SEINE, one of the departments of the north-eastern part of France, taking its name from the river which passes through it, and containing Paris, the capital of that mighty kingdom. As that city is the most important portion of the department, the account of it in this work comprehends what is most remarkable. It is on every side surrounded by the department of the Seine and Oise, and extends over 47,548 French hectares, equal to 167 1 / 6 square miles, or 106,983 English acres. It is generally a level district, but intersected with some hills of inconsiderable height. The river Seine receives within the department the navigable river Marne, and the smaller streams of the Oureq and the Erould. The Canal of St Denis unites the Seine with the Oise; and the Canal of Oureq, which terminates in a reservoir between La Vilette and La Chapelle, supplies Paris with water, and being navigable, serves to maintain an intercourse between that city and the north of France. The canal is supplied with water from the small streams of the Grisette, the Mai, the Therouanne, and the Beuvronne. The soil is for the most part by nature poor and sandy, but brought to a highly productive state by the vast quantities of manure furnished by the capital, and by the high state of the cultivation, which is mostly garden husbandry, whose products find advantageous markets in the metropolis. There are still some woods preserved, but mostly for the purpose of ornament, and to serve for the recreation of the inhabitants of Paris. The woods of Boulogne and of Vincennes occupy together about six thousand English acres. It is divided into three arrondissements, eight cantons, and eighty-one communes. The population, which includes Paris, amounted in 1821 to 822,171, in 1831 to 935,108, and in 1836 to 1,106,891, of which 909,126 were within the city.

S eine , Lower, a department of the north-west of France, formed out of those northern parts of Upper Normandy which were in ancient times distinguished as the Roumais, Bezin-Normandy, Caux, and Bray. It is bounded on the north by the sea, on the east by the departments of the Somme and of the Oise, on the south by Eure and Calvados, and on the west by the Channel. It is 2144¼ square miles in extent, and comprehends five arrondissements, fifty cantons, and 757 communes. The population amounted in 1836 to 720,525 persons, who mostly adhere to the Kυman Catholic church; but among them are 55,000 Protestants, having two consistorial and 113 other churches.

The surface is generally level, but intersected by some hills of moderate height, mostly composed of chalk. To-[7:20:78] wards the east the valleys are widest, and run from east to west. Along the whole coast are chalky cliffs from 150 to 700 feet in height, but interrupted in places by the bays and harbours. The soil is on the whole the most fertile in France, though there are portions of it very unproductive of corn, and generally covered with wood, which woods comprehend one seventh of the whole department. The agriculture is tolerably conducted, but the greater part of it is on the ancient system of a fallow succeeded by two crops of grain. About 340,000 acres are sown with wheat, and about 250,000 with oats, which is a large portion out of the 1,372,302 acres; yet it appears that the corn produced is scarcely equal to the consumption. The best lands are the meadows in the valleys through which the Seine and the other rivers run, and these afford nourishment for numerous herds of cows, which supply both meat and the products of the dairy. It is, however, in the interior of the department that the best breed of cows are to be seen, which are a mixture of the Flanders race, whereas on the coast they are commonly of a much smaller size.

The breed of the ancient Norman horses is now nearly extinct. Those now bred are of a mixed race, and more remarkable for their strength than for their beauty, and are well adapted for the plough, for which they are almost exclusively used. The sheep are numerous, and those of the fine woolled kind have of late years been rapidly on the increase. In the valleys of Arques and of Pouville the mutton is highly valued. In the more woody portions of the department are kept very great numbers of swine, in which the acorns are found of great benefit. Most kinds of fruit are abundant, with the exception of vines; but the deficiency of them is counterbalanced by the great quantity of apples, which are converted into cider, and form a good substitute for wine. The fishery on the sea-coast affords considerable occupation, and a great additional supply of food. The herring-fishery is extensively practised from Dieppe and Fecamp; and from other places on the shore enormous quantities of mackerel are taken, whilst the oyster-fishery employs many hands. The manufacturing industry is very active, especially in the arrondissement of Rouen. Woollen and cotton goods of every kind are made, and the best kinds of machinery are in full exercise. Large establishments exist which provide paper, glass, pottery, and china ware; and on the coast much linen is spun and woven. There are many ship and boat builders; and the cordage and equipments contribute their share to furnish occupation to labourers. There is much internal trade, especially with Paris, by the river Seine. The principal places within the department are Rouen, Havre de Grace, Dieppe, Fecamp, and Yvetot.

S eine and Marne, a department of the north of France. It has been formed out of parts of the ancient provinces of the Isle of France and of Champagne, called French Ga-tinois, and the Upper and Lower Brie. It is bounded on the north by the department of the Oise, on the east by the Aisne and the Marne and Aube, on the south by the Yonne and Loiret, and on the west by the Seine and Oise. It extends over 1981 square miles, is divided into five arrondissements, twenty-nine cantons, and 556 communes, and in 1836 contained 325,881 inhabitants. The capital of the department is the city of Melun, with a population of 6846 inhabitants in 1836. Besides the two rivers from which it is named, it is watered by the Great and Little Morin, the Bouzie, the Yonne, the Essonne, the Yres, the Therouanne, the Beuvronne, and the Otrin, all of whose waters reach the sea through the Seine. The surface is a plain, but intersected by some hills of very moderate height. The soil is fruitful, especially near the principal rivers; and though woods cover more than one tenth of the department, it is the chief granary from whence the capital draws its supply of corn, flour, garden-fruits, and fattened cattle.

The rivers abound with fish, and the woods with game. The meadows are of great fertility, yielding abundance of hay and other fodder, and supporting numerous cows, whose dairies supply Paris with the greater part of its milk, butter, and veal, whilst the cheese of Brie has attained great celebrity. It yields some wine, but its quality is only moderate, and does not equal the consumption. There is much manufacturing industry applied to the making of glass, of paper of the best kind, of leather, of steel articles, of hosiery, of linen goods, and of various smaller articles. The chief towns are Coulommiers, Meaux, Fontainebleau, and Provins.

S eine and Oise, a department in the north of France. It is bounded on the north by the Eure and the Oise, on the east by the Seine-Marne, on the south by the Loiret, and on the west by the Eure and Loire. It extends over 1970 square miles, is divided into six arrondissements, thirty-six cantons, and 687 communes, and in 1836 contained 449,582 inhabitants, who elect four deputies to the legislative chamber; The chief river is the Seine, with which the Oise is united, and then it receives the waters of the Marne, the Essonne, the Juine, the Ept, and the Maudre, and of the various tributary streams which empty themselves into these rivers. It is generally a level district, with a few ranges of hills of moderate height. The soil is not naturally fertile, but has been rendered productive by careful cultivation, and the abundance of manure, arising from its vicinity to the metropolis. It surrounds the department of the Seine on every side, has easy water-communication with Paris, and, besides, contains within it the city of Versailles and some other populous places. There is much fruit raised, and some wine, not of the best quality. It breeds many sheep; and of late years the race of the merinos and other fine-woolled sheep has prodigiously increased. There are in many parts manufactures of linen, woollen, and cotton goods, and they are on the increase.