Nicomedia
the capital of ancient Bithynia, at the N. E. angle of an inlet of the Propontis. It was built in 264 B. C. by Nicomedes I., and soon became one of the most magnificent and flourishing cities in the world; some of the later emperors, such as Diocletian and Constantine the Great, selected it for their temporary residence. It_suffered Hannibal greatly from earthquakes. committed suicide in a castle close by, and Constantine died near the city, which was the birthplace of the historian Arrian. The small town of Ismid now occupies its site.
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Nicopolis
a town of Bulgaria, on the Danube; 56 miles W. of Rustchuk. The Berlin Congress of 1878 provided for the demolition of the fortifications. Here the Hungarians were defeated by the Sultan Bajazet in 1396; and the place has been more than once taken by the Russians (1810, 1827, 1877). Pop. about 6,000.
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Nicotiana
in botany, a genus of Solanaceae, commonly known as tobacco.
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Nictheroy
former capital of state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the bay, 5 miles from city of Rio de Janeiro. Manufactures war munitions; the environs are beautiful. Pop. about 42,000. GEORG BARTHOLD NIEBUHR, (nē'bör), a German historian and philologist; born in Copenhagen, Aug. 27, 1776. At the age of 18 he was sent to the University of Kiel, where he studied After holding situations in two years. a government office at Copenhagen, he was invited to Berlin in 1805, and entered the service of the King of Prussia. On the establishment of the University of Berlin, Niebuhr was chosen lecturer on Roman history; and the lectures then delivered formed the basis of the great work by which his name is immortalized, "Roman History" (1811-1827). He served in the campaigns of 1813-1814, and was sent as ambassador to the papal court at Rome in 1816. Quitting Rome in 1823, he was appointed adjunct-professor at the new University of Bonn, where he occupied himself with the preparation of a new edition of his great work, and with a republication of the Byzantine historians. Niebuhr published, besides his history, "Minor Historical and Philological Writings," etc. The "Roman History" was translated into English by Hare and Thirlwall. He died in Bonn, Prussia, Jan. 2, 1831.
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Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
nee'boor, Barthold Georg (1776-1831), a celebrated German historian. He was born at Copenhagen. He studied at Kiel, London, and Edinburgh. His early manhood was spent in banking. He entered the employ of the Danish government and a few years later was made a director of the government bank. A quarrel with his superior led him to resign office and to leave Copenhagen for Germany. He taught history at Berlin. In 1813 he entered the employment of the Prussian government and took a prominent part in arousing sentiment against Napoleon. In 1823 he settled down as a professor of history at Bonn. His reputation rests on a history of Rome, which he carried down from the earliest times as far as the Punic Wars . It was an epoch-making book. The stories of Romulus and the wolf, the founding of Rome, the vestal virgins, etc., were declared fables. A rational history of the Romans was drawn from such authentic material as was then at hand. Mommsen, whose history of Rome was written at a later date, with fuller material and information at hand, was a pupil of Niebuhr and received his inspiration from him. See Mommsen
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Niehaus
CHARLES HENRY, an American sculptor; born in Cincinnati, O., Jan. 24, 1855; educated in the public schools; studied art at the Royal Academy of Munich, Bavaria, where he won the first medal ever given to an American. Upon his return he received a commission to execute the Garfield monument at Cincinnati, perhaps his best work. After its execution, he spent some years in Rome, settling, upon his return, in New York. rk. Of his other works there should be mentioned, besides some fine portrait busts and some good specimens of his art in various museums, numerous statues of public men in Hartford, Conn.; Washington, D. C.; Buffalo, N. Y.; Canton, O.; Memphis, Tenn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; etc. The bronze doors of Trinity Church, New York, are also his creations, as are the pediments of the Appellate Court Building in the same city. At the Pan-American Exposition of 1901 in Buffalo he had two large groups, "Mineral Wealth." There, as well as at Charleston (1902) and St. Louis (1904), he was awarded gold medals. In 1906 he was made a member of the National Academy.
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Nielsen
ALICE, American prima donna; born at Nashville, Tenn., 1876. She studied in San Francisco under Ida Valerga. She first appeared in Oakland as Yum Yum in "The Mikado," and later sang in "Robin Hood." After singing in Toronto and London, she studied for grand opera in Rome, and made her début at the Bellini Theater in Naples as Marguerite in "Faust." In 1906 she toured the United States with the Don Pasquale Company and with San Carlo Company in 1907-1908. In 1910-1911 she was with the Boston Opera Company, and from that time with the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York, playing many leading rôles. NIÈVRE
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Niemen
a river of Russia, whose lower course (70 of its 500 miles) lies within the province of East Prussia, where it is called the Memel; it rises a few miles S. of the city of Minsk. It is navigable to Grodno; below Tilsit it divides into two branches, which reach the Kurisches Haff each by four mouths. Along a large part of its course some of the most severe fighting between the German and Russian armies took place during the World War.
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Nifelheim
(See Hell .)
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Niffleheim
in Scandinavian mythology, the region of cold and darkness. Hela, or Death, rules in Niffleheim and receives the souls of those mortals who die of disease or old age. See Mythology ; Scandinavian
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Nigeria
colony and protectorate of, a British possession in west Africa, constructed Jan. 1, 1914, and comprising rly known as Lagos, districts formerly Northern Nigeria, which includes the territories formerly in the occupation of the Royal Niger Company, and Southern Nigeria, formed from a part of the Niger Coast Protectorate and a part of the territories of the Royal Niger Company. Its boundaries are formed by the French Sudan, Lake Chad, Kamerun, the Gulf of Guinea, and Dahomey. There are three chief divisions: the colony itse itself, the Northern Province, and the Southern Province. The total area is about 336,- 000 square miles. Pop. about 16,500,000. The seat of the central government is at Lagos, the principal port. Other towns of importance are Warri, Burutu, Forcados, Sapele, Brass, Degema, Port Harcourt, Bonny, Opobo, Karo, and Calabar. The Governor-General in 1919 was Sir Hugh Charles Clifford. In 1917 slavery was legally abolished. The most important products are palm oil, palm kernels, important, and pottery and glass are hides and skins. Imports (1918) $36, 121,000; exports (1918) $46,285,000. More than 11 per cent. of the exports go to the United States, almost 84 per cent. to the United Kingdom. There are about 1,000 miles of railways. The revenue in 1918 was £4,014,019; expenditure £3,459,774. The debt in 1917 was £8,470,593.
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