526. NAN 
NAN'TICOKES, Indians who formerly lived in Mary¬ 
land, on the above river. Thefe Indians are faid to have 
been fkilled in the art of poifoning. Their number is 
now few, and they are retired farther to the north. 
NANTIGNI' (Louis-Chazot de), diftinguiihed for his 
genealogical writings, was born in 1692, at Saulx-le-duc 
in Burgundy. He ftudied at Dijon and Paris, and at the 
latter capital was in trolled with the education of fome 
young men of rank. Having a particular turn to hif- 
torical refearches, he employed ail his leifure in drawing 
up genealogical tables; and from 1736 to 1738 he pub- 
lifhed the fruits of his labours in a work intitled “ Gene¬ 
alogies Iliftoriques des Rois, des Empereurs, et de toutes 
les Maifons Souveraines ;” 4 vols. 4to. This is confidered 
as a valuable work, and he left in MS. materials for a 
continuation of it. He alfo publilhed “ Tablettes Geo- 
graphiques; Tablettes Hiftoriques, Genealogiques, et 
Chronologiques ; and Tablettes de Themis.’ 5 He fur- 
nilhed many genealogical articles for the Supplement of 
Moreri in 1749; and during the latter years of his life 
he fupplied the genealogical part of the Mercure. This 
induftrious writer became totally blind before his death, 
which happened in 1755. 
NAN'TRILL, Eaft and Weft, two townfhips of Ame¬ 
rica, in Chefter county, Pennfylvania. 
NAN'TUA, a town of France, and principal place of a 
diftridt, in the department of the Ain. This town was 
called Nantuacum by the Romans; and was in their time 
a place of confideration, if we may judge from fome 
medals and fragments of infcriptions which have been 
dug up at feveral times. There were, before the revolu¬ 
tion, two convents exifting in Nantua, one for women, 
and the other for men. There are manufaflures for 
gauzes, taffetas, ftockings, nankeen, and printed calicoes 
or chintzes. The lake of Nantua, though not more than 
four or five miles in circumference, is amply ftocked with 
fffh. Its depth, like all fmall lakes among the Alps, is 
confiderable; and more efpecially fo on its fouth-eaft 
fide, where the fteepnefs and abrupt elevation of the 
lateral mountains are more forcibly felt. Towards the 
fouthern extremity of Nantua, are quarries of different 
forts of gypfum. It is thirty-fix miles weft of Geneva, 
and eighteen eaft of Bourg en Breffe. Lat. 46. 9. N. 
Ion. 5. 41. E. 
NANTUCK'ET, an ifland of North America, belong¬ 
ing to the ftate of Maffachufetts, and fituated between 
lat. 41. 13. and 41. 22. 30. N. and between Ion. 69. 56. and 
70. 13. 30. W. about eight leagues fouth of Cape Cod, 
and eaft of the ifland of Martha’s Vineyard. It is fifteen 
miles long, and eleven broad, including Sandy Point; 
but its general breadth is three miles and a half. It has 
only one bay of note, formed by a fandy point, extending 
from the eaft end of the ifland to the north and weft, on 
which was erefled a light-houfe in 1784, and on the north 
fide of the ifland as far as Eel Point. This is a fine road 
for (hips, except when the wind is at north-weft, which 
caufes a heavy fwell. The ifland conftitutes a county of 
its own name, and contains 5617 inhabitants, and fends 
one reprefentative to the general court. It has ten fper- 
maceti-works. The inhabitants are, in general, robuft 
and enterprifing, moll of them being feamen and me¬ 
chanics. The feamen are lingularly-expert whalemen. 
The whale-filhery originated among the white inhabitants 
in 1690, and advanced to a confiderable ftate of profpe- 
rity, which was almoft ruined by the late war; but it has 
iince revived, and extended to the great Pacific Ocean. 
The ifland had formerly plenty of wood. The people 
who inhabit it, and particularly the females, are much 
attached to it, and have no wilh to emigrate. They are 
moftly Friends, or Quakers ; but there is one fociety of 
Congregationalifts. There are at prelent about 300 pro¬ 
prietors of the ifland; among whom the proportional 
number of cattle, Iheep, &c. are put out to pafture, and 
the quantity of ground appropriated to the raffing of 
crops is fubje£l to particular regulations; and proper 
NAN 
officers are appointed who keep books for debiting and 
crediting the different proprietors. 
N ANUJCK'EF, formerly Sherburn, a feaport town 
of Maffachufetts, on Nantucket Ifland. In 1794, the ex¬ 
ports amounted to 20,5x4 dollars: 124 miles louth-weft 
of Bofton. 
NANTUX'ET CRFE'K., a river of New Jerfey, which 
runs into Delawar Bay in lat. 39. 21. N. Ion. 75. 16. W. 
NAN'TWICH, or Namptwich, a iharket-town in the 
county-palatine of Chefter, is feated in a luxuriant vale, 
on the high road from London to Chefter, at the diftance 
of 170 miles from the former place, and twenty from the 
latter. The earlieft mention of this town is in the reign, 
of William the Conqueror, when a fangufftary battle be¬ 
tween the Enghfli and Welfli is laid to have been fought 
in its vicinity. In 1113 it was laid walle by the Welfh, 
and in 1146 we find a band of thefe mountaineers defeated 
here when returning homewards from a predatory ex- 
curfion. From this time hiftory is filent concerning it, 
till the era of the civil wars between the king and the- 
parliament in the feventeenth century, when it appears 
to have been fortified with mud-walls and ditches, and 
to have been feveral times taken and re-taken by each of 
the contending parties. Fire and peltilence have alfo pro¬ 
duced very dellruftive effedls in this town: for, in 1438 
and in 1583, almoft every houfe was confirmed by the 
former; and, in 1604, the latter produced a mortality of 
upwards of five hundred perfons. Extenflve lalt-works 
were formerly eftabliftied here; but thefe are nearly re- 
linquilhed. Many of the lower clafs of inhabitants now 
derive a livelihood from fhoe-making for the London, 
ftiops ; and a fmall cotton-manufadlory has been lately, 
eftablifhed. 
Nantwich is one of the largeft and beft-built towns in, 
the county; the llreets being very regular, and adorned 
with many gentlemen’s houfes. It is governed by a con- 
liable, &c. who are guardians of the falt-fprings. The 
town is divided into two equal parts by the Weaver, 
which is not navigable further than Winsford-bridge. 
The Chefter-canal, begun in 1772, and long fince com¬ 
pleted, is finilhed in a handfome broad bafon near this- 
place. The church is a handfome pile of building in the 
form of a crofs, with an octangular tower in the middle 
the chancel lias a carved Hone roof with neatftalls, brought 
from the abbey of Vale-Royal. Here is alfo a diffenting 
meeting-houfe. There are feven alms-houfes endowed 
by John Crewe, efq. of Crewe, in purfuance of the wills 
of fir Thomas Crewe and fir John Crewe ; they are for 
men and women, who are allowed fix pounds a-year. 
Six alms-houfes endowed by fir Edward Wright for men, 
and women, who are allowed four pounds a-year, a Ihirt, 
a pair of ftockings, and a pair of Ihoes. Six alms-houfes 
endowed by Mrs. Willborom for men and women, who 
are allowed ten Ihillings per quarter, and a new gown 
every two years, value xl. 4s. The work-houle was 
eredled in 1780; here is alfo a free-fchool. The market- 
lioufe is a neat modern edifice, occupying the fcite of an 
ancient fabric, which fuddenly fell to the ground in the 
year 1739. It i s find there were likewife formerly feveral 
hofpitals, now gone to ruin, and their funds applied to 
other purpofes ; what thofe purpofes are, and whether for 
the relief of the poor or of the rich, it is hoped that the 
prefent enquiry into charitable endowments, for which 
the public is fo much indebted to Mr. Brougham, may 
bring forth fome intelligence. The petty feffions for the 
hundred are held in this town ; and the inhabitants polfefs 
an exemption from ferving on juries except within its 
limits. Saturday is the market-day; and there are three 
fairs during the year: viz. Mar. 26, Sept. 4, and Dec. 15. 
Nantwich, according to the parliamentary returns of 1811, 
contained 873 houfes, and 3999 inhabitants. 
Adjoining to the town are feen the foundations of the 
caftle, which was a ruin fo early as the reign of Henry VII. 
when it was demoliflied, and the Hones made ufe of for 
the purpofe of enlarging the parilh-church. The fcite is 
now 
