N 0 C 
NOT 
Priestley observed, that water impregnated 
with this acid in the state of vapour, became 
first blue, then green, and lastly yellow. A 
green nitrous acid became orange-coloured 
while hot, and retained a yellow tinge when 
cold. A blue acid became yellow on being 
heated in a tube hermetically sealed. An 
orange-coloured acid, by long keeping, be- 
came green, and afterwards of a deep blue; 
and when exposed to air resumed its original 
colour. When nitrous acid is exposed to 
heat the nitrous gas is expelled, and nitric 
acid remains behind. The gas, however, 
cairies along with it a quantity of acid, espe- 
cially if the acid is concentrated. But ni- 
trous acid vapour is not altered in the least 
by exposure to heat. 
It is not altered by oxygen gas, common 
air, nor by azotic eas. 
The simple combustibles and metals act 
upon it precisely as on nitric acid. It an- 
swers much better than nitric acid for inflam- 
ing oils and other similar bodies. 
NON 
pierced through the centre with a hole, 
through which the star is to be observed. 
To use the nocturnal.— Y urn the upper 
piale till the long tooth, marked 12, is 
against the day of the month on the under 
plate : then, bringing the instrument near the 
eye, suspend it by the handle with the plane 
nearly parallel to the equinoctial; and view- 
ing {he pole-star through the hole of the 
centre, turn the index about till, by the edge 
coming from the centre, you see "the bright 
star, or guard, of the little bear (if the instru- 
ment is iitted to that star) : then that tooth of 
the upper circle, under the edge of the in- 
dex, is at the hour of the night on the edge 
ot the hour-circle: which may be known 
without a light, by counting the teeth from 
the longest, which is for the hour 12, 
NODE. See Surgery. 
NODES. See Astro nomy. 
NOETIANS, in church history, Christian 
heretics in the 3d century, followers of Noe 
NOT 277 
pos mentis shall not lose his life for felony or 
murder; but the drunkard can have no in- 
dulgence on account of tne loss ot his reason, 
for, in the eye of the law, his drunkenness 
does not extenuate but aggravate his of- 
fence. 
Non est inventus, is a sheriff’s return 
to a writ, that the defendant is not to be 
found. 
Non-naturals, in medicine, so called 
because by their abuse they become the 
! causes of diseases. See Medicine. Theold 
j physicians have divided the non-naturals into 
j t> classes, viz. the air, meats and drinks, sleep 
1 and watching, motion and rest, the passions 
of the mind, the retentions, and excretions. 
Non-pros. If the plaintiff neglects to 
deliver a declaration for two terms after the 
defendant appears, or is guilty of other de- 
lays or defaults against the rules of lav. in any 
subsequent stage of the action, he is adjudged 
not to pursue ins remedy as he ought ; and 
It converts sulphurous and phosphorous 
-acids into sulphuric and phosphoric. 
N itrous acid vapour is absorbed by sulphu- 
ric acid, but seemingly without producing 
any change; for when water is poured into 
the mixture, the heat produced expels it in 
the usual form of red fumes. The only sin- 
gular circumstance attending this impregna- 
tion is, that it disposes the sulphuric acid to 
crystallize. 
NOBILITY, a quality that ennobles, and 
raises a person possessed of it .above the rank 
of a commoner. 
The civil state of England consists of the 
nobility and commonalty. The nobility are 
all those who are above the degree of knight, 
under which term is included that of a baro- 
net ; namely, dukes, marquises, earls, vis- 
counts, and barons. 1 Black. 396. 
NOCTURNAL, Nocturlabium, an 
instrument chiefly used at sea, to take the al- 
titude or depression of some stars about the 
pole, in order to And the latitude, and hour of 
the night. 
Some nocturnals are hemispheres, or pla- 
nispheres, on the plane of the equinoctial. 
Those commonly in use among seamen are 
two ; the one adapted to the polar star, and 
the first of the guards of the little bear; the 
other to the pole-star, and the pointers of the 
great bear. 
This instrument consists of two circular 
plates (see Plate Miscel. figure 173), ap- 
plied to each other. The greater, which has 
a handle to hold the instrument, is about two 
inches and a half in diameter, and is divided 
into twelve parts, agreeing to the twelve 
months, and each month subdivided into 
every fifth day ; and so that the middle of 
the handle corresponds to that day of the 
year wherein the star here regarded has the 
same right ascension with the sun. If the in- 
strument is fitted for two stars, the handle is 
made moveable. The upper left circle is 
divided into twenty-four equal parts for the 
twenty-four hours of the day, and each hour 
subdivided into quarters. These twenty-four 
hours are noted by twenty -four teeth, to be 
told in the night. Those at the hours 12 
are distinguished by their length. In the 
centre of the two circular plates is adjusted a 
long index. A, moveable upon the upper 
plate ; and the three pieces, viz. the two cir- 
cles and index, are joined by a rivet which is 
tius, a philosopher of Ephesus, -who it is said , thereupon a nonsuit or non prosequitur is en- 
pretended that he was another Moses, sent I tered, and he is then said to be non-pi os’d. 
by God, and that his brother was a new 
Aaron; his -doctrine consisted in affirming 
that there was but one person in the God- 
head, and that the Word and the Holy Spi- 
rit were but external denominations' given to 
Gqd in consequence of different operations; 
that as creator he is called Father ; as incar- 
nate, Son ; and as descending on the apostles. 
Holy Ghost. 
NOLANA, a genus of the monogynia or- 
der, in the pentandria class of plants, and in 
the natural method ranking under the 4lst 
order, asperifoliae. The corolla is campanu- 
lated ; the style situated betwixt the germens ; 
the seeds are bilocular, and resemble ber- 
ries. There is one species, an annual of 
Peru. 
NOLLE PROSEQUI, is used where the 
plaintiff proceeds no farther in his action, and 
may be as well before as after a verdict, and 
is stronger against a plaintiff than a nonsuit 
3 Black. 393. 
Non-residence. See Residence. 
NONAGES1MAL, or nonajgesimal de- 
gree, called also the midheaven, is the highest 
point, or 90th degree, of the ecliptic, reck- 
oned from its intersection with the horizon at 
any time ; and its altitude is equal to the an- 
gle that the ecliptic makes with the horizon 
at their intersection, or equal to the distance 
of the zenith from the pole of the ecliptic. It 
is much used in the calculation of solar 
eclipses. 
NONAGON, a figure having nine sides 
and angles. In a regular nonagon, or that 
whose angles and sides are all equal, if each 
side is 1, its area will be 6.18 18242 -f- of 
70°, to the radius 1. 
NONIUS. See Vernier, 
NONSUIT, in law, is where a person has 
commenced an’ action, and at the trial fails 
in his evidence to support it, or has brought 
which is only a default in appearance; but a wrong action. There is this advantage at 
this is a voluntary acknowledgment that he ! tending a nonsuit, that the plaintiff, though 
has rio cause of action, Impey’s B. R. | he pays costs, may afterwards bring another 
NOMBRIL POINT, in heraldry, is the action for the same cause, which lie cannot 
xt below the fess-point, or the very centre do after a verdict against him. Tidd’s K. B. 
next 
of the escutcheon 
NOME, or Name, in algebra, denotes 
any quantity with a sign prefixed or added to 
it, whereby it is connected with some other 
quantity, upon which the whole becomes a 
binomial, trinomial, or the like : thus a 4. b 
is a binomial, a + b+c is a trinomial, whose 
respective names or nomes are a and b for 
the first, and a, b, and 0 , for the second. See 
Algebra. 
NOMINATIVE, in grammar, the first 
case in nouns which are declinable. 
NON-APPEARANCE, a default in not 
appearing in a court of judicature. Attor- 
neys subscribing warrants for appearing in 
court are liable to attachment and fine for 
non-appearance. If a defendant does not 
appear and find bail upon a scire facias and 
rule given, jugment may be had against him. 
Non compos mentis, in law, is used to> 
denote a person’s not being of sound me- 
mory and understanding. Of these persons 
there are four different kinds, an ideot, a 
madman, a lunatic who has lucid intervals, 
and a drunkard who deprives himself of rea^ 
son by his own act and deed. In all these 
cases except the last, one that is non com- 
6 
Practice. 
NONES, iwmv r in the Roman calendar, 
the fifth day of the months January, Fe- 
bruary, April, June, August, September, No- 
vember, and December ; and the seventh of 
March, July, and October. March, May, 
July, and October, had six days in their 
nones ; because these alone, in the antient 
constitution of the year by Numa, had 3 1 
days apiece, the rest having only 29, and 
February 30 : but when Cssar reformed the 
year, and made other months containing 31 
days, he did not allot them six days of nones. 
NORROY, the title of the third of the 
three kings at arms. See Heraldry. 
NORMAL, a perpendicular forming with 
another line a right angle. 
NORWAY RAT. See Mus. 
NOSE. See Anatomy. 
NOTARIAL ACTS, are those acts, in the 
civil law, which require to be done under the 
seal of a notary, and which are admitted as 
evidence in foreign courts. 
NOTARY, is a person duly appointed to 
attest deeds and writings ; he also protests 
and notes foreign and inland bills of exchange- 
