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1 il éclate souvent des ouragans épouvantables.

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Toutes les

en abondance.

espèces de céréales se cultivent. 3 qui conviennent peu à la culture. on y plante aussi beaucoup de betteraves. jusqu'à l'oranger.

*

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morcellement (m.).

pure, light, and elastic; but violent storms of rain and hail occasionally destroy the vintage and corn, and frosts occur later in spring, and earlier in autumn, than in the south of England. The heat in the southern region is excessive during the months of June, July, August, and part of September. October and November are here the pleasantest months of the year. In the mountainous tracts of this region storms often rage with great violence1, and the swarms of flies and other insects are equally annoying and destructive.

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10. The soil is various, but the greater part of it is highly fertile, and produces excellent crops. Grain of all kinds is raised 2 in the northern districts, which are scarcely favourable to the growth of the vine, and beet-root is extensively grown for the manufacture of In the middle districts vines and every species of sugar. grain grow luxuriantly 5, while, in the southern districts, olives *, maize, and even the orange 6, are cultivated with advantage. The wines † of France*, particularly those of Burgundy, Champagne*, and Bordeaux*, are among the most esteemed in Europe.* Agriculture* (f.) has of late undergone some improvement, but suffers much from the too great sub-division of property. Coal is found (192.) in various parts, and is wrought for the use of manufac

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See in "The French Class-Book," p. 48, La vigne, la vendange et le vin.

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1 both... chase, qui fournissent du bois de chauffage et qui offrent un abri au gros gibier. are of, ont une. en quantité suffisante pour approvisionner toute l'. ✦ On rencontre d'excellente pierre de taille. 5 Les eaux thermales. 6 Elle a une superficie

d'environ.

tories; but, as it is little employed for domestic fuel, great plantations are raised in almost every part of the country, both for firewood and for covert to the beasts of the chase 1. Among the wild animals is the wolf, and the bear is still found (192.) in the Pyrenees. Provence *, Languedoc, and Dauphiny, maintain large flocks of sheep. The most extensive and fertile pastures for cattle are in Normandy and Auvergne *.

11. The minerals of France* (f.) are of 2 considerable importance* (f.). Iron and lead abound in various parts. Antimony is found (192.) in such quantities as would supply all3 Europe* (f.). Silver, copper, cobalt* (m.), manganese, zinc (m.), vitriol* (m.), and alum may be enumerated among the other productions of the French mines* (f.). Jet is found in great quantities in the department of Aube*; and turquoises* (f.), little inferior to those of the east, are gathered among the mountains of Aveyron*. Excellent freestone occurs in many parts of the empire*, especially in the neighbourhood of Paris* ; and there are quarries of jasper in Franche-Comté, and of beautiful marble in the Pyrenees. At Salins, in FrancheComté, are salt-springs. The principal mineral waters are at Aix*, Bagnères, and Baréges. The hot springs 5 of Baréges are well known.

12. Among the natural curiosities of France*, the most remarkable is the plain of La Crau, on the east side of the Rhône (m.). It covers an area of about twenty

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1 jonchée de cailloux. 2 dont quelques-uns sont de la grosseur de

la tête d'un homme. suppose (or qui passe C.-B., p. 358, note 1. eagerly, accourent.

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qu'une plage couverte de galets. que l'on pour) avoir servi de. that, avec celui. F. 7 passionné pour la gloire des armes. 9 et l'on a calculé qu'elle n'était guère.

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square leagues, filled with gravel1 of quartz-some pieces as large as a man's head 2-the whole plain being as destitute of vegetation as the shingle of the sea-shore 3.

13. France* (f.) abounds in antiquities. At Nîmes there are many interesting remains of Roman art* (m.), such as the house called the "Maison Carrée," a beautiful fountain, with the ruins of baths, statues *-a building supposed to have been a pantheon; and the walls of an amphitheatre, nearly as spacious as the Coliseum of Rome*. Stone circles and other monuments* (m.), at one time regarded as Druidical, are found in Picardy; and on the coast of Vannes, in Brittany, there is a monument* (m.) of this kind which almost rivals that 5 of Stonehenge *. In the cathedral church of Bayeux, in Normandy, is preserved a roll of tapestry, said to be the work of Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, representing the celebrated contest between her husband and Harold*.

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14. In political importance* France* (f.) is one of the first countries in the world. The compactness of her territory gives her the ready command of a dense population* (f.), her resources are ample, and her subjects active, brave, and fond of military glory 7, rush eagerly at the slightest call to reinforce her armies. Her history under Napoleon I. proves what she is able to achieve in war. In 1812, her army amounted to 600,000 men, and it was computed to be not much less under Napoleon III. in 1855, when the military strength of the country was

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sur. of late, depuis quelques années, to be placed at the end of the sentence. 3 yields the palm, le cède. 4 l'industrie. 5 mœurs, f. p.

exerted in the great war waged by England and France* (f.) against Russia; and again in 1859, when France* (f.) and Sardinia expelled the Austrians from Lombardy. Were (665.) the navy of France* (f.) equal to her army, she would be the most formidable power in Europe *. By 1 sea, however, she is inferior to Great Britain, although her naval force (pl.) has of late2 been greatly increased.

15. Ample as her resources are, France* (f.) yields the palm 3, both in manufactures and in commerce* (m.), to Britain t.-Her silks and woollen cloths are remarkable for their durability and fine colours; her laces and linens, her plate-glass and porcelain, are in extensive demand, and her wines, brandies, and printed books are exported everywhere.

16. The manners of the French are extremely agreeable, They are lively, good-humoured, polite, and attentive to strangers; and their morals 5 are at least as pure as those of their neighbours.-DR A. STEWART'S Modern Geography.

QUESTIONS ON FRANCE.

These questions are not given for the purpose of ascertaining whether the learners remember the lesson, but rather with the view of exhibiting the construction of interrogative forms, in which the English and French languages widely differ.

1. What are the boundaries of France* (f.)? 2. What population* (f.) does it contain? 3. Into how many departments have

+ See HAVET'S "French Class-Book," p. 47, Richesses et commerce de la France.

QUEL, QUELS, QUELLE or QUELLES is used for "what" used adjectively before a noun.-HAVET'S "French Class-Book," p. 130, No. 141.

the old provinces* (f.) been divided? 4. What accessions of territory has France* (f.) recently gained?

5. Can you name the chief islands of France* (f.), its capes, its mountains, its rivers, its foreign possessions * ?

6. Could you state the length and breadth of France* (f.)? 7. What is its general appearance? 8. In what parts of the country does picturesque scenery occur? 9. At what distance* (f.) from Calais does the traveller meet with mountains? 10. What are the other principal ridges of mountains of France * (f.)?

11. What kind of climate has France* (f.)? 12. What country does the northern region resemble (672.) in climate? Will you please describe the climate of the central region? 13. During what months does excessive heat prevail in the southern region. 14. What are the pleasantest months of the year in the south? 15. To what evils is this part of the country exposed?

19. For

16. What is the general character of the soil? 17. What are the prevailing productions (f.) in the several districts? 18. Has agriculture* (f.) lately undergone any improvement? what purposes are great plantations raised in every part of the country? 20. By what species of wild animals is France* (f.) infested? 21. What provinces * (f.) maintain large flocks of sheep? 22. In what provinces are the most extensive pastures for cattle? 23. Are the minerals of France* (f.) important? 24. What are its principal metals? 25. Where does jet abound? 26. Where are turquoises* (f.) found (618.)? 27. Where do quarries of freestone, of jasper, and of marble occur? 28. Where are salt springs found? 29. Where are the principal mineral springs? 30. What is the most remarkable natural curiosity in France * (f.) ?

31. Does France* (f.) abound in antiquities? 32. In what town are the most remarkable monuments* (m.) of Roman art* (m.)? 33. In what province * (f.) are Druidical monuments* (m.) to be seen (618.)? 34. What relic of antiquity is preserved in the cathedral church of Bayeux ?

35. What rank does France* (f.) hold in political importance? 36. What circumstances contribute to her military strength? 37. What was (imp.) the amount of her army in 1812? 38. What has been its amount under Napoleon III.?

39. Is France* (f.) equal to Great Britain in commerce and manufactures? 40. Will you please mention some of her principal manufactures?

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