Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/139

 NANSEMOND NANTES 131 two emperors of the Ming dynasty also resi- ded in it. It was taken by the Mantchoos in 1645, and continued to be a very impor- tant city, famous for various manufactures, especially for the cloth called from it nan- keen. It was invested by Sir H. Pottinger Aug. 14, 1842, and the treaty with England was signed there Aug. 26. It was taken March 19, 1853, by the Taiping rebels, who tried to es- tablish there the ancient " heavenly empire." They held it for 11 years. During this occu- pation a collision with the British ships under Lord Elgin led to a bombardment of the city, which ruined the Chinese batteries. On July 19, 1864, it was taken by the imperialists, who sprung a mine of 68,000 Ibs. of gunpowder under the wall, and entered through the breach. They found the rebel emperor dead by suicide, with most of his higher officials. More than 2,000,000 of treasure was found concealed in the palace. Since the imperialist occupation there has been some attempt to restore the former manufactures, but with little success. The governor gene- ral has established a manufactory of shot and shell. The busi- ness part of the city is being gradually re- stored. There is little or no foreign trade ; and though the city is a free port, few for- eigners reside there. XANSEMOKD, a S. E. county of Virginia, bordering on North Carolina and the Dis- mal Swamp, and drained by branches of the Nansemond river; area, 444 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 11,576, of whom 5,517 were colored. It has a level surface and sandy soil. Lumber, tar, and turpentine are exported in considerable quan- tities. The Seaboard and Roanoke, and the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio railroads pass through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 5,405 bushels of wheat, 228,057 of Indian corn, 22,466 of oats, 22,169 of Irish and 57,594 of sweet potatoes. There were 1,017 horses, 1,392 milch cows, 2,192 other cattle, 1,381 sheep, and 11,044 swine. Capital, Suffolk. NANTASKET, a narrow peninsula about 5 m. long, extending into Massachusetts bay, in Plymouth co., Mass., about 22 m. from Boston by railroad and 9 m. by water. It is a favorite summer resort on account of its facilities for sea bathing. This peninsula comprises the town of Hull, which was settled about 1625; pop. in 1870, 261. (See COHASSET.) NANTERRE, a town of France, in the depart- ment of the Seine, at the foot of Mont Vale- rien, 6 m. W. N. W. of Paris ; pop. about 4,000. It is celebrated as the birthplace of St. Gene- vieve, and also for its pastry. It is a place of great antiquity, and the Gauls here celebrated druidical rites. It was formerly fortified, but the ramparts have been converted into prome- nades. Clotaire II., son of Chilperic, was bap- tized here in 591. In the 14th and 15th cen- turies it endured many vicissitudes. NANTES (anc. Condimcnum), a city of France, capital of the department of Loire-Inf6rieure, on the right bank of the Loire, at its junction with the Erdre, 210 m. W. S. W. of Paris ; pop. in 1872, 118,517. The old town W. of the Erdre was walled until the end of the 17th century. In the new quarter the houses are handsomely built of white stone, although the streets are narrow. There are however some fine boulevards, and the quays extending for nearly 2 m. along the Loire and Erdre former- ly composed a famous promenade, lined with Nantes Castle and Cathedral. trees, which have been sacrificed to the rail- way. The cathedral of St. Pierre, built in the 15th century, is unsightly externally, the tow- ers scarcely rising above the roof, but has a finely sculptured triple portal, and contains the mausoleum of the last duke of Brittany and his duchess. The castle is an irregular Gothic pile flanked with round towers. Its chapel was used as a powder magazine, and was blown up in 1800, destroying much of the building. i In this castle Henry IV. signed the edict of j Nantes, April 13, 1598, which secured liberty I of religion to the French Protestants, until its revocation by Louis XIV., Oct. 22, 1685. In 1654 it was the prison of the cardinal de Retz. Most of the kings of France from Charles VIII. have resided in it at some time. The museum contains more than 1,000 paintings and 300 sculptures. The building docks are of great extent, and one fourth of the trading vessels of France are built at Nantes. The most im-