CERCLE, _Grand-cercle_, _Fr._ a form observed under the old government of France, by which it was directed, that every evening at a specific hour the serjeants and corporals of a brigade should assemble to receive orders; the former standing in front of the latter. Subsequent to the grand cercle, a smaller one was made in each regiment, when general, or regimental orders were again repeated to the serjeants of each regiment, and from them communicated to the officers of the several companies. CERTIFICATES, are of various kinds, as applied to officers generally, or to commissaries, commanding officers, or staff. They are a testimonial bearing witness to the existence of some requisite qualifications, or to the performance of some act required by the regulations of the army, and for which the officer who signs is responsible, whether he certifies for himself, or for any other officer. _Military_ CERTIFICATES are of various denominations, and consist chiefly of the following kinds, viz. _Certificate_ from a field officer to the commander in chief, affirming the eligibility of a young man to hold a commission. _Certificate_ of an officer in the English army upon honor, that he does not exceed the regulation in the _purchase of his commission_. _Certificate_ from a general officer to affirm and prove the losses which officers may sustain in the field _Certificate_ from colonels of regiments to the board for admission of proper objects to the hospital. _Certificate_ from a magistrate to identify the person of a recruit, and to affirm, that he has enlisted himself voluntarily into the service; likewise, that the articles of war have been read to him. _Certificate_ from regimental surgeons, whether men when they join are proper and fit objects to be enlisted; this is required in the United States army, to be on the back of every paper of enlistment. _Certificate_ of commanding officers for stores, &c. _Certificate_, to enable an officer to receive half pay. _Certificate_ of surgeons and assistant surgeons, to prove their having passed a proper examination. CESSATION, or _cessation of arms_, in a military figurative sense, means a truce, or the total abrogation of all military operations for a limited time. CHACE _of a gun_, means the length from the trunnions to the muzzle. See CANNON. CHAFFERY, that part of the foundry where the forges are placed for hammering iron into complete bars, and thereby bringing it to perfection. CHAIN _for engineers_, is a sort of wire chain divided into links of an equal length, made use of for setting out works on the ground, because cord lines are apt to shrink and give way. There are several sorts of chains made use of in mensuration; as Mr. Rathbone’s, of two perches in length; others, one perch long; some of 1000 feet in length; but that which is most in use amongst engineers is Mr. Gunter’s, which is 4 poles long, and contains 100 links, each link being 7⁹²⁄₁₀₀ inches in length.