N I 
NIC'COLUM, f. Nickel. See the article Minera¬ 
logy, vol. xv. p. 504, 5. 
NICE, a county or province, fituated on the frontiers 
of Italy and France. It made anciently a part of Gallia 
Narbonenjis, and, in after-times, a part of the county of 
Provence; from which it was feparated, and united to 
Savoy, in 1388 ; which was farther confirmed and ratified 
by Louis III. king of Naples, as count of Provence, in 
the year 1419. Molt geographers placed it in Italy ; but 
lurely, if the Alps be the boundary of feparation between 
Gaul and Italy, that could not be juft, as the county of 
Nice is fituated on the contrary fide of the Alps from 
Italy. It is bounded on the north by Piedmont, on the 
eaft and fouth by the ftate of Genoa and the Mediterra¬ 
nean, and on the weft by Provence, to which it was for¬ 
merly annexed; lying in lat. 44. o. N. Ion. 7. 20. E. and 
being forty-five miles from north to fouth, and twenty- 
five to fifty from weft to eaft. It contains the following 
fix diftrifils, or counties : 1. The county of Tenda, about 
twelve leagues north-north-eaft of Nice, confifting of 
mountains and agreeable valleys, with a fmall town of 
the fame name, on a declivity bathed by a rivulet that 
has a foutherly courfe, and runs into the feaat Ventimig¬ 
lia. The paflage of Tenda acrofs the mountain is more 
difficult than that of mount Cenis. 2. The county of 
Broglio, with a fmall town of the fame name, lying among 
the mountains; thirty miles north-north-weft of Nice. 
This county is feparated from France, excepting only 
where the line of divifion runs along the fummits of the 
mountains, by the rapid Var and the Efteron. 3. The 
marquifate of Dolce Aqua, watered by the Navia, and 
fruitful in wine and oil; it has a town of the fame name, 
defended by a fort. 4. The county of Nice, lying on 
the fea-coalt, in lat. 43. 45. N. remarkable for the tempe¬ 
rature of its climate. 5. The principality of Oneglia, 
forty-five miles north-eaft of Nice, environed by the 
Genoefe territories, and divided into three valleys abound¬ 
ing in wine, oil, and fruits. Oneglia is a little trading- 
town on the lea-coaft. 6. The valley of Barcelonetta, 
yielding good pafture, lies at the north-weft extremity of 
the principality, on the frontiers of Dauphiny and Pro¬ 
vence. This province was taken poffeffion of by France 
in 1792, and (till the counter-revolution of 1814) formed 
the department of the Maritime Alps. 
NICE, Nic^a, Nexaia, or Nizza, a city andfea-port, 
the capital of the above province, fituated on a rock near 
the foot of the Alps, at the mouth of the river Paglione, 
on the left bank of the Var. It contains a cathedral, 
eight pariffi-churches, thirteen religious houfes, and 
18,475 inhabitants. Towards the weft it is fortified with 
a wall and ditch, and defended by a caftle. The ftreets of 
the old town are narrow and crooked : but thofe of the 
new town are wide and ftraight, with handfome houfes. 
The fuburbs, moll of which are in ruins, are princi¬ 
pally inhabited by foreigners. Its harbour is convenient 
for fmall veffels, but expofed to the fouth wind. The 
adjacent country is pleafant and delightful, the whole 
plain being highly cultivated with vines, pomegranates, 
almonds, oranges, lemons, and all kinds of vegetables. 
The hills are fhaded to the top with olive-trees, among 
which villas and country-houfes are interfperfed. Winter 
here is warm and agreeable; in March and April cold 
eaft and north-eaft winds prevail; autumn is ufually wet; 
and fummer intolerably hot. The air in general is ferene, 
dry, elaftic, and impregnated with fait. At Cimea, two 
miles from Nice, are the remains of a Roman amphithe¬ 
atre, temple, aquedufit, bath, &c. The enjoyments fur- 
niflied by this delightful country are not without their 
alloy. In fummer the heat is intenfe ; and reptiles and 
vermin abound, fuch as vipers, fnakes, and Icorpions; 
fleas, bugs, and particularly gnats, become intolerable 
nuifances throughout the year. This town was founded 
by the Pliocaeans, after they had built Marfeilles, about 
500 years B. C. on their return from an expedition againft 
the Salii and the Liguriansj and was named Niccea, which 
C E. 47 
fee. It has undergone many viciffitudes in the later pe¬ 
riods of its decline. It luffered very much in the year 
1543, when it was befieged by land by the army of Fran¬ 
cis I. and theTurkilh fleet, under Barbaroffa, prefled on 
it by fea: it was taken, pillaged, and nearly reduced to 
allies. Having previoufly changed mailers, the citizens 
availed themfelves of the liberty granted them by La- 
dillaus, to choofe their own protefilor, and took the oath 
of fidelity to Amadeus VII. count of Savoy. The go¬ 
vernment was a fpecies of democracy. The inhabitants 
are divided into four clafles, the nobles, the merchants, 
the artifans, and the hulbandmen, each clals defiling 
yearly a conful, and ten counfellors. In the year 1792 
the French took pofleifion of Nice, and the inhabitants 
feemed difpofed to unite cordially with their new mailers ; 
for, in September 1793, when an Englilh veflel arrived 
here with a flag-of-truce, and a proclamation to the peo¬ 
ple, exhorting them to accept the royal conftitution of 
1789, the magiftrates of the city replied, “ that French 
republicans would never become Haves; and that no far¬ 
ther anfwer would be made to royalifts, except from the 
mouths of cannon.” It continued to be the capital of 
the department of the Maritime Alps, fill that depart¬ 
ment and fixteen others were cut off from France upon 
the reftoration of the king. Lat. 43.41. N. Ion. 7. 18. N. 
NICE. See Nizza de la Paglia. 
NICE, or Nicea, a town of European Turkey, in the 
Morea : eighteen miles eall-north-eall of Mifitra. 
NICE, an ancient town of Alia, in Natolia, now 
called Ij'nic, with a Greek archbifhop’s fee. It was for¬ 
merly a large, populous, and well-built place ; and even 
now is not inconfiderable. 
This place is famous on account of the firft general 
council, hence called the Council of Nice, which aflem- 
bled here in the yearof Chrift 325, having been convened 
by Conftantine in order to fettle the differences and con- 
troverfies which had taken place among the Chriftians. 
It was fummoned by letters conveyed by Conftantine in 
the year 324 into the feveral provinces of the empire, to¬ 
gether with orders for furnilhing the bilhops with beafts, 
or carriages, and for bearing the expenfes of their journey. 
The bilhops who met in this council were, according to 
Eufebius’s ftatement, more than 250, belide prelbyters 
and deacons, acolythifts and others, whofe number could 
not be ealily counted. But we have different eftimates 
of the number of bilhops who attended on this occafion. 
The number generally allowed is that of Theodoret, who 
reckons them at 318. How long this council fat is not 
abfolutely certain. Some have given it a permanence of 
two or three years ; but moll learned moderns are of opi¬ 
nion, that it fat fomewhat above two months, beginning 
the 19th of June and rifing the 25th of Augull, 325. 
The three points debated and determined in this council 
were, the Arian controverfy, the time of keeping Ealler, 
and the affair of Miletius in Egypt. Nothing now remains 
of this council, but the Creed, the Synodical Epiftle, and 
twenty Canons. This council has received great com¬ 
mendations from many, both ancients and moderns. 
Epiphanius reckoned the two great benefits which the 
church received from Divine Providence by means of 
Conftantine, to have been, a determination of faith againft 
Arians, and a certain rule for keeping Ealler. Moderns 
have confidered this council not only as the firft ecume¬ 
nical council, but alfo as the moll celebrated council 
fince the time of the apollles. It has, however, been 
cenfured by fome of former, as well as later, ages. 
As for the Miletian controverfy or ichifm, which was 
to be terminated by this council, it requires no par¬ 
ticular mention. As to the time of keeping Ealler, the 
council determined that it ffiould be obferved by all on 
the Sunday which immediately followed after the 14th of 
the moon that happened next after the vernal equinox; 
which equinox happened that year on the 21ft day of 
March. (See Easter.) 
But the principal determination of the council of Nice 
relates 
