en A 



218 



cn A 



also astronomical characters (see SIGNS;, j 

 and minimi characters (see NOTES). 



CHARACTERISTIC, that which character- 

 ises. The characteristic of a logarithm Is 

 its index or exponent; the characteristic 

 Triangle of a curve is a rectilinear right- 

 angled triantrle, whose hypothesise makes 

 a part of the curve, not sensibly different 

 from a right line. 



CHAR'ADE (French), a species of ridd2e, 

 the subject of which is a name or a word 

 that is proposed for solution from an en- 

 igmatical description of its several sylla- 

 bles, and of the whole word. The follow- 

 ing is a good example from the French : 

 " My first makes use of my second to eat 

 my whole :" the solution being chien-dent, 

 or dog's grass. 



CHARA'DRIUS, the Plover : a genus of 

 birds. Order Grallatorice, family Prcssi- 

 rostres, Cuv. It is now divided into two 

 subgenera, viz. (Edicnemus, Tern., and 

 Charadriui, Cuv. 



CHAR'COAL, a black, brittle, and some- 

 what sonorous mass, obtained in large 

 quantity by burning wood out of contact 

 with the air. (See CARBON.) If bones be 

 exposed to a red heat in a covered cruci- 

 ble, a black mass remains, which is char- 

 coal mixed with earthy matter, and is 

 called animal charcoal. Charcoal is used 

 on particular occasions as fuel, as it gives 

 a strong steady heat wUiout smoke. It 

 is used in destroying the smell, colour, 

 and taste of various 8V:tances, in the 

 manufacture of gunpo'vder, and in its 

 finer states, as in ivory black, lamp 

 black, &c. it forms tKe basis of black 

 paints, printers' ink, &c. 



CHARGE, Fr. charat, from the root of 

 cargo. In law, 1. The instruction? given 

 by a judge to a jury. 2. The instruc- 

 tions given by a bi*hop to the clergy of 



his diocese. 3. A notification to a debtor 



to make payment under pains and penal- 

 ties on or before a certain day. In (tan- 

 nery, the powder and ball with which a 

 gun is loaded. In heraldry, whatever is 

 borne on coats of arms. In painting, an 

 exaggerated representation of a person. 

 In physics, a quantity of electricity col- 

 lected in a Leyden jar.&c. In farriery, a 

 preparation used as a remedy for sprains, 

 &c. 



CHARGE'D'AFT-AIRES, the third and low- 

 est class of foreign ministers. 



CHARGE or LEAD, 3t> pigs, each 6 stones 

 all but 2 Ibs. 



CHARITY, SISTERS or, an institution of 

 females in France, whose office is to at- 

 tend the sick. 



CUARTBS'S WATS. In astronomy, seven 

 stars the constellation called Ursa Major 

 or the Great Bear. 



CHARR, a fish of the salmon tribe, the 

 Saltno UTttM/i. Cuv. Yarr. Jen.; Salnio 

 alfir.ut l*t-nn. lids beautiful little fish, 



found in our lakes of Westmoreland, 

 Wales, and Scotland, has various names 

 according to the intensity of its colours, 

 as gold-fish, red charr, &c. 



CHART, Lat. charta ; a hydrograrhical 

 mop. The term is applied to ;> 

 map, while the word map is applied to a 

 drausht of some portion of land. Charts 

 are of several kinds, as plain, globular, 

 and Mercator charts. 



CHARTAtEors, Lat. charta, paper; pa- 

 pery, the paper-like texture of most 

 leaves. 



CHAR'TER, Lat. charta; a written in- 

 strument executed with usual forms, 

 given as evidence of a grant, contract, or 

 whatever is done between man and man. 

 In its most general sense, it is the instru- 

 ment of a grant conferring powers, rights, 

 and privileges, from some sovereign or 

 party having power to grant such 

 charters. 



CHAR'TER-PARTT, a written contract be- 

 tween the owner or master of a ship and 

 the freighter, by which the former lets 

 his ship, or part of it, under certain con- 

 ditions, for the conveyance of goods of 

 the freighter. Charter-party is in com- 

 mercial law what an indenture is at com 

 mon law. The term is French, chart- 

 partie, a divided charter. 



CHAR'TULARY. See CARTCIARY. 



CHASE. In printing, an iron frame three- 

 fifths of an inch thick, in which pages of 

 letter are wedged up to prevent the types 

 from getting displaced during the print- 

 ing. Chases are of different sizes, to suit 

 the pages to be wedged (technically, 



loclced) in them. 2. A row of hedge or 



other plants ; also an extent of waste or 



forest land. 3. Chase of a gwi, the 



whole length of the bore. 



CHASE Grss, those ship guns which, 

 have their ports at the head or stern. A 

 gun at the head is called a bow-chase ; one 

 at the stern is a stern-chase. 



CHASING. (Set F.NCHASINO.) In opera~ 

 tivt mechanics, screw-cutting is often, 

 termed chasing ; the thread is said to be 

 chased. 



CHASTE-TREE, a name common to all 

 the species of the genus Vilex, but es- 

 pecially applied to the agnus castus. It 

 was anciently believed by the Roman 

 ladies to promote chastity, for which, 

 reason they strewed their beds with 

 its leaves. 



CHATO'YANT, a term used to describe a 

 property of some metallic and other sub- 

 stances, of varying their colours accord- 

 ing to the way in which they are held, as 

 is the case with the feathers of some 

 birds, which appear very different when, 

 viewed in different positions. The word 

 is composed of chat, cat, and ceil, eye. 



CHAT, probably Fr. chat, met. small , as 

 Chat Potatoes, small potatoes only fit for 



