ANTIQUITIES

costumes of the Lozère

CHARACTER, MANNERS, ETC.

Living in the middle of mountains, in a poor and arid region, exposed to the attacks of a vigorous climate, the farmers of the Lozere have necessarily agresticural manners.
Nevertheless their character is friendly and straight. They are naturally soft and even gracious towards the foreigners, peacefully subjected to the authorities which they respect and full of devotion, respect and love to their parents.
Their life is hard with heavy work and the majority have to fight against the natural sterility of the country of which they own little parts.
Their food is simple and frugal: it is composed of dairy produce, butter, cheese, bacon, salted cow, dry vegetables and rye bread. They join to it potatoes or chestnuts.
Their usual drink is the source water, but they also like wine and happened to become drunk when they go to fairs or other occasions in the villages with rare amusement.
Their dwellings, generally low, dark and humid are inconvenient and unhealthy.
Both catholics and Protestants are strongly attached to their religion and great amateurs of religious ceremonies, they all have an equal respect for the ministers of their worship
They also preserve with tenacity their customs, are attached to their prejudices, their agricultural routine and the coarse costume which they carry since their childhood.
They are little hastened to change, even when their interest might benefit from changing.
Their slowness let little place to projects of improvements.
Everybody has a great attachment for his village. The young ones are really unwilling to leave for military service, and the lozere counts the most latecomers. Nevertheless, when they joined the battalion, they show to be intrepid and disciplined soldiers. They are very proofed against the tirednesses of the war, being of a strong constitution and a robust temperament.
The inhabitants of the cities have naturally more amenity in their character than the inhabitants of the campaigns; but like them, they are sparing and hard, and however hospitable and charitable.
Two of the prices of virtue that the French Academy distributed in 1832 and 1833, were decreed to lozerien ladies. Mrs Guiraud (born Suzanne Géral), one of them, undertook numberless acts of charity.
The inhabitants of Lozere in general, have intelligence, natural spirit and a healthy judgement. They cultivate little the letters and arts; but they succeed rather well in the study of the natural science and mathematics.

        

The patois of Lozere takes part of the patois auvergnat and Languedocien. - One finds a great number of Spanish terms.
The pronunciation of some words of Latin origin or French is even Spanish; what is explained by the relations of the former inhabitants of the country with Spaniards.
Everytime that, in a word, the CH consonants are preceded by a vowel, one pronounce as if there were TCH.
This patois is of use by the inhabitants of the campaigns and the workmen of the cities.
It has grace and vividity, and lend itself to an energetic way of speaking and the expression of caustic and spiritual thoughts.
The French speaking people preserve in their language the particular accent of the South.
To give an idea of the patois of Lozere, we will quote some verses of a translation of the ‘’parable of the infant prodigy’’- (bible)

        

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Among the distinguished men of the Lozere, for various reasons belong :
pope URBAIN V, cardinal BLAIN, knight GUERIN, bishop of SenIis, who commanded the French army at the battle of Bovines;
troubadour PERIGON, famous in XIIIe century: the famous chemist CHAPTAL, who was member of the Institute, Minister of Interior Department, senator and par of France; Rene of BERNIS, PELET (of Lozere), and the former prefect · DE NOGARET, estimated administrator; several men who belonged to our political assemblies during the Revolution: LESTERPS-BRAVAIS, LESTERPS, MONESTIER, SERVIERES; various general officers of the Republic and the Empire - BORELLI, BRUN OF VILLERET, CHALBOS, MEYNADIER, THILORIER, etc;
the knight DU SAILLANT, gentleman of Gévaudan, who commanded the famous camp of Jalés; the famous RIVAROL, one of the most spiritual literati of the XVIIIe century
Pierre DAUDE, translator and biographer; the publicity agent SALAVILLE,
the doctor BALDIT, who made known the properties of thermal springs of Bagnols;
physicist BLANQUET, poet and literati man; etc.
     

TOPOGRAPHY
The department of Lozere is a mediterranean department, region of the south, mainly formed of Gevaudan and parts of the former dioceses of Uzés and Alais (Languedoc).
It’s limits in the North are the departments of Haute-Loire and the Cantal, in the east, those of the Ardeche and Gard, in the south, those of Gard and Aveyron; and in the west, that of the Aveyron.
It’s named after one of its principal crossing mountain chain. Its surface is 509,543 arpents metric.

GROUND
The territory is divided naturally into three areas: in north, the granitic zone, in the center, the calcareous zone with a schistous base and in the South, the purely schistous zone.
At the two ends of the department in the East and West, are some volcanic grounds.

MOUNTAINS.
The lozere is furrowed by severalpmountain chains, ramifications of the large chains of the Cevennes. The average height of the plateaux is in between 750 A 1000 meters above the sea level. That of the three large buttresses of which they depend (Margeride, Lozere and the mountain of Aubrac) is 1350 to 1500 meters
The Margeride gives birth to the Trueyre-river, one of the principal affluents of the Lot: the Mount Lozere is the source of the Lot and Tarn. - the Aubrac, which rises at the Western extemity of the department, on the border of the Aveyron, does not give birth to any significant river.
In the East and South-East on the demarcation line with the Ardèche, rises the principal mountains of the Eastern Cevennes which is the source of a great quantity of rivers, among which the AIIier.
The Gard and Gardons rise in the most southern part where are the mountains of Aigonal (Mont Aigoual).
The Lozerian mountains offer old voIcanic vestiges, escarped rocks, caves decorated with stalactites, beautiful cascades, wild and gracious sites, finally all the picturesque versatility of a mountainous country.
Mount Lozere, which gave its name to the department is a mountain chain which is less remarkable by its height than by its beautiful pastures and the nature of it’s rock, of quartzose granite mixed up with black mica and feldspar, enormous blocks, armed with truding points, serving like natural lightning conductors they say.
Here the height of the principal mountains and some other high places of the Lozere :

Le plateau du Palais du Roi .........1.548 meter.
La Margeride ...............................1.519
La Lozère.................................. .1.490
La source de l'Allier......................1.532
La Cham de la Roche. ..................1.328
Le mont Mimat, environ .................1.111
La Causse de Sauveterre, environ..   975
Le pont de Langogne.....................  896
La Causse de I'Hospitalet, environ. .  780
Le Bois des Armes (sources du Tarn
et de la Ceze) .................................770

* Some authors give birth to Rivarol river in the Gard, others in Bagnols-les- Bains, in the Lozere.

FORESTS
Large forest are those of the Mercoire, Fau-des-Armes, Calcadis, Champeros, le bois Noir and Augoual (Aigonal in the text)- composed of oaks, birches and pines chenes, of hètres or pines
The forest of Gourdouse, is mainly consisting of birches, of which the most common specie, is called ‘’Fayard’’.
Their surface counts 32,599 hectares, of which 1,437 belong to the State, and 2,875 with the communes.

LAKES
The department has four lakes, situated in the mountains of Aubrac : the lake of Born, Saint-Andéol, Soubeyrol and Saillans.
The circular shape of the Lake Born makes believe that it is the crater of an old volcano.
The Lake Saint-Andéol, the largest one, seems, if not been dug, at least increased by the work of the men. At water level you can distinguish the points of the beams which were used to consolidate the foundation of a dam. - These two lakes are very full of fish.
The lake Soubeyrol and Saillans communicate by the river of la Garde. For a long time there was a project to reclaim them, which easily would create 40 hectares pastures.

RIVERS
The department contains a great number of rivers with lively excellent water. None of them is navigable.
The four principal rivers which have their source in the Lozere are the Lot, the Tarn, the Allier and the Gard, they gave their name to four surrounding departments.
There are seven more, secondary rivers which are: the Bès (affluent of the Trueyre), the Trueyre and Colagne (affluents of the Lot), the Chassezac (afluent of the Gard, and theTarnon, Jonte and Mimente (affluents of the Tarn).
The mountains of the Lozere and Cevennes, which give direction to the watercourses , send the water of the Lot, Tarn and Allier to Ocean, and that of Gard into the Mediterranean.

ROADS
The department has 24 royal or departmental roads; nevertheless most of transport still is made there by mules and donkeys.
          


METEOROLOGY

CLIMATE
The atmosphere is prone to abrupt variations in temperature, it passes sometimes in the same day of a sharp heat to an intense cold.
The region has in general a cold and wet climate. In north, the winter lasts six months, and in certain years, nine months; in the South, it lasts only four months.
In general, the temperature is only in warm in the Cevennes valleys, situated in the south.
The winter usually is rigorous, spring rainy, the summer stormy and the autumn beautiful, but only towards the end.
The thermometer extremities are commonly - l5° and of + 25°C.

WINDS
The dominant winds in the North are those of the North and the East, and in the South of the department from the West and South.
For the silk-worms they fear Eastern wind, which is dry and hot and called ‘’the white mariner’’.

DISEASES
The country, in general, is healthy for men and animals: all are robust and vigorous.
There are few epidemic diseases; the intermittent fevers are rare here.
The most common diseases are the rheumatic affections, catharrac, hydropisies and a sort of scurvy.
They sometimes suffer goitres in the small valleys of Malzieu and Saint-Léger.

NATURAL HISTORY

FOSSILS
Some localities of the department contain fossils. There is a great quantityof them in the commune of Barjac, like several un-indentified ammonites discovered by Mr. Ignon son (of Mende) and rests of the ictyosaurus.

ANIMALS
The department contains few horses and a greater number of mules and donkeys.
The sheep are small, but produce a fine and good wool.
The goats, also of small size, are vigorous.
Of the wild boars, stags and roe-deers populating the forests formerly; are not present nowadays, except some roe-deers, hares and rabbits in great, badgers in small number. The fox is more common.
The vast the forests of the mountains gives asylum to wolves of big size and very wild. The famous ‘’ Bete de Gevaudan’’ of the past century, hided in these forests and was of this race of wolves.
In the last ten years, in between 1821 and 1830, they killed 515 wolves andwhelps.
The dog ‘’chien de parc’’ is a beautiful race, and its force equalizes its heat for hunting wild animals and defending herds.
Among the birds of prey one notices the golden eagle; the winged game is abundant. Other figuring birds are : One finds there the gilded plover, the sarcelle, partridges, trushes, ruails, woodcocks, etc.
Finally the rivers and the lakes provide excellent trouts and eels.

VEGETALS.
The Flora of the department is rather rich.
One finds there especially poisonous plants known as effective remedies, such as the conium, the jusquiame, the napel, colchic, the soft-bitter, the flammule, the pulsatile, foxglove and arnica.
The number of used plants in medicine or arts, is about 800.
The garance, the tanners grass (coriara myrtifolia), the dyers broom (genista tinctoria), the parella grows here spontaneously.
Tobaccoprosperred in the mountains of Aubrac when the culture was allowed.

MINERALS
The mineral and metal richnesses can be compared with those of Hartz in Westphalia and of Freyberg in Saxony.
They dig silver-bearing lead, copper, antimony, litharge, potters' lead, marble, porphyry, granite and gypsum.
The silver-mine of Vialas produces 7 to 800 grams of silver per 100 kg.
There are still numerous unexploited mines of iron and coal, manganese, kaolin, etc.
There are quarries of gypsum crystals, sapphires, etc.
After heavy rains their can be found gold spangles in the Gardon and Cèze river.
The peak of Muret, an old volcano contains much minerals.

Mineral water
The department counts a great number of medicinal springs (cold and acidulous) in Sarrons - close to Saint-Chely, in Saint-Pierre - close Malzieu, in Javols, Colagne, Mazel-Chabrier, Mazel-de-Laubies, at the rock of Saint-Amans, in Laval-d’Auroux, laval d’Atger, Quezac, lspagnac, Florac, etc.
The chemical analysis arranges this various waters among aerated water, they contain carbonic acid, are and tonic and creatin appetit.
Saint Leger-de-Peyre has several sources of copper water with purgative properties, some glasses makes vomiting.
The thermal and sulfurous springs of Bagnols- the Baths are known for a long time. A few years ago they created a thermal station in Chaldette, commune of Brion, district of Marvejols, it’s water has similar beneficial effects as that of Bagnols les Bains.

Page 2 History Lozère 

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