CHER, a central department of France, embracing the eastern part of the ancient province of Berry and part of Bourbonnais, bounded N. by the department of Loire, W. by Loir-et-Cher and Indre, S. by Allier and Creuse, and E. by Nièvre and Loire. It is situated between 46° 18' and 47° 41' N. lat. and between l ’ 50' and 3° 6' E. long., and has an area of 2780 square miles. The surface of the department in general is extremely level, the only elevated districts being on the northern and north-western frontiers, which are skirted by a range of low hills. The principal rivers, besides the Cher and its tributaries, are the Grande Sauldre and Petite Sauldre on the N., but the Loire and Allier, though not falling within the department, drain the eastern districts, and are available for navigation. The Cher itself becomes navigable when it receives the Arnon and Yèvre, and the communications of the province are greatly facilitated by the Canal du Berry, which traverses it in all its length, the lateral canal of the Loire which stretches from Digoin to Briare, and the canal of the Sauldre. Except in the Sologne, a sandy and sterile tract in the north-west, the soil is generally fertile, but varies considerably in different localities. The most productive region is that on the east, which belongs to the valley of the Loire; the central districts are tolerably fertile but marshy, being often flooded by the Cher; while in the south and south-west there is a considerable extent of dry and fertile land. The department contains a comparatively large extent of pasturage, which has given rise to a considerable trade in horses, cattle, sheep, and wool for the northern markets. Among the agricultural productions hemp bolds the first place; but wine, fruits, chestnuts, and truffles ...

CHERASCO, a town of Italy, in the province of Cuneo and district of Mondovia, near the junction of the Stura and the Tanaro, 30 miles south-east of Turin, with which it is connected by railway. It is well built and is surrounded by walls. A canal from the Stura supplies it with water. The church of the Madonna del Popolo, which was completed in the 18th century, is worthy of notice; and there are two large triumphal arches and some fine mansions of the nobility. The principal manufacture is silk, and there is some trade in corn, wine, and truffles.

Cherasco {Clerascum, or Cairascutn) is only two miles from the site of the old Roman toλvn of Pollentia, where there are still remains of a theatre, an amphitheatre, a temple, and other buildings. In the Middle Ages it was one of the strongest fortresses of Northern Italy, and for a time it ranked as a free city. In 1631, it gave its name to a treaty between Spain, France, and Rome, in regard tothe duchies of Montferrat and Mantua; and in 1633, to the peace between France and Savoy. In 1801, its fortifications were dismantled by the French. Γop. 8886.

CHERBOURG, a naval station, fortified town, and seaport of France, in the department of La Manche, on the northern shore of the peninsula of Cotentin, at the mouth of the small River Divette, in 49° 38' N. lat., l 0 38' W. long. It stands on a bay formed by Cape Levi on the E. and Cape La Hogue on the W.,and is distant 75 miles from the Isle of Wight, 41 miles W. by N. from St Lo, and 212 in the same direction from Paris. The town in itself is small and unimportant. Its houses are built of stone and roofed with slate; but the streets are narrow, and the only public buildings of any interest are the tower (a remnant of the old fortifications), the church of La Trinité, in front of which is the colossal statue of Napoleon I. by Level; the Chapelle de Nôtre Dame du Voeu, formerly part of the abbey founded by the Empress Maude in the 12th century; the Hôtel de Ville, which contains the Henry Museum and the library; the bathing establishments, opened in 1827; and the theatre. The town is supplied with water from a reservoir completed in 1874 at Château d’Eau, about three quarters of a mile distant, and capable of containing upwards of 500,000 gallons. Cherbourg derives its chief importance from its naval and commercial harbours, which are distant from each other about half a mile. The former is cut out of the rock, and is capable of accommodating fifty men-of-war of the largest size. The depth of water at full tide is 50 feet, at low tide 25 feet. Connected with the harbour are the dry docks, the yards where the largest ships in the French navy are constructed, the magazines, the rope walks, and the various workshops requisite for a naval arsenal of the first class. The works are carefully guarded on every side by redoubts and fortifications, and are commanded by ...

כרתים. Cherethim, or Cherethites, are denominations for the Philistines: “I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and will cut off the Cherethim, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast,” Ezek. xxv, 16. Zephaniah, exclaiming against the Philistines, says, “Wo unto the inhabitants of the sea coasts, the nation of the Cherethites,” Zeph. ii, 5. It is said, 1 Sam. xxx, 14, that the Amalekites invaded the south of the Cherethites; that is, of the Philistines. David, and some of the kings, his successors, had guards called Cherethites and Pelethites, 2 Sam. xv, 18; xx, 7. Calmet thinks that they were of the country of the Philistines; but several expositors of our own country are of a different opinion. “We can hardly suppose,” say the latter, “that David would employ any of these uncircumcised people as his body-guard, or that the Israelitish soldiers would have patiently seen foreigners of that nation advanced to such places of honour and trust.” It may, therefore, be inferred that guards were called Cherethites, because they went with David into Philistia, where they continued with him all the time he was under the protection of Achish. These were the persons who accompanied David from the first, and who remained with him in his greatest distresses; and it is no wonder, if men of such approved fidelity should be chosen for his body-guard. Beside, it is not uncommon for soldiers to derive their names, not from the place of their nativity, but of their residence.

CHERIBON, or Sheribon, a seaport town on the north coast of Java, capital of a residency of the same name, and the seat of a Dutch governor, is situated at the head of a wide bay 125 miles E.S.E. of Batavia, in 6° 48' S. lat. and 108° 38' E. long. It was formerly a place of importance, but it has never fully recovered from the effects of a disastrous plague which visited the place at the beginning of this century. The town and harbour are defended by a fort called the Bcschermer or Protector which also serves as a convict prison. A church, founded in 1842, is used in common by Protestants and Roman Catholics; the Mussulman population has its mosque, and the Chinese their klin-ting or temple. A school for European children was opened in 1824, and a Government school in 1854. The Chinese district is pretty populous; but no estimate exists of the actual number. At some distance from the town are the graves of the sultans, among whom the most remarkable is Ibnu Mulana, who introduced the Mahometan religion here in 1406. The district is very fertile, and produces the finest coffee raised in the island. Timber, cotton, indigo, sugar, and pepper are exported in large quantities. Total population of district in 1856, 769,331.

CHEROKEES, Cherokese, or, in the form employed by themselves, Tsaraglιee, or Chelake, a tribe of North American Indians, now settled in the Indian Territory, where they occupy an area of 5960 square miles in the north-east and a strip along the north of about 8500. Before their removal thither they possessed a large tract of country now distributed among the States of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the western part of Florida. They were then distinguished into two great divisions, the Ottare or Otari, who dwelt in the moun tainous districts, and the Airate or Erati, who inhabited the lower grounds; and they were further divided into seven clans, each of which prohibited intermarriage between its own members. They attached themselves to the English in the disputes and contests which arose between the European colonizers, formally recognized the English king in 1730, and in 1755 ceded a part of their territory and permitted the erection of English forts. Unfortunately this amity was interrupted not long after; but peace was again restored in 1761. The tribe was gradually advancing in civilization when the Revolutionary War broke out, and they sided with the Royalist party. This, of course, led to their subjugation by the new republic, and they were forced to surrender that part of their lands which lay to the south of the Savannah and east of the Chattahoochee. Peace was made in 1781, and in 1785 they recognized the supremacy of the United States, and were established in their possessions. The gradual advance of immigration soon led to disputes with the settlers, and the Cherokees were treated with the most high-handed injustice by the States, and more especially by Georgia. Exodus after exodus took place; a small part of the tribe desired a complete ...

CHERRY(Cerasus). As a cultivated fruit-tree the cherry is generally supposed to be of Asiatic origin, whence, according to Pliny, it was brought to Italy by Lucullus after his defeat of Mithridates, king of Pontus, 68 b.c. As with most plants which have been long and extensively cultivated, it is a matter of difficulty, if not an impossibility, to identify the parent stock of the numerous cultivated varieties of cherry; but they are generally referred to two species, Cerasus sylvestris, the wild or corone cherry or gean-tree (the merisier of the French) and C. vulgaris, the common cherry-tree (French cerisier). The former species appears to be indigenous on the Mediterranean coasts, and in Central Europe, including the British Islands; and it is probable that it is the latter species or some of its valuable cultivated varieties which was introduced by Lucullus....