N, the fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a nasal consonant, and its sound is obtained by placing the tongue against the palate and expelling the breath through the nostrils. Its principal sound is that heard in bun, done, moon; but when followed by g or k, it takes other sounds as in singer, finger, brink. When final after m, it is silent, condemn. In the Nagari alphabet there are four symbols for n, the sounds of all of which occur in the English, although not represented in it by separate letters, chiefly caused by the preceding or following letter. There is an n in the Tamil tongue with a dental nasal sound, and in Hindustani, Guzerathi and Mahrati, there is a nasal, usually a final, although sometimes a medial, which is scarcely sounded, although it gives a nasal sound to the preceding vowel.

NA also Sna, TIB. A wild sheep of Ladak. Vigne calls it of the size of an ordinary sheep, of a dull brownish gray colour with curved, smooth, and four sided horns. It is called by de Koros, a large sheep-like-deer. Major Cunningham supposes it the same as the Nahur of Nepal, the Ovis nahur.

NAA, a very hard, fine, close-grained, and very ponderous Ceylon wood. NAAD, a district.

See Korambar, Nad. NAAF, a river of Chittagong. NAAKUI-MIN, TAM. Pleuronectes solea. NAAT or Nat, TAM. Anything relating to a locality or district. See Nad.

NAAT CARDASI, TAM, Country paper. NABALUS BUNGARUS, see Naia. NABALUS CURTA, see Naia. NABAR. HIND. Ribes leptostachyum. NABATÆI, the ancient people of Petra in Arabia.

NABATI. HIND. Pale brown color, like sugar. NABHA territory, Cis-Sutlej, has an area of 863 sq. m., a population of 276,000 souls, and a revenue of four lakhs. The chief is of the same stock as the maharajahs of Patiala and Jheend, but is the elder branch of the family. The family behaved ill in the Sikh war of 1845-6 but did well in the revolt of 1857 and were rewarded by a grant of land out of the Jhujjur territory.

NABHA JI, see Bhakta mala.
NABHAT. PERS. Candy.
NABHAY. Odina wodier.

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NABLOOS or Naplouse, as the French write it, is the Arabic attempt to pronounce the

Greek name Neapolis, the "new city," the title given to the old Canaanite town of Shechem when it was restored or rebuilt, probably during Vespasian's reign.

NABON, see Fars.

NABONASSAR. A prince of Babylon, under whose reign astronomical studies were much advanced in Chaldea. The first day of the era which he established was Wednesday the 26th February 747 B. C. He is known to the Arabs and in mahomedan literature as Bukht oon Nasr. The era of Nabonassar, 1st king of the Chaldæans falls on Wednesday 26th February A. A. c. 747. Its year was of 365 days, without any intercalary day on the 4th year. The Arabic name is not very dissimilar to that used by the Hebrews, but Bakht-un-nasr is that by which the Arabs, Turks and Persians designate this king of the Assyrians and Babylon. But Oriental historians, and particularly the Persians also style him Raham, also Gudarz. D'Herbelot, tome 3, p. 1; Mignan's Travels, P. 254. See Sennacherib; Nineveh.

Sar

NABOPOLASSAR, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, became the Assyrian satrap of Babylon, in the 123rd year of Nabonassar. danapalus, king of Assyria, commanded him. to march against the Medes who had revolted, but he allied himself with Cyaxares, and marched with him against Nineveh, and Babylon became independent on the destruction of Nineveh in B.C. 606.-Bunsen.

NA-BUG-NYAH, see Kashmir.

NACCINOLE, also Aveline, IT. Hazel Nut. NA'CHAN-GAON, a town in the Huzur tahsil of the Wardha district, lying two miles to the south of the Pulgaon railway station, and about twenty-one miles from Wardha. It is said to be very old, and parts of the wall which formerly surrounded it still exist.

NACHASH, see Serpent.

NACH CHU TEL. Utricularia' fasciculata, and U. Stellaris L.-R. i. 143; Cor. 180. NACHEZ, see Hindoo.

NACH'H, HIND. A dance, also written Nautch. NACHNI, HIND. A dancing girl.

NACHRAVALI, TAM. the Asees, HIND. is a form of hindu benediction, only bestowed by women and priests: it is performed by clasping both hands over the person's head, and waving over him a piece of silver or other valuable which is bestowed in charity. The Tamil people similarly wave a fowl or sheep's

head around a sick man. This is a very ancient ceremony, and is called Nachravali. Col. Tod frequently had a large salver filled with silver coin waved over his head, which was handed for distribution amongst his attendants. It is most appropriate from the ladies from whom also he had this performed by their proxies, the family priest or female attendants. It is also a mahomedan rite.-Tod's Rajasthan Vol. i. p. 618. See Bulain Lena. Sacrifice.

NACHU TEL. Lemna orbiculata, also Blyxa octandra, Rich.-Vallisneria octandra, R. iii. 752; Cor. 165. Also applied generally to small aquatic plants.

NACRE, Fr. Mother of Pearl. See Molluscs, Mother o' Pearl.

NACSHATRA, HIND. The Tyajya (wrongly spelt Thyajum and Thyagum); that portion of a Nacshatra, which is deemed unlucky, is called Varjya, and the period of its duration is the Tyajya.-It is called Devi when it occurs at day time, and Ravi when at night. It is therefore an astrological element: but is nevertheless registered every day in the Ephemerides; where the instant of its commencement is registered. Its mean duration is about 4 guddia (1h 36′ European time), so that the beginning being known, the end may be supported, with sufficient accuracy for practical purposes, without actual computation.

NAD, CAN. A territorial division. NADANAR KARU, an agricultural tribe, of Mysore, who pretend to be pure sudras. NADA UMDALUM, a district midway between Madura and the Pulitaver country. NADAUN, see Jawala mukhi. NADDI, HIND., a river, a streamlet. NADHYA-DESA, see Inscriptions. NADI or NARI, BENG. A caste who make ornaments of lak for mahommedan women.

NADIR SHAH, a native of Khorasan. His name was Tamas Kuli Khan. His country had been conquered in 1722 by the Ghilji, he freed his country from the Ghilji, expelled the Turks and Russians from their possessions and at the request of the people resumed the throne which he had bestowed on Thamasp, son of Shah Hussain the Sufi monarch of Persia. In 1738, he commenced the seige of Candahar, but on the emperor of Delhi refusing to restore some fugitives, he crossed the Iudus with 65,000 veteran soldiers; the emperor however made his submission and Nadir Shah, in March 1739, entered the palace of Delhi with him. On the following night a false report was raised, that Nadir Shah had been murdered, on which the people of Delhi rose and murdered nearly 1000 of his soldiers. Nadir Shah on learning this, in the morning ordered a general massacre of the people. In this, 8,000 were slain, and the city was pillaged for fifty-eight

days and he returned to his country with immense plunder. Nadir Shah's plunder destroyed the Mogul empire. The Mahrattas, the nabob of the Carnatic, the Asof Jahi family of Hyderabad, the subadars of Bengal and Oudh, and the Jat of Bhurtpore, all declared for independence and set the imperial power at defiance. In the fifty-eight days that he remained, Nadir demolished, burnt, and ransacked all Delhi, and undid the doings of several hundred years. The amount of booty that he is said to have carried off is, by the highest computation, seventy crore, and by the lowest thirty-two, Among it was the throne representing the tail of a peacock displayed, composed of precious stones, which still adorns the audience chamber in the palace at Teheran. Nadir Shah's route into India was the ordinary one, by Attock and Lahore, and he returned, as appears by Abdul Karim and M. Otter, by nearly the same route; save that instead of crossing the Indus at Attock, he went higher up, and passed the borders of Sewad, in his way to Jalalabad and Kabul. Ahmed, styled khan or shah, king of the Abdalla accompanied Nadir Shah to India in 1739. In 1747, Ahmed with an army of 15,000 men overran the Panjab, but at Sirhind he was met and defeated by Ahmed Shah, the son of the emperor of Delhi Mahomed Shah, and he returned to Afghanistan. In 1741, he returned to India, and Lahore and Multan were ceded to him. He, a third time, invaded India, took and plundered Delhi, but left for his native country, pestilence occurring amongst his troops. He had displaced Ghazi-ud-din from the post of vizier of the emperor, and on his withdrawal, Ghazi-ud-din obtained the aid of the Mahrattas, who advanced on and captured Delhi, re-instated Ghazi-ud-din; Raghoba, the commander of the Mahrattas, then marched on Lahore, defeated Timur, son of Ahmed, and wrested Lahore and Multan from the Abdalla. Ghazi-ud-din assasinated the emperor Alamgir in 1759; but in September, Ahmed had again crossed the Indus and invaded India. In 1760, he overtook the Mahratta chiefs and defeated them one after another. Sada Siva Rao, Bhao, who had replaced Raghoba, marched to meet Ahmed. His army was composed of Mahrattas, Rajput cavalry and the Jaundar Surj Mull, the whole numbering about 270,000. Surj Mull advised Sada Siva Rao, Bhao to harass Ahmed. This advice was not followed, and the Jat and Rajpoot armies consequently withdrew. The Bhao occupied Delhi, and came in contact at Paniput, with Ahmed's army of 38,000 foot, 49,000 cavalry, besides the Rohilla and Oudh auxillaries. Several indecisive encounters ensued, but, on the 7th January 1761, an obstinate battle was fought. The result continued doubtful until the Bhao fled from the field, leaving his