vely early examples in
beaten iron, brass, copper and even silver are still extant. Throughout
the 17th century the hanging candle-holder of brass or bronze was common
throughout northern Europe, as innumerable pictures and engravings
testify. In the great periods of the art of decoration in France many
magnificent chandeliers were made by Boulle, and at a later date by
Gouthiere and Thomire and others among the extraordinarily clever
_fondeurs-ciseleurs_ of the second half of the 18th century. The
chandelier in rock crystal and its imitations had come in at least a
hundred years before their day, and continued in favour to the middle of
the 19th century, or even somewhat later. It reached at last the most
extreme elaboration of banality, with ropes of pendants and hanging
faceted drops often called lustres. When many lights were burning in one
of these chandeliers an effect of splendour was produced that was not
out of place in a ballroom, but the ordinary household varieties were
extremely ugly and inartistic. The more purely domestic chandelier
usually carries from two to six lights. The rapidly growing use of
electricity as an illuminating medium and the preference for smaller
clusters of lights have, however, pushed into the background an
appliance which had grown extremely commonplace in design, and had
become out of character with modern ideas of household decoration.

CHANDERNAGORE, or CHANDARNAGAR, a French settlement in India, with a
small adjoining territory, situated on the right bank of the river
Hugli, 20 m. above Calcutta, in 22 deg. 51' 40" N, and 88 deg. 24' 50"
E. Area 3 sq. m.; pop. (1901) 25,000. Chandernagore has played an
important part in the European history of Bengal. It became a permanent
French settlement, in 1688, but did not rise to any importance till the
time of Dupleix, during whose administration more than two thousand
brick houses were erected in the town and a considerable maritime trade
was carried on. In 1757 Chandernagore was bombarded by an English fleet
under Admiral Watson and captured; the fortifications and houses were
afterwards demolished. On peace being established the town was restored
to the French in 1763. When hostilities afterwards broke out in 1794, it
was again taken possession of by the English, and was held by them till
1816, when it was a second time given up to the French; it has ever
since remained in their possession. All the former commercial grandeur
of