NIC 
note, wag the fon of lao - — very large 
par n the filver mines 
at Lauriym. By the ee of I s ie eeaith he attained to 
sa aye inthe ftate, even lesion the life of Pericles; 
was figned B.C. 421. 
lic a a“ (eemsingly bent upon embroilin 
order to Fn are hace for ation. 
a renewa. 
the people of Athens oo to 
into Sicily, in order to affift the peltines in their war with 
the Syracufans. Nicias, notwithftanding his oppofition to 
this rafh meafure, was appointed one of the generals, in con- 
jun@ion with Alcibiades and Larnachus ; and the expedition 
fet fail in = year 415 B.C. ‘The Athenian troops landed 
nd poffeffed canbe of feveral towns, and Al- 
as and Larnachus took a ftron 
great lofs of the Athenians. m 
difheartened by the refult, that he advifed inftantly raifing 
the fiege, and returning to Athens. But Nicias declared, that 
he would rather die before the place than abandon an enter- 
prife which might . fucceed, a cores himfelf to an ig- 
nominious condemnation from his countrymen. alpe 
of affairs sos eee ftill more pare 3; the Syracufans re- 
ceived p ful fuccours, and, what was much more anaes 
a eemeneal difeate broke out in the Athenian camp, w 
daily thinned their numbers. Nicias now thought faeailg 
of retreating, and every thing was prepared for embarkation, 
As the Syracufans had no fufpicions of this rag ae it ee 
haye been eafily effected, when, juft at the 
lace. The ae flition ae Nicias 
was alarmed, and he refufed to go on board the veffel till he 
: . Thefe, willing to appea 
ogc lane fhould be jel = 
- ne days, | thas t he only opportunity of efcape w 
loft. The enemy cack the Athenians by fea and iad; 
$3) 
“9 
f=} 
NIC 
» however, was entire, he bore up apt defpondency, 
aad he exerted every effort to infpire courage in his men, and 
to make them preferve that order which alone could enfure 
to them fafety. As they proceeded, they were = 
haraffed by the eu and light troops of the 
expofed to the want of every neceffary. Many were me off, 
and at length Demofthenes with the whole rear-guard was 
forced to furrender. Nicias with the van arrived exhaufted 
at the river oo and while 
ave been 
coun aebas was r religions to the borders of a eaage and 
perpetually confulted alse on his own affairs, and thofe 
nners were br and his cracls 
were humane and pacific. Univer. : 
NICKA JACK, in Oued by, an Tndian town on the S.E, 
fide of Tennefiee river, at the point of a ae bend, about 36 
miles N.E. of the Creeks’ croffing place 
NI ; 
pears 
le fabftanee, and a metal 
a is ore, was deca Jnought to be copper 
ore, from its green {pots, but in confequence of its af- 
) am 
which means falfe copper 
er and fulphur, but contai 
alt, and iron. e experiments to afcertain the na- 
tore of this mineral were by Cron{tedt in 1751, who was o 
opinion that he had obtained a peculiar metal from it, to 
which he gave the name of nickel. What he procured, 
however, was not pure nickel, in confequence of which the 
authority of this chemift was doubted by Sage and Mon- 
net. This point was at laft ee panies by Bergman, who . 
proved it to be a new metal. exp were pub- 
lifhedin 1775. The purification of this me 
carried to a greater extent by different chemitts. 
lowing is the moft approved procefs for obtaining the oxyd 
of this metal in a itate of purity, from which the metal 
is afterwards eafily obtained. 
After 
