Meuse

Meuse, a department in the north-east of France, touching Belgium in the north. Area, 2404 sq. m.; pop. (1872) 284,725; (1891) 292,253. The surface is traversed from south-east to north-west by the wooded Argonne ranges, which form the right and left bank of the river Meuse, and separate it from the basin of the Seine on the west and from that of the Moselle on the east. The soil in the valleys is fertile and well cultivated. Wheat, oats, beet-root (for sugar), hemp, oil-plants, and wine (nearly 9,000,000 gallons annually) are the principal products. Iron is mined and manufactured; glass and paper are the chief branches of industry. The four arrondissements are Bar-le-Duc, Commercy, Montmédy, and Verdun. The capital is Bar-le-Duc.