Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/543

 NOYON He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1830, and began to study law ; but his attention be- ing turned to religion, he studied theology at Andover and New Haven, and was licensed to preach in 1833. In 1834 he experienced what he called a "second conversion," and an- nounced himself a " Perfectionist." His license to preach was annulled, and he began to teach his new faith in various periodical publications, which have become merged in the " Oneida Circular." He has also published a number of volumes, of which "The Berean," "The Second Coming of Christ," " Salvation from Sin," " Bible Communism," "Male Continence and Scientific Propagation," and a "History of American Socialisms," are the most important. By the phrase " salvation from sin " he and his followers understand a special phase of reli- gious experience, having for its basis spiritual intercourse with God, which may proceed so far, even in this life, as to destroy selfishness, and so make an end of sin. He holds that while a community such as those he has founded may contain members who have not reached this state, without a working majority of persons who have this religion, communism such as he has attempted is impossible. The practical application of his doctrines has been made in the two communistic societies at Oneida, N. Y., and Wallingford, Conn., which in 1874 numbered 283 members (238 at Oneida and 45 at Wallingford). They practise com- munity of women as well as of goods, main- tain the equality of women with men in social and business life, live in a " unitary home," are engaged in various manufactures, and in 1874 owned property to the amount of half a mil- lion of dollars. They are thorough farmers, have two well fitted printing offices, and em- ploy many persons who are not members. NOYON (anc. Nomomagus), a town of France, hi the department of Oise, 55 m. IS. E. of Paris ; pop. in 1866, 6,498. It is a place of great an- tiquity, and was the birthplace of Calvin. The cathedral of Notre Dame, built by Pepin the Short, enlarged by Charlemagne, and, after having been damaged by fire, rebuilt in the 12th century, is one of the best specimens of transition architecture in France. There are several other fine public buildings, among which are the town hall, the ancient episcopal palace, and the hospital. There are manufactures of cloth, laces, and hosiery. Charlemagne was here crowned in 768, and Hugh Capet was here chosen king in 987. The place subsequently passed through many vicissitudes. In 1516 a treaty was concluded here by Charles V. and Francis I. About 4 m. E. of Noyon is the vil- lage of Salency, with a palace and an ancient church. It is the birthplace of St. Medard, who instituted here a " festival of roses," which is still celebrated by crowning the most virtuous maiden of the village, and presenting her with a sum of money. NUBIA, a country of Africa and dependency of Egypt, comprehending in its widest sense NUBIA 529 all that territory which is bounded N. by Up- per Egypt, E. by the Eed sea, S. E. and S. by Abyssinia and the Dinka country, and W. by the Sahara and a narrow slip of the desert which separates it from Darfoor. It thus extends be- tween lat. 10 and 24 N., and Ion. 28 and 39 E., about 950 m. in length, and rather more than 600 in breadth ; and includes Lower Nu- bia, or Nubia proper, from the limits of Egypt to the S. boundary of the province of Don- gola; the ancient kingdom of Meroe, on the E. bank of the Nile between the Atbara and the Bahr el-Azrek or Blue river ; and Sennaar, in the extreme south. The territory of Kor- dofan on the left bank of the Nile, W. of Sen- naar, is usually regarded by geographers as a part of Nubia. The application of the name Nubia is very indefinite, however, being re- stricted by some authorities to the territory E. of the Nile, while the small tract between Derr and Dongola, called Nooba or Wady Nooba, is the only locality to which the natives now ap- ply the word. Lower Nubia consists chiefly of deserts, extending on the east to the Red sea, the coast of which is here bordered by a range of hills, and on the west nearly to the Sahara. Of these, the largest is the great Nubian desert, which is crossed by caravans from Korosko, near Derr, to Abu Hammed, a route of 230 m., which has been described as the chord of the arc made by the great western bend of the Nile. The monotonous scenery of this burn- ing and waterless waste of sand is varied by mounds of volcanic slag and hills of black ba- salt. The Nile itself is here enclosed by moun- tain ranges of sandstone and granite, which approach close to the banks of the river, leav- ing only a narrow strip of land along the wa- ter's edge. The northern portion of Upper Nubia, W. of the Nile, is occupied by the Ba- hiuda desert ; further E. in the river valley is Berber ; and above the mouth of the Atbara, the Meroe of antiquity is represented by the town and district of Shendy. Beyond Khartoom, the Nubian territory embraces Kordofan on the west and Sennaar on the east, the latter ex- tending to the 10th parallel of N. latitude. Up- per Nubia is a well watered table land of mod- erate elevation, diversified by low mountain ranges, but largely consisting of vast and fer- tile though neglected plains, some portions of which are artificially irrigated by means of the oriental water wheel. The chief geological formations are granite, quartz, and mica slate. The climate of Nubia is dry in the north, comparatively moist in the south, and very hot throughout the whole country, but not un- healthy. In Lower Nubia the annual rainfall is exceedingly light, but further up the Nile there are plentiful showers during the spring months. In May the temperature of the air on the Nubian desert frequently ranges from 108 to 114 F. in the shade, and at night the mercury not uncommonly falls more than 30 degrees. The cool season extends from No- vember to February. The doum palm is one