60 



NICKEL-NIGHT HAWK. 



which be became chief justice. He died at Columbia, 

 Twin.. Mmvli, IS76. 



MCKKL The production of this metal in thi> 

 I'nited Suu* in given und, -r M i 



JJIT i Mi ""' "" line in I . S. i-oins is shown 



Am lUtO. Ulltlt>r - >llNT Tl '. c f " nl "' r "!'" w . s :t '"' 

 ili-n great decline in pHHluction in |.vs;l. 



This wan due to tlir large .shipments ul rich nickel 

 on* from the n. iledonia, an island cast 



istralia, belonging to France ami used as :i penal 

 colony. In lsr-7 M (iarnicr in making a geological 

 exploration of thil island found HrpnttM ro.-k with 

 liKlii gnvi, -.1111 1 ilcs from these on being care 



lully ex.iiuincd in France pro\cd In contain a now 

 iii>iirr.il. hydni silicate ut' nickel and magnesia, which 

 wa named (J.miierileiu honor of the discoverer. Not 

 until 1874 wa* the mineral found in large quantities. 

 Then a vein about four feet thick was found in Mont 

 .ill side of the island, and afterwards 

 other wins with still richer ore, said to contain about 

 I ." jNTccnl. nf the metal. Yet the ore shipped to Franco 

 in l>7."> yieMcd only about ft per cent. In the next 

 year the shipments were said to be of three gradi s ; 

 the richest yielding 18 to 3> per cent, the second rate 

 :!.. ami the poorest 6 to 8 por cent. 

 Hut by far the largest amount was of the lust grade. 

 In lns:{ tho export* were W'24 metric tons of ore 

 wliich yielded S'J4 tons of nickel, or about '.).!:{ per 

 cent, (larnicrite is found in small quantities over the 

 whole island, but only in paying quantities in the 

 north-went. The district believed to bo richest, Bou- 

 rindi. is not yet worked. This is owing to the dif- 

 ficulticftof access, of climate, ami of labor. Water is 

 even-when; scarce. The natives can IK' used only for 

 tran>|Kirtation and incidental work, and easily suc- 

 cumb to disease, si that the hospitals arc keiit full and 

 the rate of mortality is high. The Preach convicts 

 nro worthless as miners; the Chinese are found the 

 liest, though they require constant watching. From 

 the I'alia district in Mont I (ore the ore in sacks of 

 sixty-six pounds is carried successively on pack-horses, 

 horse-cant, steam -railroads and scows, a distance of 

 i.ver KXKI miles liefore it reaches the steamers which 

 t ike it to the island of Noumea. There it is smelted 

 into a regulus of f>0 or 70 per cent, nickel, granulated 

 and then shipped to England, latterly the mines at 

 Thie have IM-CII more worked. These extend over 

 ''MM! acres, the veins vary from three to seven feet in 

 thickness, and the average ore yields ]() per cent. 

 The transportation from Thio is much less arduous 

 th.ir from the I'ulta district, there being wore con- 

 \evan:-e by water. 



The Nickel Company of Paris now controls the pro- 

 iliietioii in New Caleilonia. and the liclni'^ o|' 

 mines has compelled those in other countries 

 .ilinosl entirely to suspend operations. While garni- 

 i-nte yields on an aveiML'e nearly ID percent, of me- 

 t.dlic nickel, pyrrhotite, from whidi nickel is obtained 

 in lancater co . j'a . yields only 1.5 til '2 per cent. 

 Although ore? of nickel have licen found in some other 

 States, none have been profitably worked, or seem 

 likely^to be BO. The duty on nickel imported into 

 tin- I'nited States i* :!o cents a pound, but on its 

 alloy with copper 2D cents, and foreign producers 

 i'Miiid it practicable to make an alloy its pure as 

 ordinary commercial nickel, and yet have it admitted 

 at the latter rail'. The price of nickel for some years 

 has been two shillings (M wit*) a jionnd in London. 

 This price in believed to IM I'., reed by tin- Nickel Com- 

 pany with a view locni.~hiiiL' out competiiion and then 

 advancing the price. Vet in ISM; the company 

 offered to make contracts for ten years at this rate. 

 The American production, which in ls>l bad Mink to 

 iKMinds. rose again in I-- 'it pounds, 



valued at $109. 398, and in issr, win is-j.:;4'i pounds. 



nlMdtt $109.407. There Were al-o ill I--I, rolltli- 

 butions of ore and matte amounting to :;j.ii-J7 pounds. 

 and valued t $J7,7.Hi. The I.H--' b.,- Mink from 



$2.00 per pound in ]S7f- to fiO cents in ISSf,. Tim 

 ini|Hirts of nickel and it.s alloys in |MiS wen- valued at 



.^ ; they a" . crcxsed until iu IS7ti only 



unds, valueil at $1". were ini|>oiied. Then 

 they rose steadily, reaching in Is^J the maximnin of 

 300,728 poooda, \alucd at ?! l::.r,.,o. [ i> v -, t |,,.y 



19,700 pounds, vali, >D3. 



The (ierman Kmpire in 1>7.; adopted nickel alloy 

 for some of it.s minor coins. This u-rcatly increased 

 the demand for the metal, and its price went up to 

 16 shillings, and for some years averaged \'2 si..! 

 lint-s a pound. When the .supply finally had to be 

 obtained from the French company, the (ierman gov- 

 ernment, in 1883, gave up the use of the metal, and 

 thus helped to cause a great fall in its price. Tho 

 consumption previous to that time was estimated to 

 be as follows: Ktigland, . r >(MI metric tons; (Jcrmanv. 

 I'nited Slates, L'lH); France. IIKI; total, IKK) 

 tons. Tin- production in New Caledonia for the three 

 years 18cS2-84 was :MOO metric tons. Finding this in 



if the demand, the Nickel Company suspended 

 work in March, KSSo, until the stock on hand should 

 be reduced. 



The French government has been considering the 

 substitution of nickel for copper coins. The I'nited 

 States continue to make 5-eent and ;i-eent pieces of 

 nickel alloy. The coinage of 1885 and 1880 was as 

 follows : 



6-cmt. Klrkrl conitnraed. 



188.5. 



I-,-.; 



4790 



1,476,490 



58,616 



The mint at Berlin, Germany, in ISsfi, made nickel 

 coinage for the Kirvptiau government, amounting to 

 ll'.."!!!!.^!!) pieces, Varaed at fl'li',.-):;!'. Nickel-plating 

 increases .slowly, and there is decided increase iu tho 

 use of nickel alloys, such as white casting metal, 

 nickel-bronze, silvcroid, and other alloys wliich com- 

 bine cheapness with hardness, durability, and good 

 color. (J. P. L.) 



MCOL. HitsiciNE, a British painter, was born at 

 Ijcith, Scotland. .July, lSl!.">. He was apprenticed to 

 a house-painter, but studied at the Trustees' Academy 

 and became a teacher of drawing. He spent some 

 years iu Dublin, where he became familiar with Iri>h 

 character, lie removed to London in ISi'.L' and was 

 made an a.-.-ociate of the Koyal Academy in ISt'.ll. 

 Amoni.' his pictures are Notice to Quit (ISilU), Wait- 

 ing for the Train (I Si, I). Both Puzzled (I S(id). A Dis- 

 puted Boundary (I860), Steady, .Johnny, Steady ( 

 Paying the Kent (JSTii). Storm at Sea (IS7ti), HlS 



\dviser (IS77). UowiUingl; to School (1877), 

 The Missing Hoat (IS7S). His works exhibit great 

 power of expression, both pathetic ami comic. 



NICOLLET. JK.AN Nir.n..\s f 1786-1 843), explorer, 

 was born at Clu-ses, Savoy, .July l!l, I7M'>. Having 

 studied under the astronomer Laplace, he became sec- 

 retary and librarian of (be Observatory at Paris iu 

 1817. Emigrating to the I'nited States in IS,;:.', hi; 

 explored the. Southern Slates, the Mississippi Kiver, 

 and it.s western afllucuts. lie made important collec- 

 tions in natural history and Indian ethnology. He 

 was sent on a second exploring tour by the \Var I >e 

 partmcnt. Lieut. .John ('. Fremont being bis assistant. 

 Be died at \Vashiui:ton. Sept. II. lsl:t. His publicu- 

 t'lMiis were chiefly on mathematical subjects. 



NIGHT-HAWK, a name formerly given to tho 

 common goatsucker of Europe. CaprilfailgtU 

 ;MW, now m. >re frequently called the nightjar, fern- 

 owl, etc. Night hawk has. however, become the 

 n-ual name in the I'nited Stales of another bird of 



the same family. Oaprimitlauitr, Kit different genus 



namely. < 'li'inli /'/<.< /Mi/n'tm: ll is related 

 to the \Vhippoorwill ( .\iiii-nslnniiix i-ori/wis) and to tbo 

 churkwiU's-widow (.1. CnrtiVlteH*u), but is quite dis- 

 tinct from bulb of these birds. ll may lie recognised 

 by its long, thin, pointed \UII.IL>. ioiked tail, extreme]/ 



