N AU 



601 



NBA 



NATRON. Native Ktqul-carbonatc of 

 soda, 'which occurs in Egypt and other 

 hot countries, in the bottoms of salt hikes, 

 which are sometimes dried up by the heat 

 of the sun. In the province of Sukena, 

 in Northern Africa, it exists, under the 

 name of Trona, crystallised along with 

 sulphate of soda : in Columbia it is dug 

 tip in vast quantities under the name of 

 Urao. It is said to take its name from 

 the lake Natron in Judea. It is never 

 found pure. 



NAT'I-RAL. Appertaining to nature, as 

 1. Natural History, a description of the 

 natural productions of the earth, water, 

 and air ; such as beasts, fish, birds, insects, 

 worms, reptiles, plants, minerals, &c. 

 These are arranged sometimes in arti- 

 ficial and sometimes in natural orders, 

 from their external habits and cha- 

 racters. The branches of natural history 

 are zoology, ichthyology, ornithology, 

 entomology, botany, mineralogy, and 



meteorology. 2. Natural Philosophy, 



the science which considers the properties 

 of natural bodies, and their mutual action 

 on one another, appropriately called phy- 

 sics (q. v.). It comprehends mechanics, 

 hydrostatics, hydraulics, optics, electri- 

 city, magnetism, galvanism, and, in its 



widest sense, chemistry. 3. In music, 



natural harmony is that produced by the 

 natural and essential chord of the mode. 

 A natural or a natural note is a note which, 

 according to the usual order of the scale, 

 is opposed to flat and sharp notes, 

 which are called artificial. 



NATURALIZATION. In law, the invest- 

 ing of an alien with the rights of a native- 

 born subject. 



NAC'MACHY. A representation of a sea- 

 fight: Lat. MtMwuftia, from v*i>?, a ship, 

 and fjut^vi, fight. The naumachia formed 

 an important part of the Circensian games 

 among the Komans. The naumachiarii, 

 or those who fought in these exhibitions, 

 were gladiators, slaves, and criminals, 

 who were doomed to die unless saved by 

 the interposition of the people or of the 

 master of ceremonies. 



NACS'COPT, from ,&u;, a ship, and 

 ffxo'TKu, to view. The art of ascertaining, 

 at a very great distance, the approach of 

 vessels ; or, being on a vessel, the approach 

 to land. 



NAC'SEA, Lat. from vat'jina., from van;, 

 a ship. Originally ;md prop? rly sea-sick- 

 ness, but now applied generally to sick- 

 ness at the stomach with inclination to 

 vomit. 



NAT'TIC\L IXDICA'TOR ; is a somewhat 

 complicated machine invented by James 

 Hunter, M.P.b., Glasgow (1817', for find- 

 ing the latitude, longitude, and variation 

 of the compass without a meridian ob- 

 servation. The same machine was after- 



wards patented (1823) by Joseph Bord- 

 wine, Esq., Professor of Fortification at 

 the East India Company's Military Col- 

 lege at Addiscombe. The invention, how- 

 ever, is believed to be equally due to 

 both, as there is no proof that Mr. Bord- 

 wine knew anything of Mr. Hunter's 

 machine. 



NAU'TILCS. A little sailor, from nauta, 

 a sailor. A genus of univalve multilocu- 

 lar marine shells, inhabited by a cephalo- 

 poda. At present the nautilus is an in- 

 habitant of the tropical seas, but its fossil 

 remains are found in strata of every age, 

 from the mountain-limestone upwards, 

 and in every latitude. It takes its name 

 from it being possessed of a hydraulic 

 apparatus, by which it is enabled so to 

 modify its specific gravity as to float or 

 sink itself at will : on the surface it navi- 

 gates its little skiff with great dexterity ; 

 at the bottom it creeps with the boat 

 uppermost. 



NAVAL CROWN. Navalis corona. Among 

 the Romans, a crown given to him who 

 first boarded an enemy's ship. It was a 

 circle of gold surmounted by nautical 

 emblems. 



NAVE, Sax. nafa, the middle. 1. The 

 middle part or body of a church, distinct 

 from the aisles or wings. 2. In mecha- 

 nics, the centre piece of a wheel, in which 

 the spokes are fixed, and through which 

 the axle passes. 



NAVIC'ULAR, Lat. navicularis, boat-like ; 

 from navicula, a little boat. Applied, 1. 

 In anatomy, to two bones, one of the 

 wrist and the other of the ankle, from 



their supposed resemblance to a boat. 



2. In botany, to parts of plants, from their 

 shape. 



NAVIOA'TION, from navis. a ship. The 

 an and science by which ships are guided 

 upon the ocean from one pon or harbour 

 to another. The sailing of boats and 

 other craft on rivers, canals, &c., is 

 termed inland navigation : when vessels 

 are conducted along coasts, or from one 

 port to another on the same coast, it is 

 coasting. 



NAVIGA'TORS. 1. Sailors. 2. Men ac- 

 customed to work upon canals, rail- 

 ways, &c. 



NAVI'RE. An order of knighthood in- 

 stituted in France, in 1269, by St. Louis. 



NAZ'AUENKS. A name originally given 

 to all Christians, but afterwards appro- 

 priated to a sect who blended the Mosaic 

 law with the Gospel; from Na/areth. 



NAZ'ARITE.S. Jews who professed great 

 purity of life, i.e., abstained from wine, 

 and did not shave or cut the hair of the 

 he.id. 



N.B. for Nota Sene, mark well. 



NF.AP. Decrescent, from Sax. hnipan. to 

 fall. Applied only to those tides which 

 happen when the moon is in she mitidli 



