Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/246

 238 CHAMBERLAYNE CHAMBERS lain was hereditary, and by the statute of pfe- cedency, 81 Henry VIII., his place was next that of the lord privy seal, where it also is under the most recent statute on that subject. The duties which devolve upon the office now are the dressing and attending on the sove- reign at coronation ; the care of the ancient palace at Westminster; the furnishing of the houses of parliament and Westminster hall for great occasions; and during the sitting of parliament he has charge of the house of lords. In consequence of descent to fe- males, the office is now held jointly by the families of Cholmondeley and Willoughby d'Eresby, whose representatives discharge the duties alternately in each succeeding reign. The office of lord chamberlain in Great Britain is distinct from this, is filled by appointment, and changes with the administration. He is the head of the royal household, and has con- trol over all the officers and servants except those of the bedchamber, and the royal chaplains, physicians, surgeons, &c. ; the royal tradesmen are also appointed by him. Theatres in towns in which a royal palace is situated are licensed by him, and he is also the licenser of plays, and has the regulation of the companies of actors at the royal theatres. He also issues the royal invitations to balls, parties, &c. ; and applications for presentations at court must be made to him. A vice chamberlain performs his duties in his absence. There was also a chamberlain and vice chamberlain in the ex- chequer court of the county palatine of Ches- ter; and many of the municipal corporations of England have an officer by this title, whose duties in general are to take charge of the property and finances of the corporation. The chamberlain of the city of New York is charged with similar functions. The chamberlain of London has also duties of a judicial nature, pertaining to masters and apprentices. CHAMBERLAYNE. I. Edward, an English au- thor, born at Odington, Gloucestershire, in 1616, died at Chelsea in 1703. Educated at Oxford, he travelled abroad during the civil wars. In 1679 he was appointed tutor to Henry, duke of Grafton, a natural son of Charles II., and afterward to Prince George of Den- mark, the husband of Queen Anne. He is best known by his " Anglia Notitia, or the Present State of England" (London, 1667), to which Macaulay frequently refers, and which passed through many editions. An inscription on his grave in Chelsea states that six of his works were buried along with him. II. John, son of the preceding, died in 1723. He continued his father's work under the title of Magnce Bri- tannia Notitia, &c., publishing several new editions. With all its defects, this was the only statistical authority of his day. He was a gradu- ate of Oxford, wrote several original works, and translated the "Religious Philosopher" from the Dutch of Nieuwentyt (3 vols., 1718). CHAMBERS. I. An E. county of Alabama, bordering on Georgia ; former area, 775 sq. m., which has been diminished by taking a portion to form Lee county ; pop. in 1870, 17,662, of whom 8,588 were colored. It is partly bound- ed on the E. by the Chattahoochee river, and intersected by the Tallapoosa. The surface is hilly, and most of the land productive. The Montgomery and West Point railroad passes through the S. E. part. The chief productions in 1870 were 39,532 bushels of wheat, 205,099 of Indian corn, 85,921 of oats, 24,734 of sweet potatoes, and 7,868 bales of cotton. There were 1,382 horses, 1,457 mules and asses, 2,895 milch cows, 4,814 other cattle, 3,861 sheep, and 9,725 swine. Capital, Lafayette. II. A S. E. county of Texas, bounded S. by the gulf of Mexico, having Cedar bayou for a part of its W. boundary, and indented on the W. and S. W. by East and Galveston bays ; area, 900 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,508, of whom 452 were colored. It is intersected by Trinity river, the banks of which are timbered, but the greater portion of the county consists of prairie lands. The chief productions in 1870 were 23,759 bushels of Indian corn, 15,200 of sweet pota- toes, and 105 bales of cotton. There were 1,444 horses, 1,205 milch cows, 24,572 other cattle, 1,700 sheep, and 2,352 swine. Capital, Wallisville. CHAMBERS, Ephraim, an English cyclopsedist, born at Kendal, Westmoreland, in the latter half of the 17th century, died in London, May 15, 1740. He was the son of a Presbyterian freeholder, and while apprentice to the mech- anician Senex, who encouraged his scholarly tastes, he began to prepare a cyclopaedia, which after many years of arduous labors, in his chambers at Gray's Inn, was published by sub- scription (2 vols., 1728 ; 2d enlarged ed., 1738 ; 5th ed., 1746). Subsequently this work was enlarged by Mr. Scott and Dr. Hill, and even- tually served as a basis for Rees's Cyclopaedia (4 vols., l781-'6 ; new and enlarged, ed., 45 vols., 1803-'19). Chambers contributed to the "Literary Magazine," and prepared with John Martyn an abridged translation of the phil- osophical history and memoirs of the French academy of sciences (5 vols., 1742). He was elected fellow of the royal society, and was buried in Westminster abbey. CHAMBERS, George, an English artist, born at Whitby, Yorkshire, late in the 18th century, died in London, Oct. 28, 1840. The son of a poor seaman, he became cabin boy on a sailing vessel ; but his sketches of shipping induced his master to cancel his indentures. After various struggles, during which he perfected his knowledge of art, he was employed by Thomas Horner for seven years in preparing the pano- rama of London for the Colosseum. Admiral Lord Mark Kerr became his patron, and he painted the " Opening of New London Bridge " for William IV., and a view of " Greenwich Hospital" for Queen Adelaide. His appoint- ment as marine painter to their majesties had opened to him a way to fame and fortune, when his health broke down. His best works