Framing

The proce of joining and fitting together any kind of work composed of a number of different parts, whether in wood or in metal. In carpentry, however, this is generally called joining, and the carpenter who is employed on such work is termed a joiner. In such trades as mathematical, optical, philoPophical, and other complex instrument-making, the workman who does flat-filed work, and fits all the parts, and puts the whole instrument together, is called the framer, and his work framing. In the watch-trade, the man who frames all the parts together and builds up the watch is called a finisher, and his work is called fin ishing, though it corresponds with what is called framing in other trades. Fram'ingham, in Ma achusetts , a post-town and township of Middle sex co., about 21 m. W. by S. of Boston. Pop . of township (1895) 9,239. Frampton, in Ohio , a post-office of Licking co. Franc, n. A French silver coin and money of account which forms the unit of the French monetary system, and has also been adopted as such by Belgium and Switzerland. The franc is coined of silver, nine-tenths fine, and weighs five grammes, its value being about 20 cents. The franc is divided into 100 centimes. There are in France silver coins of 1, 1, 1, 2, and 5 francs; and gold pieces of 20 and 40 francs. Sardinia has also adopted the French money-system, only that the franc is called Lira nuova . Franca, ( fran'ka,) or VILLA-FRANCA-DO-IMPERADOR, a town of Brazil, abt. 270 m. N.N.E. of São-Paulo, on the Mugi. Franc a villa, (fran-ka-veel'ya,) a town of S. Italy, prov. Otranto, in a fertile dist., 23 m. W.S.W. of Brindisi, and 17 E.N.E. of Tarento. Manuf . Woollens, cotton stockings, earthenware, and snuff. In 1734 this place was partially destroyed by an earthquake. France, (REPUBLIC OF,) one of the richest, most important, and powerful of the states of Europe, in the W. part of which it is advantageously situated, between Lat. 42° 20' and 51° 5' N., and Lon. 4° 50′ W. and 8o 20 E.; having N.W. and N. the English Channel ( La Manche), the Straits of Dover ( Pas de Calais ), and the North Sea; N.E. by a conventional line running from the Vosges to the North Sea, along the frontiers of Germany, the grand duchy of Luxemburg, and Belgium; E. the Alps, and the Jura and Vosges mountains; S. the Mediterranean and Spain, and W. the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic. France po e es its natural boundaries, except on the N.E., where its natural frontier should be the Rhine. The shape of this country is an irregular hexagon, the sides of which might be drawn respectively along the English Channel, the Atlantic, the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean, the Alps, and the Vosges mountains. Its greatest length N.W. to S.E. (from the extremity of the dep. Finistère to Nice on the Mediterranean) is abt. 664 m.; its maximum breadth (a line cro ing the former nearly at right angles) is about 620 m. Length N. to S., Dunker que to Perpignan, nearly 600 m.; greatest breadth E. to W., between lat. 48° and 49°, about 555 m.; least breadth E. to W. abt. its centre 335 m. Inclusive of Corsica, and the three depts. of Alpes-Mar i times, Savoie, and Haute-Savoie, ceded to France by Italy, the total area is estimated, in the official tables published by the French govt., at abt. 52,857,695 hectares, or 204,091 sq. m. Polit . Div . France is divided into 87 departments - 89 previous to the German war of 1870-71-formed out of the provinces into which France was formerly divided as follows: IMG:content-0245.png:[blocks in formation] Gen. Desc. France is indebted not only to her large population, and the active spirit of her people, but in a great measure to her admirable geographical position, for her commanding influence in European affairs. Unlike any of the other States of Central Europe, she has the command of three seas, including those which wash both the N. and the S. shores of that continent. The N.W. coast presents the two considerable peninsulas of Britt any and Cotentin, the bay of St. Malo between them, the sæstuaries of the Seine, and the harbors of Morlaix, Cherbourg, Havre, Boulogne, Calais, and Dunker que. From the latter place to Calais, the shore is bordered by sandy downs ( dunes ). From the latter point to the mouth of the Seine, the coast is chiefly characterized by chalk and marl cliffs; further W., granitic cliffs alternate with low shelving shores. There is seldom deep water near the shore on this coast; the bay of Cancale near Avranches, for instance, being left nearly dry at ebb-tide, and pa engers at such times go from the mainland to Mt. St. Michel (Fig. 1059), acro Рід. 1059. - MONT ST. MICHEL. Rhone, the islands around F. , and belonging to her, are of little importance. On the W. coast the principal are Oleron, Ré, Yeu, Noirmoutier, Belle-Ile, and Oue ant, (Ushant). In the Mediterranean are the isles of Hières, Ratoneau, Pomêgue, ., near Marseilles. In the channel are Bréhat and a few rocky groups in the Bay of St. Malo, of which Chausey is the principal. Guern sey, Jersey, Alderney, ., belong to Eng., and are the only remains of the extensive dominions the English once po e ed in F. - Mountains . Of these the most con sider able are those of the Alps, Pyrenees, Cevennes, Auvergne, Jura, and the Vosges. The Alps between F. and Italy have for their principal summits, Ventoux, Géne vre, Vise, and Pelvoux, respectively 6,260, 11,785, 12,692, and 14,108 feet above the level of the sea. Among the Pyr enees, between F. and Spain, are the summits Canigon Midi, and Perdu, respectively 9,140, 9,440, and nearly 11,000 feet high. Among the Cevennes are Lozère, 4,884, and Mezin, 5,794 feet high. The Auvergne have the Puy-de-Dôme, 4,806; Cantal, 6,100, and Mont-d'Or, 6,188 feet. It was in ascending the Puy-de-Dôme that Pascal's famous discovery was made, that at greater elevations the height of the column of the mercury in the barometer is diminished. The Jura, between F. and Switzerland, culminate in Reculet, 5,643 feet high, and the Vosges, between Lorraine and Alsace in the Ballou d'Alsace, 4,688 above the level of the sea. These summits are given as the highest only within the boundaries of F. Rivers. The principal are the Seine, Loire, Garonne, and Rhône. The Seine falls into the Eng. Channel. It is about 500 miles long. Its æstuary and the lower part of its course is subject to the phenomenon of the bore (q. v.), which sometimes occasions considerable damage. The Loire is the largest, and traverses the centre of the empire, and falls into the Atlantic. It is about 620 m. long, 510 of which are navigable. The Garonne empties into the Bay of Biscay. It is about 350 m. long, 294 of which are navigable. The Rhône is 530 m. long, and falls into the Mediterranean, discharging by several branches, forming a delta. It is navigable for 310 m. The other rivers of importance are the Meuse, Moselle, Sambre, Scheldt, and Lys, flowing into the North Sea; the Somme, Oise, Orne, Marne, Aisne, Yonne, and Eure, flowing into the Eng. Channel; the Blavet, Vilaine, Adour, Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, Creuse, Mayenne, Sarthe, Gers, Dordogne, Ariège, Tarn, and Lot, falling into the Atlantic; and the Aude, Hérault, Saone, Doubs, Isère, and Durance, falling into the Mediterranean. Most of the chief rivers are connected by canals, thus greatly increasing the means of internal communication; and it is estimated that there are nearly 400 navigable streams, and 500 smaller ones in F. - Lakes and Marshes. There are no lakes of importance. The largest is that of Grand Lieu, in the dep. of the Lower Loire. It is only 6 m. acro . In Ain and Loire-et-Cher, marshes are numerous. The extensive lagoons on the S. and S.W. coasts and elsewhere, are too shallow to be used otherwise than for fishing and salt-works. It is estimated that about 6 of the area of F. is covered with forests. Among these the principal are those of Ardennes, Fontainebleau, Compiègne, and Orleans. The general appearance of the country is level or gently undulating. Geologically, the whole of F. may be considered as one extensive basin, the circumference and centre of which consist of primitive formations, the intermediate space being filled with those of a secondary and tertiary kind. The most widely diffused primary rocks are granite, gnei , micaceous and argillaceous schists, and primitive limestone. In Vendée, porphyry, diorite, and serpentines are found. In the Pyrenees calcareous rocks are very abundant, some of which contain great numbers of organic remains, even at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. Porphyry of various kinds, some of which exhibit great beauty, is the prevailing rock of the Vosges. The Puy-de-Dôme and some other adjacent mountains have a base of trachyte, and in the Vivrais especially, groups of gigantic basaltic columns are met with, alternating with calcareous strata containing fresh-water shells. These rocks, with the traces of extinct craters, lava streams, and other volcanic products, clearly point to a time of comparatively recent volcanic activity in this region. The secondary formation occupies the space between the primitive formations of the centre and circumference of F. They are generally calcareous or marly. It is on the thin soils of this formation that the growths yielding the finest Burgundy wines are raised in the Côte-d'Or. The tertiary deposits of F. are mostly calcareous, enclosing great quantities of shells and the remains of fo il mammal i a of large size. The so-called "Paris Basin" is the most remarkable of these form a tions. The most extensive alluvial district is that abouw the mouth of the Rhône. The soil of F. is, generally speaking, very superior. While there are vast tracts, especially in Britt any, Anjou, and Gascony, of healthy and unproductive land; yet her productive soil bears a larger proportion to the entire extent of the country than in most of the European states. Exclusive of the departments of Savoy and Nice, the soil of F. is divided as follows: IMG:content-0246.png:[graphic] IMG:content-0247.png:[blocks in formation] 100-00 Minerals. F. has considerable mineral wealth. Iron is obtained in the greater number of departments. Coal is very widely diffused, and immense beds of salt, sufficient to supply the country for ages, exist in Lorraine. Silver, lead, copper, mercury, zinc, tin, manganese, arsenic, and other rarer minerals are met with; and peat, asphaltum, sulphur, vitriol, alum, nitre, gypsum, porcelain and other clays, graphite, jet, asbestos, lithographic, mill and building stone, marble, slate, granite, ., are among the valuable mineral products. The climate of F. is not excelled by that of any other part of Europe. The air is generally pure and the winters mild; though the difference of latitude, soil, and elevation and exposure, occasion in this respect very material differences. Zool. The animals of F. are those common to Europe generally. Prod. Wheat, barley, oats, pulse, potatoes, truffles, and beet-root, from which sugar is made; flax, hemp, tobacco, hops, dye-woods, and medicinal palms. In the S., olives, oranges, grapes, figs, pomegranates, citrons, and the pistachio nut. The vine is cultivated to the extent of about a twenty seventh part of the superficial area of the country; and Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne wines are produced of the most excellent quality. Timber for carpentry and for shipbuilding purposes is largely grown; and, in the S., the cork-tree abounds. Manf . In the development of these, France has been particularly active in the nineteenth century. In the produce of iron and steel goods she has made immense advances, without neglecting other industrial arts, for which she has long been famed. Her most important manufactures are those of watches, jewelry, arms, cabinet-work, coachbuilding, pottery, gla , crystal, musical instruments, chemicals, oil, soap, beet-root sugar, dyeing, paper-making, printing, woollens, silks, linens, cottons, carpets, shawls, and lace. Com . The chief commercial harbors of France are Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nantes, Havre-deGrace, St. Malo, L'Orient, Bayonne, Dunker que, Dieppe, and Rochelle. Marseilles trades with the West Indies and the Levant; Bordeaux, with the East and West Indies and with the north of Europe, to a great extent in wine. Nantes has likewise a share of the colonial and wine trade. Havre is a principal seaport. Her chief commercial relations are carried on with the following countries:-Belgium, Switzerland, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States, and her own colonies. With these states the imports and exports amount to about one-sixth of the whole external commerce of the country.-Govt. Previous to 1870, when a republic was for the third time established in F. , the government was an hereditary monarchy, with the title of emperor in the sovereign. There were three houses of legislation, the Council of State, the Senate and the Legislature. The Council of State, appointed by the Emperor, and including the ministers as ex-officio members, prepared, under the direction of the Emperor and his ministers, such projects of law as were to be laid before the legislative body. The Senate, composed of cardinals, marshals, admirers and distinguished citizens selected by the Emperor, was composed of 150 members, appointed for life. It was its special duty to oppose all laws contrary to the constitution, religion, freedom of conscience, and the liberty and equality of citizens; while its sanction was required for all laws pa ed by the lower house. The Legislative body was elected by the people on the principle of universal suffrage, in the proportion of one representative to 3,500 electors. It was its duty to discu and vote on all laws submitted to it by the Council of State, and also the annual budget of income and expenditure of the government.-The Republic. On September 4, 1870, in consequence of the deposition of Napoleon III., a republic was established which is still maintained, and promises to be permanent. The existing constitution was adopted on Feb. 25, 1875, by the National A embly. Under this constitution the executive, administrative and judiciary powers are vested in the President, who is elected by the National A embly for a term of 7 years. The A embly, consisting of a Senate and Chamber of Deputies, exercises the legislative powers. The ministers, or head of the departments of the government, 10 in number, are appointed and are subject to dismi al by the President, but are responsible, not only to him, but also to the A embly. The Senate consists of 300 members, of whom 75 were elected for life under the law of 1875. The others are elected for 9 years, one-third retiring every three years; while the life senatorships, as they become vacant, are replaced by ordinary 9 years senatorships. The Chamber of Deputies (584 members) is chosen by universal suffrage, each arrondi ement electing one member for every 70,000 population, the term of office being 4 years. The National A embly holds annual se ions of at least 5 months' duration, while the President, with the consent of the Senate, has the power of di olving the Chamber of Deputies. The Commune and Department . The basis of French administration is the Commune, which varies greatly in size, each commune administering its local affairs by the aid of an elected municipal council and mayor. In Paris there are mayors for each division of the city, a prefect taking the place of the mayor of the whole city. A considerable degree of centralization persists, the central government greatly checking the independence of the communes, though a strong disposition is shown toward the increase of communal power. The next higher body of the State is the canton, composed of from 10 to 15 communes; and above this is the arrondi ement, or district, composed of not more than 9 cantons. The arrondi ement has its own elected council, which a e es the local taxes. It is governed by a sub-prefect, who has control of the council. The department, the next higher division of the State, is made up of a number of arrondi ements, averaging about four. This division was introduced during the Revolution, and is still maintained, the departments being administrative areas named usually from their chief rivers or mountains. There are 87 of these divisions, each po e ing an elected "general council," one member from each canton. A prefect represents the State in the department, with considerable control over the decisions of the council, whose powers embrace the subjects of taxation and the promotion of institutions of public utility. -Justice. The judicial institutions of F. retain many vestiges of their ancient character, and greatly add to the political control of the government. There is a justice of the peace in each canton, with jurisdiction over small civil suits only; a court in each arrondi ement before which matters of more importance are brought; and provisional courts of appeal for the hearing of all cases involving more than 1,000 francs. There is also a tribunal of commerce in all places where mercantile disputes are likely to arise; tribunals of police, or petty courts, for the punishment of small delinquencies; and tribunals elected by the heads and the workmen of industrial establishments to settle questions arising within them. The Cour de Ca ation, or highest court at present existing in the French Republic, situated at Paris, takes cognizance of all appeals from the provincial courts of appeal. In criminal matters a destructive feature of the French judicial system is the secrecy of the preliminary investigation, which, conducted by a state functionary, may continue for months. No counsel for the defence is admitted until the case is brought into open court. There are no juries employed for minor offences, and the jurors of the a ize courts are selected with great care from reputable citizens. They give majority verdicts. Appeal may be made to the court of ca ation from the decisions of all jury trials.- Education . The educational system of France is presided over by a minister of public instruction. There has been a long struggle between Church and State for its control, the dispute being settled in 1880 in favor of the State. Compulsory and free public education now exists under state control, the privileges of the Church having been abolished, and the teaching of "civic morality," from hand-books i ued by the state, introduced. Secondary education may be obtained in lycées and government colleges, and higher education in the universities or facultés , where instruction of a high standard, and almost free, is given. Practically there is but one university in France, which comprises all the facultés . In addition there are church and other private schools, and such special institutions as the College de France, the Museum of Natural History, the Polytechnic School, and many others.Religion. The Roman Catholic is the dominant religion of F. , and includes about ninety-seven per cent. of the population; but there in no religious restriction, and every citizen is protected in the exercise of his religious opinions. Finances. Ry the budget of 1896 the revenue of the state was estimated at $689,663,418; the expenditures at $689,583,640, of which $243,958,210 were credited to the interest and other costs of the public debt, whose grand total amounted to $6,207,050,500. The national debt of F. very largely exceeds that of any other country. Army and Navy. In 1896 the active and reserve army of F. was composed of 26,800 officers, and, in round numbers, 2,000,000 men; the first reserve force, 18,192 officers, and 733,600 men; second reserve force 18,857 officers and 803,000 men; making a total of 60,941 officers, and 3,539,600 men. The peace establishment of the army consisted of 549,091 men, and in112,628 horses and 3,720 guns. The navy included 61 iron-clads, of various grades; 66 unarmored ships, cruisers, and others; 35 unarmored gunboats; 27 other ve els; and about 250 torpedo boats, the total number of guns, of all sizes, being 5,985. This navy was manned by 4,947 officers, and 73,290 seamen and marines. -Colonies. F. has numerous and extensive colonial dependencies. Her once large colonial province in America is now reduced to a few islands of a total area of about 28,000 sq. miles; but in Africa her po e ions are large and growing, consisting of the once kingdoms of Algeria and Tunis, and a very large district on the west coast, extending far inward in the region south of the Sahara, with another north of the Congo. Of her island colonial po e ions may be particularly mentioned Madagascar, now under French control. In Asia, all the eastern region of Indo-China, including Cambodia, Cochin China, Anam, and Tonquin, is under French control, the whole forming a large rich, and populous country. Hist . Before the time of Cæsar, the whole of F. was known to the Romans by the name of Transalpine Gaul; but after its conquest it was divided into the four provinces of Provincia Romanorum (Provence), Gallica Aquitanica , Celtic a , and Belgica . In the 5th century it was subdivided into 17 provinces, inclusive of all the territory on the E. bank of the Rhine. At the latter epoch the Germanic nations began to pour in an irresistible torrent over Gaul; the Visigoths established themselves in the W. and S., from the Loire to the Pyrenees, where they established a kingdom that lasted till about 540. The Burguudians, in a similar manner, settled in the E., from the Lake of Geneva to the Rhine, and afterwards stretched along the Rhone to the Mediterranean. The independent sovereignty they erected lasted until about 532. The Franks, whose dominion swallowed up those of both the foregoing tribes, had been long settled in the N.; and Pharamond, their chief in 420, is considered the founder of the French monarchy, as he was of the first or Me roving i an race of Frankish kings. In 485 Clovus defeated Syagrius, the Roman general, at Sois sons, and finally extinguished the Ronman power in the W., and in 507, by his victory over the Visigoths, he rendered himself master of all the country between the Loire and the Garonne. On the death of Clovis, in 511, his dominions were divided into four kingdoms, -those of Paris, Metz, So is sons, and Orleans, each governed by one of his four sons. These, however, were reunited in 558. In 732 Charles Martel defeated the Saracens, who had effected the conquest of a great part of the S. of France, and ultimately expelled them from the kingdom. Under Pepin and Charlemagne the country was relatively peaceful and prosperous; but after the latter's death things returned to their original state of confusion. Under his immediate succe or F. was again divided into four parts, and the Normans began to ravage its N. provinces; the power of the nobility also rapidly increased; and the last sovereign of the Car loving i an dynasty, Louis V., in 986-7, po e ed only the town of Laon. His succe or, Hugh Capet, count of Paris and Orleans, the founder of the third race of kings, governed only the Ile-de-France, Picardy, and the Orle anna is; the dukes of Normandy, Britt any, Aquitaine, Gascony, Lorraine, and Burgundy, the counts of Flanders, Champagne, Ver man do is, Toulouse, and several minor seigneurs, shared among them the rest of the modern kingdom. By degrees, however, all the great fiefs fell in various ways to the crown. Ver man do is was united to it by Philip August us; Toulouse and Perche, by Louis IX.; Champagne, in 1274; the Lyonnais, Dauphiny, and Langue doc, in the 14th century; Berri, Normandy, Gascony, Burgundy, Anjou, Maine, and Provence, in the 15th; Bourbonnais, Auvergne, Britt any, Lorraine, and considerable territories in the S.W., in the 16th; and Flanders, Artois, Franche-Comté, and Alsace in the 17th century. While the monarchy gained in consistency and extent, the regal power was making constant advances. The political rights and privileges which the nobles exercised under the feudal system were the objects of continual attacks on the part of the crown, which, though sometimes defeated, were in most instances succe ful. At length, under the administration of Richelieu, the nobles were stripped of all power; and there being no other body in the state, with the exception of the parliaments, - which had degenerated into little else than courts of law, that enjoyed any constitutional privileges, the power of the crown was raised above control. Under the vigorous, and for a lengthened period prosperous, government of Louis XIV., the royal prerogative arrived at a maximum. But the close of this reign was eminently unprosperous; and the wars in which Louis had been long engaged, the burdens they obliged him to impose on his subjects, and the vast debts he had contracted, produced not only great suffering and misery, but also great discontent. During the regency and the subsequent part of the reign of Louis XV., abuses of all sorts multiplied on all hands, and were no longer concealed by the dazzling splendor and magnificence of the preceding period; the most worthle parasites obtained a predominating influence at court; the command of fleets and armies was intrusted to the merest imbeciles; the finances were involved in the greatest disorder; and France and Europe were scandalized and disgusted by the gro sensuality and vulgar profligacy of the king and his intimate a ociates. Louis XVI., who ascended the throne in 1774, was actuated by the best intentions, but he wanted the firmne of purpose and capacity required in so desperate a crisis. The abuses that infected the whole frame of society, though destructive of the public interests, were either really advantageous, or believed to be so, to a vast number of persons, including the nobility and clergy; and it would have required a mind of a very different order from that of Louis to have frustrated the solicitations, intrigues, and cabals of such powerful parties, and to have safely carried through the reforms that had become indispensable. At length, after a variety of futile expedients had been in vain resorted to, it was resolved, in 1789, to hold a meeting of the States-General, which had not been convened since 1614, for effecting the neces sary changes, and averting a public bankruptcy. This was the commencement of that tremendous revolution which cost Louis XVI. the crown and his life, and destroyed every vestige of the govt. and institutions that existed when it broke out. The atrocities connected with the Revolution were the wild, but not unnatural exce es of an uninstructed populace, that had suddenly been emancipated from a state of extreme degradation. The proscriptions and anarchy by which the Revolution was accompanied continued till Napoleon attained to the supreme direction of affairs. The talents of this extraordinary man were surpa ed only by his ambition, which, by overstepping all bounds, precipitated him into enterprises that ultimately led to his overthrow. In 1814, the Bourbon was replaced upon the throne; but the elder branch had profited as little as the Stuarts in England, under similar circumstances, by the le ons of adversity, and in 1830 they were reëxpelled from the kingdom. The crown was then offered, under certain conditions, to Louis Philippe, Duke d'Orleans, by whom it was accepted. He has the merit of having contributed, under very difficult circumstances, to maintain, for a lengthened period, the peace of F. and Europe. But he alienated the public by his plans for advancing and enriching his children, and by the corruption which pervaded every department of his government. This led to the revolution of Feb. 24, 1848, and the establishment of the republic, presided over by a Provisional Government. A new constitution having been voted by a "Constituent A embly" of 900 members, Prince Louis Napoleon was elected head of the republic, for 4 years, by 5,562,843 votes, on the 10th of December, 1848. The Prince Presi dent di olved the National A embly by a coup d'état, Dec. 2, 1851, and having remodelled the constitution, appealed to universal suffrage, which declared him president for 10 years, by 7,439,216 votes, on the 21st of Dec., 1851. By a third vote, Louis Napoleon was chosen Emperor of France, by 7,864,216 against 231,145 votes, on the 22d of Nov., 1852, and a umed the title Napoleon III., Emperor of the French, on the 1st of Dec., 1852. For an account of the history of F. during his reign, see NAPOLEON III. Since the close of the disastrous war with Germany the history of F. has been one of continued peace and prosperity, under the succe ive presidencies of Thiers (1871), McMahon (1873), Grévy (1879), Carnot (1887), Casimir-Périer (1895), and Faure (1895). The immense indemnity of 500,000,000 francs demanded by Germany, was paid by Sept., 1873, and F. has since borne its enormous debt without serious difficulty. Pop . (1891) 38,095,170. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE SOVEREIGNS OF FRANCE. IMG:content-0248.png:[subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed] France, (Isle of.) See MAURITIUS. France's Creek, in Wisconsin , a P. O. of Manitowocco. Francesville, in Indiana , a post-village of Pulaski co., abt. 40 m. N. of Lafayette. France'za, an island of Brazil, prov. of Rio-de-Janeiro, a short distance S.W. of Cape Frio. Franche-Comté, ( franzh kom'tai ,) an ancient prov. of France, adjacent to Switzerland and Lorraine. e. Its capital was Besançon, and it is now divided into the deps. of Haute-Saône, Jura, and Doubs. This province, conquered by the Franks in 534, formed part of the duchy of Burgundy, and was bestowed on Philip II. of Spain on his marriage with Isabella, daughter of Henry II. of France, in 1559. Louis XIV. conquered it in 1668, and restored it to Spain by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, May 12, 1668. He conquered it again in 1674, and it was finally ceded to France by Spain, by the treaty of Nimeguen, Sept. 17, 1678.