The ISLAND OF CORSICA is situated between 41° and 43° N. latitude, and 80 and 100 E. longitude, and forms one of the departments of the Republic. It is about 115 miles in length from north to south, and 64 wide, containing an area of 2,852 square geographical miles. The island is covered with mountains, and one-half incapable of cultivation. It produces a variety of articles peculiar to its latitude, and is much celebrated for its olive oil, silk, and wines. The coasts contain several good harbors, and the fine roads of Ajaccio, Calvi, St. Florenzo, Valinco, and Porto Vecchio would afford accommodations to numerous fleets. Notwithstanding these advantages there is not a single maritime establishment, and its magnificent forests are allowed to remain uncut-and its mineral riches, its marbles, porphyries, and granites, untouched. Coral is fished on the east side of the island, from Bonifacio to Cape Corse. Corsica was subject for a long period to Genoa, but was transferred to France in 1768. Population, 220,000. AJACCIO on the west, and BASTIA on the east, are the largest towns. CALVI is a small town, with an excellent harbor on the north-west coast. The only other towns worth notice are:-Corte, a small town high up among the hills; Bonifacio, a small seaport at the southern extremity of the island, and Porto Vecchio, which possesses a spacious harbor. The population of these range from 10,000 down to 3,000.

The history of France dates from a very early period. It was the scene of many exploits in the time of the Romans, by whom it was invaded and subdued. The French are descendants of these and the ancient Gauls, and their language a mixture of modified Latin and the tongue of the original inhabitants, but much altered in orthography and in tone of speech. For many centuries it was governed in a despotic manner by a line of sovereigns, from Clovis, in the year 481, to that of the Bourbons in the person of Louis XVI. in 1793.

One of these monarchs, Louis XIV., who reigned during the latter half of the seventeenth century, exhausted the resources of the nation in foreign wars and personal extravagance, and, besides, greatly corrupted the manners of the people. This laid the foundation of a course of events which terminated in the national ruin and fearful outbreak of the Revolution in 1789. This revolution deluged the country in blood, and ended with the establishment of a Republic; but this was speedily succeeded by the elevation of Napoleon Bonaparte, first as consul, and next as emperor. The career of Napoleon closed in 1815, with the battle of Waterloo, and the Bourbons were restored by the arms of Britain and other nations. The Bourbons were again expelled in 1830, and Louis Philippe, a descendant of the brother of Louis XIV. was elevated to the throne. France now became a constitutional monarchy, and so remained until the 22d February, 1848, when royalty was forever abolished, and the French Republic established. consolidation of the government was effected by the promulgation of a constitution, liberal in its provisions and well guarded in the powers it delegates to the executive.

The

The French, previous to the middle of the last century, were possessed of many colonial dependencies in all parts of the world. In North America they occupied the present British colonies, and held, by right of discovery, the vast country west of the Mississippi. Their possessions in the West Indies were also extensive, and in Asia and Africa they had a number of settlements. They hold, at the present period,-in AMERICA, the islands of Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie-galante, Saintes, Deseada or Desirade, and the east portion of St. Martin's, in the West Indies; St. Pierre, and Grande

and Petite Miquelon, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Cayenne in South America; in AFRICA, Algeria; Senegal, and other territories on the west coast, divided into the arrondissements of St. Louis and Goree; the island of Bourbon, in the Indian Ocean, and that of St. Mary, near the east coast of Madagascar; and in ASIA, Pondicherry, on the Coromandel coast; Yanaon, with its dependencies, and a factory at Masulipatam, on the coast of the northern Circars; Chandernagore, in Bengal; and Mahé, and a factory at Calicut, in Malabar-all in India.

THE REPUBLIC OF ANDORRÉ.

THIS is a small independent state on the south declivity of the Pyrennees, and consists of three mountain vallies and a basin formed by their union. It is situated between the department of Ariegé, in France, and the district of Urgel in Spain. These vallies are among the wildest and most picturesque in the country, and the mountains, with their numerous peaks, the highest and least accessible. They are watered by several small streams, which fall into the Segre, an affluent of the Ebro. The state is divided into six communes. Cattle-feeding, and the mining of iron, which find. ready sale in Spain, occupy the people. It has been an independent state for more than seven hundred years, and is now under the joint protection of France and the bishop of Urgel.

The state is governed by a Syndic, who presides in the council of the valley, and two Vigniers, who administer justice, the one named by the president of the French Republic, and the other by the bishop of Ürgel. Commerce of every kind is free with the exception of iron, of which it has many mines and forges. Its manufactures are of the coarsest description. The people all belong to the Church of Rome, and are very religious. Education is little cared for, and as a consequence few can read or write. Crime, however, is of rare occurrence. Andorré, the principal town, has 2,000 inhabitants.

It is to Charlemagne that Andorré owes its independence.

THE SPANISH PENINSULA.

THOUGH this peninsula contains two perfectly distinct and independent kingdoms, it forms only one geographical region, the description of which cannot well be separated according to political divisions. We shall therefore first describe the natural features of the whole peninsula, and then divide the remainder of our account into the two sections of Spain and Portugal.

The peninsula lies between 360 and 44° north latitude, and between 4o and 100 west longitude. The greatest direct line, from Cape St. Vincent to Cape Creuse, is 720 miles, and from the Point of Tarifa due north to Cabo de Peñas, about 530 miles; but measuring diagonally from Cabo de Gata to Cabo Ortegal, the length is 560 miles. The greatest breadth from

east to west is from Cape Finisterre to Cape Creuse, a distance of 630 miles; but in the middle region, from the rock of Lisbon to Cabo la Nao, it is only 500 miles, and at its narrowest part, along 40° north latitude, about 450. The superficial area is computed at 210,980 square miles, of which 176,480 belong to Spain, and 34,500 to Portugal.

The boundaries are:-on the north, the Bay of Biscay and the Pyrennees; on the south, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, and the Straits of Gibraltar; on the east, the Mediterranean; and on the west the Atlantic Ocean.

The peninsula forms a remarkably compact geographical section, lying at the south-western extremity of Europe, with the continent of which it is connected by an isthmus, 230 miles broad. The interior may be considered as one vast table-land traversed by numerous mountains, and intersected by a succession of fertile vallies, from 1,800 to 2,600 feet above the ocean. Along the coast extends a narrow belt of maritime lowland, rising gradually from the margin of the sea, and broken by alternations of hill and dale, which produce a most agreeable variety of aspect, and present a pleasing contrast to the bleak and barren sameness by which the central region is characterised.

The surface, indeed, is strikingly irregular. It is traversed by long and lofty ranges, having plains of vast extent between them and the sea. The mountains may be considered as part of the great range which crosses Europe from the Black Sea to the Atlantic. The Pyrennees, common to France and Spain, form a long continuous line of lofty summits, the most central and elevated of which is La Maladetta, 11,424 feet in height. Towards the sea on both sides the elevations decrease, and present a less formidable barrier between the two countries. Offshoots of this chain penetrate Catalonia and Navarre, presenting also some striking insulated peaks, among which that of Montserrat is the most conspicuous. The Iberian chain extends from the western Pyrennees almost due south, and forms the boundary of the fine plains of Arragon and Valencia. All the other ranges have a direction eastward. The Calabrian range stretches across the whole north, covering the Asturias and Galicia. Parallel to this, on the opposite side of a vast plain, the valley of the Douro, is another transverse range, the highest points of which are Guadarrama and Somosierra, and which encloses with its rugged and romantic cliffs the elevated palaces of San Ildefonzo and the Escurial. On the opposite side of the Tagus and of the plain of Madrid is the Sierra de Toledo. It borders the wide elevated plain of La Mancha, on the southern border of which is the more celebrated chain of Sierra Morena, the lofty barrier of the rich plains of Andalusia. Beyond is the Sierra Nevada, lofty, bold, and covered with eternal snows, and between these and the Mediterranean only a narrow though beautiful plain intervenes. These long and lofty ranges, as observed already, are separated by very extended plains, which in the interior are of great elevation, and even Madrid is 2,170 feet above the sea-level. The southern plains display a profuse fertility, and abound in the choicest fruits of the genial climate of the Mediterranean

The rivers of the peninsula form as important a feature as its mountains. The Tagus and the Douro, rising in the Iberian chain, traverse the two central plains and pass through Portugal to the sea. The Guadiana passes through La Mancha and Estremadura, and on its approach to Portugal forms the boundary between the two kingdoms. The Guadalquiver is wholly within Spain, and has on its banks the noble cities of Cordova and

Seville, while Cadiz, not far from its mouth, forms the chief commercial emporium of Spain. Though impeded in its navigation and only approachable for large vessels to Seville, it is the only river in Spain of much commercial importance. The Ebro, rising in the Cantabrian mountains in the north, nearly crosses the breadth of northeastern Spain, but its banks afford little material for trade, except large quantities of timber. The Guadalaviar and Xucar in Valencia, and the Miño in Galicia, are also rivers of some magnitude. The mountains enclose no lakes, their waters finding a ready issue along the vast plains on which they border.

The northern coast, when compared with those of the west and south, is peculiarly devoid of extensive indentations, the bays of Santander and of Santona, and a few others in the Asturias and Biscay, forming inconsiderable exception. The Bay of Rosas and the Gulf of Ampola, in Catalonia; the Gulf of Almeria, on the coast of Granada, Gibraltar Bay and Strait, and the Bay of Cadiz, are the great indentations in the south. On the Atlantic coast the outline is irregular, but not so deeply penetrated, and with the exception of the estuary of the Tagus, no bays or gulfs of any magnitude occur. The most noted capes are Cape Finisterre, in Galicia; La Rocca or the Rock of Lisbon, and Cape St. Vincent, in Portugal; and Cape Trafalgar, Gibraltar, Cape Gata, Cape Palos, and Cape St. Martin, on the southern

coast.

The BALEARIC ISLANDS are in the Mediterranean, and belong to Spain. These consist of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica and some others. MAJORCA is the largest, having an area of 1,360 square miles. The surface is hilly, and the northern half consists of high ranges of mountains, divided by deep vallies and gullies, bordered by precipices. The southern portion is finely variegated by cornfields, vineyards, olive groves, orchards and meadows. The whole country is well watered by rivulets and springs; and in some parts marsh predominates. The climate is mild and healthy, and winter little known. The principal towns are Palma, Falaniche, Manacor, Soller, Leuchmajor, Pollenza and Bonalbufar. MINORCA, 38 miles east of Majorca, contains 240 square miles, one fourth of which is barren and waste. The chief wealth of the inhabitants consists of wild stock. The island is of moderate height as approached from the sea, and its surface then appears level, with one remarkable exception, called Toro, having on its summit a convent dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. It has three excellent harbors: Port Mahon at the east end, Fornella on the north side, and Citadella on the west. IVICA is 28 miles long and 14 broad, and yields wheat and a variety of fine fruits, but its principal product is salt from the lagunes. The people are more attached to fishing than agriculture; the women only attending to the latter. The others are of little importance. The COLUMBRETES are a group of rugged rocks, 35 miles from the termination of the limestone range which divides Valencia from Tortosa. The principal of the group, Monte Colubre, consists of the remains of an extinct volcanic crater, and exhibits only lava, obsidian and scoria. It is literally swarmed with snakes. The ISLA DE LEON, on the south-west coast of Andalusia, is separated from the mainland by the Rio de Santi Petri, and forms the bay of Cadiz. The northern end juts out into the form of a long and narrow promontory, at the extremity of which is the city of Cadiz. The BERLINGAS, a dangerous cluster of rocky islets off Cape Carvoeira, are situated about 50 miles north of the rock of Lisbon, and BENIDORME is a similar island on the coast of Valencia, 20 miles north-east of Alicant.

The geology of the peninsula differs essentially in its several parts, and is possessed of no general determination. The nucleus, however, consists in whole or in part of primitive or transition rocks; but not only the species but also the relations of these vary in different chains. The Pyrennees are generally granite, with subordinate beds of gneiss and other primitive rocks. To a less extent the primitive formations extend through the Cantabrian range. The mountains of Castile and of Toledo are of the same character, and gneiss and granite appear to be their bases. The Sierra Morena contains principally transition rocks; and granite, which forms so prominent a part of the Iberian system, appears to be wanting in the highest southern chain. The middle ridges consist of mica slate, abounding in garnets, which in the ridges lying before them passes into less crystalline mica slate, chlorite slate and clay slate, which sometimes encloses beds of compact limestone, marble, clolomite and serpentine. On the south coast the newer transition slate and grauwacke slate, with beds of flinty slate, lie here and there in the older slate. The basis or fundamental part of Gibraltar is of these rocks.

The primitive and transition strata, in many different places, are rich in ores. The present mines are confined principally to the south-west and south-east. The mighty lead-glance veins of Linares occur in granite; the colossal deposit of lead-glance in the Sierra de Gador is distributed in masses, in old transition limestone, and the rich quicksilver mines of Almadar are contained in clay slate. The more important of the secondary rocks are variegated sandstone and marl gryphite limestone, and the white or Jura limestone. The sandstone and marl is rich in gypsum and masses of rock salt, and at Vellecas, near Madrid, there rests upon it that rare deposit of meerschaum. The lias formation is widely distributed in the north, and in the Biscayan provinces is remarkably prolific in an excellent iron ore. The vast beds of coal in the Asturias are exceedingly valuable. Some species of the chalk formation exist. The tertiary deposit occurs in several parts of Spain, and in the south it is much mixed with organic remains. Porphyritic and basaltic rocks extend from Cabo de Gata and from Airla on the north side of the Guadarrama range. The true volcanic rocks are found in Murcia and around Olot and Catalonia; about 15 distinct cones with craters occur in a space of 15 miles from north to south, and six from

east to west.

The gold and silver mines, which supplied the ancients with these precious metals, are now, with the exception of the silver mine of Guadalcanal and the gold mine of Adissa, in Portugal, either extinct or abandoned; but iron of the best quality, copper, tin, mercury, and, indeed, every valuable mineral, abounds in different parts of the peninsula. Coal and salt mines are wrought in the Asturias, Arragon and La Mancha, in Spain; and in Portugal beds of coal occur near Oporto. Precious stones occur in various places, and the useful descriptions are quarried from almost every mountain.

The vegetable productions of the Peninsula are rich and various; the principal of which are wheat, oats, barley, maize, rice, oil, sugar, hemp, cork, cotton, and almost all kinds of fruits. Andalusia is the granary of Spain. The olive is universal, and also the vine; but the eastern and southern provinces yield the best grapes. Forests of beach, pine, oak, and the cork tree, cover the mountain districts of Catalonia; and Biscay is still well wooded. The two Castiles are almost bare of timber. Spain is not excelled by any country in the abundance, variety, and delicious flavor of its fruits; and besides those of temperate climates, it also contains many of tropical