dry, and barren, it offers little inducement
to settlers, and is in consequence the least in population of the
American States; the great silver discoveries of 1859 brought it first
into notice, and mining still remains the chief industry; Virginia City
and Carson (capital) are the chief towns; was admitted to the Union in
1864.

NEVILLE'S CROSS, BATTLE OF, battle fought near Durham between the
Scots and English in 1346, in which the former were defeated and King
David taken prisoner.

NEVIS, BEN. See BEN NEVIS.

NEW BRITAIN or NEU-POMMERN, a large island in the German
Bismarck Archipelago, West Pacific, lying off the NE. coast of New
Guinea, from which it is separated by Dampier Strait; is 300 m. long,
with an average breadth of 40 m.; is mountainous and volcanic in the
interior, and thickly clad with forest trees; fruits of various kinds are
the chief product; is inhabited by Melanesian savages.

NEW BRUNSWICK (321), a SE. province of Canada, presents a long
foreshore to the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the NE. and to the Bay of Fundy
on the SE., while directly E. lies Nova Scotia, to which it is joined by
the isthmus of Chignecto; the surface is diversified by numerous lakes,
magnificent forests of pine and other woods, and the fertile valleys of
the Rivers St. John, Restigouche, and Miramichi; timber is the chief
export, but only less valuable are its fisheries, while shipbuilding is
also an important and growing industry; coal is mined in good quantities,
and the chief towns, St. John, Portland, and Fredericton (capital) are
busy centres of iron, textile, and other factories; the climate is
subject to extremes of heat and cold, but is healthy; many of the
inhabitants are of French origin, for New Brunswick formed part of the
old French colony of Acadia.

NEW CALEDONIA (63), an island of the South Pacific belonging to
France, the most southerly of the Melanesian group, lying about 800 m. E.
of Australia and nearly 1000 m. N. of New Zealand; is mountainous,
produces the usual tropical fruits, and exports some nickel, cobalt,
coffee, &c.; is used by the French as a convict station; discovered by
Captain Cook in 1774 and annexed by France in 1853; Noumea (5), on the
SW., is the capital.

NEW ENGLAND, a name given in 1704 by Captain John Smith to the
eastern and most densely populated portion of the United States, which
now comprises Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
and Connecti