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 NIEUWERKERKE North Holland, Aug. 10, 1654, died at Purme- rend, May 30, 1718. He studied law, medicine, logic, philosophy, and mathematics, and, set- tling in the town of Purmerend, became fa- mous as an orator, physician, and magistrate. His mathematical works enjoyed an epheme- ral popularity in consequence of their attacks on the infinitesimal calculus. His most impor- tant production is his treatise on " The Eight Use of contemplating the Works of the Crea- tor " (Amsterdam, 1715), from which Paley is supposed to have borrowed the substance of his essay on "Natural Theology." It was translated into English by John Ohamberlayne, under the title of u The Religious Philosopher" (3 vols. 8vo, London, 171 8-' 19). NIEUWERKERKE, Alfred Emilien de, count, a French sculptor, born in Paris, April 16, 1811. He belongs to a noble family of Dutch origin, and studied the fine arts in the great collections of European artists. His equestrian statue of William the Silent, exhibited in 1843, was pur- chased by the king of Holland, and is in the Hague ; as is his subsequent and superior statue of Descartes, of which he executed a duplicate for the city of Tours. Among his later works is an equestrian statue of Napoleon I. In 1853 he became a member of the institute, and Na- poleon III. created for him the office of super- intendent of fine arts, which he retained till Jan. 2, 1870, when a ministry was created for that department. He however remained in charge of the museums till the establishment of the republic, Sept. 4, 1870. He has shown much zeal in promoting art ; but his success is in a measure due to his great fortune, rank, and high connections. NIEVRE, a central department of France, comprising the old province of Nivernais, bor- dering on the departments of Yonne, Cote d'Or, Saone-et-Loire, Allier, Cher, and Loiret ; area, 2,632 sq. m. ; pop. in 1872, 339,917. It is intersected from S. E. to N. W. by the mountains of Morvan, which divide the basin of the Seine from that of the Loire, and cul- minate in Mont Presnay, 3,000 ft. above the sea. The surface N. of this chain is an alter- nation of rugged hills and deep valleys ; but S. of it are extensive plains sloping gently to the Loire. The principal rivers are the Loire, Allier, Yonne, Abron, and Nivre. The climate is mild but moist. The soil is not in general remarkably fertile. The quantity of wine made annually averages about 6,000,000 gal- lons. Mining, especially of iron and coal, is largely carried on. Woollen cloth, linen, and hardware are manufactured. It is divided into the arrondissements of Chateau-Chinon, Cla- mecy, Cosne, and Nevers. Capital, Neveps. NIGER, or Qnorra, a river of western Africa, which falls into the gulf of Guinea by several mouths, between the bights of Benin and Bi- afra. The Niger is formed by two principal rivers, the Benoowe or Tchadda (see BENOOWE) and the Joliba, the latter of which is the more western, and is regarded as the main stream. NIGER 441 It rises, according to Winwood Reade, in lat. 9 25' N., Ion. 10 20' W., at an elevation of more than 1,300 ft. above the ocean, on the N. slope of Mt. Loma, in the Koranko coun- try, about 200 m. from the coast of Sierra Leone. Thence it flows in a northeasterly direction, pursuing a very circuitous course throughout two fifths of its entire length, toward the Sahara. Near Cabra, the port of Timbuctoo, it turns E. and afterward S. E., and near the Kong mountains, in lat. 7 47' N., Ion. 7 27' E., is joined by the Benoowe, from which point it flows S. by W. and finally S. W. till it falls into the ocean after a course of about 2,500 m. Down to a point about 40 m. distant from its supposed source, which has not yet been visited by any European, the river is known as the Teembo or Toombeenko ; but below Farabana, in the Sangara country, it assumes the name Joliba, signifying great river, which is changed into Quorra in that part of its course below Timbuctoo. The upper portion of the Niger has not been thoroughly explored. At Farabana, the limit of exploration up to the present time, reached by Winwood Reade in 1869, the current of the river is swift, and about 100 yards wide. A hundred miles fur- ther down, at Babbila, where the French traveller Caillie" crossed in 1827, the breadth of the river is described by the English ex- plorer as equal to that of the Thames at Lon- don. Here it is joined by the river Yanda from the south. From this point Winwood Reade navigated the main stream down to Nora, a large town near lat. 11 N. There is but lit- tle navigation on this portion of the river, owing to the absence of large trees along its banks. Between Nora and Bammakoo the course of the Niger has not been traced, but from the latter place, in lat. 13 N., down to Timbuctoo, it is tolerably well known. The river is described as a broad and majestic stream flowing slowly eastward between low banks, and through a populous, fertile, and well cultivated country. In some parts it is studded with small green islands, many of which are inhabited. The banks are fre- quently flooded during the rainy season. On this portion of the river trade is carried on in boats of over 60 tons burden, worked with- out sails by large crews of natives. Not far from lat. 16 N. the Niger flows through Lake Debo, a distance of about 10 m. The extent of this lake westward from the river is be- lieved to be much greater. Above Timbuctoo the river separates into two branches, which unite a little further down. Cabra, the port of Timbuctoo, is situated on the N. branch. In this vicinity, according to Dr. Barth, the river overflows the surrounding country, and consequently the climate in the neighborhood of that city, during the season of the inun- dation, is very unhealthy. The middle por- tion of the Niger extends from Timbuctoo in a southeasterly direction to Yauri, described by Richard Lander as the largest city in cen-