| and Ban, 7 m. NE of Saint-Etienne. Pop. in 1841, 8,034. It contains a communal college; and possesses extensive manufactories of ribbons, silk-lace and cord, velvets, earthenware, and nails; it has also silk-spinning-mills, and dye-works. In the environs are iron-riously along, looking in wonder on the buttresses founderies, quarries of freestone, and coal-mines. CHAMOSON, a parish and village of Switzerland, in the cant. of Valais, dixain of Conthey, at the base of a mountain of the same name, and near the r. bank of the Lucerne, an affluent of the Rhone, and 8 m. W of Sion. Pop., Cath., 1,079. Blanc's nearest neighbour. Other mountains follow on that side as far as the Col-de-Balme, which terminates the long vista at the distance of about 18 m. The first evening of our arrival, we merely went cuwhich at regular intervals seem to prop up the base of Mont Blanc. They are, I believe, all composed of the calcareous strata, turned up against the granitic mass, and less precipitous than the rest of the front; they afford a footing for trees differing in species according to height,-the first zone deciduous,the next composed of pines,-then larches; forest above forest, waving their tufty and dark shades, accessible as far as 3,000 or 4,000 ft. above C. The interval between each of these verdant buttresses is filled by a glacier. There are six or seven of them, those of Tacconay and Boissons, before coming to C.; and those of Montanvert, Des Bois D'Argentiere, and De la Tour beyond it. The Glacier des Bois is the most considerable [by this term Simond evidently means the Mer-de-Glace, of which the Glacier-desBois is only the lower extremity]. The cap of snow over the head of Mont Blanc, turned to hard ice solely by the pressure of its own accumulating mass, covers the neck and shoulders of the giant, and hangs down to the ground, forming an irregular drapery of which the glaciers just enumerated are the skirts. It is the quantity of snow falling upon the top of Mont Blanc,-that is upon the upper third of its height,-where it never melts, and not the intenseness of the cold, which determines the progressive encroachments at the lower end of the glaciers, over the green fields of the valleys." There are, as we have already noted, two entrances to the valley at its head, from the Valais. These diverge at the little v. of Triente. Saussure recom CHAMOUILLEY, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Haute-Marne, cant. of Saint-Dizier, on the r. bank of the Marne, 9 m. NNE of Vassy. Pop. 653. It contains some blast furnaces and forges. CHAMOUNI, or more correctly CHAMONIX, a celebrated Alpine valley and village of Savoy, at the N foot of Mont Blanc. The Arve, which rises in the Col-de-Balme, a mountain closing up the N end of the valley, flows through its centre, and near the middle of its course receives the Arveiron on the 1., an impetuous torrent rising in the glacier of Bois. The stations from which tourists usually commence the journey to C., are Geneva, and Martigny, a town in the W of the Valais. The route from the latter place passes over the Tête-Noire, from the Valorsine, or over the Col-de-Balme, at an alt of 7,200 ft., and introduces the traveller at the head of the valley; that from Geneva winds along the banks of the Arve, and enters the valley at its S extremity. The latter route, though not destitute of Alpine scenery, is less wild and picturesque than the other; but it is upon the whole a more agreeable approach, and better adapted to the generality of tourists. From Geneva to the Prieuré, the distance is reckoned about 40 m., and can easily be travelled in one day. The road from Geneva to Sallenches-mends that which passes over the Tete Noire as the which is 36 m., considerably more than half of the journey-is well made, and accommodated to every kind of vehicle; but upon leaving the latter place, the country assumes a more alpine appearance, and the roads acquire a similar character, and can be passed only on horse-back, or in a char-à-banc. What is properly called the vale of C., extends from the source of the Arve to about 2 m. beyond the village of Ouches, and is near 18 m. in length. Its breadth nowhere exceeds 1 m.; and in some places it is considerably less. The greater portion of the valley stretches from NE to SW; but about 1 m. S from the Prieuré the direction is changed to W, and afterwards to NW, by which cause the tourist is prevented from seeing the whole at one view. The valley is bounded on the E and SE by the great chain of the Pennine Alps, which here, in a succession of lofty pyramidal peaks called Aiguilles, and principally in Mont Blanc, divides it from the Val d'Aosta. It is from this side, and between the slopes of the magnificent Aiguilles de-Tour, Argentière, Verte, Dru, du Midi, and Mont Blanc, that the glaciers which form so striking a feature in the scenery of C., descend to the very edge of the cultivated fields in the valley. The W side of the valley is formed by the Breven or Brevent, an offset of the Buet group towards the N, and a long unbroken rampart of mountains terminating in a succession of aiguilles or sharp peaks. "The valley of C.," says Simond, “may be compared to a street, with splendid edifices reared by the hand of Nature on either side; they are so high, and the interval-about half-a-mile-comparatively so narrow, that little more is seen than the ground story. The magnificent front of Mont Blanc, rising to the height of 11,780 ft. perpendicular above C., itself 3,000 ft. above the sea, occupies 6 or 8 m. in length of that sort of street on the S side of it; and over the way stands the Breven, which is Mont least steep and hazardous; but tourists generally ascend the Col-de-Balme, in order to enjoy the view which it commands from an alt. of 4,000 ft. above its level. Looking from this point to the W, the deep and narrow valley of C. is seen from one end to the other, and an amazing scene of alpine magnificence oppresses the vision; "A thousand towering dark and savage peaks,-lightning-riven battlements, at whose bases, hardened and heaped-up, great depths of ice bidding defiance to the sunbeams, and glaciers winding many a league downwards through their cross ravines, like belts of brightness flung over a region black with pines; and beneath all, an oasis within a wilderness of snow, the green vale of C. smiling with rural beauty and the abodes of men." From the Col-de-Balme, Mont Blanc is seen in profile, from its summit to its base; and the summits of the principal Aiguilles are seen nearer and in the same range; but the effect of their amazing height of from 11,000 to 13,000 ft. above sea-level, is diminished by the superior elevation and magnitude of Mont Blanc, whose snowy pyramid rises in proud supremacy above them all. The alt. of Mont Blanc above the level of the valley is 12,386 ft.,-an elevation greater than that of Chimborazo above the table-land on which it rises. It is snow-clad also for 7,000 ft. Owing, however, to the vast buttresses which it throws out towards the valley, its height does not strike the eye of the beholder so much from this side as from the Allee-Blanche on the S or Italian side. On the N side of the valley are seen the lower Aiguilles, called from their colour Aiguilles Rouges; beyond them is Mont Breven; and nearer, on the NW, the mountains of the Valorsine. Α mountain called the Vaudange closes the W extremity of the valley, where the Arve, the common drain of all the glaciers, makes its exit from the valley through a lateral chasm of "a depth to shudder at," at Pont-Pelissier. This chasm extends 4 m. from near Ouches to Pont-Pelissier. It has been formed by the waters working a lateral passage in a rock of soft slate, near its junction with a mass of hard granite. ley, oats, beans, and potatoes. Flax succeeds better in the valley than in the open country; and the potato crop is uncommonly productive. Wheat is only sown on some small spots in the bottom of the valley. The principal crop is hay for the cattle during winter. Every proprietor divides his land into two equal portions; one-half is laid out in corn-fields, the other in meadows. This arrangement continues for six years, after which the meadows are ploughed up, and the corn-fields converted into meadow. The whole of the bottom of the valley is laid out in this manner; but the chief source of wealth arises from the pasturages among the mountains. Next to cheese, the most valuable production of the valley is honey. It is of a pure white colour, and has a brilliant grain resembling sugar. It has an exquisite taste, and an aromatic odour. It has long been a puzzling inquiry how the honey of C. acquires those peculiar properties. The bees are the same as those of the neighbouring villages, and the hives of C. are often recruited from them; and yet, beyond the precincts of the valley, the honey is not distinguished by any of those peculiar qualities. Saussure conjectures that it may be owing to the larch-trees which abound in the valley, and the leaves of which exude at certain seasons a kind of manna, in which the bees delight. Honey is perhaps the only native luxury of which C. can boast. Fruit of any kind is rarely met with; and the vine is entirely unknown. The apples, cherries, and plums which grow here, are all of the wild kind, and seldom arrive at maturity. The oak, the chestnut, and walnut tree, are never seen. When we consider the great elevation of the valley above the level of the sea,-3,425 ft.,-and the immediate neighbourhood of those immense masses of ice and snow which form the glaciers, it is somewhat surprising that its mean temp. should seldom be more than 10° or 11° below that of Geneva. Bourrit gives the following state of the therm. as the average temperature of the summer. At 9 in the morning, 52°; at mid-day, 66°; in the evening, 57°. This uncommon mildness may be in some measure owing to the general tendency of valleys to concentrate the rays of the sun; but more, perhaps, to the particular direction of the valley, by which it is exposed for near ten hours in summer to the direct action of the sun's rays. The climate, however, even in summer, is very variable. Saussure states, that on the 25th of July, at noon, in the shade, the thermometer rose to 77°; while on the 22d of the same month it was only 66°; and in the morning of the 23d there was a strong hoar frost. The fine season usually commences in June, and ends in September; though October, and even November, are sometimes agreeable months here. Winter, in general, begins in November, and ends in May. During this period the valley is completely covered with snow to a considerable depth; the nights are clear; and the therm. often falls to 22° below the freezing point. While this dreary season continues the inhabitants seldom go abroad; the The population of the valley is very considerable women occupy themselves in spinning and knitting, for its extent. If we were to judge, however, of the and the men in attending to the cattle, which are number of the inhabitants from the crowds which housed and fed with the hay gathered during the appear in every village upon the arrival of a stranger, short summer and autumn. The following remarks we should form rather too high an estimate of its of Saussure will enable the reader to form some idea pop.; for on those occasions every male person in of the length and severity of the winter. "I arrived the district presents himself, in the expectation of at C.," says he, "on the 24th of March, and found being hired as a guide. The valley is divided into the whole valley covered with snow. At the Priory three parishes; Ouches, in the SW; Argentière, in it was 14 ft. deep; at Argentiere 4 ft.; and at Tour the NE; and that of La Prieuré or Chamouni, in the 12 ft. The heat of the sun softened the snow in the middle. Professor Forbes fixes the position of the day-time; but it froze again during the night to such latter village in N lat. 45° 55′ 54′′, E long. 6° 51′ 15′′. a degree that loaded mules passed over it without Bourrit, who visited the country about 1760, gives leaving any impression of their feet." The appear- the following statement of the pop., viz., 300 in the ance of the valley at this season is grand, but by no district of Vaudagne; 1,000 in the parish of Ouches; means interesting. The immense space between the 1,200 in the Priory; 500 in Argentière. It is prosummits of the mountains and the bottom of the bable that since that period the number of the invalley presents one uniform white surface, unbroken habitants has considerably increased, for even then except by some rocks whose steep sides cannot re- the progress of pop. was very discernible; yet the tain the snow. The forests have a greyish hue; and Calendario Sardo returned it in 1825 at only 2,700. the Arve, which winds through the centre of the Bourrit remarks, that those who a few years prior to valley, appears like a black thread. The glaciers- his arrival had only three or four hives of bees, had which add so much to the beauty of the landscape then 40; that cheese and butter, which had formerly when the valley is clothed in green-produce no been made for home-consumption only, had become effect in the midst of all this prevailing whiteness; but articles of exportation; that woods, which used to the pyramids of ice, whose steep sides have remained rot on the place where they grew, had been cut down, bare, appear like emeralds under the fresh white and the land cleared and converted into corn-fields snow which covers their summits. The whole pros- and meadows; that small and very inconvenient pect, when illuminated by the sun, has, with all its houses had been replaced by others more spacious grandeur and dazzling light, something dead and and airy, and consequently more healthy. It is to melancholy. The severity of the winter, and the be feared, however, that the influx of strangers has shortness of the summer, which scarcely allows suffi- produced here as elsewhere the very opposite effect, cient time for the labours of the field, render it highly by leading the people to prefer the high but precariimportant to hasten if possible the melting of the ous profits of guides to the more slow but sure gains snow. The contrivance used for this purpose by the of regular industry. A considerable proportion of inhabitants of the higher part of the valley is both the male population also emigrate to Paris and the simple and elegant, and attended with small expense: towns of Germany, or hire themselves during the it consists in scattering black earth on the top of the summer-months to the people of the Tarentaise and snow, which, by absorbing more of the sun's rays the valley of Aosta, for the purpose of making cheese, than the white surface, facilitates the clearing of the in which they are said greatly to excel. The men of fields, and advances the labours of agriculture about C. are of a middle stature, stout and active. They three weeks. are in general honest, faithful, religious, and distinThe chief crops raised in the valley are flax, bar-guished for acts of charity and beneficence. They have no hospitals or foundations in behalf of the poor; but the old men and orphans, who have no means of subsistence, live at the houses of the inhabitants in regular succession. The government of the valley is that of a small republic, and is intrusted to a register, a syndic, and 7 councillors. The chapter of Sallenche enjoys the sovereignty in all ecclesiastical matters; names the curates, and draws the church-revenues. The curate of the Priory has the title of administrator, because, besides possessing the cure of souls, he has also the management of the temporalities of the chapter.-Incredible as it may seem, the valley of C., till then unknown, was discovered in 1741, by two Englishmen,-the celebrated traveller Pococke and a Mr. Windham. An account of their journey appeared in the Mercure de Suisse, 1743. In 1760, M. de Saussure visited C. for the first time; and his great work on the Alps, published about fifteen years after, together with Mr. Bourrit's Description des Glaciers de la Savoie, made the country so famous, that as many as a thousand travellers used to visit it every season; now, the number is probably not less than four or five thousand. The two first adventurers, in 1741, went with an escort well-armed, slept under tents, with fires lighted, and a watch all night! CHAMOUX, a village of Savoy, cap. of a mandemento, 18 m. E of Chambery. Pop. 1,200. CHAMOUZE, a mountain of France, in the dep. of the Drôme, cant. of Sederon. CHAMOVO, a town of Russia in Europe, in the gov. and 45 m. NE of Moghilev, district and 17 m. NW of Mstislavl. CHAMP (LA), a village of France, in the dep. of Lozere, cant. of Saint-Amans, 10 m. NW of Mende. Pop. 749. It has some manufactories of serge. CHAMPA, CHAMPAWA, CHIAMPA, or LOI, a district of Cochin-China, forming the most southern portion of Cochin-China Proper. It is separated on the W and N from Camboja by a chain of lofty mountains; on the E and S it has the Chinese sea. It has about 140 m. of rocky shoaly coast. On the E the surface is elevated and rocky; on the W it is thickly covered with forests. Extensive plains of barren sand occur in various directions. The inhabitants are Cochin-Chinese and Lawos or Laos. CHAMPAGNAC, a commune of France, in the dep. of Cantal, cant. of Saignes, 12 m. N of Mauriac. Pop. 1,737.-Also a commune in the dep. of the Haute-Loire, cant. of Auzon. Pop. 1,045.-Also a commune in the dep. of the Haute-Vienne, cant. of Oradour-sur-Vayres, on the r. bank of the Tardouère, 11 m. SSE of Rochechouart. It contains manufactories of iron-wire and steel, and has several blast furnaces and forges. CHAMPAGNAC-DE-BE'LAIR, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of the Dordogne. The cant. comprises 10 com. Pop. in 1831, 7,526; in 1841, 7,132. The town is situated on the 1. bank of the Dronne, 11 m. S of Nontron. Pop. 921. CHAMPAGNAT, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Creuse, cant of Bellegarde, 8 m. NE of Aubusson. CHAMPAGNE, an ancient province of France, which, under its counts of the house of Blois, is frequently mentioned in the history of the Middle ages. It was bounded on the N by Liege and French Hainault; on the E by the duchy of Bar, the Toulois, and Lorraine; on the 8 by Burgundy; and on the W by Brie, until the 14th cent., when the last mentioned territory was incorporated with it, and the boundary in this quarter became the Ile-de-France. It was divided into C. Proper, the Remois, the Rethelois, the Perthois, the Vallage, the Bassigny, the Senonais, lage, the Bassigney, and the Senonay. Its principal towns were Troyes, Arces-sur-Aube, Chalons-sur-Marne, Bar-sur-Aube, Langres, Chaumont, Sens, Ivigny, and Tonnere. 3d. BRIE-CHAMPENOISE, of which the principal towns were Meaux, Provins, Coulommier, Montereaux, and Chateau-Thierry. These three districts now form the several departments of Ardennes, Aube, Marne, and Haute-Marne; and a part of the departments of Meuse, Seine-et-Marne, Yonne, and Aisne. The more modern province of C., a part of the above, had an area of 2,626,947 hectares; and is now comprised in the departments of Ardennes, Aube, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meuse, Seineet-Marne, and Yonne. Its capital was Troyes; and its other principal towns, Chalons-sur-Marne, and Arcis-sur-Aube. The district which gives name to the well known sparkling wine called Champagne, is comprised in the departments of Charente, and Charente-Inferieure, and forms part of the arron dissements of Saintes, Jouzac, and Cognac. CHAMPAGNE, a canton, commune, and town of France, arrond. of Belley. The cant. comprises 19 com. Pop. in 1831, 7,910; in 1841, 3,018. It affords good resinous wood, grain, excellent cheese, wine, and silk. The town is 11 m. N of Belley. Pop. 562. CHAMPAGNE-DE-BOURZAC, a commune and town of France, in the dep. of the Dordogne, cant. of Verteillac, 13 m. N of Biberac. Pop. 2,434. CHAMPAGNE-LES-MARAIS, a commune of France, in the dep. of Vendee, cant. of Chaillé-lesMarais, 18 m. WSW of Fontenay-le-Comte. Pop. 1,583. CHAMPAGNE-MOUTON, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of the Charente, arrond. of Confolens. The cant. comprises 8 com. Pop. in 1831, 6,908; in 1841, 7,035. The town lies amid fine meadows, watered by the Argent, 15 m. W of Confolens. Pop. 1,222. It has a monthly fair, and a considerable trade in cattle. CHAMPAGNE-SAINT-HILAIRE, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Vienne, cant. of Gensais, 15 m. N of Civray. Pop. 1,424. CHAMPAGNEY, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of the Haute-Saône, arrond. of Lure. The cant. comprises 9 com. Pop. in 1831, 10,879; in 1841, 11,477. It contains extensive coalmines. The town lies on the r. bank of the Bachin, 10 m. ENE of Lure. Pop. 3,100. It possesses tanneries and tileworks, cotton manufactories, and a considerable trade in tan; and in the environs cherries are extensively cultivated for the manufacture of kirsch-waser. CHAMPAGNOLE, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of the Jura, arrond. of Poligny. The cant. comprises 30 com. Pop. in 1831, 13,592; in 1841, 13,825. The town is prettily situated on the r. bank of the Ain, 13 m. SE of Poligny, at the foot of Mont Rivel, on which are the ruins of a castle. Pop. 3,276. It possesses manufactories of cotton fabrics, wire-drawing, and saw-mills, iron-forges, and nail works; and has six annual fairs. The trade, which is very active, consists in draught-horses, cattle, sheep, grain, and timber. CHAMPAGNOLLES, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Charente-Inferieure, cant. of SaintGenis, 13 m. N of Jouzac. Pop. 1,058. CHAMPAGNY ISLES, a group on the NW coast of Australia, of which the southernmost is in S lat. 15° 20′ 45′′, E long. 124° 13′ 15′′. CHAMPAIGN, a county in the state of Ohio, U. S., comprising a superficies of 464 sq. m., watered by Mad river, and Buck, Nettle, Chapman's, King's and Stony creeks. It is generally level, and in some parts marshy, but extremely fertile. Pop. in 1830, 12,130; in 1840, 16,721. The cap. is Urbanna.-Also a county in the state of Illinois, containing an area of 792 sq. m., drained by Embarrass, Kaskaskia, San and Brie Champenoise. These 8 divisions were also arranged gamon, Illinois, and Vermillion rivers. It consists under a more general classification, thus: 1st. HAUTE CHAMPAGNE, comprising the Remois, the Perthois, and the Rethelois. Its principal towns were Reims, Sainte-Menehould, Epernay, Vitry-le-Francais, Rethel, Sedan, Mezieres, Charleville, and Rocroy 2d. BASSE CHAMPAGNE, comprising C. Proper, the Val of an undulating surface, with extensive prairies, and is generally fertile. Pop. in 1830, 12,131; in 1840, 1,475. Its cap. is likewise named Urbanna. CHAMPANAGUR, a town of Hindostan, in the prov. and 90 m. ENE of Bahar, and 3 m. W of Boglipur, on the S bank of the Ganges. In 1809 it contained, Lakshmigunge inclusive, 1,500 houses. The pop. consisted chiefly of weavers. CHAMPANIR, or CHANPANIR, a prov. of Hindostan, in Gujerat, on the E frontier; bounded by the rivers Mahi and Nerbudda, and by Malwah.-Its cap., of the same name, is situated on the brow of a hill, rising in the midst of a nearly level country, 20 m. NE of Baroda. It is a small place, with a pop. of about 1,000, chiefly silk-weavers. CHAMPAPOOR, a town of Hindostan, in the prov. and 17 m. N of Bahar, on the S bank of the Ganges. CHAMPAUBERT, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Marne, cant. of Montmort, 15 m. SSW of Epernay. Pop. 178. It is noted for a victory gained by Napoleon over the Russians, in 1814. CHAMPCENEST, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Seine-et-Marne, cant. of Villiers-SaintGeorges. Pop. 240. CHAMP-DE-BORT, a village of France, in the dep. of Cantal, 18 m. NE of Mauriac. Pop. 1,725. CHAMPDENIERS, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of the Deux-Sèvres, arrond. of Niort. The cant. comprises 12 com. Pop. in 1831, 7,237; in 1841, 7,605. The town is situated on an affluent of the Sevre-Niortaise, 12 m. N of Niort. Pop. 1,424. It possesses a hat manufactory, tanneries and tile works, and is celebrated for its butter. Fairs are held 8 times a-year, the trade of which, consisting chiefly in horses, cattle, mules, &c., is extremely active. CHAMP-DES-OISEAUX (LE), a hamlet of France, in the dep. of the Seine-Inférieure, cant. and com. of Rouen. Pop. 1,500. CHAMPDIEU, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Loire, cant. and 4 m. N of Montbrison. Pop. 1,005. CHAMPDRAY, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Vosges, cant. of Corcieux. Pop. 1,093. CHAMP-DU-BOULT, a commune of France, in the dep. of Calvados, cant. of Saint-Sever, 6 m. SW of Vire. Pop. 1,719. CHAMPEAUX, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Seine-et-Marne, cant. of Mormant, 9 m. NE of Melun. Pop. 446. It contains a fine church. Mill-stones are extensively quarried in the environs. A little to the S is the castle of Aunoy. CHAMPEIX, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of Puy-de-Dome, arrond. of Issoire. The cant. comprises 17 com. Pop. in 1831, 10,178; in 1841, 10,374. The town is situated in a deep mountain gorge, on the Couze, 8 m. NW of Issoire. Pop. 1,684. It has 4 annual fairs, the trade of which consists in sheep, oxen, goats, and grain. CHAMPENOUX, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Meurthe, cant. of Nancy. Pop. 615. CHAMPE'ON, a commune and town of France, in the dep. and 7 m. NE of Mayenne, cant. of Le Horps. Pop. 1,394. It contains an iron-forge. CHAMPIER, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Isère, cant. of La Côte-Saint-André, 22 m. ESE of Vienne. Pop. 1,142. CHAMPIGNE', a commune of France, in the dep. of the Maine-et-Loire, cant of Châteauneuf-surSarthe, 18 m. from Segré. Pop. 1,210. It has 5 annual fairs, which are well-frequented. CHAMPIGNELLES, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Yonne, cant. of Bléneau, 22 m. SW of Joigny. Pop. 1,330. It has a considerable trade in wood. CHAMPIGNEULES, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Meurthe, cant. and 4 m. N of Nancy, near the 1. bank of the Meurthe. Pop. 754. It contains some paper-mills. CHAMPIGNEULLE, a commune of France, in the dep. of Ardennes, cant. of Grand-Pré, 12 m. ESE of Vouziers, on the r. bank of the Agrion. Pop. 312. It has some forges and blast-furnaces. CHAMPIGNOL, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Aube, cant. of Bar-sur-Aube. Pop. 1,185. CHAMPIGNY, or CHAMPIGNY-SUR- - MARNE, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Seine, cant. of Charenton-le-Pont, on the 1. bank of the Marne, 10 m. ESE of Paris. Pop. 1,580. Fairs are held twice a-year. This locality produces fine rye-straw for the manufacture of bonnets. In the vicinity is the castle of Cueilly. CHAMPIGNY-LE-SEC, a hamlet of France, in the dep. of the Maine-et-Loire, cant. of Saumur, and com. of Souzay. Pop. 188. The environs afford good red wine. CHAMPIGNY-SUR-VENDE, a commune and town of France, in the dep. of the Indre-et-Loire, cant. of Richelieu, 9 m. SE of Chinon, on the Vende. Pop. 1,113. CHAMPIGNY-SUR-YONNE, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Yonne, cant. of Pont-surYonne, 12 m. NW of Sens. Pop. 1,608. CHAMPION, a town of Belgium, in the prov. and 4 m. NNE of Namur. CHAMPION, a township of Jefferson co., in the state of New York, U. S., 12 m. E of Watertown, and 152 m. NW of Albany. Its surface is hilly; and its soil, watered by Black river and its tributaries, is generally fertile. Pop. in 1840, 2,206. The village contained at the same period about 200 inhabitants. Also a township of Trumbull co., in the state of Ohio, about 5 m. N of Warren. Pop. 541. CHAMPION BAY, an anchorage on the NW coast of Australia, under the SW extremity of Moresby's range. It is sheltered from the SW by Point Moore. A point on the enclosing coast is in S lat. 28° 47′, E long. 114° 37′. Coal has been discovered, and metalliferous ores, near this bay; and an attempt is now making to form a settlement on this part of the coast. CHAMPLAIN, a township and port of entry in Clinton co., in the state of New York, U. S., bordered on the E by Lake Champlain, 185 m. NE of Albany, and 15 m. N of Plattsburg. It is level in CHAMPE TIERES, a commune of France, in the the E, and is drained by Chazy river. The soil condep. of Puy-de-Dôme, cant. and 4 m. SW of Am-sists of a fertile clay loam. Pop. in 1840, 3,632. The bert. Pop. 1,539. It has some manufactories of woollen coverlets. CHAMPFROMIER, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Ain, cant. of Châtillon-de-Michaille, 12 m. E of Nantua. Pop. 1,397. CHAMPGENITEUX, a commune of France, in the dep. and 13 m. E of Mayenne, cant. of Bais. Pop. 1,849. CHAMPHAUT, a village of France, in the dep. of the Orne, cant. of Merlirault, 17 m. E of Argentan. Pop. 200. Iron is wrought in the surrounding district. village lies on the Chazy river, 5 m. from its mouth. Pop. about 400. CHAMPLAIN (LAKE), a large lake, chiefly belonging to the United States of America, which forms the boundary between New York and Vermont; and stretches in its N extremity for about 5 m., or, including the channel of the Chambly, 35 m., into Canada; occupying a considerable part of the central section of that remarkable valley stretching from New York to the St. Lawrence. Its direction is nearly from N to S. It is a long, narrow, and deep body of water, about 110 m. in length, and varying in breadth from 3 to 15 m. In its extreme S part, for 20 m. from Whitehall, it has the appearance of a river not exceeding a m. in breadth. N of this it expands to 3 m.; and, still expanding as it stretches N, it reaches to 15 m. above Burlington, its widest part. Its mean breadth may be estimated at 5 m.; its area at 600 sq. m. It is interspersed with above sixty islands, the largest of which are the North and South Hero islands, and the isle Lamotte, all belonging to the state of Vermont. Its depth is sufficient for the largest vessels. The waters which form this lake are collected from a large tract of country, a great proportion of the rivers which rise in the state of Vermont falling into it, and several also bringing their tributary streams from New York, and from Canada, to which last province its own waters flow N through the Richelieu, Sorell, or Chambly river, into the St. Lawrence, at the head of Lake St. Peter. This lake was discovered by Samuel de Champlain, in 1609, from whom it derives its name; and since this period there are many indications to show that its waters have fallen nearly 30 or 40 ft. from their former height. The rocks in several places appear to be marked by the former surface of the lake many feet higher than the present level of the water; and fossil shells and bodies of trees are frequently found at the depth of 15 or 20 ft. in the earth; not only along its shores, but in the low lands, at the distance of 2 or 3 m. These and other circumstances leave no doubt that at a former period the waters of this lake were higher, and spread over a larger extent of ground. At present, the waters rise from about the end of April to about the end of June; but this increase seldom exceeds 4 or 6 ft. The lake is early frozen round the shores, but it is not commonly altogether shut up with ice until the middle of January. About the middle of March the ice generally thaws in the broader parts, and it is not uncommon for many square miles of it to disappear in one day. From the 20th of April to the 20th of June, the waters of the lake rise from 4 to 8 ft. The scenery along its shores is highly picturesque, and rendered grand near the centre and towards the head by the lofty mountain-ranges in the distance on both sides. The towns of Burling. ton, St. Alban's, Plattsburg, and Whitehall, stand upon its shores. Fort Ticonderoga, now in ruins, but which figured largely in the French and American wars, and was at one time considered impregnable, stands on a little peninsula on the W side of the lake, 24 m. above Whitehall. About 18 m. to the N of it, and on the same side of the lake, is Crown point, another peninsular fortress of historical renown, though now in ruins. Burlington stands on the E side of the lake, 82 m. N of Whitehall, and 75 m. S of St. John's in Canada. At Plattsburg, on the W side, 107 m. from Whitehall, a British fleet under Commodore Downie, and a British army under Sir George Prevost, were signally defeated by the Americans on the 11th of Sept. 1814. Below the boundary line between the States and Canada, a little N of Rouse's point, which is 25 m. above St. John's, and 132 m. from Whitehall, is a very strong fort, which, though within the 45th degree of N lat., was given up to the United States by the treaty of 1842. Ash island, 4 m. N of Rouse's point, is generally assumed as the termination of the lake and the commencement of the Chambly, Richelieu, or St. John's river. The lake is well stored with fish, particularly salmon, salmon trout, sturgeon, and pickerel; and the land on its borders and on the banks of its rivers is good. It is sufficiently deep for the largest ships; but is navigated by steam-boats and sloops generally from 80 to 100 tons burden. The distance from the lake to the St. Lawrence, traversed by the Chambly, is partly navigable by vessels of 150 tons, and throughout by barges. In the neighbourhood of Lake C., both on the United States and Canadian frontier, the plan of a ship-canal to connect the lake with the waters of the St. Lawrence is exciting much interest. It appears by the survey to be quite practicable, requiring only two locks during its entire length of 34 m.; and, including the widening of the Chambly canal, now in operation between Whitehall and Troy, is estimated to cost under 1,500,000 dollars. When completed, with another short canal from Lake C. to the Hudson, there will be more than 1,500 m. of uninterrupted internal navigation, extending from the Illinois coast, on Lake Michigan, down to the city of New York, and enabling vessels carrying 300 tons, and drawing 9 ft. of water, to pass through without discharging or lightening their cargoes. The government of Canada is friendly to the undertaking, and the charter granted is very liberal. The grand canal which joins Lake Erie to the Hudson, 64 m. in length, has extinguished, in a commercial sense, the falls of Niagara. By these two canals vessels from all the great lakes above the falls will be able to reach Whitehall without breaking bulk; the time of transit will be shortened by several days; and the route will be open earlier and later in the year than that of the former northern route. The distance to be cut is only 20 m., and over a level country; and the fall from the St. Lawrence to Lake C. is only 16 ft. CHAMPLAN, a village of France, in the dep. of the Seine-et-Oise, cant. of Longjumeau, 11 m. SE of Versailles, on the 1. bank of the Yvette. Pop. 441. Gold and silver plated ware are manufactured here. CHAMPLATREUX, a hamlet of France, in the dep. of the Seine-et-Oise, cant. and 2 m. S of Luzarches, and com. of Epinay-Champlatreux, and 16 m. ENE of Pontaise. Pop. 30. There is here a chateau, one of the finest in the environs of Paris. Gypsum is wrought in the neighbourhood. CHAMPLEMY, a commune and town of France, in the dep. of Nièvre, cant. of Prémery, 22 m. ESE of Cosne. Pop. 1,271. CHAMPLITTE, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of the Haute-Saône, arrond. of Gray. The cant. comprises 17 com. Pop. in 1831, 10,953; in 1841, 10,285. It is celebrated for its grapes. The town is situated on the r. bank of the Salon, at an alt. of 754 ft. above sea-level, and 15 m. NNW of Gray. Pop. 3,084. It contains a church and an hospital; and possesses distilleries of brandy, wax bleacheries, manufactories of linen, floor-cloths, and hats. It has a considerable trade in grain and wine. Fairs are held six times a-year. CHAMPLOST, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Yonne, cant. of Brienon, 15 m. ENE of Joigny. Pop. 1,417. CHAMPMOTTEUX, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Seine-et-Oise, cant. and 9 m. SW of Milly, 12 m. SE of Etampes. Pop. 409. It contains a church in which is the tomb of the chancellor De l'Hopital. Large quantities of honey are produced in this com. CHAMPNIERS, a commune and town of France, in the dep. of the Charente, cant. and 6 m. NNE of Angoulême. Pop. in 1841, 4,062. It contains oilmills, and tile-works, and has 6 annual cattle fairs. The environs afford considerable quantities of saffron. CHAMPOEG, a settlement in Oregon, on the E side of the Walamet river, 55 m. above its junction with the Columbia, and 25 m. above the falls of the Walamet. If these falls were avoided by a canal, the river would be navigable for a small steamer to C.; but above this point it becomes shoal and rapid. CHAMPOLY, a commune of France, in the dep |