﻿8»7 



NAJAC. 



NANCY. 



18 in a north-easterly direction, through the richest part of the county ; 

 from its source to its fall into the Moray Frith is only 35 miles ; trout 

 and salmon are taken in it. The Findhom is described in Eloinshire. 

 The lochs of Bellivat, in the parish of Ardclacb, and Loch Lee, in 

 Auldearn, are the resort of wild fowl. 



The leading lines of turnpike-road are those from Nairn to Forres, 

 to Inverness, to Fort George, Campbeltown, and The Ferry ; and to 

 Orantown. Within the last 25 years good cross roads have been con- 

 structed in every direction over the county, and there is now constant 

 steam communication between Nairn and Edinbiurgh, Aberdeen, 

 Cromarty, and Invomcs.«i. 



Geology, Ac. — Nairnshire may be divided into the hilly regions of 

 primitive rock, comprehending granite, gneiss, mica-alate, primaiy 

 limestone, hornblende, quartz, &c., and the low undulating country 

 comprehending old red-sandstone rocks. There are several quarries 

 of freestone ; the stones obtained from a quarry in the estate of Boath 

 are much sought after for ornamental building. 



Climate, Soil, and Agriculture. — The early part of spring is generally 

 severe from snow showers, biting winds, and frost ; in the early and 

 later part of summer north-easterly winds are frequent. Along the 

 coast the snow disappears much sooner than in the interior of the 

 county. The general character of the soil is light and sandy, but in 

 many parts the surface soil is a deep loam. In the upper districts, 

 from the abundance of vegetable matter, &c., in the fields, lime has 

 stimulated the soil to great productiveness. Over the county oats 

 and barley are the staple, though wheat is also grown to a great extent. 

 There is much improvement in the breeding of cattle, sheep, swine, 

 and horses ; and the agricultural implements employed are generally 

 good. The universal term of lease is 1 9 years. The farms vary in 

 size from 30 to 200 acres each of arable land. 



IHviriont, Totinu, <tc. — Nairnshire contains fonr entire parishes, and 

 portions of five others belonging to the surrounding counties. The 

 sheriff of Elginshire is also sheriff of Nairn. The only town is Nairn. 

 Only two agricultural villages are worthy of mention — Auldearn and 

 Caiedor. 



Ilittory, Anliquiliet, <tc. — Near to the village of Auldearn, Montrose 

 obtained a great victory over the Covenanters in 1645. About a mile 

 west from Nairn the Duke of Cumberland's army encamped in 1746, 

 prior to the battle of Culloden. The greater p.irt of Cawdor Castle 

 was built in 1454 ; though the popular tradition makes this the castle 

 in which king Duncan was murdered by Macbeth. Kilravock CaHle 

 dates from 1460. Of ecclesiastical antiquities the most interesting are 

 the ruins of the chapel of the Virgin at Ueddes, and of the kirk of Bari- 

 van in Cawdor parish. The vitrified fort of Dun Evan is situated on 

 the summit of a hill in the pariah of Cawdor ; that of Castle Finlay, 

 in the parish of Nairn, unlike similar vitrified forts, is in a hollow 

 part of the hill of Urchany. Scattered over the country are many 

 stone circles and cairns. 



Religious Worthip, Education, Ac. — According to the Retunu of 

 the Census for 1861, there were then in the county 10 places of 

 worship, of which 4 belonged to the Free Church, 3 to the Established 

 Church, 2 to the United Presbyterians, and 1 to the Independents. 

 The total number of sittings provided was 4948. The number of 

 Sabbath-schools was 14, of which 8 belonged to the Free Church, 

 and 2 each to the Established Church and the United Presbyterian 

 Church ; the total number of Sabbath scholars was 994. The number 

 of day-schools was 21, of which 14 were public schools with 793 

 scholars, and 7 were private schools with 260 scholars. In 1853 there 

 was one savings bonk in the county, at Nairn. The amount owing to 

 depoaitors on November 20th, 1853, was 36232. 6*. Id. 



NAJAC. [AvETROS.] 



NAKHICHKVAN. [aEOROiA.] 



NAKITSHEVAN. [EKATAniNOSLAv.T 



NAMUR (Namtn), a province of Belgium, is bounded N. by 

 Brabant, N.E. and K by Li6ge, S.E. by Luxembourg, 8. by France, 

 and W. by Hainault. Its greatest length from north to south is 

 55 miles, from east to west 45 miles ; its area is 1411 square miles, 

 and the population in 1849 was 268,143. The province is watered by 

 the Meuse, the Sambre, the Lesse, and several small streams. 

 [Meuse.] The south of the province is divided in two parts by a 

 long projection of the French territory which terminates near the 

 strong fortresses of Oivet and Charlemont, on the Mouse. The soil 

 of the province is generally fertile, consisting for the most part of an 

 unctuous marl, but without any great depth. The valley of the 

 Meuse between Namur and Li6ge is exceedingly beautiful. Of the 

 three arrondiasements into which the province is divided, namely, 

 Namur, Dinont, and Phillippeville, that of Namur is the most pro- 

 ductive, the other two being more stony. The priucipal agricultural 

 products are wheat, rye, oats, barley, hemp, flax, and chicory. The 

 grain harvests do not more than suffice for the consumption of the 

 province. There are few natural meadows in the district of Namur, 

 but in the other parts of the province the meadows are the most 

 profitable of the lands. Artificial grasses are also much cultivated. 

 Wood grows abundantly in the province. The trees are principally 

 oak, beech, ash, hombeuD, birch, and hazel. The breeding of draught 

 hones forms an important branch of rural occupation ; they are 

 strong and active, and the fanners are careful to preserve the breed 

 unmixed. Oreat numbers of swine are bred. 



OCOO. DIT. VOL. ni. 



The iron-mines of this province, which lie between the Sambre and 

 the Meuse, are very productive, and give employment to a large 

 portion of the population. Lead-mines are worked near the city of 

 Namur. A great number of coal-mines are worked. Marble is 

 quarried in different parts of the province ; it is of various colours, 

 red, gray, blue, and black ; the greatest portion of what is raised is 

 exported to France. Potters'-clay is found. The department is 

 crossed by the Lifege- Namur railroad, and by the Sambre and Meuse 

 lino from Charleroi to Marienbourg and Couviu in the valuable iron 

 and coal district in the west of the province. 



Namur, the capital, situated in 60° 28' N. lat., 4° 48' E. long., 

 67 miles by railw.iy S.E. from Brussels, at the oonfluenco of the 

 Sambre and the Meuse, has 20,471 inhabitants. It is strongly 

 fortified, entered by 11 gates, and commanded by a strong citadel, 

 built on high ground, from which there is a beautiful view of the 

 town and the two rivers. The streets are wide and clean : the houses 

 are mostly built of a bluish stone, and are slated. There are several 

 squares ; two bridges, one over the Meuse, the other over the Sambre ; 

 and six churches, one of which is a cathedral, dedicated to St.-Aubiu. 

 This is a fine building of modem architecture ; the front is orna- 

 mented with 20 Corinthian columns, sustaining a cornice which bears 

 several statues of white marble. On either side of the gre.it altar 

 are fine statues in Carrara marble, representing St. Peter and St. Paul. 

 The new pulpit in this cathedral is considered a masterpiece of oak 

 carving. Tho situation of Namur, at the confluence of two navigable 

 rivers, is favourable to commerce. The chief manufactures are- 

 superior cutlery, surgical instruments, tin and brass ware, copper 

 utensils, tools of all kinds, agricultural instruments, ironmongery, 

 and leather. The iron, lead, and coal mines and marble quarries of 

 the neighbourhood, give employment to a large portion of the popu- 

 lation. Steamboats ply between Namur and Liige. Andenne, situ- 

 ated on tho right bank of the Meuse, near to the border of Li5ge, has 

 a population of 6000. Dinant, likewise situated on tho Meuse, has a 

 cathedral, two hospitals, a population of 6600, who manufacture 

 woollen cloths, hardware, paper, and hats. Foae, a small town about 

 9 miles S.W. from Namur, has about 3000 inhabitants, who are chiefly 

 employed in the coal-mines and marble-quanies of tho vicinity. 

 PhiilippevUle, built on an eminence 17 miles W. by S. from Dinant, 

 and fortified, is composed of wide well-paved streets, and has about 

 1200 inhabitant'. Near it is Walcourt on tho Heure, a walled town, 

 with about 1500 inhabitants, tanyards, iron-works, and iron-minec. 

 It is situated on the Sambre and Meuse railway. Marienbourg, a 

 small fortified town with about 800 inhabitants; and Couvin, with 

 about 3000 inhabitants, lio on the same line of railway ncoier the 

 French frontier, and both have important iron-works. VenTSomiireffe, 

 a small place in the north-west of the province, was fought the b-ittle 

 of Fleurus, in which the Austrians were defeated by the French iu 

 1794. In this same vicinity is Ligny, a small village which gives 

 name to the victory of the French over the Prussians, commanded by 

 Bliicher, June IGth, 1815. 



NANCY, once the capital of Lorraine, now of tho French depart- 

 ment of Meurthe, is situated on the left bank of the Meurthc, 

 220 miles E. from Paris on the Paris-Strasbourg railway, in 48° 41'31'' 

 N. lat, 6° 11' 22" E. long., 655 feet above the level of the sea, and 

 had 40,289 inhabitants in the commune at the census of 1851. It is 

 built in a beautiful and fertile plain at tho foot of wooded and vine- 

 covered hills, and consists of two parts, the old town on the north 

 and tho new town on the south. The old town is irregul.irly built. 

 The new town has wide and straight streets, lined with good houses. 



The stateliness of its public buildings, and tho extent and beauty 

 of its squares and public walks, render Nancy one of the handsomest 

 of the departmentaj chief towns of France. The Plaoe-Royale is the 

 finoit of the squares ; one side is formed by tho town-hall, containing 

 a gallery of pictures ; two other sides are occupied by the episcopal 

 palace, the custom-house, the theatre, and some private housed!. In 

 the angles of the square are four beautiful fountains, in the centre a 

 statue of Stanislas Leczinsky, ex-king of Poland and duke of Lorraine, 

 and at one end a triumphal arch. The Place d' Alliance is adorned 

 with a beautiful sculptured fountain and a fine alley of lime-trees. 

 In tho old town are the Place St.-Epore, so called from the ancient 

 church of St.-Epore which is surmounted by a square tower, and is 

 adorned in the interior with several good paintings, a fresco by 

 Lionardo da Vinci, and a beautiful bas-relief of the Last Supper : tho 

 Place des Dames, a rectangular square surrounded by large hotels; 

 the Place do Orfeve, in tho centre of which are the water-works which 

 supply the different quarters of the town ; tho Cours d'Orldans, which 

 is a continuation of tho preceding, \a planted with trees, and termi- 

 nated by a handsome triumphal arch of the Porte- Neuve, by which tho 

 city is entered from the side of Metz ; and tho Place Carri6re, which, 

 like the Place de Gr6ve, is a long rectangle, and is separated fh)m tho 

 Place Royale by a triumphal arch. At the north end of this square 

 is a fine palace occupied by tho prefect of the department ; it is united 

 by a lofty gallery to the two pavilions which form tho angles of the 

 square towards tho north. The two buildings at the southern angles 

 of the Place Carriiro are occupied by the high court of justioo and 

 tho tribunal of commerce. Two streets run in a direct lino from tho 

 Place Koyale to two of tho town-gates, which are built liko triumphal 

 arches. The town possesses several richly ornamented churches, tho 



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