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or Fenis, was lord of Neufchatel, but appears to have 
held it as a fief from Rcdolphus III. His male defcend- 
ants continued in pofi'eftion of it till the year 1373 ; after¬ 
wards it palled into feveral different families, and among 
the reft to the houfe of Chalons. In 1694, William III. 
king of Great Britain, as heir to the lordfhip of the Cha¬ 
lons family, folemnly made over to Frederic eledtor of 
Brandenburg, afterwards king of Puffia, all his right of 
Neufchatel and Vallengin, which, in 1703, was notified by 
the latter to the ftates thereof. But it is to be cbferved, 
that this principality (as it was called) of Neufchatel was 
conlidered as an independent fovereignty, allied with 
Swifferlandj which alliance fecured its independence; 
and every prince, on fiicceeding to the fovereignty, was 
obliged to ratify it. The government was a mixture of 
arillocracy and democracy. The fovereignty, which was 
almoft a name, was inalienable and indivifible, and could 
not be fold, or given to a younger branch of the reigning fa¬ 
mily, without the confent of the people; it was hereditary, 
and a female was capable of inheriting it. The laft time 
when the eftates were called upon to decide between a 
number of claimants for the fovereignty, was in 1707, on 
the death of the duchefs of Nemours without iffue. Moll 
of the claimants came in perlon to Neufchatel, or fent 
ambaffadors to lupport their pretenfions. Amongft them 
were the king of Pruifia, margrave of Baden-Dourlach, 
the prince of Naffau, the prince of Conde, the marquis 
d’Algers, the count of Montbeliard, &c. &c. The reader 
will fmile at all we have faid about the independence of a 
little ftate like this, in which it was a fundamental maxim, 
that “ the fovereignty refides not in the perfon of the 
prince, but in the ftate and he will not wonder that 
the high tribunal, after a mature examination of the fe¬ 
veral allegations of the refpedtive parties, paffed a decree 
in favour of the ftrongeft, namely, Frederic I. king of 
Prufiia, who immediately took polfeflion, and the ufual 
diomage was performed to him; lie, on his part likewife, 
confirming to them all the liberties and privileges of the 
ftate, as alio its alliances, and communities of rights with 
the neighbouring pov'ers. At the peace of Utrecht in 
1713, the French monarch acknowledged the king of 
Pruifia as fovereign-lord of Neufchatel and Vallengin ; 
and farther promiled not to moleft him, either publicly 
or privately, in the polfelfion of thefe countries; nor to 
permit his fubjedts to attempt any fuch moleftation. In 
1806, by the treaty of Tilfit, this ftate was fevered from 
Pruifia, and given by Bonaparte to marlhal Berthier; but 
the downfal of Napoleon reftored it the king of Pruifia; 
the inhabitants of which feemed to bear the greateft at¬ 
tachment to his majefty. Mr. Bernard faw, in two places, 
the triumphal arches under which he paffed in his late 
r'vifitto Neufchatel. The chief advantage his majefty de¬ 
rived from this country was the fupply of a great num¬ 
ber of recruits to his army ; and, the king being fuffici- 
cntly indemnified elfewhere, it was thought fit, at the ge¬ 
neral arrangement in 1815, that this principality fliould 
be united to Swifierland, with which it had fo long been 
in alliance, and to which indeed its fituation appeared to 
adapt it. Bernard's Tour through France, SwiJjerland, 5 fc. 
in 1814. 
NEUFCHATEL', or Neu'enburg, anciently Neoco- 
mian, or Novum Cqfirum, capital of the canton above de- 
fcribed, lies partly upon a little plain between the lake 
which here receives the river Scyon, and the Jura, and 
partly upon the declivity of that mountain. It conlifts 
of four principal llreets, which contain fome elegant edi¬ 
fices, and a caftle for its defence, with between 4 and 5000 
inhabitants. The environs are diveriified with delightful 
vineyards, gardens, and villas. Between Neufchatel and 
Yverdun, the country confifts of rude or elegant fcenery, 
contrafted with well-cultivated hills, vineyards, and mea¬ 
dows. At the commencement of the laft century com¬ 
merce was almoft wholly unknown in this town, as the 
ridiculous pride of its being deemed degrading generally 
prevailed among the (Prullian) inhabitants; a ienfelels 
N E U 
prejudice, which has of late been almoft extinguiflied. 
The chief article of exportation is wine, produced from 
the adjacent vineyards, and muchefteemed; manufactures 
alfo of printed linei)9 and cottons have been eftablilhed 
with fuccefs; and, within fome late years, feveral mer¬ 
chants have raifed large fortunes. Several public works 
and buildings, particularly a town-houfe, have been lately 
erefted at Neufchatel; and, for the embellifhment of 
their town, the burghers have been indebted to the fm- 
gular munificence of M. David Pury, late banker of the 
court of Lilbon, who was a citizen of this burgh, born in 
1709, and who died in 1785. His benefactions, during 
his life and at his deceafe, amounted to near 200,0001. 
The citizens have teftified their refpeCt for his memory by 
placing his portrait in one of the apartments in which 
the government affembles, and a marble bull in the new 
town-houfe. This town is faid to have been built by the 
emperor Conrad, about the year 1034. It entered into a 
ftridt alliance and community of rights with the city of 
Berne in 1406, which treaty was renewed in 1550, 1570, 
and 1616; and in the year 1530 it declared for the re¬ 
formation. Neufchatel is fifty miles fouth-fouth-eaft of 
Bale. Lat. 47. 2. N. Ion. 6. 43. E, 
NEUFCHATEL', or Yverdun', a lake which feparates 
the canton of Neufchatel from the cantons of Berne and 
Friburg, and which llretches from north to fouth about 
twenty miles in length, and in fome places about five in 
breadth. It is well furnilhed with various kinds of ex¬ 
cellent filh, and its ihores near Yverdun are covered with 
country-houfes. 
NEUFCHATEL', a town of France, and principal 
place of a diitridt, in the department of the Vofges, on 
the Meufe : fixteen miles weft of Mirecourt, and thirty 
weft of Epinal. Lat. 43. 22. N. Ion. 5. 48. E. 
NEUFCHATEL', a town of France, in the department 
of the Aifne : eleven miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Laon, and 
ten north of Rheims. 
NEUFCHATEL', a town of France, and principal 
place of a diftridt, in the department of the Lower Seine: 
twenty-three miles north-eaft of Rouen, and eighteen 
fouth-eaft of Dieppe. Lat. 49. 44. N. Ion. 1. 30. E. 
NEU'FELS, a town of Germany, in the principality 
of Hohenlohe: fix miles north-eaft of Ohringen. 
NEU'FFEN. SeeNEiFFEN. 
NEUFMANIL', a town of France, in the department 
of the Ardennes: three miles north-eaft of Charleville. 
NEUFMARCHE', a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Eure : nine miles north of Gifors. 
NEU'FRAICH, a river of Bavaria, which rifes near 
Walkenhofen, and runs into the Schmutter one mile weft 
of Augfburg. 
NEU'FVY (St. Sepulchre), a town of France, in the 
department of the Indre: fourteen miles fouth of Clra- 
teauroux. 
NEU'GARTEN. See Naugardten. 
NEUGED'YN, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of 
Pilfen: thirty miles fouth-foutli-weft of Pilfen. Lat.49. 
23. N. Ion. 12. 51. E. 
NEUGRA'BEN, a river of Silefia, which runs into 
the Oder at Brieg. 
NEU'HAUS, a town of Germany, in the principality 
of Helfe Darmltadt. In this place was a palace, which 
Dagobert king of the Franks converted to a church, and 
Samuel bifhop of Worms made it collegiate in 847. 
The foundation was afterwards fuppreffed, and the reve¬ 
nues annexed to the biftiopric. It is eleven miles fouth- 
eaft of Worms. 
NEU'HAUS, a town of Bavaria, in the biftiopric of 
Bamberg: three miles north of Burg Eberach. 
NEU'HAUS, a town of Germany, in the principality 
of Culmbach : five miles weft-fouth-weft of Hof. 
NEU'HAUS, a citadel of Germany, belonging to the 
Teutonic knights : one mile fouth of Mergentheim. 
NEU'HAUS, a town of Germany, in the territory of 
Nuremberg ; three miles riQith-north-eaft of Velden. 
NEU'HAUS, 
