VAUCLUSE, a department in the s.e. of France, bounded on the W. by the Rhone, and on the s. by the Durance, which separates it from the department of Bouches du Rhone. Area, 1365 sq.m.; pop. '76, 255,703. The Rhone is the great river and its affluents, with the exception of the Durance, are all small. The department is trav ersed in the e. by spurs of the Alps. The plains are all in the w —the chief being those of Orange, Carpentras, and Cavaillon. In the e., the mountains are separated by narrow, torrent-plowed valleys; and the summits, the chief of which is Mont Ventoux,. 6,778 ft. high, are arid and bare. The climate is healthy and- temperate, although sub jeet to great variations—the winds from the n. and n.e. being sometimes very violent. The department, though more agricultural than manufacturing, does not produce cere als in great quantity; but the peach, pear, prune, almond, and fig trees bear excellent fruits. Olive, mulberry, and orange trees are quite common. Wines and honey, both held in high esteem, are produced. There are four arrondissements—Avignon, Apt, Car pentras, and Orange. Avignon is capital.
VAUD (Ger. Waadt), a canton which forms the western corner of Switzerland between the Jura and the Bernese Alps. Area, 1240 sq.m. ; pop. '76, 242,439. It is a comparatively level district, traversed, however, by an elevated tract known as mount Jorat, from which plains slope on either side to the lake of Geneva on the s., and the lake of Neufchatel ou the north. On both sides, near the mountains, there are extensive pasture-lands, but the greater part of the country is highly cultivated. The orchards and vineyards are very extensive, the latter yielding white wines of excellent quality. There are no manufactures of any importance. It is now traversed by railways, which
connect it in two directions with France, and in three with the rest of Switzerland. It forms part of French Switzerland, the dialect spoken being the Vaudois. The religion is Protestant. Vaud has formed, since 1830, a democratic republic, the council of the canton being elected and controlled by the people. In 1845 and 1861 the rights of the people were still further extended. Vaud, after the fall of the Roman empire, formed part of the Burgundian kingdom. In the 13th c. it became a dependency of Savoy, to which it was annexed in 1359. In 1476 the house of Savoy took part with the duke of Burgundy in his struggle with the Swiss; and on his defeat, a part of Vaud was annexed to the adjoining cantons. In 1536 the Bernese took possession of the whole of Vaud, which they divided into 15 parts, administered by baillis, appointed at Bern. The nobility became patricians of Bern, and in this way acquired great influence. Still, the local councils had the power of appointing magistrates and administrative officers,which, to some extent, tempered the aristocratic character of the government. The French inva sion put an end to the rule of Bern, and Vaud became a separate canton. The govern ment remained in the bands of the higher classes until June, 1830, when a new consti tution, granting a vote to every adult bourgeois of good character, was obtained from the council. The existing democratic-representative constitution dates from 1845. The Vaudois are industrious and well educated: and from this part of Switzerland come a large number of the Swiss teachers and governesses who are met with in all parts of the world. Capital, Lausanne (q.v.).