Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/674

* NINIAN. 574 NIP A. controversy. However this may be, it is certain that wheii Xiiiian apiwared anioiig them, the Picts were in the main a pagan peojjle. He was a Briton, and of nobh' birth, but had l)een educated at Kome, and there ordained a bishop in 394. The e.xact time of his preacliing in Scot- land is imknown. His labors apin-ar to have commenced in Cumbria, and to liave extended over the greater part of the district as far north as the (Jranipian Hills, his see being li.xed at Can- dida Casa, or Whithorn, in the modern Wigton- shire. His death is placed by the Hollandists in 432; his festival is September 10th. His Life, bj' Ailred, is in Korbes, Historians of Scotland, vol. V. (Edinburgh, 1874). NINIGRET (c.UilO-e. 11)77). A sachem of an Algoncpiian tril)e of Indians, the Xiantics. He assisted the English colonists in the Pequot war of 1637, but soon afterwards began to scheme for their expulsion or extermination. A visit to the Dutch on Manhattan Islaiul in 10,52-.^3 caused him to be suspected of plotting against the United Colonies, whose commissioners, in April, 1053, declared war against him, but were unable to prosecute it, owing to the opposition of Massa- chusetts. Ninigrct, however, soon attacked the Long Island Indians, allies of the English, and the commissioners; after summoning him in vain to Hartford, sent Major Sanuiel Willard against him with a force of .310 men. Xinigret took refuge in a swamp, but subsequently (Ui2), in conjunction with several other chiefs, sold a large part of his territory to the colonists. Several of his successors from whom land titles were se- cured by Rhode Island were also called Xinigret. NINO, ne'nyfi, Pedro Alonso (c.U.'jo-c.IoOo). A Spanish navigator, born at Moguer. He had sailed to the west coast of Africa several times in Portuguese vessels before 1402, when he be- came pilot of one of Columbus's three ships. In June, 1496, Xino sailed to Santo Domingo with supplies, and on his return nearly ruined the fortunes of Columbus by his braggadocio and his tardiness in reporting at court. After sailing on Columbus's third voyage, he planned with Cris- tobal de la Ciuerra, a S|ianish merchant, the first successful commercial voyage to the Xcw World (1499). Xino died soon after his return, after having been accused of cheating the Crown of a part of its >liare in the [)ronts of the voyage. NINON DE L'ENCLOS, ne'nnN dc liiN'- klO'. or Le.nclos (1616-1706). A Parisian cour- tesan, renuirkable for beauty, grace, and intel- lectual culture, as well as for keen wit. Her career began at sixteen. Among her many lovers were successivelv the Covmt de Chatillon, the Marquis de Vilhirceaux. the Marqii-i de SfvignC-. the Marquis de (Jersay, .Marshal ( nndf, the Hue de la Rochefoucauld, Marshal il'Albrit. Marshal d'Estr.Vs. Al)bc- d'ICIhal. (lourville. and I.a CliAtre. She counted among her friends (^lueen Christina of Sweden, Madame Scarron (afti-rwards Madnnie de Maintenon). anil Madame de La Fayette. Her salon seemed for a time a rival of the Hrttel de Rambouillet. Moli^re and Scarron arc said to have taken literary counsel with her. Her beauty lasted into old age. Consult: Douxmesnil. .Ifc- nioiro (Rotterdam. 17.">2) ; and the ll'orAs of Saint-Evremonil (. isterdani. 1706). but esjM-- ciallv the contemporarj' 'portrait' in Mile, de ScudVTv'i r/<7ie (Paris,' 1556-00), where she fig- ures as 'Clarisse.' NIOBE, ni'6-be (Lat,, from Gk.'Sii^Ji). In Greek legend, the daughter of Tantalus, King of Lydia, and (according to the most popular ver- sion) the sister of Pelops. She was the wife of Auiphion, King of Thebes, and bore him many children, the numbers varying usually between twelve and twenty. In her pride she )oasted her superiority to Leto, the mother of .Vpolln and Artemis. The angry goddess moved her children to avenge the insult, and Apollo with his arrows slew the sons, while Artemis killed the daugliters in the palace. Xiobe in her grief prayed the gods, who in pity transformed her into a stone image on iluunt Sipylus in Lydia. The story ajipears in the epic, and was retold by tragedians, poets, and chroniclers with many divergencies in detail. The fullest version which has survived is by Uvid (.l/f(aiH., vi. 146 sqq.). Representations of llie story on vases and reliefs are not numerous, but it is the subject of one of the most famous groups of ancient statues. Consult: Stark, .Viobf vnd die y'iobiden (Leipzig, 1803) ; Ame- lung, I'iihrer durch die Antiken in Florenz (Munich, 1S97). NIO'BIUM (Xeo-Lat., from Lat. .Vio6e, daughter of Tantalus; so called from its close resemblance to the metal tantalum, from Lat. Tantalus, father of Xiobe). A metallic chemical element, same as columbium (q.v.). NIOBRARA, ni'u-brii'rA. A river rising in Laramie County, Wyo., flowing east through northern X'ebraska, and emptying into the Mis- souri River at Xiobrara, after a course of about 450 miles (Map: Xebraska, CI). It is a shallow and rapid stream, and is not navigable. In its upper course it flows through a samly region, after which it traverses a deep, rocky canon ; but in the lower part it winds through fertile bottom lands. NIOBRARA STAGE. The name given to a divi^-ioll of llie Cretaceous system (q.v.). The rocks, including sandstones, limestones, and chalks, are exposed in Kansas. South Dakota, and in the States farther westward, and attain a maximum thickness of 2000 feet. NIORT, nyor. The capital of the Department of Ucux-S^vres, France, on the S^vre-Niorlai-'e River, 49 miles by rail southwest of Poitiers (Map: France. F5). Its chief points of in- terest are the Church of Xotre Dame, with its famous tower and elaborate interior, the Church of Saint Andrew. Museum of Art and Xatural His- tory, Museum of Antiquities and the Public Gar- den. The inhabitants of the adjoining region are engaged in cattle-raising and farming, and the town has a large trade in gloves, oil, brushes, and leather; there are also extensive nursery interests. Xiort dates from 1155; was under the rule of England for a short period; and as a Protestant strongludd endured many hard- ships during the Religious Wars. Madame de Maintenon was a native of Xiort. Population, in 1901, 23,897. NI'PA (X'eo-Lat.. from the native name). A gentis of plants referred by most botanists to the order Palinie. .Vi/in fruticans. the only species recognized, connnon in the East Indian .rchi- jielago, is a low-growing tree, which flouri-ihes with the mangrove in places inumlated by the tiile. It abounds in saccharine sap. fr^im which a kind of palm wine and also excellent sugiir are made. The leaves ftre employed for rooting