NEVERS, a town of France, capital of the department of Nièvre, stands on the right bank of the Loire, at its confluence with the Nièvre, 153 miles S.S.E. of Paris. It is built on the slope of a hill, and has a fine appearance when seen from the opposite side of the river; but the streets are narrow, steep, irregular, and dirty. Of the walls and towers that formerly defended the town some remains are still to be seen, and one of the old gates, called the Porte du Croux, still remains. The cathedral, a building of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, stands at the top of the hill. It has a heavy appearance outside, but the interior is richly carved; and the choir contains some fine painted glass and old tapestry. The Romanesque church of St Stephen, built in 1063, is the oldest in Nevers. There are two other old churches, one of which is now used as a warehouse, and the other as a brewery. The former palace of the dukes of Nevers is now the town-hall, and the park behind it has been converted into a public garden. The town is entered from Paris by a triumphal arch, erected to commemorate the victory of the French at Fontenoy in 1745. Nevers also contains an arsenal, barracks, a college, several schools, a public library, and a society of agriculture, science, and art. It is the seat of a prefecture, of a bishopric, of a court of first resort, and of a court of commerce. The manufactures of Nevers are very considerable; that of pottery has been carried on here for eight centuries, and employs about 700 hands. Cannon and shot, chain-cables, anchors, massive machinery, implements of husbandry, violin-strings, glue, candles, beer, vinegar, ropes, and other articles are also made here. The trade of the place is also considerable; and there is a good harbour here on the river.
1 Articles which form a considerable part of the produce of a country, though contraband of war, have sometimes been allowed to be conveyed in neutral ships. But even in that case belligerents have been accustomed to detain them, not for confiscation, but for pre-emption. (Robinson's Admiralty Reports, I. 244.)
2 For an account of this famous case, see Robinson's Admiralty Reports, I. pp. 310-379. In an elaborate argument, Sir William Scott (afterwards Lord Stowell) states, with his usual ability, but with too sensible a bias, the reasons for his judgment. Its legality was questioned in a tract by Mr J. P. W. Schlegel, professor at Copenhagen, translated into English, and published in London in 1801. Schlegel was answered by Dr Croke in a tract entitled Remarks on Mr Schlegel's Work on the Visitation of Neutral Vessels under Convoy, published in the course of the same year.
Nevin Timber, iron, steel, coal, wool, leather, wine, cattle, and manufactured goods form the chief articles of commerce. The town is affluent, and is mentioned by Cæsar, under the name of Noviodunum. Here that general, in 52 B.C., fixed his head-quarters, and here he left his hostages, supplies, baggage, and military chest. After his defeat at Gergovia, the people of Noviodunum rose against the Romans, massacred all of them who were in the town, and plundered the stores. The place was afterwards called Nevinum, whence the modern name is derived. It was formerly the capital of a county, which was raised by Francis I. to the rank of a duchy. It was united to the crown of France by Charles III. of Gonzaga, the last duke, who sold the duchy in 1665 to Cardinal Mazarin. It then formed the province of Nivernais. Pop. (1856) 16,082.