NORD, the most northern department of France, raised the following quantities of agri• cultural produce in 1848: 2,124,549 quarters of corn ; 2,960,264 bushels of potatoes ; 13,330 hogsheads of flax seed; 352,429 cwt. of flax fibre; 142,398 tons of hay; 612,401 tons of straw; besides a fair average of vege table crops and fruits. Authority was given to plant. 2498 acres with tobacco in the year 1819, calculated to furnish 63,070 cwt. of leaf. A good deal of the barley grown in the de partment is used for malting, beer being the common beverage ; other grain and potatoes are also used in the gin and other spirit dis tilleries.
The mineral wealth of the department con sists chiefly of its coal and iron mines ; of the former, 19, all situated in the valley of the Escaut, were worked in 1848, and of the latter, 3 were worked in the arrondissement of Avesnes. Steam-engines are used for drain ing the mines. Marble, paving-stones, brick earth, potter's clay, peat, and fossil ashes, which are used as manure, are found. There are mineral waters and baths at St. Amand.
The industrial products are of the most varied description, including all kinds of woollen, cotton, and linen manufactures, ticking, dock, velveteen, printed cottons, and handkerchiefs, woollen, flaxen, cotton, and hempen yarn, lace, tulle, cambric and lawn, soap, refined sugar and salt, beer, oil, nails, glass, paper, tiles, 3 bricks, earthenware, ropes, leather, toys, small 1 wares, cannon, small arms, saltpetre, &c. These numerous products form the items of a • large home and foreign commerce. The im ; ports are chiefly raw cotton, wool, flax, colo ; nial produce, wine, brandy, and timber. At f the principalpoints on the Belgian frontier, custom-house officers are stationed, who are L under the direction of the custom-houses of , Dunkerque and Valenciennes.
• The manufactures of this department give L rise to great activity in the towns of Lille, Auzin, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Douai, Dunkerque, Valenciennes, and Cambrai, all of which are distinguished for their industry and commerce.