C H A 
CHARROU'X, a town of France, -hr the department 
of the Vienne, and chief place of a canton in the dillndb 
of Civray : eight leagues and a half north of Vlenne, 
and one and a half eatt of. Civray. 
CHART, / [cbarta, Lat.] A delineation or map of 
coaits. It is diftinguilhed from a'map, by reprelenting 
only the coaits; being a projection of fome part of the 
fea in piano, fhewing the lea-coafts, rocks, lands, bear¬ 
ings, &c. Fournier aferibes the invention of lea-charts 
to Henry foil of John king of Portugal. Thefe charts 
are of various kinds, the Plain Chart, Mercator’s or 
Wright’s Chart, the Globular Chart, &c. In the con- 
llrudlion of charts, great care flionld be taken that the 
feveral parts of them preferve their pofition to one ano¬ 
ther, in the fame order as on the earth ; and it is probable 
that the finding out of proper methods to do this, gave 
rife to the various.modes of projection. There are many 
ways of conftruCting maps and charts ; but they.depend 
chiefly on two principles. Firfi, by confidering the 
earth as a large extended flat lurface; and the charts 
made on this iuppofition are ulually called plain charts. 
Secondly, by confidering the earth as a fphere; and the 
charts made on this principle are fometimes called globu¬ 
lar charts, or Mercator’s charts, or reduced charts, or 
projected charts. 
Plain Charts have the meridians, as well as the parallels 
of latitude, drawn parallel to each other, and the degrees 
of longitude and latitude everywhere equal to thole at 
the equator. And therefore fuch charts mult be deficient 
in feveral refpedls. For, id, fince in reality all the me¬ 
ridians meet in the poles, it is abfurd to reprelent them, 
efpecially in large charts, by parallel right lines, adly, 
As plain charts fhew the degrees of the feveral parallels 
as equal to thofe of the equator, therefore the diftances 
of places lying eafl and weft mult be reprelented much 
larger than they really are. And 3cily, In a plain chart, 
while the fame rhumb is kept, the veil'd appears to fail 
on a great circle, which is not really the cafe. Yet plain 
charts made for a fmall extent, as a few degrees in length 
and breadth, may be tolerably exa£t, efpecially for any 
part within the torrid zone; and even a plain chart made 
for the whole of this zone will differ but little from the 
truth. 
Mercator's Chart, like the plain charts, has the meri¬ 
dians reprefented by parallel right lines, and the degrees 
of the parallels, or longitude, everywhere equal to thofe 
at the equator, fo that they are increafed more and more, 
above their natural fize, as they approach towards the 
pole; but then the degrees of the meridians, or of lati¬ 
tude, are increafed in the fame proportion at the fame 
part; fo that the fame proportion is preferved between 
them as on the globe itfelf. This chart has its name from 
that of 'the author, Girard Mercator, who firft propofed 
it for ufe in 1556, and made the firft charts of this kind; 
though they were not altogether on true or exaCt prin¬ 
ciples, nor does it appear that he perfectly underltood 
them. Neither, indeed, was the thought originally his 
own, viz. of lengthening the degrees of the meridian in 
fome proportions ; for this was hinted by Ptolemy near 
two thouland years ago. It was not perfected, however, till 
Mr. Wright firft demonftrated it about the year 1590, and 
fhewed a ready way of conllruCting it, by enlarging the 
meridian line by the continual addition of the fecants. 
See his Correction of Errors in Navigation, publiihed in 
1599 - 
Globular Chart, is a proje6tion fo called from the con¬ 
formity it bears to the globe itfelf; and was propoled by 
Meflrs. Senex, Wilfon, and Harris. This is a meridional 
projection, in which the parallels are equidiftant circles, 
having the pole for their common centre, and the meri¬ 
dians curvilinear and inclined, fo as all to meet in the 
pole, or common centre of the parallels. By this means 
f.he feveral parts of the earth have their proper propor¬ 
tion of magnitude, diftance, and fituation, nearly the 
C H A 
119 
fame as on the globe itfelf; which renders it-a good me 
thod for geographical maps. 
Hydrographical Charts, are fheets of large paper, on 
which feveral parts of the land and fea are deferibed, 
with their relpeCtive coafts, harbours, founds, flats, rocks, 
fhelves, lands, &c. alio the points of the compafs, and the 
latitudes and longitudes of the places. . 
Selenographic Charts, are particular deferiptions of the 
appearances, lpots, and maculae, of the moon. 
Topographic Charts, are draughts of lome fmall parts 
only of the earth, or of fome particular place, without 
regard to its relative fituation, as London, York, &c. 
For the conllruClion of charts, fee Geography. 
CHAR'TER,/ [cbarta, Lat. chartres, Fr.] A written 
evidence of things done between man and man. Chai ters 
are divided into charters of the king, and charters of pri¬ 
vate perfons. Charters of the king are thofe, whereby 
the king pafl’eth any grant to any perfion or more, or-to 
any body politic: as a charter of exemption, that no 
man lha.ll be empannelled on a jury ; charter of pardon, 
whereby a man is forgiven a fellony, or other offence. 
Consjel. —Any writing bellowing privileges or rights.— 
It is not to be wondered, that the great charter where¬ 
by God bellowed the whole earth upon Adam, and con¬ 
firmed it unto the fons of Noah, being as brief in word 
as large in efteCt, hath bred much quarrel of interpreta¬ 
tion. Raleigh. 
Here was that charter feal’d, wherein the crown 
All marks of arbitrary pow’r lays down. Denham . 
Privilege ; immunity ; exemption : 
I mull have liberty, 
Withal as large a charter as the wind, 
To blow on whom I pleafe ; for fo fools have; 
And they that are moll galled with my folly. 
They moll mull laugh. Sbakefpeare. 
Charters'of private perfons, are deeds and inftruments 
for the conveyance of lands. The purchafer of lands 
lhall have all the charters, deeds, and evidences, as in¬ 
cident to the fame, and for the maintenance of his title. 
Co. Lit. 6 . Charters belong to a- feoffee, although they 
be not fold to him, where the feoffor is not bound to a 
general warranty of the land ; for there they lhall belong 
to the feoffor, if they be fealed deeds or wills in writing: 
but other charters go to the tertenant. Moor. Ca. 687. 
The charters belonging to the feoffor in cafe of warranty, 
the heir lhall have, though he hath no land by defeent, 
for the poflibility of defeent after. 1 Rep. x. Charter 
land, is fuch land as a perfon holds by charter; that is, 
by evidence in writing, otherwife called freehold. 
Charter of the Foref, is that wherein the laws of the 
forell are comprifed, fuch as the charter of Canute, See. 
CHAR'TER, or the Great Charter; fee Magna 
Charta. 
CHAR'TER, a town of United America, in the Hate of 
South Carolina : twenty-five miles eaft-fouth-eall of Cam¬ 
den. 
CHAR'TER-P AR'TY,/ [charta partita, Lat. chartre 
parti, Fr. a deed or writing divided.] Is what among 
merchants and lea-faring men is called a pair of inden¬ 
tures, containing the covenants and agreements rhade 
between them, touching their merchandize and mari¬ 
time affairs. zlnft. 673. Charter-parties of affreightment 
fettle agreements, as to the cargo of Ihips, and bind the 
mailer to deliver the goods in good condition at the 
place of dilcliarge, according to agreement; and the 
mailer fometimes obliges himlelf, Ihip, tackle, and furni¬ 
ture, for performance. The common law conftrues char¬ 
ter-parties, as near as may be, according to the intention 
of them, and not according to the literal fenfe of traders, 
or thofe that merchandife by fea; but they mull be re¬ 
gularly pleaded. In covenant by charter-party, that the 
ihip Ihould return to the river Thames, by a certain time, 
1 dangers 
