ct. Within the curtain stand the
monastic buildings, a large garden and a cruciform chapel, with many
curious old stone carvings, half hidden beneath whitewash. Numerous
gifts from the Russian court, such as gospels lettered in gold and
silver relief, or jewelled crucifixes, are preserved on the spot; but
the valuable library was removed, in the 15th century, to Mount Athos.

CHUQUISACA, a department of S.E. Bolivia, bounded N. by Cochabamba and
Santa Cruz, E. by Santa Cruz and Brazil, S. by Tarija, and W. by Potosi.
It lies partly upon the eastern plateau of Bolivia and partly upon the
great plains of the upper La Plata basin; area, 26,418 sq. m. The
Pilcomayo, a large tributary of the Paraguay, crosses N.W. to S.E. the
western part of the department. The climate of the lowlands is hot,
humid and unhealthy, but that of the plateau is salubrious, though
subject to greater extremes in temperature and rainfall. The seasons are
sharply divided into wet and dry, the eastern plains becoming great
lagoons during the wet season, and parched deserts during the dry. The
mineral resources are important, but are less developed than those of
Potosi and Oruro. Grazing is the principal industry of the plains, and
cattle, sheep, goats and llamas are raised and cereals grown in the
fertile valleys of the plateau. Three rough highways connect the
department with its neighbours on the N. and W., and pack animals are
the common means of transporting merchandise. The population was
estimated at 204,434 m 1900, and is largely composed of Indians and
_mestizos_. The plateau Indians are generally Aymaras, but on the
eastern plains there are considerable settlements of partly civilized
Chiriguanos, of Guarani origin. The department is divided into four
provinces, the greater part of the lowlands being unsettled and without
effective political organization. Its principal towns are Sucre,
Camargo, Padilla and Yotala.

CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900), American landscape painter, was
born at Hartford, Connecticut, on the 4th of May 1826. He was a pupil of
Thomas Cole at Catskill, New York, where his first pictures were
painted. Developing unusual technical dexterity, Church from the
beginning sought for his themes such marvels of nature as Niagara Falls,
the Andes, and tropical forests--he visited South America in 1853 and
1857,--volcanoes in eruption, and icebergs, the beauties of which he
portrayed with great skill in the manage