4io CHE 
CIIE'SHAM,- a market town of Buckinghamshire, fitu- 
ated in a fertile vale, twenty-nine miles from London, 
nine from Rickmanfworth, five from Berkhampfted, and 
feven from Kernel Hempftead. The town confifts of three 
ftreets, the chief of which goes almoft in a direft line 
from north to fouth, in which is the market-houfe: the 
market is held on Wednefdays, chiefly for corn. The 
principal manufadturesare, ift, Lace, which is accounted 
very good; and large quantities are made, efpecially 
black lace. 2d, Shoes; it is computed that near 1000 
pair of fhoes are made per week. 3d, Wooden-ware, 
which is conliderably large; in round-ware, hollow-ware, 
Tunbridge-ware. See. There are three fairs annually, 
viz. April 21, July 22, both for cattle, and Sept. 28 for 
cattle and fervants. 
CHE'SHKRE, a county palatine of England, is diftin- 
guifhed in its figure by the two horns which project to 
the eaft and welt of its northern fide, bounded on the 
north by the rivers Merfey and Tame, which feparate it 
from Lancafhire, and by a fmall point of Yorkfhire ; on 
the eait by the counties of Derby and Stafford, the limits 
of which are marked for the molt part by hills and 
ftreams ; on the louth by Shroplhire and a detached part 
of Flintlhire; and on the welt by Denbighlhire, Flint- 
lhire, and the eltuary of the Dee. Its length is thirty 
miles; its extreme breadth, from horn to horn, almolt 
fixty ; but acrols its middle part not forty. Chelhire is 
in general a fiat country. Its molt hilly part is towards 
theeaftern border, where are fome confiderable eminences, 
forming a chain with theDerbylhire and Stalfordlhire hills. 
An interrupted ridge of high ground alfo erodes it from 
north to fouth on the weltern fide, beginning with.a bold 
promontory, overlooking the Merfey near Frodlham ; 
then eroding that large tradt of heath called Delainere- 
foreft; appearing again in the infulated rock of Beelton, 
crowned with the ruins of its Itrong caltle ; and ceafing 
in the wooded Broxton hills near Malpas. The reft of 
the county is nearly level : its foil in many parts light 
and fandy, with much red gritty rock, on which almoft 
if 11 the towns and villages are built; in others ftiff clay; 
with a confiderable intermixture of uncultivated mofs 
and heath. Several fmall lakes, called meres, are inter- 
fperfed, particularly in the northern parts. 
The rivers in this county are, firft, the Dee, a ftream 
held in great veneration by our Britilli anceftors. It has 
its rife, and the principal part of its courfe, in Wales, and 
only vifits the weltern border of Chefnire, to which it 
lerves for fome fpace as a boundary ; then, crolling over 
to the city of Chefter, it flows from thence to the fea, 
making a broad fandy eftuary, which feparates this county 
from Flintlhire. By embankments here made, much land 
has been gained from the tide, and a narrow but deepeb 
channel, fitter for navigation, has been formed from 
Chefter half way to the fea. The Dee is navigable from 
near Ellefmere, in Shroplhire, to Chefter; but, at this 
city, the continuity of the navigation is broken by a 
ledge of rocks running acrofs the bed of the river, and 
cauling a fort of cafcade. The Weever rifes in the north¬ 
ern part of Shroplhire, and, after running acrofs the 
middle of Chelhire, and receiving the Dane from the 
eaft, empties into the eftuary of the Merfey. It is navi¬ 
gable to Winsford, fome miles above Norwich. The 
Merfey itfelf belongs more to this county than to Lan¬ 
calhire, fince it rifes juft within Yorklhire; and, coafting 
firft along the fouthern fide of the eaftern horn of Che- 
fhire; then crofles it, and reaches Lancalhire only above 
Stockport. 
Two commodities render Chelhire particularly famous, 
its fait, and its cheefe. The fait-works are at the three 
towns called Wyches, viz. Namptwich, Middlewicli, and 
Northwich, and at Winsford and fome other places. At 
molt of thefe brine is pumped up from fprings which con¬ 
tain the fait diflolved in the bowels of the earth, and 
which is procured from the brine again by boiling. At 
Northwich vaft pits of folid fait rock have been dug to a 
CHE 
greaf depth, from which immenfe quantities are raifed, 
partly to be purified on the Ipot by re-diflblving and 
boiling, and partly to be exported in its crude Hate. 
Moft of the latter goes to Liverpool by means of the river 
Weever; and the plenty and cheapnefs of this commo¬ 
dity has been a principal caule of the great foreign com¬ 
merce of that port. The clear annual duty received by 
government for Chelhire fait amounts to 2oo,oool. The 
cheefe of this county is noted for its mellownefs and 
rich flavour; and great quantities of it are confumed in 
various parts of England and Scotland, as well as ex¬ 
ported abroad. About three-fourths of the land in Che¬ 
lhire is fuppofed to be paltured or mown ; and the grafs, 
except what is eaten by horfes, is chiefly confumed by 
milking cows, as few cattle are fattened here. The far¬ 
mers are lefs attentive to the beauty of their cows than 
in many other parts, the milk being the great objedt: and 
they keep them to a great age. More calves are fed in 
Chelhire, during the months of March and April, than 
in any other part of England; but the veal is killed very 
young, as the milk cannot be long fpared. The dairies- 
are fcattered over the whole county; but the principal 
are about Namptwich and the trad; between the Dane 
and Weever, where the foil is moft clayey. The chief ma¬ 
nures of this county are marl and lime; the lattermoftly 
gotten on the eaftern fide. Coals are in confiderable 
plenty in the north-eaft; and fome are alfo dug in the 
hundred of Wirral, or that peninlula which lies between 
the Dee and Merfey, whence they are fent to Chefter. 
The miuft of the county is principally fupplied from 
Lancalhire. Stone quarries are frequent in the hilly parts. 
The great canal of the duke of Bridgewater has its prin¬ 
cipal courfe in Chelhire, entering the county from Man- 
chefter by eroding the Merfey, and then running parallel 
to it, till it falls into that river at Runcorn. With this 
the grand canal communicates which joins the Trent and 
Merfey, and is called the StafFordlhire. This laft canaf 
crolfes Chelhire, palling by Northwich and Middlewich. 
There is, befides, another canal from Chefter to Nampt¬ 
wich, intended to promote the commerce of that city by 
giving it the advantage of an exportation of fait. 
Chelhire is divided into feven hundreds, which contain 
lot parilhes, one city, and eleven market towns. The 
proportion of the cultivated parts of the county, and 
thole lie either wafte, or in a ftate of little profit, are,, 
according to a general view drawn up by Mr. Wedge, 
perhaps nearly as follows : arable, meadow, pafture, See. 
about 615,000 acres; wafte lands, heaths, commons, 
greens, but few-woods of any extent, 30,000 acres ; peat 
bogs and modes 20,000 acres ; common fields, probably, 
not fo much as 1000 acres ; fea lands within the eftuary 
of the Dee, exclulive of what may be upon the lliores of 
the river Merfey, 10,000 acres: in the whole 676,000 
acres. Chelhire has formerly been celebrated as the vale 
royal of England ; and, if feen from the high lands about 
Macclesfield, the whole of the county to the weftward 
has undoubtedly the appearance of one extended plain- 
Chefter is the city; the market towns are Namptwich, 
Macclesfield, Malpas, Middlewich, Northwich, Congie- 
ton, Altringham, Frodlham, Knotsford, Stockport, and 
Sanbach. The yearly export of cheefe from this county 
to London only, has been computed at 14,000 tons ; to 
Briftol and York, down the Severn and the Trent, 8000 
more, befides what is fent to Scotland and Ireland. 
CHE'SHIRE, a county of New-Hamplhire, in North 
America, on the eaft bank of Connedticut river. It has 
the ftate of Maflachufetts on the fouth, Grafton county 
on the north, and Hilllborough county eaft. It has thirty- 
four townlhips, of which Charleftown and Keene are the 
chief, and by the cenfus 28,772 inhabitants. 
CHESHIRE, a town of America, in Berkfhire county, 
Maflachufetts; famous for its good cheefe; 140 miles 
north-weft from Bolton. 
CHE'SHIRE, a town of America in New-Haven county, 
Connedticut, fifteen miles north of New-Haven city, 
and 
