ILLECEBRUM, a genus of plants belonging to the pentandria class, and in the natural method ranking under the twelfth order, Holoraceae. See Botany. 1LLE-Vilaine, a department of the north of France, on the sea coast, formed out of a part of the ancient province of Normandy. It extends in north latitude from 47. 39. to 48. 42. and in west longitude from 1. 13. to 2. 16. It is bounded on the north by the English Channel, on the east by the department of Mayenne, on the south by the Lower Loire, and on the west by Morbihan and the Lake du Nord. It is 2756 square miles in extent, and is divided into six arrondissements, which are subdivided into forty-three cantons and 352 communes. The population, according to the Annuaire for 1834, amounted to 547,052 individuals. They almost exclusively adhere to the Romish church, as the few Protestants are in no place sufficiently numerous to form a congregation. They are for the most part of a Celtic race, and speak a language much like that of the Welsh; and though some French words have been introduced, they are scarcely intelligible by the French people. Those on the sea coast are employed in the fisheries, and in the numerous small craft make excellent sailors. The inland inhabitants are much attached to their ancient customs, are uninstructed, and most superstitious. They live much on food composed of buck-wheat, made into a kind of pudding [7:12:247]called galettee ; and chestnuts form a material part of their sustenance. The country people are ill clad, generally with domestic manufactures. The estates are much divided; a farm of sixty acres is deemed a large one, and the far greater number do not exceed twelve acres. Hence they are for the most part excessively poor, and, particularly in winter, suffer much hardship. The face of the country is generally level, but with a few slight undulations. The highest of these hills are in the arrondissement of Fougeres on the east, and in that of Montfort to the west. The coast is surrounded with cliffs, and with small rocky projections; and on the borders there are artificial dams, constructed to prevent the encroachments of the sea. The rivers which give their name to the department neither rise within it, nor do they discharge their waters into the sea till they enter fl<e adjoining province of Morbihan. The Vilaine is navigable for vessels of 200 tons by help of the tide, up to Vitrè, from whence is a communication by a canal with the town of Rance.

The soil is unfavourable to cultivation, scarcely exceeding an inch in depth, and resting on a bed of clay or slaty stone. Much of the land is covered with morasses and swamps, which, with the woods and heaths, leaves but little for agriculture, though on the sides of the rivers there is some tolerably good pasture land. The department scarcely grows sufficient corn for the inhabitants, though they use most of the lowest description. Hemp and flax are grown, and chiefly used at home. Fruit trees are abundant and productive. Some horses are bred for sale to other districts, and some cows are kept for the dairy; but the breed of sheep is much neglected. There is little trade, and few manufactures; the latter are limited to twine and sail-cloth. There is very little wine made, but abundance of cedar. The cities and towns are small. The only ones having more than 4000 persons are, the capital, Rennes, with 29,680; Fougeres, with 7677; Saint Malo, with 9890; Vitrè, with 8856; and Redon, with 4504.