The depsutment is divided into five arrondissements, as follows :— I. In the first anandiasement the chief town is POITIERS. Among the other places worth notice are Lusignan, on the Yonne : population, 2560. Neuville, between the Auzanco and the Palu : population, 2800. /If irebeau, ou a feeder of the Dive, which flows into the Thou6 : popu lation, 2556, for the whole commune. Vivonne, on the Clnin, has a manufacture of coarse woollens, a corn-market, and about 2700 inhabitants. Lusiguan has a manufacture of coerce woollens, and considerable trade in grain and seeds. There was formerly a strong castle at Lusignan, the site of which is now occupied by a pleasant public walk. The house of Lusignan acquired the crowns of Jerusalem and Cyprus. alirebenu was built by Foulques Nera, count of Anjou, who also erected a castle here. In this castle Eldonore of ()Wenn°, widow of Henry IL of England, was besieged (1202) by her grandson, Arthur, duke of Bretagne, but was relieved by the approach of her son, King John of England, who took Arthur prisoner. The village of Vouilla, on the Auzance, a feeder of the Clain, 10 miles W. from Poitiers, was the scene of the great battle in which Clovis and the Franks defeated and slew Alaric II., king of the Visigoths, in A.D. 507.
2. In the second arrondissement the chief town, Cliellelleranit, is situated on the right bank of the Vienne, 20 miles by railway N. from Poitiers, and has 11,959 inhabitants in the commuue. It is in general an ill-built town. Tho site of the old fortifications is occupied by handsome residences and pretty walks. A fine stone bridge connects the town with the suburbs, on the left bank of the Vienne. At the town end of the bridge is a large mansion, flanked with four massive towers, with a lofty arch iu the centre of the building, under which the high road enters the town. Chatellerault has important iron works, a college, tribunals of first instance and commerce, manufac tures of cutlery, jewellery, lace, hardware, side-arms, &e.
3. In the third arrondissement the chief town, Civray, which stands on the Charente, has a church of great antiquity, the ruius of an ancient castle, a college, and 2210 inhabitants, who trade iu corn, chestnuts, and truffles. Availl es, on the left bank of the Vienne, has
mineral waters, and about 2000 inhabitants.
4. In the fourth arrondissement the chief town, Loudun, situated ou the slope of a hill 34 miles N. by W. from Poitiers, has a tribunal of first instance, a college, and 4457 inhabitants. It is nu ancient town, with wide streets of good houses, and surrounded by vineyards which produce some of the best wine in the department : the town has some pleasant walks (formed ou the site of the old castle of Lou dun), a theatre, and nn hospital. Coarse woollen, leather, linen, jewellery, and lace are manufactured ; and considerable trade is carried on in corn, wine, brandy, walnuts, and oil. Monconioar, a small place on the Dive, gives name to the victory which tho Duke of Anjou (afterwards Henri Ill.) gained over the Huguenots, under Admiral Coligni, iu 1569.
5. In the fifth arrondissement the chief town, Monlinorillon, situated on the Gartempe, 27 miles S.W. from Poitiers, has a tribunal of first instance, an ecclesiastical college, and 4894 inhabitants. The town is ill-built. Biscuits and highly esteemed macaroons are made; and there are paper-mills, bleach-grounds, and tan-yards. Considerable trade is carried on in cattle fattened in the neighbourhood for the Paris markets. The ecclesiastical college is established in the buildings of the former hospital of Maisou-Dieu, founded in the 11th century. These buildings are spacious, of very curious construction, and contain several groups of strange allegorical figures.
This department, and the adjacent one of Dens-Serres, constitnte the diocese of Poitiers, the bishop of which is a suffragan of tho arch bishop of Bordeaux. It is in the jurisdiction of the High Court and within the limits of the University-Academy of Poitiers. It is included in the 18th Military Division, of which Tours is head-quarters. The department returns two members to tho Legislative Body of the French empire.