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AUDE

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 896 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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AUDE , a maritime See also:

department of See also:southern See also:France, formed in 1790 from See also:part of the old See also:province of See also:Languedoc. See also:Area, 2448 sq. m. Pop. (1906) 308,327. It is bounded E. by the Mediterranean, N. by the departments of See also:Herault and See also:Tarn, N.W. by Haute-See also:Garonne, W. by See also:Ariege, and S. by See also:Pyrenees-Orientales. The department is traversed on its western boundary from S. to N. by a See also:mountain range of See also:medium height, which unites the Pyrenees with the southern See also:Cevennes; and its See also:northern frontier is occupied by the Montagne Noire, the most See also:westerly portion of the Cevennes. The Corbieres, a See also:branch of the Pyrenees, run in a See also:south-See also:west and See also:north-See also:east direction along the southern See also:district. The Aude (q.v.), its See also:principal See also:river, has almost its entire length in the department, and its See also:lower course, together with its tributary the Fresquel, forms the dividing See also:line between the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenean See also:system. The lowness of the See also:coast causes a, See also:series of large lagoons, the See also:chief of which are those of Bages et Sigean, Gruissan, Lapalme and Leucate. The See also:climate is warm and dry, but often sudden in its alterations. The See also:wind from the north-west, known as the cers, blows with See also:great violence, and the See also:sea-See also:breeze is often laden with pestilential effluvia from the lagoons. The See also:agriculture of the department is in a flourishing See also:condition.

The meadows are extensive and well watered, and are pastured by numerous flocks and herds. The See also:

grain produce, consisting mainly of See also:wheat, oats, See also:rye and See also:Indian See also:corn, exceeds the See also:consumption, and the vineyards yield an abundant See also:supply of both See also:white and red wines, those of Limoux and the Narbonnais being most highly esteemed. Truffles are abundant. The See also:olive and See also:chestnut are the chief fruits. Mines of See also:iron, See also:manganese, and especially of See also:mispickel, are worked, and there are See also:stone-quarries and productive See also:salt-marshes. See also:Brewing, distilling, See also:cooperage, iron-See also:founding, See also:hat-making and See also:machine construction are carried on, and there are See also:flour-See also:mills, See also:brick-See also:works, saw-mills, See also:sulphur refineries and See also:leather and See also:paper works. The formerly flourishing textile See also:industries are now of small importance. The department imports See also:coal, See also:lime, stone, salt, raw sulphur, skins and timberand exports agricultural and See also:mineral products, bricks and tiles, and other manufactured goods. It is served by the Southern railway. The See also:Canal du Midi, following the courses of the Fresquel and the Aude, traverses it for 76 m.; and a branch, the Canal de la Robine, which passes through See also:Narbonne to the sea, has a length of 24 M. The See also:capital is See also:Carcassonne, and the department is divided into the four arrondissements of Carcassonne, Limoux, Narbonne and See also:Castelnaudary, with 31 cantons and 439 communes. It belongs to the 16th military region, and to the See also:academic (educational See also:division) of See also:Montpellier, where also is its See also:court of See also:appeal.

It forms the See also:

diocese of Carcassonne. and part of the province of the See also:archbishop of See also:Toulouse. Carcassonne, Narbonne and Castelnaudary are the principal towns. At Alet, which has hot springs of some See also:note, there are ruins of a See also:fine Romanesque See also:cathedral destroyed in the religious See also:wars of the 16th See also:century. The extensive buildings of the Cistercian See also:abbey of Fontfroide, near Bizanet, include a Romanesque See also:church, a See also:cloister, dormitories and a See also:refectory of the 12th century. A curious polygonal church of the 1th century at Rieux-Minervois, the abbey-church at St Papoul, with its graceful cloister' of the 14th century, and the remains of the important abbey of St Hilaire, founded in the 6th century and rebuilt from the 12th to the 15th century, are also of antiquarian See also:interest. See also:Rennes-See also:les-Bains has mineral springs of repute.

End of Article: AUDE

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AUDEBERT, JEAN BAPTISTE (1759-1800)