Channel, The See English Channel
Channel Islands or Santa Barbara Islands Chain of islands, southern California, U.S. Extending 150 mi (240 km) along and 12-70 mi (20-115 km) off the coast, it is divided into the Santa Barbara group (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa) and the Santa Cat¬ alina group (Santa Barbara, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina, and San Clem¬ ente). The islands range in size from Santa Cruz (98 sq mi [254 sq km]) to the small Anacapa islets. Rugged and mountainous, they are frequented by colonies of sea lions, seals, and birds and are noted for their distinc¬ tive plant life (several hundred varieties). The larger islands support sheep and cattle ranches, and Santa Catalina is a noted resort. Channel Islands National Park (established as a national monument in 1938) embraces Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa.
Channel Islands Island dependencies, United Kingdom. Located in the English Channel 10-30 mi (16-48 km) off the western coast of France, they cover an area of 75 sq mi (194 sq km) and include the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark and several islets. They are domes¬ tically independent of the British government. Structures, including men¬ hirs, are evidence of prehistoric occupation. A part of Normandy in the 10th century ad, the islands came under British rule at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. The islets of Ecrehous and Les Minquiers were disputed between England and France until 1953, when the International Court of Justice confirmed British sovereignty. The dispute revived in the late 20th century because sovereignty determines the rights to the conti¬ nental shelf’s economic development (especially petroleum). The Chan¬ nel Islands were the only British territory occupied by Germany in World War II. The islands are famous for their cattle breeds, including the Jer¬ sey and Guernsey.
Channel Tunnel or Eurotunnel Rail tunnel that runs beneath the English Channel between Folkestone, England, and Sangatte (near Cal¬ ais), France. A rail tunnel was chosen over proposals for a very long sus¬ pension bridge, a bridge-and-tunnel link, and a combined rail-and-road link. The 31-mi (50-km) tunnel, which opened in 1994, consists of three separate tunnels, two for rail traffic and a central tunnel for services and security. Trains, which carry motor vehicles as well as passengers, can travel through the tunnel at speeds as high as 100 mph (160 kph).
Charming, William Ellery (b. April 7, 1780, Newport, R.I., U.S.—d. Oct. 2, 1842, Bennington, Vt.) U.S. Unitarian clergyman. He studied the¬ ology at Harvard University and became a successful preacher. From 1803 until his death he was pastor of Boston’s Federal Street Church. He began his career as a Congregationaust but gradually adopted liberal and ratio¬ nalist views that came to be labeled Unitarian. In 1820 he established a conference of liberal Congregationalist clergy, later reorganized as the American Unitarian Association. Known as the “apostle of Unitarianism,” he also became a leading figure in New England Transcendentalism, and his lectures and essays on slavery, war, and poverty made him one of the most influential clergymen of his day.
chanson \sha n -‘so n \ French "song" French art song. The unaccom¬ panied chanson for a single voice part, composed by the troubadours and later the trouveres, first appeared in the 12th century. Accompanied chan¬ sons, with parts for one or more instruments, were written in the 14th— 15th centuries by Guillaume de Machaut and others in the strict formes fixes
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chanson de geste ► Chapman I 373
(“fixed forms”). About 1,500 chansons for several voices began to be written by Josquin des Prez and his contemporaries. In recent centuries the term has often been used for any cabaret-style French song.
chanson de geste \sha n - , so n -do- , zhest\ Any of several Old French epic poems that form the core of the Charlemagne legends. More than 80 chansons de geste have survived in 12th- to 15th-century manuscripts. Dealing chiefly with events of the 8th-9th century, they contain a core of historical truth overlain with legend. Most are anonymous. The Chanson de Roland was the formative influence on later chansons de geste, which in turn influenced literature throughout Europe.
Chanson de Roland \sha n -'s6 n -d9-r6-'la n \ English "Song of Roland" Old French epic poem written c. 1100, the masterpiece and probably the earliest of the chanson de geste form. Its probable author was a Norman, Turold (Turoldus), whose name is introduced in its last line. It deals with the Battle of Roncesvalles (778), a skirmish against the Basques that the poem portrays as a heroic battle against the Saracens. Direct and sober in style, it highlights a clash between the recklessly cou¬ rageous Roland and his prudent friend Oliver, which is also a conflict between divergent conceptions of feudal loyalty.
chant See Byzantine chant, Gregorian chant
chanterelle \,shan-t9-'rel\ Highly prized, fragrant, edible mushroom (Cantharellus cibarius, order Polyporales), rich yellow in colour, found in woods in summer and autumn. Its similarity to the poisonous jack-o- lantem ( Clitocybe illudens, order Agaricales), an orange-yellow fungus of woods and stumps that glows in the dark, emphasizes the need for care¬ ful identification by the mushroom gatherer.
Chantilly lace \shan-'ti-le\ Lace made at Chantilly, north of Paris, from the 17th century. The silk laces that made the town famous date from the 18th century. Black, white, and blond lace (derived from natural silk) were made in the 19th century, and by 1840 machine-made imitations were available. The designs are character¬ ized by naturalistic flowers and rib¬ bons on a spotted background.
Chantilly porcelain Either of two types of soft-paste porcelain produced from c. 1725 to c. 1800 at Chantilly, France. In the first type, made until c. 1750, an opaque, milk- white tin glaze was applied to a yel¬ lowish ground; the designs were simplified Japanese patterns. In the second type (c. 1750-1800), a tradi¬ tional transparent lead glaze was applied over a coloured ground; the designs were influenced by Meissen and Sevres porcelain. Production consisted primarily of domestic ware (plates, basins, jugs) with painted decoration in a limited palette. The motifs were often small flower bou¬ quets, known as Chantilly sprigs, or scrolls and plaits.
Chao Phraya River \chau-'pri- o\ or Maenam River \ma-'nam\
River, Thailand. Flowing south from the highlands on the country’s north¬ ern border to the head of the Gulf of Thailand near Bangkok, it is some 225 mi (365 km) long and is Thai¬ land’s principal river. It is important for the transport of the country’s exports. It also forms a highly pro¬ ductive agricultural valley. The name strictly applies only to the river’s lower course, which begins at the confluence of the Nan and Ping riv¬ ers and is 140 mi (225 km) long.
Chaos \'ka-,as\ In Greek cosmology, either the primeval emptiness before things came into being or the abyss of Tartarus, the underworld. In Hesiod’s Theogony, there was first Chaos, then Gaea and Eros. The off¬ spring of Chaos were Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night). Ovid gave Chaos its modern meaning: the original formless and disordered mass from which the ordered universe is created. The early church fathers applied this interpretation to the creation story in Genesis.
chaos theory \'ka-,as\ Mathematical theory that describes chaotic behavior in a complex system. Applications include the study of turbulent flow in fluids, irregularities in biological systems, population dynamics, chemical reactions, plasma physics, meteorology, the motions of groups and clusters of stars, transportation dynamics, and many other fields.