CHORLTON. 



CHRISTIANSAND. 



is used as a market-house. The market-day in Tuesday. Fairs are 

 held on March 26th and May 5th for horned cattle ; on October 21st 

 for horses, and on September 4th, 5th, and 6th for woollen-cloth, 

 hardware, and pedlery. In the vicinity is a mineral spa, with various 

 descriptions of baths. The grounds are laid out as gardens and 

 public walks. 



(Robinson, Description of the Parish of Charley ; Communication 

 from Charley.) 



CHORLTON. [MANCHESTER.] 



CHOUMLA. [SHUMLA.] 



CHOWBENT. [LANCASHIRE.] 



CHRISTCHURCH, Hampshire, a market-town, parliamentary 

 borough, sea-port, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the parish 

 and hundred of Christchnrch, and the western division of the county, 

 is situated within the angle formed by the confluence of the rivers 

 Avon and Stour, in 50 44' N. lat., 1 45' W. long., distant 24 miles 

 S.W. by W. from Southampton, and 101 miles S.W. from London by 

 road. Christchurch-road station on the Southampton and Dorchester 

 branch of the South-Western railway, which is 7 miles from Christ- 

 church, is 100 miles from London. The population of the old borough 

 of Christchurch in 1851 was 1S77, that of the parliamentary borough 

 was 7475. The borough is governed by a mayor and burgesses, but 

 the judicial affairs are in the hands of the county magistrates. 

 Christchurch returns one member to the Imperial Parliament. The 

 living is a vicarage with the curacy of Holdenhurst annexed, in the 

 archdeaconry and diocese of Winchester. Christchurch Poor-Law 

 I'nion contains three parishes and townships, with an area of 35,988 

 item, and a population in 1851 of 8477. 



The name of the borough, properly Christchurch Twyneham, is 

 derived from a church and priory founded here by the West Saxons 

 in the reign of Edward the Confessor. The priory was refounded and 

 the church built in the reign of William Rufus, by Flambard, bishop 

 of Durham. Henry VIII. assigned the church of the priory to the 

 inhabitants of Christchurch for their parish church. It is a very spa- 

 cious and remarkable edifice, having much the character of a cathedral. 

 It consists of a nave with aislee, choir with aisles, and a lady chapel, 

 transepts with chapels attached, a massive square tower at the western 

 end, and a capacious northern porch-house. The extreme length of 

 the church is 311 feet; the nave is 118 feet long, with the aisles 

 58 feet wide, and to the summit of vaulting 58 feet high ; the tower 

 is 120 feet high. The nave is of Norman date and style, with a clere- 

 story of early decorated ; the choir is perpendicular. The nave has a 

 double row of massive Norman pillars, which support semicircular 

 arches with the characteristic Norman carvings. In the chancel is a 

 magnificent stone altar-screen, having the genealogy of Christ elabo- 

 rately sculptured upon it. The most interesting of the mortuary 

 chapels attached to the church is that erected during her life by Mar- 

 garet Plantagenet, countess of Salisbury, who was beheaded by order 

 of Henry VIII. in 1541. It is an exceedingly good specimen of the 

 florid perpendicular style, with a richly carved roof of fan tracery. 

 Among the many monument*; in the church is one to Viscountess 

 Fitzharris, by Flaxman ; there is also one by Chantry. At various 

 times during the present century the church has been repaired, and 

 to a great extent restored. Of the other priory buildings the only 

 portion left is the lodge a little to the south of the church. The 

 Independent chapel is a spacious building, and has attached to it 

 extensive school-rooms. The Wesleyan Methodists have a new and 

 commodious chapel. In Christchurch are a Free Grammar school, 

 National, British, and Infant schools, and several endowed charities. 

 A county court is held monthly. 



The principal manufacture in Christchurch ia that of fuzee chains 

 for watches and clocks. The making of these chains employs about 

 500 persons, chiefly women and children ; the chains are supplied to 

 the watch and clock-makers of London, Birmingham, and Liverpool. 

 The salmon fishery is prosecuted to some extent in the rivers Avon 

 and Stour. A shifting sand-bar prevents the approach of vessels 

 (1 ri wing more than six feet of water, and these can only enter at high 

 tide. At Christchurch harbour high water occurs twice every tide. 

 Good anchorage in six fathoms water is found in the bay, east of the 

 harbour, about two miles from the town. Some fragments of the 

 keep and other parts of the castle are still standing close to the north 

 side of the churchyard. Roman and British remains have been found 

 in and near the town. On the site of the ancient priory is a house 

 which in 1817 was the temporary residence of Louis Philippe, the late 

 king of the French. Near Christchurch is the remarkable promontory 

 of Hengistbury Head. 



(Ferrey and Brayley, Antiquities of the Priory of Chrisfchurch ; 

 Communication from Chrutchurch.) 



CHRISTIANIA, the capital of Norway, is situated in 59 55 N. 

 lat., 10 50' E. long., at the northern extremity of the Christiania 

 Fjord [AcHiERHTjtTs], into which the river Agger falls close to the 

 town. In. 1810 the population hardly reached 10,000; in 1826 it was 

 20,581 ; in 1845 it was 31,703. Except towards the bay the town is 

 inclosed by high hills and mountains, which on the north are about 

 five miles distant, but on the other sides approach much nearer the 

 town. The street* are wide, straight, and well paved ; the pavement 

 however inclines from each side to the centre of the street, which is 

 thus converted into a common sewer. The houses have rarely more 



than two stories ; most of them are built of bricks, and very few 

 of them have any pretensions to architectural beauty. The best street 

 is that leading to the new palace, which is finely situated its chief 

 merit above the mean-looking old palace in the centre of the town. 

 Christiania has four suburbs, which in parts are not paved. Among 

 the public edifices are the new palace already mentioned, the Storthing 

 hall, or legislative palace, the military academy, and the cathedral ; 

 but the churches generally have no architectural interest whatever. 

 Norway, by its union with Sweden, obtained an independent legisla- 

 tive government, which has its seat in this town. The university, 

 which was founded in 1811, and for which a new building has been 

 recently erected, is attended by about 800 students. It possesses a 

 library of 130,000 volumes, astronomical and magnetic observatories, 

 a botanic garden, a museum, a picture gallery, and other institutions. 

 The sum of 33,000 dollars is annually allowed for its maintenance. 

 The museum of the university contains collections in zoology, mine- 

 ralogy, &c., and a variety of northern antiquities, consisting of gold 

 and silver ornaments ; rude bronze idols ; weapons in flint, bronze, 

 silver, and gold, &c. Like the universities of Germany .it is rather a 

 school for public officers than intended to form men of science and 

 learning ; some of the lectures are intended as a preparatory course 

 for young men who are designed to be practical miners. There are 

 besides a military academy and several other schools, an art-union, two 

 theatres, a national bank and exchange, military and lunatic asylums, 

 a Freemasons' hall (a large structure in which there is a ball-room 

 capable of containing 1000 persons), and also a society for promoting 

 the prosperity of the country. Manufacturing industry has not made 

 much progress ; the chief products are woollen cloth, iron utensils, 

 tobacco, paper, &c. ; cotton factories and iron works however are on 

 the increase. There are several distilleries and breweries, and the town 

 has an extensive trade in deals, planks, wood, fish, and other northern 

 produce. In one of its suburbs, called Opslo, alum is made to a con- 

 siderable extent. 



The castle of Aggerhuus is situated on an eminence to the south of 

 the town ; its ramparts, which command the town and the entrance to 

 the harbour, are laid out in walks. In the castle are preserved the 

 regalia of Norway and the national archives. On the western side of 

 the keep two brass guns, splendidly decorated with bas-reliefs, are 

 mounted; they were cast in 1620, and are said to have been taken 

 during the Thirty Years' war by the Swedes, from whom they were 

 subsequently captured by the Norwegians. The castle it is said was 

 built in 1302 ; it was last besieged by Charles XII. in 1716. Part of 

 it is used as a prison for galley-slaves. 



In the environs are the botanical gardens, situated about a mile from 

 the town on the Trondhjem road, tastefully laid out, and exceedingly 

 rich in arctic plants, both native and exotic ; the cemetery ; and near 

 it the Column of Liberty, erected to commemorate the commencement 

 of the Norwegian constitution, April 11, 1814. Splendid views of 

 the town and bay of Christiania from the Frogueraaseu, a hill 1500 

 feet high, and from the opposite hill of Egeberg, which rises about 

 400 feet above the old town of Opslo. 



Opslo was founded in 1058 by King Harald Haardrade, and rose to 

 be the third city in Norway. Upon the union of Norway with Den- 

 mark, Opslo became the capital of the former. Christopher III. and 

 Christian II. were crowned in Opslo in the cathedral of St. Halvard, 

 which also witnessed the marriage of James I. to Anne of Denmark in 

 1589. With the exception of the bishop's palace and a few houses, 

 Opslo was entirely destroyed by fire in 1624. The new city then 

 built was named Christiania after Christian IV., who happened at the 

 time to be in Norway. 



Steamers ply regularly between Christiauia and Copenhagen, Kiel, 

 Christiansand, &c. A railway is in course of construction from 

 Christiania to Lake Mjosen, which will open up some of the most 

 fertile parts of Norway. In the open season the town of Christiania 

 is said to have the healthiest and most equable climate in Europe : 

 the mean summer temperature is 60 Fahr. ; in winter the average 

 temperature is 23 Fahr. 



(Forbes, Norway and its Glaciers: Edinburgh, 1853.) 

 CHRISTIANSAND, a province of Norway, comprehends the most 

 southern part of that kingdom, and extends from Cape Liadesnaes 

 (the Naze), or from 58 to a little north of 60 N. lat. It is comprised 

 between 5 and 10 E. long. Its length from south to north is 150 

 miles, and its average breadth is about 100 miles. The area is about 

 14,100 square miles; the population amounts to about 250,000. 



Cape Lindesnaes is considered as the southern extremity of the 

 Norrska Fjellen mountain chain, which traverses Norway from south 

 to north as far as 62 N. lat., and then turns east-north-east till it 

 joins the Kiolen range at 63 N. lat. This range begins with Cape 

 Lindesnaes, but does not attain the perpetual snow-line south of 59 ; 

 so that those parts of it which are called Heck Field and Bygle do 

 not rise 4000 feet above the sea, which in this parallel is the line of 

 perpetual congelation. But north of 59, the locle Field, Hougle 

 Field, Gute Field, and Hardanger Field rise somewhat above it. The 

 highest summit of the Hougle Field is 4663 feet. The highest moun- 

 tain however, the Gousta Fell, is not in' the principal range, but east 

 of it : the elevation of this mountain is 5535 feet above the sea. From 

 these mountain masses, which occupy more than half its surface, the 

 province slopes gradually towards the sea, forming everywhere a rocky, 



