Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

C H R ( I;
Mojf Christian king, one of the titles of the king
of France.
The French antiquaries trace the origin of this ap¬
pellation up to Gregory the Great, who, writing a
letter to Charles Martlet, occafionally gave him that
title, which his fucceffors have fince retained.
- Christian religion, that inftituted by Jefus Chrill.
See Religion.
CHRISTIANS, thofe who profefs to believe the Chri-
ftian religion. See Religion.
Christians of St John, a fed! of Chriflians very nu¬
merous in Balfara and the'neighbouring towns: they
formerly inhabited along the river Jordan, where St
John baptized, and it was from thence they had their
name. They hold an anniVerfary feaft of five days,
during which they all go to the bilhop, who baptizes
them with the baptifm of St John. Their baptifm is alfo
performed on rivers, and that only on Sundays ; they
have no notion of the third p£rfon in the Trinity, nor
have they any canonical book, but abundance full of
charms, tic. Their bifhoprics defcend by inheritance,
as our edates <io> though-they have the ceremony of
an eledtion.
Christians 9/'<S7 a fort of Chriftians in a
peninfula of India, on this fide of the gulf: they in¬
habit chiefly at Cranganpr, and the neighbouring
country: thefe admit of no images, and receive only
the crofs, to which they pay a,great veneration: they
affirm, that the fouls of the faints do not fee God till
after the day of judgment: they acknowledge but three
facrameBts, viz. baptifm, orders, and the eucharift :
they make no ufe of holy oils in the adminiftration of
baptifm, but after the ceremony anoint the infant with
an undtion compofed of oil and walnuts, without any
benediftion. In the eucharifl, they confecrate with
little cakes made of oil and fait, and inftead of wine
make ufe of.water in which'raifins have been infufed.
CIJRISTIANA, a town of Norway, in the province
of Aggerhuys, fituated on a bay oftheiea, .a hundred
miles north of Gottenburgh: E. long. io° if, N.lat.
59° 3°'-'
CHRISTIANOPLE, a port-town of Sweden, fituated
on the Baltic fea, in the territory of Bleking, and
province South Gothland, about thirteen miles north-
eaft of Carlefcroon : E. long, ry0 4c/, and N. lat.
570.
CHRISTIANSBURGH, a Danifli fadtory upon the
gold-coaff of Africa, near Acra.
CHRISTIANSTADT, a to vn of Sweden, fituated on
the river Helles, in the territory of Bleking, and pro¬
vince of South Gothland, forty-five miles wdt of
Carlefcroon: E. long. i4040,> N. lat 56° 30'.
CHRISTMAS, a feftival of the Chriftian church, ob-
ferved on the 25th of December, in memory of the
nativity of Jefus Chrift.
CHRISTOPHER-^fr^, in botany. See Christo¬
ph ori an a.
CHRISTOPHERS, or St Christophers, one of the
Caribbee iflands, to which Columbus gave his Chri¬
ftian name: W.long. 62°, N. lat. 710 30'.
It is about twenty miles long, and feven broad j
Vol. II. No. 38. 3
)S ) C H R
and has a high mountain in the middle, from whence
fome rivulets run down.. Its produce is chiefly fugar,
- cotton,’ ginger, and indigo. It is a Britiih colony,
and lies about fixty miles weft of Antego.
CHRISTOPHORIANA, in botany. See Act;ea.
CHROASTACES, in natural hiftory. a genus of pellu¬
cid gems, comprehending all thofe of variable colours,
as viewed in different lights; of which kinds are the
' opal and the afteria, or oculus cati. See Opal, and
Asteria..
CHROMA, in mufic, a note or charadter of time, ufu-
ally termed a quaver.
Chroma is alfo a graceful way of finging, or playing
with quavers and trilloes.
CHROMATIC, in the ancient mufic, the fecond of the
three kinds into which the confonant intervals were
fubdivided into their concinnous parts. The other
two kinds are enharmonic and diatonic.
Chromatic, in painting, a term ufed to fignify the
colouring, which makes the third part in the art of
painting.
CHROMIS, in ichthyology. See Sparus.
CHRONIC, or Chronical, among phyficians, an ap¬
pellation given to difeafes that continue a long time, in
contradiftindlion to thofe that foon terminate, and are
called acute. See Medicine.
CHRONICLE, in matters of literature, a fpecies or-
kind of hiftory, difpofed according to the order of
time, and agreeing in moft refpedls with annals. See
Annals.
Books p/'Chronicles, in the canon of feripture, two
facred books, called by the Greeks paralipomena, that
is, remains, additions, or fupplements, as containing
many circumftances omitted in the other, hiftoricai
books.
CHRONOGRAM, a fpdeies of falfe wit, confiding in
this, that a certain date or epocha is exprefled by
numeral letters of one or more verfes: fuch is that
which makes the motto of a medal ftruck by Guftavus
Adolphus, in 1632.
ChrlftVs DVX, ergo trIVMphVs.
CHRONOLOGY, the fcience or doftrine of time, in
fo far as it regards hiftory, whether civil or ecclefia-
ftical.
The bufinefs of chronology, is to afeertain and-
adjuft the various epochas, aeras, and other periods
mentioned in hiftory; fo that the revolutions of em¬
pires and kingdoms, and other remarkable events, may
be truly ftated. For the principles of chronology, fee
Astronomy, Of the divifion of time.
CHRONOMETER, in general, denotes any inftrument
or machine, ufed in meafuring time ; fuch are dials,
clocks, watches, tic. See Clock, Dial, tic.
CHRONOSCOPE, denotes much the fame with chro¬
nometer. See the preceding article.
CHROSTASIMA, in natural hiftory, a genus of pel¬
lucid gems, comprehending all thofe which appear of
one Ample and permanent colour in all lights : fuch
are the diamond, carbuncle, ruby, garnet, amethyft,
fapphire, beryl, emerald, and the topaz. See Dia¬
mond, Carbuncle, tic.
3 D
CHRY-