NEWTON 



NEW-YEA.R'8 DAY 



481 



colour is violet, and the outside scarlet red. The 

 colours are very distinct in the first three systems 

 of rings, but become gradually confused and dull 

 towards the outside, till they almost fade away in 

 the seventh system. The centre is deep black. 

 The thickness of the air-film at the centre is about 

 half a millionth of an inch, and increases gradually 

 to nearly TjoViff of an inch, when the colours dis- 

 appear. See INTERFERENCE. 



Newton, JOHN, the friend of Cowper, was bora 

 in London, 24th July (0.8.) 1725. He had little 

 schooling, and, as his father was master of a trading 

 ship, the boy joined him at eleven and sailed under 

 him for six years. Next impressed on board a 

 man-of-war, he was made midshipman, but was 

 degraded and cruelly treated for an attempt to 

 escape. He was allowed at Madeira to exchange 

 into an African trader, joined a slaver at Sierra 

 Leone, and sailed with her for two years, returning 

 to England in 1747. He next sailed to Guinea and 

 the \Vest Indies as mute on a Liverpool slaver, 

 married in 1750, and made several voyages of the 

 same nature as master, giving his leisure to study. 

 In 1755 he renounced his calling to become tide- 

 surveyor at Liverpool. His religious opinions had 

 already undergone an important change, which led 

 him to apply in 1758 to the Archbishop of York for 

 holy orders, but without success. In 1764 he was 

 offered the curacy of Olney, and lie was at once 

 ordained deacon, and next year priest, by the 

 Bishop of Lincoln. Hither the poet Cowper came 

 about four years later, and an extraordinary friend- 

 ship quickly sprang up between the two men. 

 Newton was a burning Calvinist, and it cannot lie 

 doubted that the converted slaver's influence was 

 to a great extent disadvantageous to the sensitive 

 nature of the poet. Newton left Olney in 1779 to 

 become rector of St Mary Wool not h, London, and 

 here lie died, December 31, 1807. Newton's prose- 

 works, Omirron (1762), Canliphonia (1781), &c., 

 are now but little read, save his vigorous and inter- 

 esting Authentic Narrative of tome Interesting ami 

 Remarkable Particulars in hit own Life. But his 

 name can never be forgotten from its association 

 with Cowper, and from some of his Olney Hymns, 

 which have been taken to the heart by the English 

 speaking religions world. Of these need only be 

 named here : ' Approach, my soul, the mercy -seat ;' 

 ' How sweet the name of Jesus Bounds;"' 'One 

 there is above all others ; ' and ' Quiet, Lord, my 

 froward heart.' 



See the Life by R'churd Cecil (1806), prefixed to a 

 collected edition of Newton's works (6 vols. isitii; 

 Thomas Wright, The Town of Cowper (1886) ; and other 

 works cited at COWPER. 



Newton, THOMAS, was born at Lichfield, Jan- 

 nary 1, 1704. From Westminster he passed to 

 Trinity College, Cambridge, became one of its 

 fellows, took orders, and after minor preferments 

 was made Bishop of Bristol and Canon Residentiary 

 of St Paul's in 1761. He died 14th February 17S2. 

 Newton's annotated edition of Milton's Paradise 

 Lost and Paradise Regained, and his Dissertations 

 on the Prophecies (3 voU. 17">4-58) long enjoyed a 

 reputation far beyond their deserts. 



>vlon-Ahl)Ot, a market-town of Devonshire, 

 at the influx of the Lemon to the Teign estuary, 

 !." miles (by rail 20) S. of Exeter. Ford House, a 

 KMM! Tudor building, has lodged both Charles I. 

 and William of Orange, who here in 1688 was first 

 proclaimed king. Pop. (1851)3147; (1891) 10,951. 

 _ Newton llcntll, a town and local government 

 district, and part of the parliamentary borough of 

 Manchester, with a pop. of 29,189. 



>< n toii-iii-M.-ikcrfiHcl (otherwise NEWTON- 

 B-WlLLOWg), with its suburb of Earlstown, a 

 thriving town of Lancashire, 16 miles E. of Liver- 

 343 



pool and 16 W. of Manchester. An important 

 railway junction, it has rapidly increased in 

 size, and large printing-works, paper-mills, iron- 

 foundries, and a sugar-refinery are here in opera- 

 tion, whilst numbers of hands are employed in tlie 

 making of bricks and railway wagons. Near to the 

 town is a fine racecourse on which a meeting is held 

 annually in July. At Parkside, J mile distant, the 

 Right Hon. W. Huskisson met with the accident 

 which caused his death, on the occasion ( 15th 

 Septemlier 1830) of the opening of the railway. 

 Newton returned two members to parliament from 

 1558 to 1832, when it was disfranchised. Pop. 

 (1801) 1455; (1881) 10,580; (1891) 12,861. 



Newton-Stewart, one of the most beautifully 

 situated among the smaller towns of Scotland, on 

 the Wigtownshire side of the river Cree, near its 

 mouth, by rail 50 miles W. of Dumfries and 24 

 E. of Stranraer. It owes its name to a son of 

 the Earl of Galloway, who obtained a charter mak- 

 ing it a burgh of barony in 1677. Manufactur- 

 ing enterprises have hitherto proved unsuccessful. 

 Its buildings are a fine town-hall (1884) and an 

 endowed school, the Ewart Institute (1864). Pop. 

 ( 1841 ) 2432 ; ( 1881 ) 3070 ; (1891) 2732. 



Newtowil (Welsh Drefneieydd ; anc. Llanfnir 

 Cedewain), a manufacturing town of Montgomery- 

 shire, North Wales, on the Severn and the Mont- 

 gomery Canal, 13 miles SSW. of Welshpool. It is 

 the centre of the Welsh flannel manufacture, and 

 also produces tweeds, shawls, &c. With Mont- 

 gomery, &c., it returns one member. Robert Owen 

 was a native. Pop ( 1851 ) 6371 ; (1891) 6610. 



Newtownards, a town of County Down, 14 

 miles E. of Belfast by rail. Flax-spinning, muslin- 

 weaving and embroidering, and nursery -gardening 

 are the industries, and there are important markets. 

 Pop. ( 1881 ) 8676 ; ( 1891 ) 9197. 



New Westminster, formerly the capital of 

 British Columbia, is on the Fraser River, 10 miles 

 from its mouth and 113 miles by rail and steamer 

 XXE. of Victoria. Here are 6 churches, a convent, 

 Roman Catholic and Methodist colleges, a peniten- 

 tiary, a lunatic asylum, sawmills, and great salmon- 

 canning establishments. Pop. ( 1891 ) 6641. 



New-year's Day, the first day of the year. 

 The custom of celebrating by some religious observ- 

 ance, generally accompanied by festive rejoicing, 

 the first day of the year, appears to have prevailed 

 amoii most of the ancient nations. The Jews, 

 the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Romans, and the 

 .Mohammedans, although differing as to the time 

 from which they reckoned the commencement of 

 the year (see CALENDAR, CHRONOLOGY, YEAR), all 

 regarded it as a day of special interest. On the 

 establishment of Christianity the usage of a 

 solemn inauguration of the New Year was re- 

 tained ; but considerable variety prevailed, both 

 as to the time and as to the manner of its cele- 

 bration. Christmas Day, the Annunciation (25th 

 March), Easter Day, and 1st March have all, at 

 different times or places, shared with the 1st of 

 January the honour of opening the New Year ; nor 

 was it till late in the 16th century that the 1st of 

 January was universally accepted as the first day 

 of the New Year. The early Fathers Chrysostom, 

 Ambrose, Augustine, Peter Chrysologus, and 

 others in reprobation of the immoral and super- 

 stitions observances of the pagan festival, pro- 

 hibited in Christian use all festive celebration ; 

 and, on the contrary, directed that the Christian 

 year should be opened with a day of prayer, fast- 

 ing, and humiliation. The festal character of the 

 day, however, generally was preserved, though 

 the day was also observed as a day of prayer. 



From the earliest recorded celebration, we find 

 notice of feasting and the interchange of presents 



