ofthe province ofKemaon, and a British envoy
constantly resides at Cattainandoo, the capital of
Nepaul.

Nepean Island, a small island in the S. Pacific,
opposite Port Hunter, on the S. coast of Norfolk
Island.

Nepi, a town of Italy, in the papal states, re-
markable for some Roman ruins, and a fine mod-
ern aqueduct; seated on the Trigilia, 20 m. N. of
Rome.

Neponset, a river of Massachusetts flowing into
Boston Bay. It is navigable for vessels of 150
tons to Milton, 4 rniles.

Neponset, a village in Norfolk Co. Mass. on the
above river, 6 in. S. Boston. It lies within the
limits of Dorchester and Milton, and has some
manufactures.

Nescopeck, ph. Luzerne Co. Pa.

Nfshamock', a town of Mercer Co. Pa.

Nerae, a town ofFrance, department of Lot-et-
Garonne, divided by the river Baise into Great
and Little Nerac. In the feudal times this was
the residence of the lords of Albert, whose stupen-
dous castle is now in ruins. 16 m. W. S. W. of
Agen and 07 S. E. of Bordeaux.

Nerbudda, a river of Hindoostan, which issues
from a lake on the S. confines o^the province of Al-
lahabad, flows W. for 700 m. and enters the gulf
of Cambay below Baroach.

Nereheim, a town of Wurtemberg, with a late
Benedictine abbey on a mountain, whose abbot
was a prelate of the empire. It is 15 m. W. N.
W. of Donawert.

Nericia, a province of Sweden bounded by Su-
bormania, Westrnania, Wermland, and W. and
E. of Gothland. It is now included in the gov-
ernment of Orebro.

Neronde, a town of France, department of Loire.
24 m. W. of Lyons.

Nerondes, a town in the department of Cher,
19 m. E. S. E. of Bourges.

Ncrskinsk, a town of Siberia, capital of a prov-
ince ofthe same name, in the government of Ir-
kutsk, with a fort. The adjacent country is
mountainous, but yields excellent pasture for cat-
tle ; and there are some considerable lead and
silver mines. It is seated at the confluence of
the Nercha with the Shilka, 440 in. E. of Irkutsk.

Nesle, a town of France, department of Somme,
on the Lingon, 25 m. E. S. E. of Amiens and 66
N. by E. of Paris.

Ness, Loch, a lake of Scotland, in Inverness-
shire, 22 m. long and from 1 to 2 broad. The
depth is very considerable ; and the high hills on
each side present a delightful view of wood, pas-
ture, cultivated lands and rugged precipices. It
was agitated in an extraordinary manner during
the great earthquake at Lisbon in 1755. Its out-
let, at the N. extremity, is the river Ness, which
runs into Murray Frith, below Inverness.

Nestnd, a town of Denmark, in the island of
Zealand, 38 m. S. W. of Copenhagen.

Netherlands xe2x96xa0 or Low Countries, a kingdom of
Europe, established in 18.14, bounded on the W
and N. by the German Ocean, E. by Hanover and
the Prussian territories of the Lower Rhine, and
S. by France. It was composed of the former re
public of Holland, the 10 provinces constituting
the Austrian Netherlands, the grand duchy of
Luxemburg, and the former principality or bish-
opric of Liege : it was divided into the provinces
of Holland, xc2xa3. Flanders, AV. Flanders, Hainault,
S. Brabant,Liege, Limburg, N. Brabant, Antwerp,
Guelderland, Friesland. Namur. Overyssel, Gro-
ningen, Zealand, Utrecht, Drenthe, and Luxem
hurg. The surface of the country, especially the
northern provinces, is uncommonly level, and is
covered with woods, corn fields, and vast meadows
of the freshet verdure. The maritime provinces
have undergone great physical revolutious, espe-
cially from the retreat and encroachments of the
sea, along with the changes in the course of the
Rhine. So lately as the 15th century, a great
salt-water lake was suddenly formed to the S. E.
of Dort, which overwhelmed 72 villages, and

100,000 inhabitants are supposed to have perished.
To prevent the recurrence of such dreadful ca
lamities, the Dutch began to secure their coasts,
as also the banks of the great rivers, by dikes, or
mounds of earth, the erection of which has been
justly considered one of the greatest efforts of
human industry. The climate in the maritime
provinces is humid and variable ; in the interior
it is more constant. The summers are warmer,
and the winters colder than in England. The
soil is in general fertile, and agriculture has been
long prosecuted with care and success. The prin
cipal productions are corn, flax, hemp, tobacco
hops, madder, fruit, and a little wine in the S.
Cattle are reared in great numbers, and vast quan-
tities of excellent butter and cheese are made for
exportation. There are no minerals in the north-
ern provinces. In the S. there are some valua-
ble strata of coal, mines of iron, copper, lead, cal-
amine, and zinc. The principal rivers are the
Rhine, with its different branches, the Maese, and
the Scheldt. These rivers, and the multitude of
canals with which the country is intersected, af-
ford an easy and safe navigation, not only to all
parts of the kingdom, but to the W. of Germany,
the N. ofFrance, and even to Switzerland. The
lakes are comparatively inconsiderable ; the prin
cipal is that of Haarlem.

During several centuries the Netherlands took
the lead of all the neighbouring states, both in
trade and manufactures, the linen of Holland,
the lace of Brussels, the leather of Liege, the
woolens of Leyden and Utrecht, and the silks of
Amsterdam and Antwerp, being known several
centuries ago throughout Europe. From their
situation, at the mouth of so many large rivers,
both the Dutch and Flemish had an early and
extensive trade. The number of vessels employ
ed by the Dutch in the fisheries, particularly the
herring fishery, is said to have exceeded that of
all the rest of Europe. At a later date came their
acquisitions in the E. and W. Indies, while they
also carried on extensive transactions with Amer-
ica and the coast of Guinea. The commerce of
this country, however, experienced a great de
cline after its connexion with France, and though
considerably revived since the expulsion of the
French in 1814, yet owing to overstrained taxation
and the rivalship of England, it will be a long
time before the sountry can recover its former
prosperity. The constitution resembled in many
repects that of Great Britain ; though it also ap-
proximates to the federal government of the Unit-
ed States of America, in consequence of the long
existence of provincial customs, particularly
among the Dutch. The royal power was vested
in the family of Nassau-Orange, with the title of
king of the Netherlands, prince of Orange, and
grand duke of Luxemburg. The parliament was
divided into two houses.

The character of the inhabitants in the northern
and southern provinces differs considerably. The
Dutch have been long distinguished as a labor