NAP 
than jo, ooo religions of different kinds; and Keyfler 
fays, that the donne liborc, or courtezans, amount to 18,000. 
Naples (lands about one hundred miles fouth-eaft from. 
Rome, 164 north-eaft from Palermo in Sicily, 217 fouth- 
eaft from Florence, and 300 from Venice. Lat. 40. 54. N, 
Ion. 13. 3 0> E. 
NA'PLES, Star of. See Ornithogalum. 
NA'PLES YEL'LOW. See the article Pigment. 
NAPLOU'SE, Napolose, or Nablous^ a town of 
Syria in Ada, and capital of a hilly country, anciently 
celebrated under the name of the Kingdom of Samaria, 
but at prefent called the Country of Naplofa. This 
town, fituated near to Sichern, and on the ruins of the 
Neapolis of the Greeks, is the refidence of a (heik, who 
farms the tribute, for which he is accountable to the 
acha of Damafcus. Its inhabitants are fuch zealous 
Mahometans, as not willingly to fuffer any Chriftians to 
refide among them. They are difperfed in villages among 
the mountains; the foil of which is fertile, and produces 
a great deal of corn, cotton, olives, and fome lilies. The 
town has feveral mofques; and carries on a confiderable 
traffic with Damafcus and the coaft. Jew's of the Samari¬ 
tan fe£t are numerous here. It is twenty miles north of 
Jerufalem. Lat. 32. 16. N. Ion. 35. 22. E._ 
Dr. Clarke’s obfervations on viliting this place, and on 
the face of the country between it and Jerufalem, are ex¬ 
tremely interefting. 
“ The view of Napolofe much furprifed us, as we had 
not expefled to find a city of fuch magnitude in the road 
to Jerufalem. It feems to be the metropolis of a very 
rich and extenfive country, abounding with provifions, 
and all the necefiafy articles of life, in much greater pro- 
fufion than the town of Acre. White bread was expofed 
for fale in the ftreets, of a quality fuperior to any that is 
to be found elfewhere throughout the Levant. The go¬ 
vernor of Napolofe received and regaled us with all the 
magnificence of an Eaftern fovereign. Refreffiments, of 
every kind known in the country, were fet before us ; and 
when we fuppofed the lift to beexhaufted, to our very great 
aftonilhment, a moft fumptuous dinner was brought in. 
“ There is nothing in the Holy Land finer than the 
view of Napolofe from the heights around it. As the 
traveller defcends toward it from the hills, it appears 
luxuriantly embofomed in the moft delightful and fragrant 
bowers, half-concealed by rich gardens, and by (lately 
trees collected into groves, all around the bold and beau¬ 
tiful valley in which it Hands. Trade feems to (iourifti 
among its inhabitants. Their principal employment is 
in making foap; but the manufactures of the town fupply 
a very widely-extended neighbourhood, and they are ex¬ 
ported to a great diftance upon camels. In the morning 
after our arrival, we met caravans coming from Grand 
Cairo; and noticed others repofing in the large olive- 
plantations near the gates. The traveller, directing his 
footfteps towards its ancient fepulchres, as everlafting as 
the rocks wherein they are hewn, is permitted, upon the 
authority of facred and indelible record, to contemplate 
the fpot where the remains of Jofeph, of Eleazar, and of 
Jolhua, were feverally depofited. If any thing connected 
with the memory of pad ages be calculated to awaken 
local enthufiafm, the land around this city is pre-eminently 
entitled to confideration. The facred (lory of events 
tranfafted in the fields of Sichern, from our earlieft years 
is remembered with delight; but, with the territory be¬ 
fore our eyes where thofe events took place, and in the 
view of objeCts exifting as they were defcribed above three 
thoufand years ago, the grateful impreffion kindles into 
ecftafy. Along the valley we beheld a company of Jjh- 
maelites coming from Gilead, as in the days of Reuben 
and Judah, with their camels bearing J'picery and balm and 
myrrh, (Gen. xxxvii. 25.) who would gladly have pur- 
chafed another Jofeph of his brethren, and conveyed him, 
as a (lave, to (ome Potiphar in Egypt. Upon the hills 
around flocks and herds were feeding, as of old ; nor in 
the Ample garb of the (hepherds of Samaria was there any 
Vol. XVI. No. j 136. 
NAP 573 
thing repugnant to the notions we may entertain of the 
appearance prefented by the fons of Jacob. It was indeed 
a feene to abftraCt and to elevate the mind; and, under 
emotions fo called forth by every circumftance of power¬ 
ful coincidence, a Angle moment feemed to concentrate 
whole ages of existence. 
“ In the time of Alexander the Great, Sichern u f as con- 
fidered as the capital of Samaria. Its inhabitants were 
called Samaritans, not merely as people of Samaria, but 
as a feCt at variance with the other Jews, They confided 
principally of deferters from Judaea. They have con¬ 
tinued to maintain their peculiar tenets to the prefent 
day. The inhabitants, according to Procopius, were much 
favoured by the emperor Juftinian, who reitored their 
fanCluaries, and added largely to the edifices of the city. 
The principal objeft of veneration among them is Jacob's 
Well, over which a church was formerly erected. This is 
fituated at a fmall diftance from the town, in the road to 
Jerufalem; and has been vifited by pilgrims, of all ages, 
but particularly (ince the Chriftian sera, as the place where 
our Saviour revealed himfelf to the woman of Samaria. 
The fpot is fo diftinctly marked by the evangelift, and fo 
little liable to uncertainty, from the circumftance of the 
Well itfelf and the features of the country, that, if no 
tradition exifted for its identity, the fite of it could 
hardly be miftaken. 
“ We left Napolofe one hour after midnight, that we 
might reach Jerufalem early the fame day. We were, 
however, much deceived concerning the diftance. Our 
guides reprefented the journey as a (hort excurfion of 
five hours: it proved a moft fatiguing pilgrimage of 
eighteen. The road was mountainous, rocky, and full 
of loofe (tones ; yet the cultivation was every-where 
marvellous; it afforded one of the moft (triking piftures 
of human induftry which it is poffible to behold. The 
limeftone rocks and ltony valleys of Judaea were entirely 
covered with plantations of figs, vines, and olive-trees ; 
not a fingle fpot feemed to be negledted. The hills, from 
their bafes to their upraoft fummits, were entirely covered 
with gardens: all of thefe were free from weeds, and in 
the higheft (late of agricultural perfection. Even the 
fides of the moft barren mountains had been rendered 
fertile, by being divided into terraces, like Heps riling 
one above another, whereon foil had been accumulated 
with aftoniftiing labour. Among the (landing crops we 
noticed millet, cotton, linfeed, and tobacco, and occa- 
fionally fmall fields of barley. A fight of this territory 
can alone convey any adequate idea of its furprifing pro¬ 
duce: it is truly the Eden of the Eaft, rejoicing in the 
abundance of its wealth. The efteCl of this upon the 
people was ltrikingly pourtrayed in every countenance : 
inftead of the deprefled and gloomy looks of Djezzar 
Pacha’s defolated plains, health, hilarity, and peace, were 
vifible in the features of the inhabitants. Under a wife 
and beneficent government, the produce of the Holy 
Land would exceed all calculation. Its perennial harveft ; 
the falubrity of its air; its limpid fprings; its rivers, lakes, 
and matchlefs plains ; its hills and vales;—all thefe, added 
to the ferenity of its climate, prove this land to be indeed 
a field which the Lord hath blejfed: God hath given it of the 
dew of heaven, and the fatnefs of the earth, and plenty of corn 
and wine." Gen. xxvii. 27. Clarke's Travels, Part II. 
NA'PO, a river of South-America, which rifes about 
twenty miles fouth of Quito, and, after a fouth-eafterly 
courfe of about 360 miles, runs into the river of Amazons 
in lat. 3. 30. S. Ion. 71. 10. W. 
NATO, a town of South-America, on the above river, 
in the audience of Quito: thirty-five miles fouth-eaft of 
Archidona, and 200 fouth-eaft of Quito. 
NATO-BRAS'SICA. See Brassica. 
NAPO'LI di MALVA'SIA. See Malvasia. 
NAPO'LI di ROMA'NIA, anciently Nauplias, a fea- 
port town of European Turkey, in the Morea, fituated 
on a peninfula, in a bay of the Mediterranean ; hence 
called the Gulf of Napoli. This town was anciently 
j G called 
