The herring fishery, the headquarters of which are at Dieppe, has also some importance, as well as the sole, ray, and mackerel fisheries. The tunny fishery is pursued on the Mediterranean. Dunkirk, Boulogne, St. Valery-sur-Somme, Dieppe, Fecamp, and St. Malo send yearly a number of ships to the herring, mackerel, cod, and whale fisheries.-The mineral wealth of France is equally large and diversified, although gold and silver are to be found in but very small quantities. The former appears in some small streams flowing from the Pyrenees; a few mines of the latter are wrought, but with little profit, while the precious metal is extracted in larger quantity from lead and copper ores. Large beds of iron ore are found in nearly all parts of France; they are mostly wrought in the departments of Ardennes, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Ilaute-Marne, Haute-Saone, Isere, Pyrenees-Orientales, Basses-Pyrenees, Ardeche, and Aveyron. They yield annually about 700,000 tons, and give employment to about 15,000 hands. Marble, porphyry, granite, alabaster, and crystals are found in nearly all the mountains; slate in the departments of Ardennes, Maine-et-Loire, and Finistere; building stone of many varieties everywhere.

Coal beds of various kinds are also numerous, and within the last 40 years considerable progress has been made in the working of mines. The most productive are to be found in the departments of Le Nord, Loire, Saone-et-Loire, Aveyron, etc, and their annual yield is about 2,000,000 tons. Salt mines are worked in the departments of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Haute-Saone, Doubs, Jura, Ariege, and Basses-Pyrenees, while salt marshes exist along nearly the whole of the seacoast. The produce of both exceeds 1,000,000,000 lbs. annually. Lead is extensively scattered through the mountainous districts, especially in Brittany. Copper is abundant in the Pyrenees, Alps, and Vosges. Together with these metals, zinc, cobalt, and manganese are found. Alum is gathered in Aisne, Oise, and Aveyron. The mineral springs, which are nearly 900 in number, are divided into cold and hot, ferruginous, gaseous, sulphureous, and salt waters; the most renowned are those of Aix, St. Amand, Bagneres-de-Bigorre, Balaruc, Bareges, Bour-bon-Lancy, Bourbonne-les-Bains, Cauterets, Eaux-Bonnes, Forges, Mont Dor, Plombieres, and Vichy.-Previous to the revolution of 1789 France contained 36 provinces, which differed from each other in extent, population, rights, immunities, and administration.

By a decree of the national assembly, dated Jan. 15, 1790, the country was divided into departments, which were subdivided into arrondissements, cantons, and communes. According to the official census of 1866, there were 89 departments, 373 arrondissements, 2,941 cantons, and 37,548 communes. In consequence of the loss of territory sustained through the war of 1870-'71, these numbers were reduced in the census of 1872 to 87 departments (including Belfort),. 362 arrondissements, 2,865 cantons, and 35,989 communes. The following table shows the departments, the former provinces from which they have been chiefly formed, their population, and their capitals:

In population France ranks third among the great European states, being inferior only to Russia and Germany. The gradual increase in population since 1700 is shown in the following table, made up from the official censuses:

According to this table, within a period of a century and a half the population has not even doubled; but it must be borne in mind that during the middle part of this period the population was heavily taxed by the bloody wars of the empire, by which France lost no fewer than 1,700,000 men on the battle field. A comparison of the movement of population in France with that of the other European countries shows that the average increase in France has been smaller than in any other. The annual average increase from 1821 to 1872 has never been more than 0.69 per cent.; from 1851 to 1856, it was 0.21; from 1856 to 1861, 0.11; from 1861 to 1866, 0.37. Only a few departments which contain the largest cities have doubled their population since 1790; quite as many had in 1872 fewer inhabitants than in 1790. The period from 1866 to 1872 was more unfavorable than any preceding one; for even leaving out of account the territory ceded to Germany, it showed an absolute decrease of population. While the present territory of France in 1866 had 36,469,856 inhabitants, it had in 1872 only 36,102,921; a decrease of 366,935 (0'16 per cent. per annum). In only 14 departments, nearly all containing large cities, had there been an increase.

The cities with upward of 30,000 inhabitants showed an aggregate increase of 136,496, though in some there had also been a considerable decrease, as in Brest (13,575), Toulon (7,999), and Toulouse (2,084). The causes of the slowness of increase and of the recent positive decrease in French population are too various to be considered here, and many conflicting opinions have been given concerning them. Legislation which has been indirectly repressive of marriage has undoubtedly had much to do with the matter; and many classes of the people have been led by the laws concerning property to take all possible precautions against the increase of their families. Especially, modern French statesmen agree in confessing that the law of March 7,1793, which abolishes testamentary freedom, and obliges parents to an equal division of their property among their children, has increased the "sterility of marriages." The average population to the square mile is 177; the density is greater in the north than in the south.