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CHAPONE CHAPTAL 269 friend to visit Home, and to study and practise his art there for several years. After his re- turn to the United States he had a studio for some time in New York, but since 1848 he has resided in Rome. He has executed many ori- ginal designs for the illustration of books. His principal paintings are the " Baptism of Poca- hontas" for one of the panels in the rotunda at Washington, the "Israelites Spoiling the Egyptians," "Etruscan Girl," "A Donkey's Head," "The Last Arrow," and " First Italian Milestone." He has also published two books on drawing. CHAPONE, Mrs. (HESTER MTJLSO), an English authoress, born in Northamptonshire in 1727, died at Hadley in December, 1801. She is said to have written a romance at the age of nine years, and she early studied several lan- guages and treatises on morals and philosophy. Her first publications were the story of " Fide- lia" in the "Adventurer," and some verses prefixed to Miss Carter's translation of Epicte- tus. In 1760 she married Mr. Chapone, who died within less than a year. In 1770 she accompanied Mrs. Montague to Scotland, and at her request soon after published her " Let- ters on the Improvement of the Mind." In a volume of "Miscellanies," which subsequently appeared, are several letters addressed by her to Eichardson, controverting some of the max- ims put forward by him in "Clarissa Harlowe." CHAPOO, a seaport of China, in the province of Che-kiang, 53 m. N. N. W. of Ningpo, in lat. 30 40' N., Ion. 120 25' E. It is situated on the N. side of the estuary of the Tsien-tang, its suburbs lying along the shore, while the main town is at some distance behind them. Through the suburbs is conducted its extensive trade with foreign ports ; while a canal con- nects the city itself with Hang-chow, and thus with the interior. Chapoo is an impor- tant entrepot in the trade between China and Japan; and although its harbor is shallow and unsafe, it has attained great importance as a port. It was the scene of a severe conflict in the opium war, when the heights near by, which had been fortified by the Chinese, were carried by the British after an obstinate resist- ance, May 18, 1842. CHAPPE, Claude, a French engineer and me- chanician, born at Brulon in 1763, died Jan. 23, 1805. Having invented an ingenious sys- tem of signals to communicate at a distance with his friends, he presented it to the French legislative assembly in 1792. It was success- fully tried between Paris and Lille, on a length of 48 leagues, and was adopted by the gov- ernment. Chappe established several lines in France, and the one running north was first put in motion to announce the recapture of the town of Cond6 from the Prussians. The in- ventor was at once rewarded by the conven- tion, which by a decree appointed him inge- nieur telegraphe. The lines were extended all over France, and the system was also adopted, with some alterations, through Germany and England. The attacks to which he was sub- jected by persons jealous of his invention preyed so much upon his mind that he com- mitted suicide. CHAPPE D'AUTEROCHE, Jean, a French as- tronomer, born at Mauriac, Auvergne, in 1722, died in California, Aug. 1, 1769. He was a priest, but giving his whole attention to astron- omy, he became one of the assistants of Cas- sini in delineating the general map of France, and edited the astronomical tables of Dr. Halley. In 1760 he was designated by the academy to make an observation of the transit of Venus over the sun's disk, which Halley announced would happen June 6, 1761. He consequently set out for Tobolsk in Siberia, which was pointed out as the most favorable point of observation. His mission was success- fully accomplished ; and returning to France at the end of two years, he published in 1768 his Voyage en Siberie. The following year he sailed for California to observe' another transit of Venus, which was to take place June 3. He was equally successful on this occasion, but died soon afterward. The results of his last expedition were published by C. F. Cassini, under the title of Voyage de la Californie. CHAPSAL, Charles Pierre, a French gramma- rian, born in Paris in 1787, died near Joinville- le-Pont, department of the Seine, in 1858. His principal work, jointly with Francois Joseph Noel, Nouvelle grammaire franpaise, avec ex- ercices, passed from 1823 to 1858 through over 40 editions, having been adopted as a stand- ard school book, and still used to some extent, though eclipsed by more recent grammars. He became wealthy by his writings, purchased the chateau de Polangis, devoted himself to char- ity, and bequeathed 80,000 francs to the teach- ers in the outskirts of Paris. CHAPTAL, Jean Antoine, count de Chanteloup, a French chemist and statesman, born at No- garet, Loz&re, June 5, 1756, died in Paris, July 30, 1832. During his medical studies and practice he devoted much research to the sci- ence of chemistry, in which he soon became eminent, and was appointed professor at Mont- pellier, where he taught successfully the doc- trines of Black, Lavoisier, and Cavendish. His uncle, a wealthy physician, left him a fortune, with which he established chemical works near Montpellier, being the first attempted of the kind, and by which he was soon enabled to produce various chemicals hitherto import- ed such as the mineral acids, alum, soda, and salts of lead. The authorities of Languedoc heaped honors on him ; the Spanish government offered him a pension of 56,000 francs to go to Spain ; and according to his biographer, Washington wrote three times to Chaptal in- viting him to America. After the outbreak of the French revolution he published a politi- cal pamphlet, entitled Dialogue entre un Mon- tagnard et un Girondin, and was arrested, but- through the intercession of friends was liber- ated. The committee of public safety placed