400 



NASHl A 



NATAL 



(1594), the best specimen of tlie picaresque tale in 

 our literature before Defoe ; The /tie of Dogt 

 (1597), which win* at once suppressed, and in now 

 lost, and for which the author was went to prison ; 

 an.l Lenten Stuffc (1599), 'in praise of the red 

 herring,' really a humorous description of Yar- 

 mouth. The tragedy of 1>,,!>, was written in 

 collalmration with Marlowe ; XH miner'* Ltut Will 

 and Testament, by Nah alone. 



See the Memorial Introduction in Dr Groiart'i Com- 

 fUte Work! of Tkomat Nathc ( 6 vols. 4to, Lond. 1883-84 } ; 

 also chap. n. of Juswnuid'n work. Die Englith fiortl in 

 Ue Time of Shakeipmrt ( Eng. trans, by Etiz. Lee, 1890). 



Nashua, a manufacturing city of Now Hamp- 

 shire, is 40 miles l>y r:iil N\V. of Most on. at the 

 junction of the Merrirnac and Nashua rivet's. The 

 fulls of the latter, rendered available by a canal 3 

 miles long, supply motive-power to many manu- 

 facturing establishments, including very extensive 

 cotton-factories and ironworks, paper and carpet 

 mills. \-e. Pop. ( 1880) 13,397 ; ( 1900) 23,898. 



Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, is on the 

 navigable Cumberland River, 200 miles alxive the 

 Ohio, and 185 miles by mil SSW. of Louisville. 

 The city, which is one of the principal railway 

 centres in the southern states, is built mainly on 

 the left bank of the river, which is crossed by a 

 suspension bridge and a railway drawbridge to the 

 suburb of Edgefield. Nashville is a handsome, 

 well-built town, with an imposing state capitol of 

 limestone ($1,600,000), a penitentiary (400 cells), 

 and a large lunatic asylum. As an educational 

 centre the city is of considerable importance. The 

 public-school system is excellent ; and here are the 

 Nashville University (1808), Vanderbilt University 

 (Methodist Episcopal South, 1875), Central Ten- 

 nessee College (for coloured Methodists, 1866), 

 Fisk University (Congregationalist, 1867, with 

 few but coloured students), Roger Williams Uni- 

 versity (Baptist, also for coloured students), the 

 state normal college, &c. Most of these institu- 

 tions are open to both sexes. The city has a large 

 wholesale trade, the staples being cotton and 

 tobacco ; wjiile ite manufactures, which are rapidly 

 extending, include cottonr flour, oil, paper, furni- 

 ture, timl>er, leather, iron, and spirits. Founded 

 in 1780, Nashville became the legal capital in 1843. 

 In December 1864 the Confederates under Hood 

 were completely defeated here by General Thomas. 

 Pop. ( 1880) 43,350 ; ( 1890) 76,168 ; ( 1900) 80,865. 



\asik, a town of Bombay, on the Godavari, 31 

 miles from its source, with a railway station (4 

 miles distant), 100 miles NE. of Bombay. It 

 ranks as one of the most sacred of Hindu places 

 of pilgrimage, the banks and even the bed of the 

 river being crowded with temples and shrine*. 

 Formerly it was a Mahratta capital ; now it manu- 

 factures paper, cotton, and excellent brass and 

 copper work. Pop. (1891) 24,429, not including 

 3000 at the cantonment of Deolali. The district 

 of Nasik has an area of 5940 sq. m., and a pop. of 

 843,582. See MAGIC SQUARES. 



.\iisni) III. JAMES, inventor of the Btenm- 

 hammer, WK.S the son of Alexander Nasmyth (1758- 

 1840), portrait and landscape painter, IK-SI known 

 by his portrait of Burns. He was born in Edin- 

 burgh, August 19, 18C8. From bovhood he evinced a 

 turn for mechanics, and in his fattier 's house l>ecame 

 accustomed to use a lathe. At seventeen he con- 

 trncted a small working steam-engine for grinding 

 his father's colours, and made besides five models of 

 a condensing steam-engine, and later a small road 

 locomotive. Employed in 1829 by Mamlsley, he 

 started in business at Manchester in 1834, gained 

 a good connection, and established at Patricroft 

 what afterwards liecame known as the Bridge- 

 water Foundry. The invention of the Steam- 



hammer (q.v.) was conceived in 1839, the occasion 

 lieing the necessity for forging mi enormous wrought- 

 iron paddle shaft. Mill it did not tnke shape till 

 1842. when he found the steam hummer as he had 

 planned it at work at Creu/ot in France. It had 

 ban adapted from his own srheme lx>ok. Nosmyth 

 patented his invention on liis return to England, 

 and it was adopted bv the Admiralty in IM. 1 :. 

 Business increased, ami bv 18.56 he WHS able to 

 retire with a handsome t'nrtune. and settled at 

 Penshurst, Kent. Amongst his other inventions 

 was a steam pile-driver. He published Kcnutrk* 

 on Tools anil Miicliinrri/ (lH. r >8), and a volume on 

 the Moon (1874). He died in London, May 7, 

 1890. See Life by Smiles ( 1883). 



Naso. See OVID. 



Nassau, formerly a German duchy, now Wies- 

 baden, a district of the Prussian prounce of Hesse- 

 N assail (q.v.). The soil is fertile and produces 

 some of the most esteemed Rhenish wines. The 

 chief towns are Wiesbaden (q.v.), the capital of 

 the district ; Schwalhach, Schlangenbad, Faehin- 

 gpn, Setters, and (ieilimu. The family of Nassau, 

 the elder branch of which reigned till 1866, dates 

 from the 10th century. The younger branch in- 

 herited in 1544 the principality of Orange (q.v.), 

 and as the princes of Orange took an important 

 place in European history (see HOLLAND). The 

 reigning Duke of Nassau sided against Prussia in 

 1866, and his duchy was incorporated with Prussia 

 (see PRUSSIA, GKKMANY); and on the extinction 

 of the male line of the. < 'range branch by the death 

 of William HI. of Holland, in 1890, the Duke of 

 Nassau became Grand-duke of Luxemburg. 



Nassau, the capital of New Providence, is the 

 centre of the trade and seat of government of the 

 Bahamas (q.v.) and a bishop's see. Pop. 5000. 



Nasturtium, the botanical name properly of 

 the Water Cress (see CRESS), but also the popular 

 designation of the Indian Cress ( Trojxxolttm 

 majui). The genns Tropn-olum is the type of the 

 small natural order TrojJMGolaOMB, and comprises 

 some beautiful garden climbers, such as the widely 

 cultivated Canary Creeper (T. atluncum), a native 

 of Peru, and the more recently introduced T. 

 speciosnm, a native of Chili, which has established 

 itself in many districts in the north of Scotland 

 and in Wales,' and garlands the walls and roofs of 

 cottages in summer and autumn with its festoons 

 of vivid green leaves and brilliant crimson flowers. 

 The Indian Cress is also a native of Peru ; the 

 whole plant is characterised bv a warm pungent 

 taste and tonic stimulant, ana antiscorbutic pro- 

 perties are ascril>ed to it. The flowers are em- 

 ployed as an ingredient in salads and for garnish- 

 ing* the same. The seeds when green are pickled 

 in salt and vinegar and used as a substitute for 

 capers. As an ornamental garden climber or 

 creeper, the Indian Cress has been long known and 

 admired by cottagers and others. 



Natal, a British colonv on the south-east coast 

 of Africa, was discovered by Vnsco da Gama on 

 the Christina* day I hence its name) of 1497. In 

 the 18th century 'intermit tent tmding was carried 

 on lictween the Cape Colony and Natal, which in 

 1800 was peopled by ninety-four distinct tribes of 

 natives. From 1805 to |vjs t he despotic Zulu chief 

 Tvaka (Chaku) enforced his own rule and that 

 of his own immediate tribe or family clan, the 

 Ainazulu, over the congeries of tribes reaching 

 from the Limpopo on the north to the Kei River 

 in the south. Tyaka was killed in 1828 by a 

 political faction who placed his younger brother 

 DingMB OB the throne. Predatory Boers who had 

 left the Cape Colony to escape British rule divided 

 into parties and settled in the territories now 

 known as Natal and the Transvaal ; and conflict* 



