished by 24,304, owing to the decay of the madder and wine industries. In 1881 the department had 244,149 inhabitants, and in 1886 241,787. Vaucluse forms the archiepiscopal diocese of Avignon, has its court of appeal at Nîmes, and belongs to the Marseilles army corps. It is divided into 4 arrondissements (Avignon, chef-lieu of the department, with 35,355 inhabitants in 1886; Apt, 4293; Carpentras, 8563; and Orange, 6904), 22 cantons, and 150 communes. Cavaillon (5164 inhabitants) is famous for its early vegetables and its fruit. Vaison (1988 inhabitants) is rich in Roman remains, and possesses an interesting cathedral and a ruined castle of the counts of Toulouse.
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