CHARES

chares, of mytilene, a greek belonging to the suite of alexander the great. he was appointed court-marshal or introducer of strangers to the king, an office borrowed from the persian court. he wrote a history of alexander in ten books, dealing mainly with the private life of the king. the fragments are chiefly preserved in athenaeus. see _scriptores rerum alexandri_ (pp. 114-120) in the didot edition of arrian. charge (through the fr. from the late lat. _carricare_, to load in a _carrus_ or wagon; cf. "cargo"), a load; from this, its primary meaning, also seen in the word "charger," a large dish, come the uses of the word for the powder and shot to load a firearm, the accumulation of electricity in a battery, the necessary quantity of dynamite or other explosive in blasting, and a device borne on an escutcheon in heraldry. "charge" can thus mean a burden, and so a care or duty laid upon one, as in "to be in charge" of another. with a transference to that which lays such a duty on another, "charge" is used of the instructions given by a judge to a jury, or by a bishop to the clergy of his diocese. in the special sense of a pecuniary burden the word is used of the price of goods, of an encumbrance on property, and of the expenses of running a business. further uses of the word are of the violent, rushing attack of cavalry, or of a bull or elephant, or football player; hence "charger" is a horse ridden in a charge, or more loosely a horse ridden by an officer, whether of infantry or cavalry. charge d'affaires (fr. for "in charge of business"), the title of two classes of diplomatic agents, (1) _charges d'affaires_ (_ministres charges d'affaires_), who were placed by the _reglement_ of the congress of vienna in the 4th class of diplomatic agents, are heads of permanent missions accredited to countries to which, for some reason, it is not possible or not desirable to send agents of a higher rank. they are distinguished from these latter by the fact that their credentials are addressed by the minister for foreign affairs of the state which they are to represent to the minister for foreign affairs of the receiving state. though still occasionally accredited, ministers of this class are now rare. they have precedence over the other class of _charges d'affaires_. (2) _charges d'affaires per interim_, or _charges des affaires_, are those who are presented as such, either verbally or in writing, by heads of missions of the first, second or third rank to the minister for foreign affairs of the state to which they are accredited, when they leave their post temporarily, or pending the arrival of their successor. it is usual to appoint a counsellor or secretary of legation _charge d'affaires_. some governments are accustomed to give the title of minister to such _charges d'affaires_, which ranks them with the other heads of legation. essentially _charges d'affaires_ do not differ from ambassadors, envoys or ministers resident. they represent their nation, and enjoy the same privileges and immunities as other diplomatic agents (see diplomacy).