Ml 



NIEOWLAND, PIETER. 



NIGHTINGALE, MISS FLORENCE. 



which he had written no freely. A work of much greater 



merit wu published by him at Amsterdam in 1715, in one volume 

 4to, entitled 'The right use of Contemplating the Works of the 

 Creator;' the object of the author is first to convince atheists of the 

 existence of a supreme and benevolent Creator, by contemplating the 

 mechanism of the heaven*, the structure of animals, ftc. ; and secondly 

 to remove the doubts of Deists concerning revealed religion. It was 

 originally published in Dutch, but has passed through several editions, 

 in German, French, and Knglish. The English editions, translated 

 by Cbambcrlayne, under the title of the ' Religious Philosopher,' 

 appeared at London in 1718-19 and 1730, in 3 vols. Svo. This work, 

 at was first pointed out in the ' Athentoum ' for 1848, pp. 803, 907, 

 930, served as the basis for Palsy's ' Natural Theology,' the general 

 argument, and many of the illustrations in that remarkable work 

 bring directly copied and without the slightest acknowledgment, 

 though Paley was acquainted with the book from the 'Religious 

 Philosopher.' 



Nieuwentyt died May SO, 1718, not in 1730, as stated in Button's 

 Dictionary. The following are the titles of his mathematical Vorks : 

 ' Conaiderationes circa Analyseos ad Quantitates infinite parvas appli- 

 cate Principia, et Calculi Differentialis Usuni in resolvcndis Proble- 

 matibus Geoiuetricis,' Amst., 1694, Svo; 'Analysis lufiuitorum, seu 

 Curvilineorum Proprietatis ex Polygonorum Natura deducts;,' Amst., 

 1695, 4to ; ' Considerationes Secundic circa Differentialis Principia, et 

 Kesponsio ad Virum Nobilissiinum G. G. Lribnitium,' Amst, 1696, 

 4 to; 'A Treatise upon a New Application of Tables of Sines and 

 Tangent*,' 1714 (printed in the 'Journal Litt<Sraire de la Haye'). 

 . NIECWLAND, PIETER, an eminent Dutch poet and natural 

 philosopher, was born in 1764, at Diemermecr, where bis father was 

 a carpenter, and a man of some information for one in his class of 

 life. From him he acquired some insight into arithmetic and geo- 

 metry ; read all the books which the house contained, and at the age 

 of seven began to display a turn for making verses. His verses were 

 considered by others, besides bis father, as very extraordinary 

 productions for such a mere child, and caused him to be greatly 

 noticed by many, and especially by Bernardua de Bosch, who not 

 only ttood high among his countrymen as a classical scholar, but 

 who was a lover of poetry, and had himself some pretensions to be a 

 poet. By him the boy was taken into his own house and placed 

 under the tuition of his brother Jeronimo de Bosch, by whom he was 

 instructed in Greek and Latin, in both which he soon made great 

 proficiency, as well as in other studies. He was then tent to the 

 Athenaeum at Amsterdam, where he had Tolliua and Wyttenbach for 

 his instructors, and where, in 17SO, ho gave proofs of his learning and 

 acquirements, by a dissertation on Terence, and another on the Stoic 

 philosopher Musonius. After attending Ruhukenius's lectures at 

 Leyden, he became " candidate" of philosophy, and to distinguished 

 himself, that in 1787 the post of bead-master nt the school of Utrecht 

 was offered him. In the following year he increased Ms fame by the 

 publication of some of his poetical pieces, including that entitled 

 ' Orion,' one of his noblest productions. In these, and bis subsequent 

 poems, there are marks of real genius and originality, striking thoughts 

 and ideas expressed with great power of language. Their chief defect 

 is, that many of them possess little interest of subject, being of the 

 dace denominated " occasional poems," and therefore charm only by 

 their beauties of execution. But as his translations from Anacreon 

 are unrivalled in the language for tbeir sprightliuess and elegance, so 

 is bis elegy on the death of his wife for its simple pathos. 



Nieuwland's high poetical talent was the more remarkable because 

 combined with other talents which have generally been considered 

 incompatible with an ardent imagination. In conjunction with Van 

 Swinden he published a nautical almanac ; and also wrote a treatise 

 (1787) on the means of ascertaining the longitude at sea, which ha* 

 been frequently reprinted. Besides this he had begun a work on 

 navigation, of which only the first volume appeared (1792), his death 

 preventing him from completing it. An account of his other scientific 

 and philosophical writings may be found in his Kloge by Van Swinden. 

 That he potstsssd very extraordinary mental powers and rapidity of 

 apprehension admits of no doubt, when the extent of his studies and 

 attainment* is compared with the nhortnegs of bis lift) and the variety 

 of his avocations. In 1789 he was lector in navigation and natural 

 philosophy at Amsterdam; in 1792 he became head-teacher at L- vd.n, 

 in the mathematical and physical sciences ; and iu 1793 profewor of 

 mathematics, physics, architecture, hydraulic*, and astronomy. He 

 died on the 14th of November 1794. about eight mouths after the 

 death of his wife and chiM. 



NlGElt, CAIUS PESCE'NNIUS, appears to have been of humble 

 origin ; but his great military talents recommended him successively 

 to the notice of Marcus Aurelius, Commodtu, and Pertinax, by whom 

 he was employed in offices of trust and honour. He was consul 

 together with Septimius Severus, and obtained the government of 

 Syria. 



OH the murder of Pertinax, A.D. 193, the empire was exposed fj>r 

 sale by the Pnctorfon guards, and was purchased by Didius Julian us, 

 whom the senate was compelled to acknowledge as emperor. The 

 people however did not tamely submit to this indignity ; and three 

 general*, at the head of tbeir respective legions, Septimius Sevenut, 

 who commanded in Paunonia, Clodius Albinus, iu Britain, and Pescen- 



nius Niger, in Syria, refused to acknowledge the nomination of the 

 Pnotorians, and each churned the empire. Of these, Niger was the 

 most popular, and his cause was warmly espoused by nil the provinces 

 of the East But he did not possess the energy and activity of his 

 rival Severn*. Instead of hastening to Italy, where his presence was 

 indispensable, he quietly remained at Antiocb, while Severus marched 

 to Rome, dethroned Didius, and made active preparations for prose- 

 cuting the war against him in Asia. Housed at length from his 

 inactivity, Niger crossed over to Europe and established his head- 

 quarters at Byzantium; but he had scarcely arrived at this place, 

 before his troops in Asia were defeated near Cyzicus by the generals of 

 Severus. He was soon however able to collect another army, which he 

 commanded in person; but being defeated successively near Nicsea 

 aud at Issus, he abandoned his troops, and uVd towards the Euphrates 

 with the intention of seeking refugo among the Pnrthi HIP. I ait before 

 he could reach the Euphrates, he was overtaken by a detachment of 

 the enemy, and put to death on the spot. 



(Herodian, b. ii. ; Spartianus, Hfe of Pctccnnim Niger; Aurelius 

 Victor, De Cc&aribut, c. 20 ; Eutropius, viii. 10 ; Dion, Hpitome, b. 

 73, 74.) 



Coin of Niger. 



* NIGHTINGALE, MISS FLORENCE, the younger of two 

 daughters, was born in 1820, in the city of Florence, " whence," snys 

 the author of a ' Stroll to Lea Hurst,' " her first name is derived." Her 

 father, William Edward Nightingale of Lea Hurst, Derbyshire, was 

 descended from an ancient Yorkshire family, named Shore, and went 

 by that name himself so recently as 1815, when in compliance with 

 the wishes of an uncle by the mother's side, he adopted the present 

 family name. He married in 181 8 a daughter of Wm. Smith, Esq., M.P. 

 for Norwich. Florence Nightingale appears to have been instructed 

 at home ; where, besides the usual accomplishments, she acquired a 

 knowledge of the German, and other modern languages, which, during 

 her travels on the Continent, to examine the hospitals and asylums 

 for the poor and aged, were of essential service. In early child- 

 hood, a marked sympathy with every kind of affliction declared itself 

 in her ; and it was fostered both by the encouragement of her friends, 

 and the means for its exercise which her father's fortune placed at her 

 disposal. From the first, her benevolence took the aspect of method, 

 being quiet, thoughtful, and serious ; she seemed from natural instinct 

 to have adopted her own vocation. Her reading mainly consisted of 

 the writings of pious Christians of different countries and ages, who 

 have had their missions of charity. From Lea Hurst, where much of 

 her early life was spent, she visited the schools and hospitals of tho 

 neighbourhood, nnd when time had lent its impulse to this bene- 

 volence, fche longed to extend its sphere by exploring tho great 

 hospitals of England. With this view, she was taken to the metropolis, 

 where she examined with rigid care the several systems of treatment 

 pursued in the hospitals, reformatory institutions, and workhouses. 

 She took great pains in observing the nursing of patients iu the 

 Middlesex hospital, whence afterwards she selected some of the nurses 

 who accompanied her to the East. After this she gathered new expe- 

 rience by inspecting the principal hospitals iu the country towns. 



During this protracted course of study, the observation which most 

 frequently recurred to her, was the want of competent nurses, and a 

 school for the training of them. This deficiency she often complained 

 of; the complaint baa since been repeated by medical men as well 

 as by voluntary sisters of charity, and it forms tho basis of that 

 important movement in favour of the sick nnd poor, which Mrs. 

 Jameson, Mrs. S. Austin, and other la ties are now engaged iu promot- 

 ing. At length, she learned that such a training school as she desired, 

 though not to be mot with iu the United Kingdom, existed iu 

 Germany. This was the institution at Kaiserswerth, founded by 

 Pastor Fliedner, for the practical training of deaconesses, or visiting 

 nurses, who go out to vuit the sick and poor. This humble pastor 

 bad the charge of a community of Protestants, working people belong- 

 ing to a Urge factory near Dusseldorf on the Rhino ; the proprietors 

 of which having been ruined by the late war, the artisans were reduced 

 to extreme misery. But this groat disaster did not subdue the spirit 

 of their minister. Unwilling to desert his flock, he travelled through 

 Germany, Holland, and England to raise subscriptions, partly to build 

 a church for their use. Whilst in this country, he was introduced 

 to the late Mrs. Fry. The objects which then engrossed that lady's 

 mind, at once gave a new direction to the zealous charity of the 

 German pastor, who, on his return home, formed at Dusseldorf the 

 first society existing in Germany for the improvement of prison disci- 

 pline. But his aims and purposes expanding, in 1833, he opened the 

 first branch of Kaiserswerth institution by founding his penitentiary 

 in a Bummerhouae iu his garden : he began with one frail female, aud 

 one voluntary assistant. In 1835, his establishment comprised a 



