£10 N A I 
MAIN (I.ouis-Sebaftian le), better known by the name 
ot Tihlemont. See that word. 
NAI'NA, a town of Bengal: twenty-two miles fouth- 
ffiuth-weft of Calcutta. 
NAI'NSOGK, a river of Lahore, which runs into the 
Behut twenty-two miles eaft of Puckholi. 
NAI'NTRE, a town of France, in the department of 
the Vienne; nine miles fouth-weft of Chatellerault. 
NAJOO', a fmall ifland in the Eaftern Indian Sea, near 
the weft coaft of the illand of Celebes. Lat. i. 21. S. 
Ion. 124. 25. E. 
NAIR, Na'her, or Nay'er, f. A name which is given 
by the Malabarians to the nobility of their country, who 
form a very numerous clafs or tribe, out of which the fo- 
vereigns of Malabar choofe their body-guard. Many 
affirm that they are the oldeft nobility in the world. An¬ 
cient writers mention them, and quote the la'w which 
allows the Nair ladies to have many hufbands. 
NAIRN, one of the northern counties of Scotland, is 
bounded on the north by the Moray-frith, on the eaft by 
the /hire of Elgin, and on the fouth and weft by the 
county of Invernefs. It extends about twenty miles in 
length from north to fouth, and twenty-two in breadth 
from eaft to weft. Thefe, however, are the diftances of 
its extreme parts ; but its general breadth does not ex¬ 
ceed twelve miles. This county formed a portion of the 
ancient diftrift of Moray; and, like Moray-Proper, or 
Elginfhire, is divided into two portions by the natural 
diltinftions of its furface. For the breadth of from three 
tofixorfeven miles along the ffiores, the country is ufiu- 
ally level and extremely fertile ; but, as it recedes farther 
from the coaft, it becomes very bleak and hilly. The foil 
on the level grounds, on tire eaft fide of the county, is a 
free loam on a fandy or gravelly bottom ; and, on its vveft- 
ern portion, either a rich ftiff clay, or a gravelly mould. 
Only a few fpots on the declivities, ikirting the narrow 
vales in which the rivers run, are under cultivation, or 
perhaps fufceptible of it. Agriculture, as a fcience, is 
little underftood in any part of the county, probably lefs 
fo indeed than any other in Scotland. The inferior te¬ 
nants being for the moft part too poor to purchafe.proper 
implements of hufbandry, thole they employ are of their 
own conftruftion, and confequently, as may be fuppofed, 
of the rudeft (lamp. Sheep and black cattle are reared in 
confiderable numbers in Nairnffiire, and chiefly fed on 
the natural pafturage, either in the downs along the fhore, 
or in the moors towards the bottom of the mountains. 
The flieep are of the fmall white-faced kind, with very fine 
wool, which is either confumed by the farmers themfelves, 
orfold into other diftrifts, there being no manufacture yet 
eftablilhed in this county. 
There are few mineral fubftances in Nairnlhire, which 
can be applied to any practical purpofe. All the indica¬ 
tions of coal, lead, and iron, which have induced adven¬ 
turers to attempt the difcovery of mines of thefe fub- 
rtances, have hitherto proved fallacious. Neither is there 
any lime-ltone found in the county ; but its abfence, in 
an agricultural point of view, is lefs to be lamented, as 
marl exifts in vaft quantities at different places, and par¬ 
ticularly in a Fmall loch called Conan, and in the vale of 
Litie, where it is of the pureft and moft valuable kind. 
In this vale is the extenfive heath of Hoar-moor, which 
Shakefpeare has confecrated as claffic ground, by making 
it the fcene of the meeting of Macbeth and the weird- 
fifterhood, in the celebrated play which bears the name of 
that blood-ftained ul'urper. In the furrounding hills are 
Come quarries of free-ftone; and in one part of the county 
there is alfo one of a dark blue-ftone, which flames in the 
fire, while its bulk is not apparently diminifhed. 
The only rivers worthy of notice in this county are 
the Findhorn and the Nairn. The former takes its rile 
in Invernefslhire, pafles entirely through this county into 
that of Moray, or Murray, and difcharges itfelfinto the fea 
at the bay formed by the land-hills of Culm. The Nairn 
alfo, beginning its courfe from a lake in Invernefslhire, 
4 ' 
■ N A I 
flows through a confiderable angle of Nairnffiire, and rails 
into Moray-frith near the county-town. This river lkirts>, 
in its progrefs,.the weftern fide of the field of Culloden, in. 
which terminated the rebellion of 1745, when the hopes- 
of the Stewart family w-ere fruftrated. There is a fmall 
falmon-fiffiery on the Nairn, the property of Mr. Brodie 
of Brodie. 
This county contains four entire parilhes, viz. Arde- 
lauch, Aultdearn, Calder, and Nairn ; and parts of five 
others; viz. a part of the parifli of Dyke, in the county 
of Murray; a part of Urquhart, in Rofsffiire ; and a fmall 1 
portion of Croy, of Moy, and of Petty, all in the ffiire 
of Invernefs. In the parliamentary reports of 1801, this 
county is ftated lo contain 1972 houfes, and 8259 inhabi¬ 
tants ; in 1811, the number of houfes had increafed to 
2031, but the inhabitants are returned as amounting to 
8251. There is probably fome error in one of thefe re¬ 
turns. Aultdearn is a borough of barony, and is me¬ 
morable as the fcene of one of the moft celebrated viftories 
of the duke of Montrofe over the covenanters, under 
lieutenant-general Flurry, in 1645. Several handfome 
refidences are difperfed over the county, of which the 
chief are Brodie, Holme, Boath, Lethen, Cantray, and 
the caftlte of Kilravock. Nairnffiire is reprefented in par¬ 
liament along with the fmall county of Cromarty; each 
county alternately electing their joint reprelentative. 
Several remains of antiquity in this cdunty may very 
properly claim attention. Cawdor-Caftle and that of 
Kilravock, which are both in an entire ftate, are objefts- 
of confiderable antiquity and intereft ; fo are like wife the 
ruins of Penic, Inffiough, Moynefs, and Loughnadurb. 
Moynels appears to have been one of the moft extenfive 
manfions in Scotland ; and Loughnadurb is remarkable 
for having fuftained a liege againft kings Edward I. and II. 
It is fituated near the centre of a deep lake, in the higher 
parts of the county, and almoft fifteen miles from any in¬ 
habited region ; fo that it is very difficult to conceive a 
ftate of fociety which could give it importance, either in 
a political or military view. North-weft from this caftle, 
about four miles, in a narrow and folitary vale, in which 
the river Findhorn flows, ftands a very curious monu¬ 
ment of the obelilk kind, about half the height of the 
celebrated one near Forres. The flag pf this monument 
is fo thin, that Mr. Leflie thinks it “ might be carried to 
fome diftance, by two vigorous men pradlifed in fiuch ex- 
ercifes.” It is let up the fide of a cairn of ftones, fup¬ 
pofed to be piled over fome grave ; but whether really a 
memorial of the dead, or of fome memorable event in 
hiftory, is uncertain. Tradition, however, reprefents it 
as the monument of two lovers, a Highland chieftain and 
a Norwegian princefs, who were drowned in the river, in 
the aft of eloping to fecure to themfelves that happinefs 
which the hoftility of their families denied them. The 
fcuipture on this obelilk is nearly the fame on both fides. 
In the loweft compartment are two human figures, evi¬ 
dently in the Highland drefs, in the attitude of embrac¬ 
ing, or ftruggling with each other. On each of the fides 
is a circle in bold relief, about a foot in diameter, the fur- 
face being occupied by eight or ten fmall globular figures 
placed round a cup in the centre. The remainder of the 
Sculpture confifts moftly of foliage, tendrils, &c. This 
monument has no mark or emblem upon it referring to 
the doftrines or cuftoms of Chriftianity, and is therefore 
prefpmed to be of anterior date to the introduftion of 
that religion into Scotland. 
NAIRN, a river of Scotland, has been noticed in the 
preceding article. 
NAIRN, a royal burgh, and the county-town of Nairn- 
ftiire, fuppofed to be the Tuajis of Ptolemy, is pleafantly 
fituated on the weftern bank of a fmall river, from which 
it derives its name, near the coaft of the Murray-frith. It 
is a neat town, with a fmall convenient harbour, which 
might eafily be enlarged and improved. The chief ftreet 
runs nearly parallel to the fliore, and is interfefted by a 
number of narrow lanes, ftretching on one fide towards 
