With respect to the face of the country, this department is composed of chains and groups of mountains and hills, separated by very narrow vallies or glens; the summits, named in the country puys, have the form of rounded hummacks, and are evidently the remains of peaked mountains, whose conical heads have been worn away by the elements, and which there can be no doubt antiently contained volcanoes, from the strata of scories and basaltes found in many of the vallies. The composition of the mountains is granitic and schistus. Their greatest elevation in this department does not exceed eight hundred and fifty feet; but their ramifications, which extend into the neighbouring countries, rise to greater heights, the Golden Mountain, or Puy de Dome, in the next department, for instance, being six thousand feet above the level of the sea, and its summit retaining the snow nearly throughout the year.

La Creuse, as may be supposed from the nature of its surface, is most profusely watered; the rivulets, which have their sources in the mountains, descend with violent rapidity into the vallies, where their union forms numerous secondary rivers, whose waters in their turns are lost in the Loire. The springs which gush out from the surface are so innumerable, that it is difficult to find one hundred square feet of dry soil to build on; and hence, with the most trifling labour, every hamlet has a stream sufficient to turn its mill.

None of the rivers of this department are, however, considerable, either as to breadth or depth; their sources being very elevated and their courses short, they wind but little, running with great rapidity through narrow glens and ravines, and over a bottom of granite and schistus, which renders them useless for transport, even by floating, and present almost insurmountable obstacles to their being rendered navigable. The Creuse and the Cher, both of which have their rise in and traverse the department, are alone deserving of particular mention. The course of the former is almost internal, through ravines formed on each side by rocky precipices, whose bases are in many places so eaten into by the current, that they overhang and appear ready to fall into it. The Creuse, as well as the other rivers and rivulets of this department, generally abound in excellent trout, perch, carp, tench, pike, barbel, eels, and lampreys.

There are but few spots of, properly speaking, marshy land in the department, the rapid declivity of the soil not admitting the stagnation of the waters. It has, however, a great number of ponds, both natural and artificial, formed by the union of springs, and which serve as reservoirs of fish, from whence the market is regularly and certainly supplied. The water of these ponds being continually removed, is productive of no noxious effects on the atmosphere.

The temperature of the Creuse is subject to great variations; the air is in general very sharp and pure, but the sudden changes caused by the thunder storms and rains, render the climate disagreeable and ungenial to foreigners; besides, the elevation of the soil, the mountains, and the superabundance of water, render the general temperature cold and humid. During the winter, rain is less frequent than snow, which covers the country for some months. In the summer, thunder storms are frequent and violent, and in this season thick fogs also arise from the vallies. In short, according to the information of the inhabitants, the spring commences late, the summer is short, the autumn fair and pleasant, and the winter long and severe.

The diseases most prevalent seem to arise from the nature of the climate, and to be immediately caused by checked perspiration; besides, diseases not dangerous in themselves, are here often rendered mortal by the improper methods of treatment, the great mass of the inhabitants, and those of the country in particular, having recourse to the most absurd or most dangerous practices.

From what has been already said, it will be inferred that the department has no plain of any extent; nevertheless though the face of the country has in general a melancholy, and sometimes even a savage aspect, from the summits of many of the hills presenting only a black heath, fern, broom, furze, and other plants denoting sterility, the whole is far from being displeasing to the eye, and many of the vallies and glens having each its clear rivulet. shaded by antique oaks and chesnut trees, present a series of varied and picturesque sites of the first beauty.

With respect to the soil of the department, it is in general of little depth, light, poor and infertile, covering a base of granite rock, which in many spots rises in naked masses above the surface. Both the nature of the soil and the superabundance of water, naturally point out this country as fit only for pasture and wood, and accordingly the portion of tillage is extremely trifling. The summits of the hills are generally barren wastes, the sides near the summits usually covered with coppice wood or chesnut, and towards their bases formed into meadows.

Though there are but few masses of wood deserving the name of forest in the department, the hedge inclosures, which are multiplied to a great degree, are thickly planted with oak, ash, beach, birch, poplar, chesnut, and other inferior trees, whose branches afford abundant fuel. The oak also affords a sufficiency of wood for buildings, as well as timber of the first size and quality for naval construction, but which the difficulty of transport to the naval arsenals renders so extremely dear, that the quantity they receive from this part of the country is comparatively trifling.

The science of agriculture and rural economy seems to have made less progress in the department of the Creuse than in any other I have had occasion to visit in France, and in these respects it is at least two hundred years behind the present state of improvement. The minute subdivision of property, which precludes the employment of any considerable capital, and the general ignorance of the cultivators, and consequent inveterate adherence to old bad methods, are the principal causes of this want of improvement.

With respect to manure, the department possessing neither lime nor marle, the melioration of the soil is confined entirely to stable dung, or to the leaves of trees, collected and spread in the avenues to the farms to rot. The instruments of agriculture are extremely defective, the plough only turning up the soil at the very surface, and the use of the harrow and roller being almost unknown.

The grain cultivated are winter and spring rye, the former sowed in September and the latter in March. This is the only grain which does not degenerate, and its cultivation is therefore the most extended. Sarrazin, or black wheat, is also cultivated in all parts of the department, and forms a considerable portion of the food of the inhabitants; it is also given to the hogs and poultry. The quantity of wheat produced is so trifling, that the department is obliged to import nineteen-twentieths for its consumption. Oats are also in small quantity, and of a very poor and small kind. Potatoes are an object of considerable cultivation, and form a portion of the constant food of the inhabitants, as well as of the domestic animals; either from the quality of the soil, or the imperfect cultivation, they are watery and insipid. The round turnip is also produced in quantity, and of good quality; and has of late years been employed in the fattening of cattle.

All the common fruit-trees succeed in this department, such as the apple, pear, plum, cherry, &c. whose fruits form a small object of export to the neighbouring country. The chesnut tree covers a considerable portion of the department, but its fruit is small and insipid, no attention being paid to its cultivation, though in several districts it forms the chief food of the people for six months of the year. The climate is unfavourable to the finer stone-fruit; as the peach, apricot, or nectarine, as well as to the vine, which latter is only seen en treillage in gardens.

The principal riches of the department consist in its horned cattle; and the bullock is the only animal whose rearing and management is properly understood or attended to. It is also used in country labour, whether in the plough or in cross road conveyance; and when aged, is fattened up and sent to supply the markets of some of the great towns on the road to Paris. Cows are much more neglected, and being very badly fed during the winter give but little milk; and the butter, though it forms a trifling object of export to the chief towns of the adjoining departments, is neither cheap nor good. The sheep are very small, their wool coarse, and their flesh indifferent, chiefly owing to the ignorant manner of keeping them, for the department affords abundant mountain pasture covered with aromatic herbs. The race of horses is also small and badly formed; and as bullocks are almost alone used in country labour, little attention is paid to their multiplication or improvement; and hence their numbers are only sufficient for the use of the department. The asses and mules are also small: the former are little used, but the latter form an article of export to the neighbourhood, and even to Spain. Hogs are a very material branch of rural economy; pork forming not only the greatest portion of the animal food of the people, but a considerable number of the live animals are exported to Bourdeaux, la Rochelle, and Rochefort, for provisioning the navy.

The department has abundance of game; such as hares, partridges, woodcocks, wild ducks, snipes, &c. Foxes and wolves are also numerous; but it has neither wild boars nor deer. With respect to market provisions, the beef and mutton are both very indifferent, the slaughter for the market being chiefly confined to old dried up cows; and the sheep being almost starved during the long winter, their flesh is uneatable until the month of June. The veal, on the contrary, is good, and with pork forms the chief provision of the flesh market. The price of all these meats vary from four to seven sous the pound, according to the quality. The markets are poorly supplied with poultry, as well as with vegetables; a common sized onion costing a sou: in short, the delicate appetite will here find little to gratify it, and even the most indifferent soon grows disgusted with the eternal round of carp, veal, pork and hares.

The department possesses few minerals yet discovered; they are confined to antimony, iron and coals. The working of one or two mines of the first has been discontinued since the Revolution; those of iron have never been opened, and the want of convenient land or water carriage confines those of coal to a mere trifle. The department is known to possess only one warm spring, which is sulphureous, and of the temperature of 77o of Reaumur. Ferruginous springs are found in several places.

The industry of the inhabitants of this department is almost entirely confined to rural economy; the only manufactures it possesses being a few of paper, carpeting and tapestry, and very coarse woollens, and common hats for the peasantry. The household linen is the produce of the female peasants, who while tending their sheep are also occupied in spinning. The exports are bullocks, sheep, hogs and mules, some butter; and of manufactured objects, paper and carpeting. On the other hand, the department is obliged to import all its wine, nineteen-twentieths of its wheat, all its salt, iron, fine manufactures, and colonial produce: so that the balance of trade is entirely against it; and hence it would be one of the poorest departments of the empire, did it not receive an influx of specie from another channel. It is calculated that forty thousand of its inhabitants emigrate every year, and visit all parts of France in search of employment they are all workmen; chiefly masons, tilers, sawyers, house-painters, wool and flax-combers, &c. They remain absent nine months, and return with their earnings to pass the other three with their wives and families in the department. It is said not to be uncommon for one of these workmen to bring back three thousand francs, and even so much as six thousand in specie, which produces a circulation far above what would result from the territorial products and balance of its commerce.

The inhabitants have a peculiarity of character, both physical and moral, which distinguishes them, and by no means favourably, from the natives of the other provinces. With respect to their persons they are generally below rather than above the middle size, thick set, stout and robust; their features are far from giving a prepossessing idea of their dispositions, those of the men being morose and ferocious, and of the women coarse and ugly in the extreme. The contour of the face is almost a perfect circle, the chin being extremely short, the forehead low, and the cheeks elevated; which, together with their small round eyes, give them more the resemblance of certain Tartar tribes, than of natives of the interior of la belle France. Their own countrymen accord them the praise of being naturally intelligent, sprightly and industrious; but we have almost universally found them to be uncivil even to insolence, litigious, cheats, and filthy both in their persons and dwellings, the latter being scarcely fit for the reception of hogs. In their favour, we must however observe, that the men are sober, which is sufficiently evinced by the very few cabarets in Gueret in comparison with towns of the same population in other parts of France; and that the women of the lower class, particularly in the villages, are chaste before marriage, and faithful after. In short, the general corruption of manners, which we have had occasion to notice in other parts, seems as yet to have made but little progress in this obscure department, probably from the few communications it possesses with any large towns. The husbands are here the perfect lords and masters of their wives, the subordination and submission of the latter being extreme, and by far the greater portion of their laborious duties, both within and without doors, falling on them. In short, the good and bad qualities of these people are those of the demi-savage, beyond which state of society they have scarcely arose. The common language of the peasants is a coarse and harsh patois, a dialect of the ancient Languedoc, which differs in almost every commune. The men, however, also speak French, but the women, though they understand the language, always answer any question in patois. Education seems to be less attended to in this department than in any we have visited, few of the men being able to write, and none of the women. The town of Gueret, the principal of the department, has two book-sellers’ shops, of which about one hundred romances, and an assortment of church and children’s books, form the whole stock; and it would be difficult to find a private collection of fifty volumes in the whole town.

We have noticed from our own experience the litigious disposition of the people of this department, and hence it is crowded with lawyers, bailiffs, and all the other myrmidons of litigation, with whom Gueret, in particular, is almost entirely peopled, and who find constant employment, and as constantly amass fortunes, to the total ruin of him who gains a cause, as well as of him who loses it.

We shall conclude this sketch with an extract from a published description of the department, which notices the gradual change in the manners of its inhabitants. By inference perhaps it play exhibit no unfaithful description of the general state of all the departments of France, since the present corruption of manners has borne sway in consequence of the Revolution.

“For some years past a great revolution has been going on in the manners and customs of the peasantry of this department. It is not above twenty years since they quitted their antient costume, which consisted in their long hair flowing loose ly on their shoulders, a very short coat of the coarsest grey frieze, a jacket of the same, almost as long as the coat, and a waistcoat under the jacket, pantaloons of the same cloth descending to the ancle, and over them worsted stockings ascending and gartered above the knee, and sabots. At present this dress is only used by some old men, the young ones universally adopting the long coat, short waistcoat, breeches, stockings and shoes on high days, sabots being still universally worn both in the town and country. Since the Revolution the peasant has also become less sober, and in his visits to the towns he spends a part of his money in the cabarets, in wine, beer, liqueurs, and even in coffee; of which, a few years ago, he had never heard the name. The progress of luxury among the female peasants is equally remarkable the girls accustomed to clean out the cow-house, and destined to do so all their lives, purchase for their weddings, silks, cambrick (which is passed on them for English*), silk stockings, and lace for their head dress, at forty francs an ounce. Twenty years ago the names of all these objects were unknown to this class of people.”

* This parenthesis of the French author is worthy of notice, as it proves, that even in the most obscure parts of France, the superiority of English manufactures is known and appreciated.

The population of the department is estimated at two hundred and eighteen thouand souls. Its permanent contribution of taxes are,

                                                        Francs.
     Land tax     –      –      –      –     880,000
     Personal and sumptuary tax        94,000
     Doors and windows   –      –       27,800
                                                      _______
                                    Total   –   1,001,800

Which gives four francs seventy centimes (about four shillings sterling) per annum per cent., which is nearly doubled during war.