SEINE. This important river of France connects Paris with the sea at Havre. By means of a lateral canal between Marcilly and Troyes, and locks to avoid the fall at Nogent, the river is navigable frona Troyesia its mouth, a distance of 370 miles. From Paris to Rotten it is navigated by small steamers and bybarges 150 to 180 feet in length, 30 feet wide, and with a draft of 6 feet. The tide ascends the Seine as far as Rouen, which city is accessible for vessels of 300 tons. Between Caudebec where the Seine begins to widen, and Quille beuf, the navigation is dangerous, owing to the shoals and shifting sandbanks in the bed of the river. This has led to the undertaking of important works between Villequier and Quillebeuf, the object of which is to confine the river to a narrower bed by means of em bankments ; a portion of this undertaking, completed in 1840, gave the satisfactory result of a deepened current, which soon swept its bed clear of sands. The importance of the navigation of the Seine may be inferred from the fact that about 3500 sea-going ships enter and leave the ports of Havre and Rouen annu ally, besides a large number of coasters and small craft. Owing to the windings of the river its navigation is tedious. Steamers ply regularly between Havre, Rouen, and several other towns on the lower Seine. The articles of traffic on the river include almost every description of agricultural, mineral, and in dustrial products, home, foreign, and colonial.
The river gives name to four of the depart ments of France; viz. Seine, Seine Inferieure, Seine ct Marne, and Seine ct Oise, In the department of Seine, a large portion of the surface of the department is laid out in gardens, for the growth of kitchen vegeta bles, fruits, and flowers ; -wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes are grown in large quantities, considering the smallness of the area of the department ; but little wine is made, and that little is all bad. Montmartre and most of the hills consist of accumulations of gypsum ; excellent building stone is quarried under the southern quarters of Paris, and at various other points of the department ; fine clays for porcelain and pottery, chalk, sand for glass foundries, &c., are raised. The manufactures comprise almost every woven fabric in wool, flax, cotton, and silk ; metallic articles ; jewel lery, watches, and clocks ; glass, porcelain, furniture, hats, gloves, ribands, and small wares of all kinds ; scientific instruments, and chemical products of every description, &c. The commerce in these various products, and in agricultural produce, coal, timber, and fire wood, raw materials of manufactures, cheese, metals, salt, drugs, colonial produce, building materials, &c., is most extensive.
In the department of Seine Infrienre, hemp and flax are grown, especially along the coast between Fecamp and Havre ; the hemp is al most exclusively used for making ropes and fishing nets. The department is remarkable for the vast number of its apple and pear trees. Great attention is paid to the rearing of horses, fat cattle, milch cows, and to the making of butter and cheese, both important articles of export. The Seine is valuable to fishermen for its abundance of salmon, stur geon, sole, eels, &e. Large fleets of barks of 30 to 90 tons, and with crews varying from 15 to 30 in number, are employed in the mackerel, oyster, and herring fisheries. The minerals comprise marble, building and paving stone, chalk, flint, brickeartb, potters' clay, sand used in glass factories, and marl. Iron mines were formerly worked near Forges. Peat is found. The department is famous for its in dustrial energy, which is exerted upon the spinning, dyeing, and weaving of cotton, wool, and flax; the manufacture of ginghams, cot ton cloths,and calicoes of all kinds, broadcloth, flannel, serge, linen, and mixed cloths of wool and cotton. The cotton manufactures had a great development previous to the revolution of 1818; since then it is said they have re ceived some check. Hand-loom weaving is carried on in almost every hamlet and cottage, and frequently on a pressure of orders the raw material is sent into the neighbouring department to be worked up. The depart ment is famous for its bleach works, which are conducted on the most modern principles, and turn out linen of a purer whiteness than those bleached in any other part of France. The linen woven about Fecamp is of the best quality. Cotton printing has had a great ex tension during the last thirty years. Among the 6tber manufactured products may be men tioned lace, watch and clock movements, arti cles of ivory, pottery, window glass, bricks, &c. There are also numerous sugar refineries, silk-mills, manufactories of chemical products, metal foundries, tan - yards, ship-building yards, and other establishments in which industrial and commercial enterprise mani fests itself on a large and important scale. The commerce carried on with the interior of France, with its colonies, with the whole of Europe, the West Indies, and America, is most extensive, and includes almost every article of French import and export. Of the manufacturing industry and important com merce of the department other details are given under DIEPPE, HovnE, and ROUEN.