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80 
fome eminence, was a native of Antwerp, and died at 
Amfterdam in the year 1601. 
NIEU'LANT (William van), a Dutch engraver, was 
born at Antwerp in the year 1585. He became thedif- 
ciple of Roland Savery ; but, after quitting his mailer, he 
went to Rome, and redded three years in that city with 
his countryman Paul Bril. He afterwards returned to the 
Low Countries, and took up his refidence at Amfterdam, 
where his pidtures where held in high eftimation, and 
where he died in the year 1635. 
NIEU'PORT, a town of Holland, on the Leek : feven 
miles north-north-weft of Gorcum, and fifteen eaft of 
Rotterdam. 
NIEU'PORT, a feaport-town of the kingdom of the 
Netherlands, whole ancient name was Santhooft , but 
changed when Philip comte of Flanders built a harbour, 
in the year 1168. It lies near the fea-fhore, on a branch 
of the river Yperlee, which, joining with the river Colme, 
forms a canal which runs into the fea. The harbour is 
dry at low water. The principal defence of the place 
confifts of its lluices 1 , by which they can lay all the coun¬ 
try under water. I11 the year 1383, the town was burned 
by the rebels of Ghent. In 1488, it fuftained a fiege 
againft Philip duke of Cleves, in which the women fliowed 
a wonderful degree of courage. It took part in the re¬ 
volt of the Netherlands, but was reduced in the year 1583, 
by the prince of Parma. On the 22ft of July, 1600, a fa¬ 
mous battle was fought here between the archduke Al¬ 
bert and prince Maurice of Naffau, who commanded the 
army of the Hates then befieging the place : the Spaniards 
loft 130 fcandards and colours, 600 prifoners, and 2000 
men killed in the field of battle. After the peace was 
concluded at Utrecht, in the year 1713, between France 
and England, the French ceded Nieuport to the Englilh, 
who, in the year 1715, furrendered it to his imperial and 
catholic majefty Charles VI. It w r as again taken by tire 
French-in the year 1745, ap d reftored at the peace of Aix- 
la-Chapelle. The French revolution brought this place 
again under the dominion of that nation : it was taken 
by the republicans in 1794; and thenceforth formed a 
part of the department of the Lys, till the late peace, 
when, being reftored to Auftria, it was by that power 
ceded to the newly-made king of the Netherlands. The 
inhabitants are principally filhermen, and the chief trade 
making nets, and cordage for veffels. It is nine miles 
fouth-weft of Oftend, and twenty north-weft of Ypres. 
Lat. 51. 7. N. Ion. z. 33. E. 
NIEU'WE DIE'P, a harbour of the north coaft of 
Holland, fix miles eaft of the Helder. It is the intention 
■of the king of the Netherlands to undertake at his own 
expenfe, and for the public good, the conftruftion of a 
canal from this place to Baickltool, near Amfterdam. The 
canal will be about thirteen leagues in length ; and the 
new communication from the Zuyder Zee with the Y, 
which wadies the w'alls of Amfterdam, will be in its 
confequences of the higheft importance to the trade of 
that city, and of the whole of this newly-eredled king¬ 
dom. 
NIEU'WELD, and The Ghoup, are continuations of 
the Roggeveld-mountain, in the diftrift of Stellenbofch 
and Drakenftein, which adjoin the Cape diftrict, in the 
fouthern part of Africa. Thefe divilions join others of 
the fame name, in the diftrift of Graaf Keynet. They 
have lately been deferted, on account of the number of 
Bosjefman Hottentots, who dwell clofe behind them. 
NIEU'WENTYT, (Bernard), a celebrated Dutch phi- 
lofopher and mathematician, was the fon of a minifter at 
Weftgraafdyk, in North Holland, where he was born in 
the year 1654. It was his father’s wifti that he Ihould be 
educated to his own profeflion; but, when he found that 
his fon was difinclined tofucha deftination, he very pro¬ 
perly buffered him to follow' the bent of his own genius. 
The firft fcience to which young Nieuvventyt particularly 
directed his ltudy w'as logic, in order to fix his imagina¬ 
tion, to form his judgment, and to acquire a habit of right 
N I F 
reafonirtg; and in this fcience he grounded himfelf upon 
the principles of Des Cartes, with whofe philofophy he 
was greatly delighted. In the next place, he engaged in 
the ftudy of the mathematics, with the various depart¬ 
ments of w'hich he became intimately converfant. He 
then entered upon the ftudy of medicine, and the branches 
of knowledge more immediately connected with that fci¬ 
ence ; and he afterwards went through a courfeof reading 
on jurifprudence. In the ftudy of all thefe fciences he 
fucceeded fo well, as defervedly to acquire the character 
of a good philofopher, a good mathematician, and an 
able juft magiftrate. From his writings it alfo appears 
that he did not permit his various fubjedls of enquiry to 
divert his thoughts from a due attention to the great and 
fundamental principles of natural and revealed religion. 
So engaging were his manners, that they conciliated the 
efteem of all his acquaintance; by which means he fre¬ 
quently drew over to his opinion thofe who differed wide¬ 
ly from him in lentiment. With fuch a character he ac¬ 
quired great credit and influence in the council of the 
town of Puremerende, where he refided ; and alfo in the 
Hates of that province, who refpe&ed him the more, be- 
caufe he never engaged in any cabals or factions, but 
recommended himfelf only by an open, manly, and upright, 
behaviour. Had he afpired after fome of the higher of¬ 
fices of government, there is no doubt but that his merits 
would have fecured to him the fuffrages of his country¬ 
men; yet he preferred to fuch honours the cultivation of 
the fciences, contenting himfelf with being counfellor 
and burgomafter, without courting oracceptingany other 
polls, which might interfere with his ftudies. He died in 
1718, at the age 'of fixty-three, having been twice mar¬ 
ried. He was the author of various works, among wdiich 
are, 1. Confiderationes circa Analyfeos ad Quantitates 
infinite parvas applicatje Principia, &c. 1694, 8vo. in 
which he propofed fome difficulties on the fubjeft of the 
analyfis of infinitefimals. 2. Analyfis Infinitorum, feu 
Curvelineorum proprietates, ex Polygonorum dedudlas; 
1696, 4to. which is a fequel to the former, and attempts 
to remove thofe difficulties. 3. Confiderationes Secundse 
circa Calculi Differentialis Principia, et Refponfio ad Vi- 
rum nobiliflum G. G. Leibnitium, &c. 1696, 4to. occa- 
fioned by an attack of Leibnitz on the author’s Analyfis, 
in the Leipfic Journal for 1695. 4. A Treatife on the 
new Ufe of the Tables of Sines and Tangents, 1714. 5. 
The proper Ufe of the Contemplation of the Univerfe, 
for the Convidiionof Atheifts and Unbelievers, 1715, 4ter. 
of which a French tranflation was publiffied at Paris, in 
1725, quarto, entitled, “ L’Exiftence de Dieu demontree 
par les Merveilles de la Nature,” and alfo an Englilh one 
at London, in 1716, in 3 vols. 8vo. under the title of, “ The 
religious Philofopher, or the right Ufe of contemplating the 
Works of the Creator.” 6. A Memoir, infertedina Dutch 
Journal, entitled Bibliotheque de l’Europe, for the year 
1716, in defence of the preceding work againft a criticifm of 
M. Bernard, in the Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres. 
7. A Letter to M. Bothnia de Burmania, on his Article 
concerning Meteors, inferted in the Nouvelles litter, du 
22 Avril, 1719. About a month before his death, he put 
the finifliing hand to an excellent refutation of Spinoza, 
which was publilhedin Dutch at Amfterdam, in 1720,4to. 
Hutton's Math. Did. Gen. Biog. 
NIEU'WERSLUYS, a fort of Holland, on the Vecht: 
eight miles fouth of Muyden. 
NIEWIA'ZA, a river of Samogitia, which runs into 
the Niemen fourteen miles eaft of Wielona. 
NIEW'UDGE, a river of Hindooftan, one of the 
branches of the Chumbul. 
NIEZEBAT'. See Niasabad. 
NIF, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in Natolia: iixteen 
miles eaft of Smyrna. 
NI'FAN, or Niean, a town of Arabia, in the province 
of Oman : eighty miles fouth-weft of Haffek. 
NIF'FO, a town of Africa, on the Grain Coaft. 
NI'FLE, f. \11ifle, Norm. Fr. a thing of no value.] A 
1 trifle. 
