USHANT (Fr. Ouessant)  , the most westerly of the islands off the coast of France, about 14 M. from the coast of Finistere, of which department it forms a canton and commune . Pop . (1906) 276r . Ushant is about 3850 acres in extent and almost entirely granitic, with steep and rugged coasts accessible only at a few points, and rendered more dangerous by the frequency of fogs . The island affords pasturage to a breed of small black sheep, and about half its area is occupied by cereals or potatoes . The male inhabitants are principally pilots and fishermen, the women working in the fields . Ushant was ravaged by the English in 1388 . The lordship was made a marquisate in 1597 in favour of Rene de Rieux de Sourdeac, governor of Brest . In 1778 a naval action without decisive result was fought off Ushant between the English under Keppel and the French under the Count d'Orvilliers .