CHANCE CHANCELLOR. 



was at Turin, in 1823 and 1824, and published the 

 Pantheon Egyptian a collection of designs taken from 

 figures on Egyptian monuments, with explanations 

 (Paris, 1824, 4toj. He next published his Precis du 

 Systeme Hieroglyphique des Anciens Egyptians, with 

 engravings (Paris, 1824). In this work, he gives his 

 discoveries of the phonetic alphabet, in which he sup- 

 poses he has found a key to the whole system of hie- 

 roglyphical writing. Hieroglyphics, according to his 

 theory, are partly phonetic (those which serve as 

 signs for sounds), partly hieratic (those which express 

 whole ideas). The two kinds of writing, he says, are 

 intermingled in the ancient inscriptions. Champol- 

 lion's system rests on the views of Warburton and 

 Young. Th. Ausonioli, in his Analyse de la Theorie 

 de M. Champ, le Jeune, sur les Hierogl. des anc. 

 Egypt. (Paris, 1824), has undertaken to show that 

 his grounds are untenable. In 1825, Champollion 

 delivered lectures on his system in Rome. In 1826, 

 Charles X. appointed him to superintend the new de- 

 partment of the royal museum in Paris (in the 

 Louvre), wlu'ch contains the antiquities of Egypt, 

 brought by Drovetti to Leghorn, and purchased by 

 the king, and the monuments of Eastern antiquity in 

 general. In 1828, M. Champollion went with an ex- 

 pedition of learned men to Egypt, at the expense of 

 tlie king. The results of this journey we shall give, 

 in the articles Egypt and Hieroglyphics. He died at 

 Paris in March, 1882. 



Champollion-Figeac, J. J. , the elder brother of the 

 preceding, and his instructor, was torn at Figeac, in 

 Quercy, in 1779. He was formerly professor at Gre- 

 noble, and has distinguished himself by his Lettre sur 

 V Inscription du Temple de Dendera/i, and other arch- 

 aeological essays. His Anliquites de Grenoble (Gre- 

 noble, 1807, 4to) is much esteemed. His Annales 

 des Lagides (Paris, 1819, 2 vols.) received the prize 

 of the royal academy of inscriptions, and was com- 

 pleted by him in 1820. He has published, also, in- 

 quiries into ancient chronology. With Mot*>3, the 

 lithographer, he published Lea Tournois du Roi Rene 

 (after the original manuscripts and designs found hi 

 the royal library), with observations, and twenty en- 

 gravings (Paris, 1826, folio). 



CHANCE is used to signify accident, and also pro- 

 bability. The latter is its meaning in mathematics. 

 The doctrine of chances teaches how to find the pro- 

 bability of a given event taking place from an exam- 

 ination of the circumstances affecting it. It is called, 

 more properly, by the French, calcul des probabilitcs. 

 It is important for the calculation of insurance risks, 

 the worth of life-annuities, &c. Pascal, Huygens, De 

 Moivre, Parisot (Traite du Calcul conjectural, &c., 

 Paris, 1810, 4to), Laplace, Lacroix (Traite elemen- 

 taire du Calcul des Probabilites, Paris, 1816), and 

 others, have written ably on this subject. James Ber- 

 nouilli undertook a work De Arte conjectandi, but his 

 death prevented its completion. See Probability. 



CHANCE-MEDLEY ; homicide, happening either 

 in self-defence, on a sudden quarrel, or in the com- 

 mission of an unlawful act, without any deliberate in- 

 tention of doing mischief. 



CHANCEL is that part of the choir of a church, 

 between the altar or communion-table and the rail 

 that encloses it, where the minister is placed at the 

 celebration of the communion. 



CHANCELLOR; an officer supposed to have 

 been originally a notary or scribe, under die emperors, 

 and named cancellarius, because he sat behind a lat- 

 tice, called, in Latin, cancellus, to avoid being crowd- 

 ed by the people. There are, however, other deriva- 

 tions of this title. Whatever may have been its ori- 

 gin, the office and name of chancellor were undoubt- 

 edly known at the court of the Roman emperors, 

 where the iitle seems to have signified, originally, a 



chief scribe or secretary, who was afterwards invested 

 with several judicial powers, and superintendence 

 over the other officers of the empire. From the Ro- 

 man empire the title and office passed to the Roman 

 church, and hence every bishop has, to this day, his 

 chancellor, the principal judge of his consistory. 

 When the modern kingdoms of Europe were estab- 

 lished upon the ruins of the empire, almost every 

 state preserved its chancellor, with different jurisdic- 

 tions and dignities, according to their different consti- 

 tutions. In all, he seems to have had the supervision 

 of all charters, letters, and such other public instru- 

 ments of the crown as were authenticated in the most 

 solemn manner, and, therefore, when seals came into 

 use, he had always the custody of the king's great 

 seal. This officer has now great authority in all the 

 countries of Europe. 



The Lord High Chancellor of England is the first 

 judicial officer of the crown ; and first lay person of 

 the state, after the blood royal. He is created neither 

 by writ nor patent, but by the mere delivery of the 

 great seal into his custody. In like manner, the act 

 of taking away the seal by the king determines the 

 office. He is, ex ojficio, a privy councillor, and, ac- 

 cording to lord Ellesmere, prolocutor of the house of 

 lords by prescription. The question of separating 

 the office of prolocutor of the lords from the office oi 

 chancellor has been sometimes agitated. He has the 

 appointment of all justices of the peacein the kingdom, 

 is visitor, in the king's right, of all royal foundations, 

 and patron of all crown livings, under the value of 

 twenty marks, in the king's books. The office hav- 

 ing, in early times, been always filled by ecclesiastics 

 (for no others were then capable of an employment 

 requiring so much writing), he became keeper of the 

 king's conscience ; and, by special appointment* he 

 now exercises a general superintendence as guardian 

 over all infants, idiots, and lunatics ; though these latter 

 powers are not necessarily attendant on his office, as 

 Blackstone seems to have imagined, but can be dele- 

 gated by the crown to any other judicial officer ; as, 

 in fact, they were delegated even as late as the reign 

 of James I., when the seals were held by doctor Wil- 

 liams, then dean of Westminster, and afterwards 

 bishop of Lincoln. The great seal has been not unfre- 

 quentiy put in commission, and was last so on the re- 

 signation of lord Thurlow, in the year 1793. 



Tlie Vice Chancellor is an officer recently created, 

 who takes precedence after the lord chief justice of 

 die common pleas, and before the chief baron. He 

 is addressed, like the master of die rolls, by die style 

 of iiis honour. Though the appointment was made 

 widi a view to meet die complaints against delay, and 

 to facilitate the business of suitors, yet, as an appeal 

 lies afterwards to the chancellor, the experiment has 

 not been attended widi great success. For an ac- 

 count of die court of chancery, see Equity, Courts of. 



Tlie Chancellor of the Exchequer is die principal 

 finance minister of die government, and, as all ques^' 

 tions of supply originate in the house of commons, a 

 peer cannot be conveniendy appointed to this office. 

 When die first lord commissioner of die treasury is a 

 commoner, die two offices are generally united. 



The Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster presides 

 in die court of die duchy chamber, to decide questions 

 relating to lands holden of die king, as duke of Lan- 

 caster ; but it does not appear diat this is a court of 

 record. The chancellorship is generally bestowed 

 during pleasure, diough there are two instances of its 

 being granted for life ; die last being dial of die cele- 

 brated lord Ashburton. The chancellor of die duchy 

 of Lancaster is one of die king's cabinet ministers. 



The Chancellor of Oxford is die supreme head of 

 diat university, elected for life by die members of con- 

 vocation. He is generally a nobleman of die highest 



