The geographical and historical dictionary of America and the West Indies [volume 1]

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(country of the Iroquees Indians. It is handsome and well built, on the margin of the river of the same name, about 12 or 15 miles s. w. from Montreal, and n. of St. John’s fort. It was taken by the Americans, Oct. 20, 1775, and retaken by the British, Jan. 18, 1776. Lat. 45° 26' w.)

CHAMBO, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Riobamba in the kingdom of Quito.

Chambo, a very large river, which rises near the former settlement, and runs with such rapidity that it cannot be forded ; is consequently passed over by means of various bridges made of osiers.

CHAME, a settlement of the alcaldia mayor of Natá in the province and kingdom of Tierra Firme ; situate near a river, and two leagues from the coast of the S. sea. It produces maize, plantains, and other fruits ; swine, fowl, turkeys, and other birds, with which it supplies, by means of canoes, the markets of the city of Panama, from whence it is nine leagues distant.

CHAMELUCON, or Chamaleton, a river of the province and government of Honduras. It runs n. and enters the sea in the gulf of this name, between La Caldera and the river Ulua.

CHAMETLA, a settlement of the alcaldia mayor of Guajuaha in Nueva España. It contains ISO families of Indians.

CHAMETLAN, a province and alcaldia mayor of Nueva España, also called Del Rosario ; bounded n. by the province of Culiacan, s. by that of Xalisco or Sentipac, e. and n. e. by that of Zacatecas and Nueva Galicia, and w. by the S. sea ; is 30 leagues long from e. to w. and 25 wide n. s. ; is of, a very hot temperature, and the greater part of it is a mountainous and rugged country, abounding in. noxious animals and insects, and on this account uninhabitable in the summer and in the rainy season. It was conquered by Don Juan de Ibarra in 1554, has many mines of silver and gold, which were formerly worked, but which at present are all abandoned, as well from their having filled with water, as from the scantiness of the means of the inhabitants to work them. The royal mines, however, are productive of some emolument, and are in fafct the support of the place. It produces some maize, and much tobacco , and cotton, to which article the soil is exactly suited, though not so to wheat, which yields here but sparingly. On the banks of the lakes formed by the sea, is left a thick incrustation of salt in the month of April ; and although the inhabitants spare no pains to collect this valuable commodity, yet abundance of it is lost from the Avant of hands to collect it ere the heats come on, when it very quickly disappears.

Some large cattle are bred here. It is very badly peopled, or, to speak more truly, it is as it were desert, having only three settlements and some estates. It is irrigated by a river which flows down from the sierra Madre, and passes through the capital, the waters of which are made useful for the working of the mines. The same river enters the sea two leagues from the settlement of Chametlan, and has abundance of fish, which are caught with ease, as well upon its shores as in marshes which it forms. Tlie capital, which is the residence of the alcalde mayor, is the real del Rosario.

Chametlan, a settlement of the former alcaldía mayor ; from thence taking its name. It contains only five or six Indians, and some Spaniards, Mustees, and Mulattoes, who, the greater part of the year, live in the estates which they have for the breeding of large cattle, and on the farms for the cultivation of maize and cotton.

CHAMESA, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Tunja in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada ; annexed to the curacy of Nopsa. It is of a cold temperature, and produces the fruits corresponding to such a climate, particularly wheat, which is of the best quality. It contains 100 Avhite inhabitants, and as many Indians, and is a little more than eight leagues from its capital.

CHAMI, San Juan de, a settlement of the province and government of Chocó ; situate in the district of Thatama, near the ruins of the city of San Juan de Rodas, to the w. of the city of Santiago de Arma.

CHAMIANOS, a settlement of the province and government of Mainas in the kingdom of Quito; situate on the shore of the river Guallaga.

CHAMICUROS, S. Francisco Xavier de, a settlement of the missions which were held by the regulars of the company of Jesuits, in the province and government of Mainas, of the kingdom of Quito ; founded in 1670 by the Father Lorenzo Lucero. '

CHAMILPA, San Lorenzo de, a settlement of the head settlement and alcaldia mayor of Cuernavaca in Nueva España.

CHAMPANCHIN, Sierra de, a chain of mountains in the province and government of Tucumán, running s, s.e. on the shore of the river Quarto.

(CHAMPLAIN,a township, the most n. in Clinton county, New York, which takes its name from the lake on which it lies. It was granted to some Canadian and Nova Scotia refugees, who were

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either in the service of the United States during the war, or fled to them for protection. The indigence or ill habits of these people occasioned the breaking up of the settlement, and a better sort of inhabitants have now taken their place. The lands are fertile, and two rivers run through it, well stored with fish. It has 575 inhabitants, and three slaves. By the state census of 1796, 76 of the inhabitants are electors.)

CHAMPLAIN, a lake of the same province, of more than 20 leagues in length, and from 10 to 12 in width, abounding in excellent fish. It was discovered in 1609 by a French gentleman of tlie name of Champlain, who gave it his name, which it still retains. It communicates with a smaller lake called Sacrament, and the canal passing from one side to the other of these is extremely rapidand dangerous, from the inequality of its bottom. At the distance of 25 leagues to the s, are some very lofty mountains, which are covered with snow, and in which are found castors and a variety 'of animals of the chase; and between these mountains and the aforesaid lake are some beautiful level meadows or llanuras^ which, when first discovered, were well peopled with Iroquees Indians ; but these have greatly diminished in numbers, through the continual wars Avith the French and English. [This lake is next in size to lake Ontario, and lies e. n. €. from it, forming a part of the dividing line between the states of New York and Vermont. It took its name from a French governor, who was drowned in it; it was before called Corlaer’s lake. Reckoning its length from Fairhaven to St.John’s, a course nearly n. it is about 200 miles ; its breadth is from one to 18 miles, being very different in different places ; the mean width is about five miles, and it occupies about 500,000 acres ; its depth is sufficient for the largest vessels. There are in it above sixty islands of different sizes : the most considerable are North and South Hero and Motte island. North Hero, or Grand isle, is 24 miles long, and from two to four wide. It receives at Ticonderoga the waters of lake George from the s. s. w. which is said to be 100 feet higher than the waters of this lake. Half the rivers and streams which rise in Vermont fall into it. There are several which come to it from New York state, and some from Canada ; to which last it sends its own waters a n. course, through Sorell or Chamblee river, into the St. Lawrence. This lake is well stored with fish, particularly salmon, salmon trout, sturgeon, and pickerel, and the land on its borders, and on the banks of its rivers, is good. The rocks in several places appear to be marked and stained with the former surface of the lake, many feet higher than

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it has been since its discovery in 160S. The waters generally rise from about the 20th of April to the 20th of June, from four to six feet ; the greatest variation is not more than eight feet. It is seldom entirely shut up Avith ice until the middle of January, Between the 6th and 15th of April the ice generally goes off, and it is not uncomtiAon for many square miles of it to disappear in one day.]

CHAMPLE, a large unpeopled tract of the province of Taraumara, and kingdom of Nueva Vizcaya, in which there is a mountain abounding greatly in silver mines. Here is also a mission Avhicli Avas established by the regulars of the company for the reduction of the natives : is 12 leagues n. e. of the town of Santa Eulalia.

CHAMPOTON, a river of the province and government of Jucatan. It runs into the sea near the lake of Tenninas.

CHAMUINA, a river of the province and government of Costarica in the kingdom of Guatemala. It empties itself into the S. sea near the limits of this jurisdiction, and of that of Chiriqui in the kingdom of Tierra Firme.

CHAMULA, a settlement of the province and alcaldía mayor of Chiapa in the kingdom of Guatemala.

CHANAR-PUGIO, a settlement of the province and government of Tucumán, in the district and jurisdiction of the city of Santiago del Estero, and eight leagues from the same.

CHANCAILLO, a small port of the S. sea, in the province and corregimiento of Chancay, to the n. of Lima ; little frequented, from lying exposed, and being insecure. In lat. 12° 3' 5.

CHANCAY, a province and corregimiento of the kingdom of Peru ; bounded n. by that of Santa ; n. e. and n. by that of Caxatambo ; e. by that of Cauta; and s. by the corregimiento of Cercado. It is 27 leagues in length from n. to s. and the same in width e. w. and has on its coast some ports and creeks not remarkable for their security. It comprehends in its district two territories, one of a cold temperature toAvards the cordillera, called De los Checras; and another of a warm temperature, lying in the valleys towards the sea, called De Chancay. It is irrigated by two rivers, one on the s. side, called Pasamayo, and the other Huama, on the n. The latter has an arched bridge, which was built in the time of the viceroy, the Marquis de Montes Claros, the buttresses of which are two rocks, through which the river passes. On the e. and in the cold part of this province, are found the productions peculiar to the climate, such as papas, ocas, and some wheat and maize. Here are also cattle, ot the fleeces of which

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the natives make friezes. The low part, looking upon the coast, enjoys a temperature equal in mildness to that of Lima. It is very fertile, and in the many estates which are in it maize grows in great quantities, and it, besides serving as food for the labourers, and independent of that which is devoured by the wild pigeons with which those fields are filled, serves to fatten numbers of pigs, which are carried to supply the markets of Lima ; those animals, one year with another, amounting to 22,000 head, and producing an emolument of 300,000 dollars to the proprietors of the estates. Here are also some estates of sugar-cane, and others of French beans and wheat, of which the crops were formerly very great, and used, together with the vines, to be reckoned amongst the chief productions of this country, though they have now made room for a more general cultivation of maize. What conduces much to render the soil fertile, is what the Indians call huano^ and which, in their language, signifies dung, this being brought from some small islands at a little distance from the coast towards the n. It is thought to be the excrement of some birds called huanaes^ who have been accustomed to deposit it in the above places from time immemorial. Some of it has also been found in various other islands of the coast of Canete, Arica, and others. Of this it is certain, that a handful being put at the root of a plant of maize, it becomes so invigorated as to produce upwards of 200 for one, and that not less than 90,000 bushels of this valuable manure is used yearly. In the centre of the province, and upon the coast, are some fine salines^ which supply some of the neighbouring districts ; and amongst the rest, those of Canta, Tarma, Caxatambo, Huamalies, Huanuco, Conchuco, and Huailas, are the most noted. The salt is not only used in the workingof the metals, but for preserving the cattle from a venomous insect called alicuya^ which preys upon their entrails until it destroys them. The population consists of 37 settlements ; the capital of which is the town of Arnedo or Chancay. Its repartimiento amounted to 122,000 dollars, and its alcavala to 976 dollars per annum.

Arnedo or Chancay,

S. Juan de Huaral,

Huaura,

Mazo,

Vegueta,

Iluacho,

Barraste,

Auccayama,

Sayan,

Tapaya,

Cauchaz or Maráz,

Yurayaco,

Picoy,

Parquin,

Yucul,

Canin,

Mollobamba,

Panun,

Turpay,

Tongos,

Chiuchiu,

Auquimarca,

Paccho,

Yguari,

Ayaranga,

Yancay,

Huacar,

Otequet,

Muca,

Huachinga,

Yacsanga,

Yunqui,

Apache,

Santa Cruz,

Acotama,

Huaycho.

Huanangui,

Chancay, the capital of the above province, founded in a beautiful and very healthy valley, at a league and a half’s distance from the river Pasamayo, by order of the viceroy Count of Nieva, in 1563 ; who destined it for the honour of being an university, at which however it never attained. It has a tolerable port, frequented by trading vessels, a convent of monks of the order of St. Francis, and a good hospital. It is well peopled, and its inhabitants consist of several noble and rich families. One league from the sea, and 15 from Lima. Lat. 11° 30' 5.

(CHANCEFORD, a township in York county, Pennsylvania.)

CHANCHAMAIU, a settlement of the province and government of Tarma in Peru, with a fort upon the river Tapo, in the part washed by this river, called El Balseadero de Chanchamaiu. The Chunchos Indians of this province took possession of it in 1742, and abandoned it in 1743.

Chanchamaiu, a river of the province of Caxamarquilla. It rises in the province of Tarraa, to the n. of the capital, runs n. and enters the large river Perene, in the country of the Campas Indians.

CHANCO, CAPILLA DE, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Itata in tbe kingdom of Chile ; situate near the coast.

CHANDUI, a settlement of the district of Santa Elena in the province and government of Guayaquil ; situate on the sea-shore, with a port which is frequented by vessels only in stress ; it having some extensive shoals which lie just at its entrance. Here it was that the admiral’s ship of the Armada del Sur foundered and was wrecked in 1654, as it was dropping down to Panama, for the purpose of dispatching the galleons under the charge of the Marquis de Villarubia ; although, through the opportune assistance of the viceroy of Peru, Count de Salvatierra, and of tlm president of Quito, Don Pedro Vazquez de Veljixco, the greater part of the property on board was saved. Likewise, in 1721. another ship was lost here, carrying the salaries to the Plaza of Panama, without a single thing on board being saved ; until, in 1728, a furious wind from the s. w. blew ashore several fragments of the

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wreck, and amongst these many valuables of gold and silver, which had grown quite discoloured, to the amount of 40,000 dollars. Lat. 2°2l' s.

CHANEL, some islands near the coast of the country of Labrador, in the gulf of St. Lawrence. They are numerous and very small, one of them being very long and narrow ; forming a channel with the coast, and giving its name to the rest.

CHANESES, a barbarous nation of Indians, of the province and government of Paraguay ; dwelling to the n. of the Rio de la Plata, and bounded by the Xarayes and Xacoces. They have their houses near the lakes, and maintain themselves by fishing.

CHANGAME, some small islands of the S. sea, and of the bay of Panamá, in the province and government of Tierra Firme. They are two in number, being situate near the coast, and having between them a shallow or quicksand, by which they are communicated. They abound in a species of birds, from which they take their name.

CHANGO, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Tarma in Peru ; annexed to the curacy of Chacayan.

CHANQUI, or Achanqui, a promontory or cape of the province and corregimiento of Valdivia in the kingdom of Chile ; being eight leagues to the s. of San Marcelo. It forms and covers the mouth or entrance of the gulf of Los Coronados, with the other cape, which is to thes. called De la Ballena.

CHANTACO, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Loxa in the kingdom of Quito, to the w. of Chuquri-bamba, and to the s. of San Pedro, consists entirely of Indians, and lies upon the bank of a small river, being of an excellent climate.

CHANTALI, a settlement of the province and government of aen de Bracamoros in the kingdom of Quito ; situate on the shore of the river of its name.

CHANUSSI, a river of the country of Las Amazonas, which runs from c. to w. through the woods lying towards the w. and enters the Guallaga on its ^ sido

CHANXEWATER, an English settlement in the province and colony of New York ; situate near the e. arm of the river Delaware.

CHAO, Farallones de, two small islands of the S. sea, near the coast of the province and corregimiento of Truxillo in Peru.

Chao, Morro de, a mountain of the coast of the same corregimiento.

CHAPA, Puerto de, a settlement of the province and government of Tucumán, in the juris-

diction of the city of Cordoba ; situate near the rivers Segundo and Tercero, at the foot of the Montana Nevada, or Snowy mountain.

CHAPACOTO, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Chimbo in the kingdom of Quito ; situate at the skirt of the Gran Cuesta, or mountain of San Antonio. Through it passes a small river, which runs down from this mountain, and empties itself in the river of Chimbo ; is of a very cold temperature, and lies in the middle of a wood. Lat. l°40's.

CHAPADA, Sierra, mountains of the kingdom of Brazil, in the province and captainship of Todos Santos. They run from e. to w. until they reach nearly as far as the coast.

CHAPALA, a settlement of the head settlement of the district and alcaldia mayor of Caxititlan in Nueva Espana ; situate on the shore of the great lake or sea of this name ; has a good convent of the monks of St. Francis, and in its valley, which is very fertile, there is an abundance of all kinds of seed, as wheat, maize, French beans, and many delicious fruits.

Chapala, another settlement of the alcaldia mayor of Zaiula in the same kingdom ; situate in a plain of a mild temperature. It contains 42 families of Indians, who trade in seeds and other fruits, since its district abounds in garden grounds. It has a convent of the religious of St. Francis ; lies 22 leagues between the e. and n. of its capital.

Chapala, a great lake of the kingdom of Nueva Galicia, called Mar de Chapala, on account of its size, is navigated by many vessels, and is extremely well stocked with fish ; from which the inhabitants of the immediate settlements derive their source of commerce.

CHAPAMARCA, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Loxa, in the kingdom of Quito; situate to the s. of the capital.

CHAPANCHICA. See Madrigal.

CHAPARE, or Parati, a river of the province and government of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It rises in the serrania of the Altos or Lofts of Intinuyo, from two small rivers which unite ; runs in an inclined course to the e. and enters the Marmore Grande, forming a good port.

CHAPARIPARI, a river of the province and government of Cumaná, runs e. and enters the sea in the gulf of Triste.

CHAPARRA, Valle de, a valley of the province and corregimiento of Cumaná in Peru ; in the vicinity of which is a mine abounding in a metal called chumillo.

CHAPARRAL, a small settlement of the corregimiento of Coyaima in the Nuevo Reyno de

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Granada ; situate in a beautiful and delightful country. Its temperature is hot, it abounds in cacao, maize, yucas, and plantains, and has some neat cattle and gold mines. The inhabitants amount to 100 families, and it is annexed to the curacy of its capital.

(CHAPEL Hill, a post-town in Orange county, N. Carolina ; situated on a branch of Newhope creek, which empties into the n.w. branch of Cape Fear river. This is the spot chosen for the seat of the university of N. Carolina. Few houses are as yet erected ; but a part of the public buildings were in such forwardness, that students Avere admitted, and education commenced, in January 1796. The beautiful and elevated site of this town commands a pleasing and extensive view of the surrounding country : 12 miles s. by e. of Hillsborough, and 472 s.w. of Philadelphia. Lat. 35° 56' n. Long. 79° 2' w.)

CHAPEU, Morro del, or Del Sombero, a mountain of the kingdom of Brazil, between the rivers Preto and Tocantines, close to the gold mines of La Navidad.

CHAPIGANA, a fort of the province and government of Darien, and kingdom of Tierra Firme, built upon a long strip of land, or point, formed by the great river of Tuira. There is also a small fort of the same name in a little gulf, and nearly closed at the entrance, behind the fort of San Miguel, in the S. sea.

CHAPIMARCA, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Aimaraez in Peru ; annexed to the curacy of Ancobamba.

CHAPUARE, a river of the province and government of Moxos in the kingdom of Quito, rises in the mountains of Cacao, which are upon the shore of the river Madera ; runs w. forming a curve, and enters the latter river, just where the Ytenes and Marmore also become united.

CHAPULTENANGO, a settlement of the province and alcaldia mayor of Los Zoques in the kingdom of Guatemala.

CHAPULTEPEC, a settlement of the alcaldia mayor of Corjoacan in Nueva España ; situate on the skirt of a mountainous eminence, on which are the castle and palace Avhich were the residence of the viceroys until they made their public entries into Mexico. Here are beautiful saloons and charming gardens, bedecked with all sorts of delicate flowers ; also a wood of branching savins, which was filled Avith stags and rabbits, and an abundant supply of water to render the soil fertile ; although, independently of a large and deep pool, it is also intersected by several streams, which, through canals, are carried to supply the s. part of

the city of Mexico. Its inhabitants amount to 40 families of Indians, in the district of the parish of a convent of St. Francis, with certain families of Spaniards and Mustecs, embodied with the parish of Vera Cruz of Mexico ; from Avheuce this is distant one league to the w. s.w.

Chapultepec, with the dedicatory title of San Juan, another settlement of the district and head settlement of Tlacoluca, and alcaldia mayor of Xalapa, in the same kingdom ; founded between four mountains, the skirts of Avhich form a circle round it. It contains 100 families of Indians, including those of the settlement of Paztepec, close to it. Although its population was formerly thought to amount to 500 families, no cause can be assigned for the present diminution ; notAvithstanding the elder people affirm, that this is a judgment of God for their having caused so many sorrows and anxieties to the poor curate, who had laboured so hard and with such zeal to convert them from their idolatry : certain it is, they are now extremely humble and docile. It is tAvo leagues n. e. of its capital.

Chapultepec, another, with the same dedicatory title of San Juan, in the head settlement of the town of Marquesado, and alcaldia mayor of Quatro Villas. It contains 25 families of Indians, Avho occupy themselves in the cultivation of cochineal, wheat, maize, fruits, woods, coal, lime-stone, and timber. It is a little more than a mile to the s. u\ of its capital.

Chapultepec, another, with the dedicatory title of San Miguel, in the head settlement and alcaldia mayor of Cuernavaca,

Chapultepec another, with the same dedicatory title as the former, in the head settlement and alcaldia mayor of Metepéc. It contains 168 families of Indians.

CHAPULUACAN, a settlement of the jurisdiction and alcaldia mayor of Valles in Nueva Espana ; situate on the skirt of a very lofty sierra ; is of a mild temperature, and produces maize, cotton, bees-Avax, and honey, and large cattle. It is annexed to the curacy of Tamzunchale, contains 58 families of Indians, and lies 38 leagues from its capital.

Chapuluacan, another settlement of the head settlement of Colotlán, and alcaldia mayor of Mextitlan, in Nueva Espana, contains 140 families of Indians, and is two leagues from its head settlement.

CHAQUI, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Canta in Peru ; annexed to the curacy of its capital.

Chaqui, another settlement of the province and corregimiento of Porco in the same kingdom.

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