CHENSTOCHOW 450 CHERBULIEZ CHENSTOCHOW, a town of Poland, near the left bank of the Warthe river. It is on the Warsaw-Vienna railway. Prior to the World War the town was of considerable industrial importance, containing cotton mills, iron foundries, breweries, flour mills, etc. Near by is the famous monastery of the order of St. Paul the Hermit, visited annually by many thousands of pilgrims. Pop. about 75,000. CHEOPS (ke'ops) , the name given by Herodotus to the Egyptian despot whom the Egyptians themselves called Khufu. He belonged to the rulers who had for their capital Memphis ; lived about 2800- 2700 B. c, and built the largest of the pyramids. According to Herodotus he employed 100,000 men on this work con- stantly for 20 years. CHEPHREN, or CEPHREN (kef ren), was the successor of Cheops as King of Egypt, and the builder of the second pyramid. His name is properly Khafra. CHEPSTOW, a tovni and port in Eng- land, Monmouthshire, on the Wye, 14 miles N. by W. of Bristol. The high tides of the Wye allow large ships to reach the town, which is very ancient, and has a castle, portions of which date back to the Conquest. CHER (shar), a department of central France, named from the river Cher, and formed from part of the old provinces of Berry and Bourbonnais; area, 2,819 square miles; capital, Bourges. The surface is in general flat, but is diversified in the N. by chains of inconsiderable hills. Soil various, but fertile in the neighborhood of the Loire and Allier. The forests and pastures are extensive. More grain and wine are Produced than the demands of the in- abitants require. The preparations and manufacture of iron, called Berry-iron, is the principal branch of industry. Pop. about 335,000. CHERASCO (ker-asTco), a walled town in the province of Cuneo, north Italy, 37 miles S. S. E. of Turin. It markets grain, wine, and truffles. During the Middle Ages Cherasco was one of the chief fortresses of north Italy, but its works were destroyed by the French in 1801. A peace was concluded here between Louis XIII. of France and the Duke of Savoy in 1631, and another be- tween the Sardinian commissioners and Napoleon in 1796. Pop. about 10,000. CHERBOURG (shar-borg), a forti- fied seaport and naval arsenal of France, in the department of La Manche, 196 miles W. N. W. of Paris. It is the headquarters of one of the five mari- time arrondissements of France and one of the chief torpedo stations. The for- tifications are very extensive, and have been greatly strengthened in recent times, so that Cherbourg, if not impreg- nable from the sea, is at least very diffi- cult of attack. The port is divided into the comm.ercial and naval ports, which are quite distinct. The Port Militaire is accessible at all times of tide for vessels of the largest class; there are slips for vessels of the largest dimensions, dry docks, building-sheds, mast-houses, boil- er-works, and in short everything neces- sary for the building and fitting out of ships of war. There is a great dif/ve breakwater, stretching across the road- stead, which, though protected on three sides by the land, was formerly open to the heavy seas from the north. The digue was commenced under Louis XVI., is 4,120 yards long, and is 2]4 miles from the harbor, in water varying from 42 to 62 feet deep. A fort and light- house occupy the center of the digue, and there are circular forts at the ex- tremities. The principal industry of the town is centered in the works of the dock-yard, the commerci^al trade and manufactures being comparatively in- significant, although it is a port of call of several of the largest French, British, and American passenger steamship lines. Cherbourg occupies the site of a Roman station. William the Conqueror founded a hospital in it, and built the castle church. The castle, in which Henry II. frequently resided, was one of the strongholds of Normandy. The town was taken by the British in 1758. Dur- ing the World War it was of great im- portance as a military and naval port. Pop. about 45,000. CHERBULIEZ, CHARLES VICTOR (shar-bu-lya'), a French romancist; born in Geneva, July 19, 1829. Having studied in the universities of Geneva, Paris, Bonn and Berlin, he became in 1864 one of the editors of the "Revue des Deux Mondes." He gained distinc- tion as art critic and observer of public affairs, and by his romances, under the pseudonym "G. Valbert." His romances are characterized by clever treatment of the problems of domestic and social life and a fine psychological analysis, with a marked bias for description of odd characters. Among his most successful novels are: "Romance of a Respectable Woman" (1866) ; "Ladislas Bolski's Ad- venture" (1869); "Samuel Brohl & Co." (1877). He died in Combs-la-Ville, June 30, 1899. I
