“ Two hill chains, that of Arès in the north and that of the Black mountains in the south, run through this department E. and W. The climate is mild, but humid; fogs are common; W. winds are most prevalent, and violent storms often occur. The soil of some parts is good, and the pasturage is excellent; but heath or waste land covers no less than a third of the area, and agriculture is in a backward state. The wealth of the department consists especially in its mines of argentiferous lead ”