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 246 CHAMPAGNE CHAMPAGNY vent, and from the Fle"gdre, the peak of the former mountain. About 300 horses and mules and many skilled guides are at the dis- posal of tourists, under strict regulations of the authorities and of the Alpine clubs. The first recorded visit to this region is that of a bishop of Geneva in 1443. Philip of Savoy, count of Geneva, licensed fairs here in 1530 ; and the mountains have been explored occasionally by Swiss and Germans. But the glaciers inspired so much dread that the valley was believed to be covered with snow in order to punish the inhabitants for their sins; and they were styled lea montognes maudites, the accursed mountains. In 1 606 St. Francis de Sales visited the valley, which was within his diocese of Geneva. In 1741 the attention of the English was attracted to the region by the reports of Wyndham and Pococke; and an inscription on a block of granite, popularly known as the English stone, on the spot near the Mer de Glace, where these travellers were erroneously supposed to have passed the night, having been accidentally destroyed, has been restored on Mont Montan- vert. De Saussure made his first visit to the valley in 1760, and Bourrit in 1775. In De- cember, 1859, Tyndall explored the Mer de Glace, and crossed the channels of its avalanches in the deep snow, encountering perils which are great in winter, although in summer the passage is comparatively safe. There are several villages in the valley, with an aggre- gate population of about 2,000. The principal of these is Clmmouni, on the right bank of the Arve, about 22 m. S. E. of Bonneville, at the foot of Mont Blanc. The distance to the nearest railway station, at Martigny, is about 22 m., which may be traversed on mules in nine hours by the passes of the Tete Noire or the Col de Balme. The village is also known as Le Prieure, from a Benedictine priory estab- lished by a Genevese count, with the sanction of Pope Urban II., toward the close of the llth century. An English chapel was opened in 1860. In August and September the place is overcrowded with visitors, and presents a bustling appearance. Flax and honey are ex- ported, and there are a mine of anthracite, called Du Coupeau, and mineral warm baths. The origin of the name Chamouni is traced to champs munis, or fortified grounds, in allusion to the natural fortifications formed by the mountains. CHAMPAGNE, an ancient province of France, bounded N. by Belgium, E. by Lorraine, S. E. by Franche-Comt6, S. by Burgundy and Niver- J nais, and "W. by Orl6anais, He de France, and Picardy. Capital, Troyes. For a long time it was governed by local princes, and was united to the crown of France in the 14th century. At present it comprises the de- partments of Aube, Marne, Haute-Marne, Ardennes, and part of the departments of Seine-et-Marne, Aisne, Yonne, and Meuse. It is chiefly celebrated for its wines, containing about 125,000 acres of vine-growing land. The present department of Marne, however, alone produces what is technically known in commerce" as champagne wine. The depart- ment of Ardennes produces a common red wine, which is exclusively consumed by the inhabitants. The best of it is wanting in body, spirit, and color, and will not bear exportation or keeping. Of the product of the department of Haute-Marne, about one half is consumed at home, the remainder being sold in the vicinity. The quality of these wines is superior to those of Ardennes. The department of Aube pro- duces a red wine, the larger portion of which is reserved for home consumption. The better classes of wine are strong-bodied and heady, re- quiring to be kept at least two years before they are fit for use. Some excellent white wines are produced here. The department of Marne has about 46,000 acres of vineyards, which produce red and white wines, one third of which, principally the former, is consumed within the department, the rest forming one of the great staples of the commerce of the district. The arrondissements of Eheims and Epernay contain the most celebrated vineyards. (See FRANCE, WINKS OF.) CHAMPAGNE, or Champagne, Philippe de, a French painter, bora in Brussels, May 26, 1602, died in Paris, Aug. 12, 1674. In 1621 he went to Paris, where he became a friend of Nicolas Poussin, superintendent of one of the royal galleries, and a successful portrait and landscape painter. His portraits, especially one of himself, are remarkable for the characteris- tic excellence of coloring of the Flemish school. Among the finest of his other works are those at the Carmelites, in Paris. CHAMPAGNY. I. Jean Baptist* Nompere, count de, duke de Cadore, a French statesman, born at Roanne, Aug. 4, 1756, died in Paris, July 8, 1834. He belonged to a junior branch of an ancient family, studied under Laplace, distin- guished himself in the naval service, and was severely wounded while serving under De Grasse, April 11, 1780. In 1789 he became a member of the states general, was arrested in 1798, but escaped, and entered the council of state in 1799. In 1801 he went as ambassador to Vienna, and in 1804 Napoleon made him minister of the interior. He was at the em- peror's coronation in Milan in 1805, and re- ceived the portfolio of foreign affairs in 1807. In 1809 he was present at the battle of Wag- ram, and assisted in the treaty of peace which resulted in Napoleon's marriage with Maria Louisa. He urged the annexation of the Netherlands and of other territories to France. In 1811 he was dismissed from the ministry for having failed to comprehend Napoleon's designs against Russia. He adhered to Na- poleon during the hundred days, although Louis XVIII. had made him a peer. In 1830 he supported Louis Philippe. His Souvenirs were published at Paris in 1846. II. Louis Allx Nompere de, duke de Cadore, eldest son of the preceding, born Jan. 12, 1796, died in