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494 struck in Quito by order of the Spanish authorities. Nicolao was a humble, inoilensive person, desirous to avoid the notoriety that attached to his office, for which he was totally unfit, and his name ap- pears only once in the history of the war of the missions, in 1755, when he interfered in behalf of a poor Jesuit at Yapeya. When the Guaranis made their submission to Preire de Andrada in 1756, Nicolao presented himself to the Spanish author- ities at Andaonegui, and, his innocence being proved, was restored to his former post in Coneei- (jao, and the whole story of King Nicolao was offi- cially declared to be a fiction in the " Gazeta de Madrid " (1768). Nevertheless the romantic history of the fictitious king came to be popularly believed through a French work entitled " Histoire de Nicolas I., roi de Paraguay et erapereur des Mame- lucs," purporting to be issued in Sao Paulo in 1756, but probably printed in Germany. In this book he is called Nicolas Robiouni, of Spanish birth, and his career is described as full of crimes, but Southey declares it to be a tissue of falsehoods and the fabrication of some ignorant impostor.

NERAZ, Jean Claude, R. C. bishop, b. in Anse, France, in 1829 ; d. in Texas, 15 Nov., 1894. He followed a classical course in the College of St. Godard, then entered the seminary at Alix, and finished his theological studies in the Sulpitian seminary of Lyons. He emigrated to the United States in 1852, and was ordained priest by Bishop Odin on 19 Feb., 1853. His first missionary labors were in Nacogdoches, Tex., and his mission com- prised the northeastern part of the state as far as Red river. In 1864 he was removed to southern Texas, and was pastor of Liberty county till 1866, when he was appointed assistant at San Antonio. He was transferred in 1868 to Laredo, where he built a convent and a church, and in 1873 he was again stationed in San Antonio and given charge of the church of San Fernando. He was appointed vicar- general of the diocese of San Antonio in 1875, and on the death of Bishop Pellicer was made adminis- trator of the see. He was then nominated second bishop of San Antonio, and consecrated on 8 May, 1881. He was present at the third council of Balti- more in 1884. Under the auspices of Bishop Neraz a college was founded in Travis county by the priests of the Holy Ci-oss and an academy at Halletsville by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word. His diocese had fifty-one priests, fifty churches, eight chapels, three academies, two colleges, twenty-six parochial schools, and three charitable institutions.

NERINCKX, Charles (ner'-inks), clergyman, b. in HerfEelingen, Belgium, 2 Oct., 1761 ; d. in St. Genevieve, Mo., 8 Aug., 1824. He was educated at the University of Louvain and the Theological seminary of Mechlin, was ordained in 1785, and in 1786 appointed vicar of the inetropolitan church of St. Romualdus, Mechlin. When the army of the French republic entered Belgium in 1797. an order was issued for his arrest, and for the next four years he was obliged to secrete himself. In 1800 he applied to Bishop Carroll for permission to labor in the United States, and, on the receipt of a letter assuring him of welcome, he embarked at Amsterdam and reached Baltimore in August, 1804. In July, 1805, he was sent to assist Father Stephen T. Badin {q. v.), who was the only priest in Kentucky. In April, 1806, he visited Vin- cennes, where he engaged for a time in missionary work. Father Nerinckx was known among his co- religionists as the " church-builder." During his nineteen years on the Kentucky mission he built ten churches, laboring with his own hands on some of them. Father Nerinckx is regarded as sharing with Father Badin the credit of consolidating the Roman Catholic church in Kentucky. A ride of twenty miles without breaking his fast was with him a common occurrence, and he never al- lowed himself more than a few hours' sleep after the most exhausting labors. Although he had charge of but six congregations in Kentucky, the stations that he served were scattered over the whole extent of the state. Sometimes in swim- ming rivers at flood-tide he was swept from his horse and saved himself only by his great physical strength. In 1808 he was appointed bishop of New Orleans, but declined the honor. Father Ne- rinckx visited Europe twice in the interest of his church in Kentucky, for which he thus obtained over $15,000. He was the founder of the Institute of Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross, better known as the Sisterhood of Loretto. The sisters were soon in charge of institutions for the educa- tion of girls ; but the rules that he established for their guidance were looked on as excessively severe, and a dispute between him and Father (afterward Bishop) Chabrat on this point led to his withdrawal from Kentucky in June, 1824. He went to the convent of Bethlehem, in Perry county.- Mo., a branch house of his Loretto sisterhood, intending to prepare for missionary work among the Indians. He erected a house in Bethlehem for the education of twelve Indian girls, for whose tuition the U. S. government had agreed to pay ; but the contract was not fulfilled, owing to the death of the priest in a few days. See " Life of the Reverend Charles Nerinckx,""by the Rev. Camillus P. Maes (1880).

NESBITT, John Maxwell, merchant, b. in Ireland in 1728 ; d. in Philadelphia, 22 Jan.. 1802. He came to this country in early life, settled in Philadelphia, and became one of the chief mer- chants of that city. He was the paymaster of the Pennsylvania navy from 14 Sept., 1775, till 1 March, 1778, and treasurer of the Pennsylvania board of war during the Revolution. He enlisted in 1777 in the city troop, with which he served during its campaign in New Jersey, in 1788 was appointed one of the committee to settle the ac- counts of the council of safety, in 1780 assisted in forming the Pennsylvania bank to supply provis- ions for the army, subscribed £5,000 to its funds, and was chosen one of its five inspectors. In 1781 he joined with Robert Morris and others in form- ing the Bank of North America, and he served in its directorship from its organization until 1792, when he became one of the founders of the In- surance company of North America, the oldest fire and marine insurance company in the United States, was chosen its first president, and served four years. He was one of the port-wardens in 1788, and in 1790 an alderman. In 1793 he was one of a committee of merchants to collect infor- mation respecting the capture or detention of ves- sels belonging to citizens of the United States by the cruisers of nations at war, and to lay the same before the president. He was a founder of the Friendly society of St. Patrick (afterward An- cient order of Hibernians) in 1771, of which he was chosen vice-president, and in 1773 president.

NESMITH, James Willis, senator, b. in New Brunswick, Canada, 23 July, 1820; d. in Polk county, Oregon, 17 June, 1885. He was left an orphan at an early age, received no education, and was forced to earn his livelihood. He removed to the United States, and in 1843 went with the first emigrants to Oregon, where he took an active part in formmg the provisional government. He was made a judge in 1845, having studied law during two years in Oregon City. He commanded as cap-