CHAMOIS 417 CHAMPAGNE of Boncourt, in Champagne, France, Jan. 30, 1781. His family being driven to Berlin by the Revolution, he became, from 1796 to 1798, page to the queen- mother, and afterward entered the Prus- sian service, where he remained till 1808. He then revisited France; but shortly after returned to Prussia, and for three years devoted himself to the study of natural science at Berlin. In 1815 he accompanied as naturalist an expedition for the discovery of the Northwest Pas- sage, and on his return took up his resi- dence at Berlin, where he was appointed superintendent of the botanic garden. He wrote several works on natural his- tory and botany, and an account of his voyage, but his reputation as a natu- ralist has been somewhat eclipsed by that which he acquired as a poet. In 1804- 1806, in concert with Varnhagen von Ense, he published a collection of poems, under the name of the "Muses' Alma- nac," and in 1813 appeared his famous tale, "Peter Schlemihl, or the Shadowless Man," the plot suggested by a casual question of Fouque's. Many of his bal- lads and songs are masterpieces in their way and still maintain their popularity. He died in Berlin in 1838. CHAMOIS (sham'wa), an antelope, Rupicapra tragus, formerly called Anti" lope Rupicapra. It is the only antelope found wild in Europe, and in physical character it is somewhat aberrant, ap- CHAMOIS preaching the sheep and goats. It is about 3 feet 3 inches high, with two par; llel horns 6 or 7 inches long, and no beard. It is densely clothed with hair. It ia found on high mountain ranges, especially on the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Carpathian mountains, and those of Greece. CHAMOIS LEATHER, a leather made from the skin of the Chamois (Rupi- cap)-a tragiis), but the skins of sheep, goats, deer, calves, and the split hides of other animals, are also used for mak- ing this kind of leather; the superior kinds of which are called chamois, and the inferior, wash-leather. CHAMOMILE or CAMOMILE (kam' 6-mil; Anthemis nobilis) , a well-known plant belonging to the natural order Composiise. It is perennial, and has slender, trailing, hairy, and branched stems. The flower is white, with a yel- low center. Both leaves and flowers are bitter and „romatic. The fragrance is due to the presence of an essential oil, called oil of chamomile, of a light blue color when first extracted, and used in the preparation of certain medicines. It is cultivated in gardens in the United States, and also found wild. CHAMOUNI, or CHAMONIX (sha- mo'-ne), a celebrated valley in France, department Haute-Savoie, in the Pen- nine Alps, over 3,000 feet above sea- level. It is about 12 miles long, by 1 to 6 miles broad, its E. side formed by Mount Blanc and other lofty mountains of the same range, and it is traversed by the Arve. The mountains on the E. side are always snow-clad, and from these pro- ceed numerous glaciers, such as the Gla- cier de Bossons and the Mer de Glace. The village of Chamouni (pop. 1,500) is much frequented by tourists, and is one of the points from which they visit Mount Blanc. CHAMPAGNE (sham-pan'), an old province in the N. E. of France, bounded on the N. by Belgium, on the E. by Lor- raine, on the S. by Burgundy, and on the W. by Ile-de-France and Picardy. It is now embraced in the departments of Ardennes, Marne, Haute-Marne, and Aube, and parts of Yonne, Aisne, and Seine-et-Marne. It is a rolling country of calcareous formation, and from the vineyards on its hills are produced the famous wines of Champagne. It fonned part of ancient Gaul, became known as Campania in the 6th century, and was ruled by independent native counts from the 10th century until 1284, when it was united to the crown of France by the marriage of Joanna, heiress of Navarre and Champagne, to Philip IV. (the Fair). It was formally incorporated with France in 1361. During the 12th and 13th centuries its court was an im- portant literary center, and the language employed there {langue d'&il) became
