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MEUSE

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 316 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MEUSE , a See also:

department of See also:north-eastern See also:France, formed out of a See also:part of See also:Lorraine (portions of the Three Bishoprics, and the See also:Barrois and Clermontais) and See also:Champagne. Pop. (1906), 280,220. See also:Area, 2409 sq. m. It is bounded N. by See also:Belgium and the department of See also:Ardennes, E. by that of Meurthe-et-Moselle, S. by those of See also:Vosges and Haute-See also:Marne, and W. by those of Marne and Ardennes. About one-See also:half belongs to the See also:basin of the See also:river Meuse, which is enclosed oh the See also:west by the wooded region of See also:Argonne, on the See also:east by the hills known as the See also:Cotes de Meuse. On the north-east it is watered by the See also:Orne, a tributary of the Moselle, and the Chiers, which runs by Montmedy to join the Meuse. The other, half sends its See also:waters to the See also:Seine by the See also:Aire, a tributary of the See also:Aisne, both of which take their rise here, and by the Ornain, an affluent of the Saulx, the two last being tributary to the Marne. The highest See also:elevation (1388 ft.) occurs to the See also:south-west, on the See also:line of the See also:ridge which separates the basin of the Meuse from that of the Seine. The heights gradually sink from south to north, but seldom fall below l000 ft. The hills of the Argonne similarly sink rapidly down to the valley of the Saulx, where the lowest level of the department (377 ft.) is reached. Its winters are less severe than those of the Vosges, but it is not so temperate as the Seine region.

The See also:

average See also:annual rainfall is about 30 in. The See also:chief crops of the department are See also:wheat, oats, See also:rye, See also:barley, See also:clover, potatoes and mangel-wurzels. The See also:vine is cultivated to some extent, the best growths being those of See also:Bar. The forests, occupying more than a See also:quarter of the area, are principally of See also:oak, and are See also:rich in See also:game, as are the See also:rivers in See also:fish. See also:Basket-making is prosecuted in the Argonne. The See also:mineral See also:wealth of the department includes See also:good freestone (Euville, Lirouville). It has See also:iron and See also:steel See also:works, See also:wire-works, and manufactories of files, hardware and edge tools. Ligny-en-Barrois (pop. 4879) manufactures scientific See also:instruments. There are See also:cotton-See also:spinning, See also:wool-See also:weaving, and See also:hemp, See also:flax and jute factories, saw-See also:mills, See also:carriage works, See also:leather manufactures, glassworks, See also:paper-mills, distilleries and See also:flour-mills. The department is served by the Eastern railway, the See also:principal lines being that from See also:Paris to See also:Strassburg through Bar-le-Duc and See also:Commercy, that from Paris to See also:Metz through See also:Verdun, and the See also:branch line of the Meuse valley. The chief waterways are the See also:canal connecting the Marne with the See also:Rhine and the Eastern canal along the Meuse valley; the two together have a length of 145 See also:miles.

Ecclesiastically the department forms the See also:

diocese of Verdun; it has its See also:court of See also:appeal at See also:Nancy, and constitutes part of the See also:district of the See also:army See also:corps of Chalons-sur-Marne, and of the educational See also:division of Nancy. There are 4 arrondissements—Bar-le-Duc, Commercy, Montmedy and Verdun—28 cantons and 586 communes. The principal places in the department are Bar-le-Duc, the See also:capital, Commercy, Verdun and St Mihiel, which receive See also:separate treatment. Other places of See also:interest are Avioth, which has a See also:church of the 14th and 15th centuries with a beautiful See also:chapel of the 15th See also:century adjoining it, and Rembercourt-aux-Pots with a See also:fine church of the 15th century. MEUSE-LINE, the See also:chain of See also:French forts closing the passages of the Meuse between Verdun and See also:Toul. The See also:total length of the line is 31 m., and the forts d'arreet are disposed along the right See also:bank. The forts are: between Verdun and St Mihiel, Genicourt and See also:Troyon; near St Mihiel, See also:Les Paroches (See also:left bank) and See also:Camp See also:des Romains; and near Commercy—Liouville St Agnant, Gironville and See also:Jouy-sous-les-Cotes. Above the circle of the Toul defences there are barrier forts on the Upper Meuseat Pagny (la-See also:Blanche-Cote) and near See also:Neufchateau; but these last are practically in second line, and between Toul and Epinal the frontier districts are designedly left open. At Epinal the " Moselle-Line " begins. These lines See also:form part of the defensive See also:scheme adopted by France in 1873-1875. Their See also:general See also:design is that of the French fort illustrated in FORTIFICATION AND SIEGECRAFT, fig. 43, though they are varied in accordance with the site.

End of Article: MEUSE

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MEURSIUS [JOHANNES VAN MEURS] (1579-1639) 		[next]
MEUSE (Flem. Maes, Du. Maas)

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