NUT 
311 
NUT 
this animal is a fecond argument to overthrow this airy 
metrication• Brown. 
NUTRIMENT, / [old Fr. from nutrimentnm, ; Lat ] 
That which feeds or nourilhes ; food; aliment.—The Ito- 
mach returns what it has received in ftrength ,and nutri¬ 
ment diffufed into all the parts of the body. South. 
Does not the body thrive and grow 
By food of twenty years ago ? 
And is not virtue in mankind 
Tii & nutriment that feeds the mind ? Swift's Mifeell. 
NUTRIMEN'TAL, adj. Having the qualities of food ; 
alimental.—By virtue of this oil vegetables are nuirimen¬ 
tal, for this oil is extracted by animal digeilion as an emul- 
fion. Arbnthnot. 
Much nutrimevtal (lore, 
Thorough excels of humours perlited. The Silketvorms. 
NUTRITION,/ [nutritio, of nutrio, Latl] The a St or 
quality of nourifhing, fupporting ftrength, or increaling 
growth.-—New parts are added to our lubftance to fupply 
our continual decayings; nor can we give a certain ac¬ 
count how the aliment is fo prepared for nutrition, or by 
what mechanifrn it is fo regularly diftributed. GlanviJle's 
Srepfis —That which nourilhes; nutriment. LeJ's properly. 
Fix’d like a plant on his peculiar fpot, 
To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. Pope. 
NUTRITIOUS, adj. Having the quality of nourifhing. 
—The heat equaj to incubation is only nutritious; and 
the nutritious juice itfelf refembles the -white of an egg, 
in ail its qualities. Arbnthnot on Aliments. 
Oh ! may’ll thou often fee 
Thy furrows whiten’d by the woolly rain 
Nutritions ! fecret nitre lurks within. Phillips. 
NUTRITIVE, adj. [nntritif ', old Fr.] Nourifhing; 
nutrimental ; alimental.-—The fruits of the earth were 
not now fo nutritive as they had been. Patrick on Gen. 
ix. 3. 
NU'TRITURE, / The power of nourifhing. Nntufed. 
— Never make a meal of flefh alone, have fome other meat 
with it of lei’s nntriture. H-rvey on Coitfmiptions. 
NUTT (Jofeph), a very ingenious perfon and a cele¬ 
brated apothecary, was the fon of Robert and Sarah Nutt, 
baptized at Hinckley, C£t. 2, 17.00, and educated at the 
free-grammar lchool in that town-, where he made a very 
conliderable progrefs in learning; and, at a proper age, 
was put apprentice to Mr. John Parr, of Hinckley, an 
eminent apothecary, and brother to the then vicar; in 
which ftation, by his diligence and induftry, he gained 
great confidence and relpeft from his mailer and the whole 
family ; for he was like Jofeph in Pharoab’s houfe, he had 
the care of domeftic affairs very much under his direction. 
After this, he attended the hofpitals in London, that he 
might be properly qualified for his profellion ; and, on 
his return to Hinckley, carried on for many years a con- 
fiderable bufinefs with reputation and refpedt. Some time 
about the middle of life, he was chofen one of the fur- 
veyors of the highways for the parilh, w'hen he adopted 
a new method for improving the fame, by turning over 
the roads the water that came from the town ; which 
being conliderably enriched by wafhing the ftreets and 
public links, what he could fpare from the roads, or ra¬ 
ther after it had done the bufinefs there, he conveyed 
upon the lands of thofe who approved of his proceedings. 
The confequence was, the land was enriched, like ancient 
Fgypt by the overflowings of the Nile. The effeft of the 
water upon the road, in that part below'the town that is 
now the Coventry turnpike-road, was, that it ferved like 
a boulting-mill; it walked and carried oft’ the muddy foul 
parts upon the land; and the (andy, gravelly, and ftony, 
parts, remaining by their ow n gravity, were left firm ; for 
the road was lometimes w'et, and fometimes dry, as he 
let it out of a relervoir for that purpofe at pleafure. By 
this method, it became good for laddie and pack horfes, 
Vol. XVII. No. 11S1. 
the laft of which occupied the roads very much at that 
time of day; for the pit-coal from the Warwicklhire 
mines was brought by them in conliderable quantities. 
It was alfo much better for the draft-horfes ; though, 
when much ufed by thefe, efpecially in the coal-buftnefs, 
the wheels of thefe carriages, being at that time very nar¬ 
row, and generally drawing great loads, were apt todif- 
turb and cut the roads, for the materials ufed were com¬ 
monly find dug by the road-lide, wdiich was done at a mo¬ 
derate expenfe. If upon this more gravelly or ftony ma¬ 
terials had been applied, there is no doubt, though the ex¬ 
penfe would have been greater, the road would have been 
much better. This, being a new way of proceeding, 
met a difference of reception in the parilh, which was at 
length fo divided, that a party determined to put him out 
of office. The party in his favour prevailing, he was con¬ 
tinued for fome time; but this railed him many enemies, 
who were ready on every occalion to infult and ridicule 
their lurveyor. 
He fpent much of his time in the valuation of land ; 
“ the goodnefs or badnefs of which, (it has been laid by 
way of farcafm,) like the celebrated Mr. Arthur Young, 
he partly judged of from the tafte.” As he was not how¬ 
ever himfelf a purchafer, it is evident fome perfons enter¬ 
tained a good opinion of his abilities in this particular; 
of whom ftr Dudley Ryder, when attorney-general, the 
anceftor of the prefent lord Harrowby, and other refpecta- 
ble names, might be mentioned. He certainly made many 
experiments on foils and vegetation, a fubjedl he took 
much pleafure in. The /alts, fulphurs, &c. with which 
the different foils abound, are the very l’pirit and life of 
vegetation ; for, extradf thefe, or exhauft the land of them 
by frequent crops without manuring, and the ground 
Icon becomes barren. If a perfon’s tajie was fo exquilite 
as to make thefe diftinations, he certainly might form a 
very good judgment of the goodnefs or badnefs of land. 
Mr. Nutt lived in terms of great friendlhip with the in¬ 
genious (Rev. John Dyer, LL.B.) author of the Fleece, 
in wdiich he thus takes occalion to celebrate his uleful 
talents : 
“ Various as aether is the paftoral care: 
Through flow experience, by a patient breaft, 
The whole long leffon gradual is attain’d ; 
By precept after precept, oft receiv’d 
With deep attention; fuch as Nuceus lings 
To the full vale near Soar’s enamoured brook, 
While all is lilence : fweet Hincklean fvvain ! 
Whom rude oblcurity (everely clafps : 
The rnufe, howe’er, will deck thy Ample cell 
With purple violets and primrofe flowers, 
Well-pleas’d thy faithful leffons to repay.” 
He teftified in his laft will his delire of doing v good to 
his native town, where he lived, by giving,, upon condi¬ 
tion that a new lchool fhould be h.uilt wittiin forty years 
after his deceafe, five oak-trees then Handing, the belt 
in the hedge-row, except one wdiich he willed and direct¬ 
ed ffiould not be felled, or cut down, or lopped, within 100 
years. He died in 1775. Since then this tree has not 
been lopped,and is now Handing (1812). 
His epitaph was written by his intimate acquaintance, 
Mr. William Ward, fchooimafter and printer, of Hinck¬ 
ley, author of the Scripture Spelling-book, 1762. “ To 
the memory of Jofeph Nutt, apothecary, wdio died Octo¬ 
ber 16, 177s, aged 75 years. The deceafed was a great, 
correft, and pure, claffical fcholar, and a lover of learning; 
whole humanity and conftant practice in life, was to aiiift 
the poor and unfriendly with medicines and advice, with¬ 
out any other profpedl: of reward than that heartfelt la- 
tisfaftion which muft always accompany beneficent ac¬ 
tions ; and whofe calm and philofophic mind' enabled him 
to guide tiie paifions in the paths of virtue; and taught 
him through life 
To enjoy the prefent hour, be thankful for the paft, 
And neither fear nor wilh the approaches of the laft.” 
4 S NUTTER 
