LatAm Digital Edition and Gazetteer

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C H A

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America called New South Wales. Its territory consists of a white dry sand, and it is covered with small trees and shrubs. This island has a beautiful appearance in the spring to those Avho discover it after a voyage of three or four months, and after having seen nothing but a multitude of mountains covered with frost, which lie in the bay, and in the strait of Hudson, and which are rocks petrified with eternal ice. This island appears at that season as though it were one heap of verdure. The air at the bottom of the bay, although in 51“ of hit. and nearer to the sun than London, is excessively cold for nine months, and extremely hot the remaining three, save when the n. w. wind prevails. The soil on the e. <^s well as on the w. side produces all kinds of grain and fruits of fine qualities, which are cultivated on the shore of the river Rupert. Lat. 52“ 12' n. Long. 80“ w.

CHARNACOCHA, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Pilaya and Paspaya in Peru,

CHARO, Matlazingo, the alcaldía mayor of the province and bishopric of Mechoacán in Nueva España, of a mild and dry temperature, being the extremity of the sierra of Otzumatlan ; the heights of which are intersected with many veins of metals, which manifest themselves very plainly, although they have never yet been dug out ; and in the wet seasons the clay or mud pits render the roads impassable. It is watered by the river which rises in the pool or lake of Valladolid, and by which the crops of wheat, maize, lentils, and the fruits peculiar to the place, are rendered fertile and productive. This reduced jurisdiction belongs to the Marquises of Valle, and is subject to the Dukes of Terranova. Its population is reduced to some ranchos, or meetings for the purpose of labour, and to the capital, which has the same name, and which contains a convent of the religious order of St. Augustin, this being one of the first temples built by the Spaniards in this kingdom, the present dilapidated state of it bearing ample testimony to its great antiquity. It contains 430 families of Pirindas Indians, employed in labour and in the cultivation of the land, and in making bread, which is carried for the supply' of Valladolid, the neighbouring ranchos and estates. It should also have 45 or 50 families of Spaniards, Mustees^ and Mulattoes. Is .50 leagues to the w. of Mexico, and two to the e. of Valladolid. Long. 100° 44'. Lat. 19“34'.

CHARON, a small river of Canada, which runs e. and enters the lake Superior in the bay of Beauharnois.

CHARPENTIER, Fond du, a bay of the n. e.

coast of the island of Martinique, between the town and parish of Marigot and the Pan de Azucar.

CHARPENTIER, a small river of the same island which runs n. e. and enters the sea in the former bay.

CHARQUEDA, a lake of the province and captainship of Rey in Brazil, near the coast which lies between this lake and that of Los Patos.

CHARRUAS, a barbarous nation of Indians of Paraguay, who inhabit the parts lying between the rivers Parana and Uruguay. These Indians are the most idle of any in America, and it has been attempted in vain to reduce them to any thing like a civilized state.

Charruas, a settlement of this province and government.

Charruas, a river of the same province, which runs s. s. w. and enters the Paraná.

CHARTIER, Bahia de, a bay on the s. coast of the straits of Magellan, between the bay of San Simon and the point of Tunquichisgua.

Chartier, a settlement of Indians of the province and colony of Virginia ; situate on the shore of a river of the same name. It runs s. and enters the sea in the county of Hampshire.

(Chartier, a township in Washington county, Pennsylvania.)

(Chartier’s Creek. See Canonsburg and Morganza.)

(CHARTRES, a fort which was built by the French, on the e. side of the Mississippi, three miles n. of La Prairie du Rocher, or the Rock meadows, and 12 miles n. of St. Genevieve, on the w. side of that river. It was abandoned in 1772, being untenable by the constant washings of the Mississippi in high floods. The village s. of the fort was very inconsiderable in 1778. A mile above this is a village settled by 170 warriors of the Piorias and Mitchigamias tribes of Illinois Indians, who are idle and debauched.)

CHASPAIA, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Aricá in Peru; annexed to the curacy of Tarata.

CHASSES, a small river of N. Carolina, which runs n. n. e. and enters that of Cutawba.

CHAT, Trou de, a settlement of the parish and island of Martinique ; situate near the bay of the Cul de Sac Royal, and to the n. e. of the capital.

Chat, a river of the island of Guadalupe, which rises in the mountains of the e. coast, and running e. enters the sea between the rivers Grand Bananier and Trou au Chien, or Hole of the Dog.

Chat, a cape or point of land on the coast of the river St. Lawrence, on the shore opposite to the port of San Pacracio.

vernment of Jaen de Bracamoros in the kingdom of Quito. It runs from 7i. to s, and enters tlie Chinchipe on the n. side, somewhat lower than where this latter is entered by the Naraballe, and near a small settlement of Indians.

CHERNAL, a port of the coast of the kingdom of Chile, in the district of the province and ccrregimiet7tn of Copiapó. Lat. 27° 27'.

CHEROKEE, a settlement of North Carolina, where there is a fort built by the English on the shore of the river of its name, and at the mouth of the Agiqua.

Cherokee, a large river of the above colony and province, called also Hogohegee and Callamaco. It rises in the county of Augusta, and takes its name from a numerous nation of Indians ; runs V). for many leagues, forming a curve, and enters the Ohio near the fourches of the Mississippi. Near to this river are some very large and fertile plains ; and according to the account rendered by the Indians, there are, at the distance of 40 leagues from the Chicazas nation, four islands, called Tahogale, Kakick, Cochali, and Tali, inhabited by as many other different nations of Indians. (Cherokee was the ancient name of Tennessee river. The name of Tennessee was formerly confined to the fourteenth branch, which empties 15 mites above the mouth of Clinch river, and 18 below Knoxville.)

Cherokee, the country of the Indians of the nation of this name in North Carolina. It stands w. as far as the Mississippi, and w. as far as the confines of the Six Nations. It was ceded to the English by the treaty of Westminster, in 1729. (This celebrated Indian nation is now on the decline. They reside in the n. parts of Georgia, and the s. parts of the state of Tennessee ; having the Apalachian or Cherokee mountains on the e. which separate them from North and South Carolina, and Tennessee river on the n. and w. and the Creek Indians on the s. The present line between them and the state of Tennessee is not yet settled. A line of experiment was drawn, in 1792, from Clinch river across Holston to Chilhove mountain ; but the Cherokee commissioners not appearing, it is called a line of experiment. The complexion of the Cherokees is brighter than that of the neighbouring Indians. They are robust and well made, and taller than many of their neighbours ; being generally six feet high, a few are more, and some less. Their women are tall, slender, and delicate. The talents and morals of the Cherokees are held in great esteem. They were formerly a powerful nation ; but by continual wars, in which it has been their destiny lo be engaged with the n. Indian tribes, and with the whites, they are now reduced to about 1500 warriors ; and they are becoming weak and pusillanimous. Some writers estimate their numbers at 2500 warriors. They have 43 towns now inhabited.)

Cherokee, a settlement of Indians of this nation, in the same country as that in which the English had a fort and establishment, at the source of the river Caillon ; which spot is at present abandoned.

CHERREPE, a port of the coast of Peru, and of the S. sea, in the province and corregimienlo of Saña, is open, unprotected, and shallow ; and consequently frequented only by vessels driven to it through stress, and for the sake of convenience. It is in lat. 7° 70' s.

CHERRITON, a port of the coast of the province and colony of Maryland, within the bay of Chesapeak, behind cape Charles.

(CHERRY Valley, a post-town in Otsego county, New York, at the head of the creek of the same name, about 12 miles >/. e. of Coopersfown, and 18 s. of Canajohary, 61 w. of Albany, and 336 from Philadelphia. It contains about 30 houses, and a Presbyterian church. There is an academy here, which contained, in 1796, 50 or 60 scholars. It is a spacious buildit)g, 60 feet by 40. The township is very large, and lies along the e. side of Otsego lake, and its outlet to Adiqnatangie creek. By the state census of 1796, it appears that 629 of its inhabitants are electors. This settlement sutlered severely from the Indians in the late war.)

(CHESAPEAK is one of the largest and safest bays in the United States. Its entrance is nearly e. n. e. and s. s. between cape Charles, lat. 37° 13' and cape Henry, lat. 37°, in Virginia, 12 miles wide, and it extends 70 miles to the ??. dividing Virginia and Maryland. It is from 7 to IS miles broad, and generally as much as 9 fathoms deep ; affording many commodious harbours, and a sale and easy navigation. It has many fertile islands, and these are generally along the c. side of the bay, except a few solitary ones near the xo. shore. A number of navigable rivers and other streams empty into if, the chief of which are Susquehannab, Fatapsco, Patuxent, Pofowmack, Rappahannock, and A^ork, which are all large and navigable. Chesapeak bay'- afibrds many excellent fisheries of herring and shad. There are also excellent crabs and oysters. It is the resort of swans, but is more particularly remarkable for a species of wild duck, called camashac/c, whose flesh is entirely free from any fishy taste, and is admired by epicures for its richness and delicacy. In a coinnierciul point of view, this bay is of im--

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raense advantage to the neighbouring states, particularly to Virginia. Of that state it has been observed, with some little exaggeration, however, that “ every planter has a river at his door.”)

(CHESHIRE county, in New Hampshire, lies in the s. w. part of the state, on the e. bank of Connecticut river. It has the state of Massachusetts on the s. Grafton county on the n. and Hillsborough county e. It lias 34 townships, of which Charlestown and Keene are the chief, and 28,772 inhabitants, including 16 slaves.)

(Cheshire, a township in Berkshire county, Massachusetts ; famous for its good cheese ; 140 miles fi. w. from Boston.)

(Cheshire, a township in New-Haven county, Connecticut, 15 miles n. of New-Haven city, and 26 s.to. of Hartford. It contains an Episcopal church and academy, and three Conffreffational churches.)

(CHESNUT HILL, a township in Northampton county, Pennsylvania.)

(Chesnut Creek, a branch of the Great Kanhaway, in Virginia, where it crosses the Carolina line. Here, it is said, are iron mines.)

(Chesnut Ridge. Part of the Alleghany mountains, in Pennsylvania, are thus called, s. e. of Greensborough.)

CHESSOT, a town of the province and colony of North Carolina ; situate on the shore of the river Euphasee.

(CHESTER, a township in Lunenburg county, Nova Scotia, on Mali one bay, settled originally by a few families from New England. From hence to Windsor is a road, the distance of 25 miles.)

(Chester, a small plantation in Lincoln county, Maine, nine miles from Titcomb. It has eight or nine families.)

(Chester, a township in Hampshire county, Massachusetts, adjoining Westfield on the e. and about 20 miles n. w. of Springfield. It contains 177 houses, and 1119 inhabitants.)

(Chester, a large, pleasant, and elegant township in Rockingham county. New Hampshire. It is 21 miles in length ; and on the w. side is a pretty large lake, which sends its waters to Merrimack river. It was incorporated in 1722, and contains 1902 inhabitants, who are chiefly farmers. It is situated on the e. side of Merrimack river, 14 miles n. w. of Haverhill, as far w. of Exeter, 35 tflTby s. of Portsmouth, six n. of Londonderry, and 306 from Philadelphia. From the compact part of this town there is a gentle descent to the sea, which, in a clear day, may be seen from thence. It is a post-town, and contains about 60

houses and a Congregational church. Rattlesnake hill, in this township, is a great curiosity; it is half a mile in diameter, of a circular form, and 400 feet high. On the side, 10 yards from its base, is the entrance of a cave, called the Devil’s Den, which is a room 15 or 20 feet square, and four feet high, floored and circled by a regular rock, from the upper part of which are dependent many excrescences, nearly in the form and size of a pear, which, when approached by a torch, throw out a sparkling lustre of almost every hue; It is a cold, dreary place, of which many frightful stories are told by those who delight in the marvellous.)

(Chester, a township in Windsor county, Vermont, w. of Springfield, and II miles w. by s. of Charlestown, in New Hampshire, and contains 981 inhabitants.)

(Chester, a borough and post-town in Pennsylvania, and the capital of Delaware county; pleasantly situated on the w. side of Delaware river, near Marcus hook, and 13 miles n. e. of Wilmington. It contains about 60 houses, built on a regular plan, a court-house, and a gaol. From Cliester to Philadelphia is 20 miles by water, and 15 n. e. by land ; here the river is narrowed by islands of marsh, which are generally banked, and turned into rich and immensely valuable meadows. The first colonial assembly was convened here, the 4th of December 1682. The place affords genteel inns and good entertainment, and is the resort of much company from the metropolis duringthe summer season. It was incorporated in December 1795, and is governed by two burgesses, a constable, a town-clerk, and three assistants ; whose power is limited to preserve the peace and order of the place.)

(Chester County, in Pennsylvania, w. of Delaware county, and s. w. of Philadelphia ; about 45 miles in length, and 30 in breadth. It contains 33 townships, of which West Chester is the shire town, and 27,937 inhabitants, of whom 145 are slaves. Iron ore is found in the n. parts, which employs six forges : these manufacture 'about 1000 tons of bar-iron annually.)

(Chester Court-House, in South Carolina, 22 miles s. of Pinckney court-house, and 58 n. w. of Columbia. A post-office is kept here.)

(Chester River, a navigable water of the e. side of Maryland, which rises two miles within the line of Delaware state, by two sources, Cyprus and Andover creeks, which unite at Bridgetown ; runs nearly s. w. ; after passing Chester it runs s. nearly three miles, when it receives South-Eastern creek ; and 15 miles farther, in a s. w. direction, it

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CHETU, Santissima Trinidad de, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Caxamarca in Peru.

CHEUELUS, or CHAVELOS, a barbarous nation of Indians of the country of Marañon, who inhabit the woods bordeiing upon the river Aguarico, to the e. and in the vicinity of the lakes. They arc warlike, of a cruel and treacherous nature, and in eternal enmity with their neighbours. M. de la Martiniere will have it, that the name Chavelos is derived from the French wovd chevezLV, the men and the women both allowing and encouraging the growth of their hair till it reaches down to the waist ; supposing, forsooth, that these Indians must either have known French when they were discovered, or that their discoverers, at all events, must have been French.

CHEURA, a river of the province and government of Esmeraldas in the kingdom of Quito. It runs w. ?z. e. and e. washing the country of the ancient Esmeraldas Indians: it afterwards entersthe river of its name on the e. side, in lat. 1° 23' n.

CHEWOCHEE, a settlement of North Carolina ; situate on the skirt of the mountains of Tclliquo.

CHIA, a settlement of the corregimiento of Zipaquira in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada; celebrated in the time of the Indians for having been the title of the kings ox npas of Bogota; the investiture of which dignity was always transferred with the greatest possible solemnity. It is of a very cold temperature, although salutary ; and is situate on a beautiful plain, on the shore of the river Bogota, four leagues to the n. of Santa F6.

CHIAMILA, a head settlement of the alcaldía mayor of Motines in Nueva España, contains SO families of Indians.

CHIAMOTO. See Seyota.

CHIANTLA, a settlement of the province and nlcaldia mayor of Chiapa in the kingdom of Guatemala.

CHIAPA, a province and alcaldia mayor of the kingdom of Guatemala ; bounded on the«. by the province of Tabasco, c. by that of Vera Paz, w. by that of Oaxaca of Nueva Espaha, and s. e. by that of Soconusco. It extends 85 leagues from e. to w. and is nearly 30 across at its widest part. It was conquered by Captain Diego Marariegos in 1531 : is divided into districts or alcaldias mayores^ which are those of Zoques, Chontales, Los Llanos, and Xiquipila ; is of a warm and moist temperature, although it has some parts in which the cold predominates. Its woods abound with large trees of pine, cypress, cedar, and walnut; and of others of a resinous kind, from which

CHI

are extracted aromatic gums, balsams, and liquid amber, tacamaca, copal, &c. It produces also, in abundance, maize, swine, honey, cotton, cochineal, which is only made use of for the purpose of dyeing the cotton ; also cacao, and much pepper and achoie, or the heart-leaved bixa'; also vfirious kinds of domestic and wild birds, especially parrots, which are very beautiful and highly esteemed ; a small bird, called tolo, less than a young pigeon, with green wings ; this is caught by the Indians, who pluck from its tail some feathers, Avhich they prize highly, and then restoring it to liberty; it being a capital offence, according to their laws, to destroy it. The sheep, goats, and pigs, which have been brought from Europe, have multipled in this province in a most extraordinary manner ; so also have horses, which are of such an esteemed breed, that the colts are taken from hence to Mexico, a distance of 500 miles. In the woods breed many lions, leopards, tigers, and wild boars, a great number of snakes, some being 20 feet in length, and others of a beautiful crimson colour, streaked with black and white. Tlie territory is, for the most part, rugged and mountainous, and watered by different rivers : none of these, however, are of any particular consideration, although that which bears the name of this province is the medium by which the aforesaid productions are carried to the other provinces ; and although this province may be accounted comparatively poor, from being without mines of gold or silver, it is nevertheless of the greatest importance, as being the outwork or barrier to New Spain, from the facility with which this kingdom might be entered by the river Tabasco. The capital is the royal city of Chiapa, situate on a delightful plain. It is the head of a bishopric, erected in 1538; and has for arms a shield, upon which arc two sierras, with a river passing between them : above the one is a golden castle, with a lion rampant upon it ; and above the other a green palm, bearing fruit, and another lion, the whole being upon a red field. These arms were granted by the Emperor Charles V. in 1535. The cathedral is very beautiful. It contains three convents of the order of St. Francis, La Merced, and St. Domingo ; a monastery of nuns, and five hermitages. Its population is scanty and poor, and the principal commerce consists in cocoa-nuts, cotton, wool, sugar, cochineal, and other articles. Its nobility, although poor, are very proud, as having descended from some ancient families of the first nobility of Spain ; such as those of Mendoza, Velasco, Cortes, &c. The women suffer great debility at the stomach on account of the excessive heat, ami they can never

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spicaous arc the parish church, the college which belonged to the Jesuits, and the convent of St. Francisco. It enjoys a mild and pleasant temperature, and its principal commerce consists in silver, which it derives in large quantities from its mines, and which is given in exchange for all kinds of articles of merchandize, brought hither by such as are induced to visit this place, and who are attracted in great numbers, so as to render the town extremely populous. [This town is surrounded with considerable mines to the e. of the great real of Santa Rosa de Cosiguiriachi. It was founded in 1691, and has a population of about 7000 souls, according to Pike, though Humboldt estimates the same at 11,600. It is 260 leagues 77. n. w. of Mexico, in long. 104° 32', and lat. 28° 47' n.]

CHIGUAGUILA, a settlement and real of the mines of the province and government of Sonora.

CHIGUAGUILLA, a settlement of the province and government of Cinaloa ; situate near the sierra, 40 leagues to the e. a quarter to the n. e. of the town of Los Alamos,

CHIGUARA, a settlement of the government and jurisdiction of Maracaibo in the province of Venezuela. It is of a cold temperature, abounds in cacao, sugar-cane, and other vegetable productions peculiar to the climate. It was formerly a large and rich town, owing to the number of estates which lie within its district, and particularly to one within a league’s distance, called Los Estangues, in which there used to be upwards of 40,000 head of large cattle ; to another also which belonged to the regulars of the society of Jesuits, called La Selva. It is, however, at the present day, destroyed and laid waste by the incursions of the Motilones Indians ; and its population scarcely amounts to 40 Indians and 90 whites.

CHIHEMECOMET, an island of the province and colony of N. Carolina, near the coast, and to the n. of the province of Hateras.

[CHIHOHOEKI, an Indian nation, who were confederates of the Lenopi or Delawares, and inhabited the w. bank of Delaware river, which was anciently called by their name. Their s. boundary was Duck creek, in Newcastle county.]

CHIHUATA, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Arequipa in Peru. It is of a cold temperature, and in its jurisdiction is a lake, from whence is taken salt sufficient to supply the whole province, the surplus being used in the working of the metals.

CHIKAGO River empties into the s. w. end of lake Michigan, where a fort formerly stood.

Here The Indians Have Ceded To The United States by the treaty of Greenville, a tract of land six miles square.

CHIKEHAUK, an island of the N. sea, near the coast of N . Carolina. This coast forms with the same island the strait of Currotuck.

CHILA, a settlement and head settlement of the district of the alcaldia mayor of Acatlan in Nueva España. It contains 200 families of Indians, some of Spaniards diad. Mustees, and a convent of the religious order of St. Domingo.

CHILAC, San Gabriel de, a settlement and head settlement of the district of the alcaldia mayor of Thehuacan in Nueva España. It contains 286 families of Indians, and lies four leagues to the 5. w. of its capital.

CHILAPA, a capital settlement of the alcaldia mayor of this name in Nueva España. Its temperature is rather cold. It contains 41 families of Spaniards, 72 of Mustees, 26 of Mulattoes, and 447 of Indians, and a convent of the religious order of St. Augustin ; belonging, in as much as regards its ecclesiastical functions, to the bishopric of La Puebla. The jurisdiction is composed of 11 head settlements of districts, and of 23 others, in which are enumerated 2503 families of Indians, 65 of Spaniards, 116 of Mustees, and 47 of Mulattoes ; all of whom are occupied in the cultivation and selling of its natural productions, which are sugar, honey, and cascalote, and in the making of earthen-ware and scarlet cloth. This settlement abounds also in wild wax, cotton, in the fruits of the country, potatoes, and other vegetables. It is sixty leagues to the s. a quarter to the s. w. of Mexico, in long. 99°, and lat. 17° 11'. The other settlements are,

Holcazautitlan, Tehuaustitlan,

Zacanhualin, Tlaquilzingo,

Palantla,

Ayahualtempa,

Petatlan,

Ayahualulco,

Mitlazingo,

Temalacl,

Hostutla,

Mezquitlan,

Papulatla,

Tollman,

Atengo,

Comala,

San Juan de la Brea, Zitlala,

Acatlan,

Azaquiloya,

Acazango,

Hahuacazingo,

Pochotla,

Alpoyeca, Xintopantla,

Tepoxtlan, Quecholtenango, San Martin, Colotlipan, Xocutla, Nazintla, Teozintla, Zicultepec, Calmetitlan.

Chilapa, San Miguel de, another settle-