CHRIST1ANSAND CHRISTINA. 



221 



sect of Christians on the coast of Malabar, in the East 

 Indies, to which region the apostle St Thomas is said 

 to have carried the gospel. They belong to those 

 Christians who, in the year 499, united to form a 

 Syrian and Chaldaic church in Central and Eastern 

 Asia, and are, like them, Nestorians. (See Syrian 

 Christians.) They have, however, retained rather 

 more strongly than the latter the features of their 

 descent from the earliest Christian communities. Like 

 these, they still celebrate the agapes, or love-feasts, 

 portion maidens from the property of the church, and 

 provide for their poor. Their notions respecting the 

 Lord's supper incJine to those of the Protestants, but, 

 in celebrating it, they use bread with salt and oil. 

 At the time of baptism, they anoint the body of the 

 infant with oil. These two ceremonies, together with 

 the consecration of priests, are the only sacraments 

 which they acknowledge. Then- priests are dis- 

 tinguished by the tonsure, are allowed to marry, and 

 were, until the 16th century, under a Nestorian patri- 

 arch at Babylon, now at Mosul, from whom they re- 

 ceived their bishop, and upon whom they are also 

 dependent for the consecration of their priests. 

 Their churches contain, except the cross, no symbols 

 nor pictures. Their liturgy is similar to the Syrian, 

 and the Syrian language is used in it. When the 

 Portuguese occupied the East Indies, the Roman 

 Catholic clergy endeavoured to subject the Christians 

 of Saint Thomas to the government of the pope. 

 The archbishop of Goa succeeded, in 1599, in per- 

 suading them to submit, and form a part of his dio- 

 cese. They were obliged to renounce the Nestorian 

 faith, adopt a few catholic ceremonies, and obey a 

 Jesuit, who became a bishop. But, after the Portu- 

 guese were supplanted by the Dutch on the coast of 

 Malabar, this union of the Christians of Saint 

 Thomas with the Roman church ceased, and they re - 

 turned to their old forms. At present, they are, un- 

 der the British government, free from any ecclesias- 

 tical restraint, and form among themselves a kind of 

 spiritual republic, under a bishop chosen by them- 

 selves, and in which the priests and elders administer 

 justice, using excommunication as a means of punish- 

 ment. In their political relations to the natives, 

 they belong to the class of Nairi, or nobility of the 

 second rank, are allowed to ride on elephants, and to 

 carry on commerce and agriculture, instead of prac- 

 tising mechanical trades, like the lower classes. 

 Travellers describe them as very ignorant, but, at 

 the same time, of very good morals. 



CHRISTI ANSAND ; a government ai:d bishopric 

 of Norway, occupying the S. W. part of the country. 

 The population of this division of the kingdom is es- 

 timated at 134,000 ; square miles, 14,800. Though 

 one of the most fertile parts of the country, the grain 

 produced is not adequate to the consumption of the 

 inhabitants, and grain is therefore one of the chief 

 imports. The inhabitants are principally employed 

 in the fisheries and in cutting trees. Timber forms 

 the chief article of their export. The capital is also 

 called Christiansand, and is situated on the S. coast. 

 The streets are broad and straight, and the houses 

 have extensive gardens. It is considered as the 

 fourth town in the kingdom. It contains about 5000 

 inhabitants. Its harbour is one of the best in Norway. 

 It derives some support from the trade in timber, but 

 depends chiefly on the repair of vessels which put in 

 there to refit. Lon. 8 3' E.; lat. 58 8' N. 



CIIRISTIANS-OE, or ERT-HOLM ; a group of 

 islands, in the Baltic, belonging to Denmark, named 

 from the chief island, winch has a much-frequented 

 port, a light-house and a castle Ion. 14 47' E. ; lat. 

 55 J3 N. 



CHRISTINA, queen of Sweden, born Dec. 9, 1626, 

 daughter of Gustavus Adolphus and the princess 



Maria Eleonore of Brandenburg, was distinguished for 

 beauty, and taste for the liberal arts. Gustavus, who 

 beheld in Christina the only support of his throne, 

 took the greatest care of her education, which was 

 conducted in a masculine manner. She was instruct- 

 ed in all the sciences adapted to improve her mind 

 and strengthen her character. After the deatii of 

 Gustavus, at Lutzen, in 1632, the states-general ap- 

 pointed guardians to the queen Christina, then but 

 six years old. These were the five highest officers 

 of the crown, who were intrusted, at the same time, 

 with the administration of the kingdom. The edu- 

 cation of Christina was continued according to the 

 plan of Gustavus Adolphus. Endowed with a lively 

 imagination, a good memory, and uncommon intelli- 

 gence, she made the most rapid progress. She learn- 

 ed the ancient languages, history, geography, poli- 

 tics, and renounced the pleasures of her age in order 

 to devote herself entirely to study. She already be- 

 trayed those peculiarities which characterized her 

 whole life, and which were, perhaps, as much the 

 consequence of her education as of her natural dis- 

 position. She did not like to appear in the female 

 dress, made long journeys on foot or on horseback, 

 and delighted in the fatigues and even the dangers of 

 the chase. She submitted reluctantly to the customs 

 of the court, alternately treating those who sur- 

 rounded her with the greatest familiarity and with 

 haughtiness or commanding dignity. She honoured 

 the chancellor Oxenstiern as a father, and learned 

 from him the art of governing. She soon showed in 

 the assembly of the states, a maturity of understand- 

 ing which astonished her guardians. In 1642, the 

 states-general proposed to her to take the administra- 

 tion into her own hands ; but she excused herself on 

 the ground of her youth. Only two years after, she 

 took upon herself the government. A great talent 

 for business, and great firmness of purpose, distin- 

 guished her first steps. She terminated the war 

 with Denmark, begun in 1644, and obtained several 

 provinces by the treaty concluded at Bromsebro, in 

 1645. She then, contrary to the advice of Oxen- 

 stiern, who hoped to gain, by the continuance of the 

 war, still greater advantages for Sweden, laboured to 

 re-establish peace in Germany, in order to be able to 

 devote herself uninterruptedly to the sciences and the 

 arts of peace. Christina was fitted, by her talents 

 and the circumstances in which she was placed, to 

 play the most distinguished part in the North of 

 Europe, and, for some time, seemed sensible of the 

 charms of her lofty station. On many occasions she 

 maintained the dignity of her crown and the honour 

 of her country. France, Spain, Holland, and Eng- 

 land sought her friendship. She promoted com- 

 merce by wise legislation, and patronized the learned 

 and literary institutions. The nation was devoted to 

 tier, and rejoiced to see the daughter of Gustavus at 

 the head of the government, surrounded by generals 

 and statesmen formed by that great prince. It was the 

 universal wish that the queen should choose a hus- 

 band ; but her love of independence rendered her 

 averse to such a connexion. Among the princes 

 who sued for her hand, her cousin, Charles Gustavus 

 of Deuxponts, was distinguished for his intelligence, 

 noble character, and extensive knowledge. Sne de- 

 clined his offer, but induced the states-general, in 

 1749 to designate him for her successor. In 1650, she 

 caused herself to be crowned, with great pomp, and 

 with the title of king. From tliat time, a striking 

 change in her conduct was perceptible. She ne- 

 glected her ancient ministers, and listened to the ad- 

 vice of ambitious favourites. Intrigues and base pas 

 sions succeeded to her former noble and useful views. 

 The public treasure was squandered with extrava- 

 gant profusion. Distinctions were conferred upon 



