DEUTZ (anc. Divitio)

This article appears in Volume V08, Page 120 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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DEUTZ (anc. Divitio) , formerly an independent town of Germany, in the Prussian Rhine Province, on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite to Cologne, with which it has been incorporated since 1888. It contains the church of St Heribert, built in the 17th century, cavalry barracks, artillery magazines, and gas,

porcelain

PORCELAIN

, machine and carriage factories. It has a handsome railway station on the banks of the Rhine, negotiating the local traffic with Elberfeld and Konigswinter. The fortifications of the town form part of the defences of Cologne. To the east is the manufacturing suburb of Kalk.
The old castle in Deutz was in 1002 made a

Benedictine

BENEDICTINE

monastery by Heribert, archbishop of C logne. Permission tc fortify the town was in 1230 granted to the citizens by the arch-bishop of Cologne, between whom and the counts of Berg it was in 1240 divided. It was burnt in 1376, 1445 and 1583; and in 1678, after the peace of Nijmwegen, the fortifications were dismantled; rebuilt in 1816, they were again razed in 1888.
DEUX-SEVRES, an inland department of western France, formed in 1790 mainly of the three districts of Poitou, Thouarsais, Gatine and Niortais, added to a small portion of Saintonge and a still smaller portion of Aunis. Area, 2337 sq. m. Pop. (1906) 339,466. It is bounded N. by Maine-et-Loire, E. by Vienne, S.E. by Charente, S. by Charente-Inferieure and W. by Vendee. The department takes its name from two riversthe Sevre of Niort which traverses the southern portion, and the Sevre of Nantes (an affluent of the Loire) which drains the north-west. There are three regionsthe Gatine, occupying the north and centre of the department, the Plaine in the south and the Marais, distinguished by their geological character and their general physical appearance. The Gatine, formed of primitive rocks (granite and schists), is the continuation of the " Bocage " of Vendee and Maine-et-Loire. Its surface is irregular and covered with hedges and clumps of

wood

or forests. The systematic application of lime has much improved the soil, which is naturally poor. The Plaine, resting on oolite limestone, is treeless but fertile. The Marais, a low-lying district in the extreme south west, consists of alluvial clays which also are extremely productive when properly drained. The highest points, several of which exceed 700 ft., are found in a line of hills which begins in the centre of the department, to the south of Parthenay, and stretches north-west into the neighbouring department of Vendee. It divides the region drained by the Sevre Nantaise and the Thouet (both afluents of the Loire) in the north from the basins of the Sevre Niortaise and the Charente in the south. The climate is mild, the annual temperature at Niort being 54 Fahr., and the rainfall nearly 25 in. The winters are colder in the Gatine, the summers warmer in the Plaine.
Three-quarters of the entire area of Deux-Sevres, which is primarily an agricultural department, consists of arable land. Wheat and oats are the main cereals. Potatoes and mangoldwurzels are the

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

root-crops. Niort is a centre for the growing of vegetables (onions, asparagus, artichokes, &c.) and of angelica. Considerable quantities of beetroot are raised to

supply

SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

the distilleries of Melle. Colza, hemp, rape and flax are also cultivated. Vineyards are numerous in the neighbourhood of Bressuire in the north, and of Niort and Melle in the south. The department is well known for the Parthenay breed of cattle and the Poitou breed of horses; and the mules reared in the southern arrondissements are much sought after both in France and in Spain. The system of co-operative dairying is practised in some localities. The apple-trees of the Gatine and the walnut-trees of the Plaine bring a good return. Coal is

mined

MINED

, and the department produces building-stone and lime. A leading industry is the manufacture of textiles (serges, druggets, linen, handkerchiefs; flannels, swan-skins and knitted goods). Tanning and leather-dressing are carried on at Niort and other places, and gloves are made at Niort. Wool and

cotton

spinning, hat and shoe making, distilling, brewing, flour-milling and oil-refining are also main industries. The department exports cattle and sheep to Paris and Poitiers; also cereals, oils, wines, vegetables and its industrial products.
The Sevre Niortaise and its tributary the Mignon furnish 19 m. of navigable waterway. The department is served by the Ouest-Etat railway. It contains a large proportion of Protestants, especially in the south-east. The four arrondissements are Niort, Bressuire, Melle and Parthenay; the cantons number 31, and the communes 356. Deux-Sevres is part of the region of the IX. army corps, and of the diocese and the academic (educational circumscription) of Poitiers, where also is its court of appeal.
Niort (the

capital

CAPITAL (i.e. capital stock or fund)
CAPITAL (Lat. caput, head)

), Bressuire; Melle, Parthenay, St Maixent, Thouars and Oiron are the principal places .in. the department. Several other towns contain features of

interest

INTEREST

. Among these
are Airvault, where there is a church of the 12th and 14th centuries which once belonged to the abbey of St Pierre, and an ancient bridge built by the monks; Celles-sur-Belle, where there is an old church rebuilt by Louis XI., and again in the 17th century; and St Jouin-de-Marnes, with a fine Romanesque church with Gothic restoration, which belonged to one of the most ancient abbeys of Gaul..

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