a city of England, and the capital of the county of Norfolk, stands in 52° 42' N. Lat., and 1° 20' E. Long., 108 miles from London.

Modern archaeologists agree in regarding Norwich as the Venta Icenorum of the Romans, called Castra Gontium by the British, and afterwards North-wic (north town) by the Angles, the tribe which peopled Norfolk and Southfolk. As the capital of the Iceni, it was without doubt an important place long prior to the advent of any of these foreign conquerors, the castle being the royal residence of British kings, and most probably of Boadicea. At a later date it became the metropolis of East Anglia, and we have records of the residence of Uffa, Amble, and other early personages at the castle. The original structure, however, fell a sacrifice to the Danes, who completely overran this district, under Sweyn. It was rebuilt by Canute; and again suffering injury, was so entirely renovated, if not wholly rebuilt, at the time of the Norman Conquest, as to present no vestiges of any other architectural features than were common to all the Norman edifices. The earthworks of the castle-hill, however, bear traces of early British construction; and utensils that have been dug up bear testimony to the presence of the Romans at some period. The military fortification at Caistor, about three miles distant from the castle, which, until recently, was supposed to have been the Roman camp, placed there, as it were, to guard the British settlement at Norwich. In Domesday Book the city or borough is stated as holding 1320 burgesses with their families, 25 parochial churches, and between 800 and 900 acres of land. In the reign of William Rufus, the episcopal see was removed thither from Thetford by Bishop Herbert, who in 1095 laid the first stone of Norwich cathedral. Henry I. granted the city a charter containing the same franchise as the city of London then enjoyed, and the government of the city was then separated from that of the castle, the Norwich, chief officer being styled Provost, or Provost. From the time of Henry I., to Edward III., the liberties of the city were often suspended, but gradually enlarged. A colony of Flemish weavers, who had settled at Worstead in the reign of Henry I., first introduced the woollen manufactures; a second colony settled in Norwich in the reign of Edward III., and the city was made a staple town for the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. These causes, combined with the sumptuary laws of Edward III., greatly promoted its commercial prosperity. Grand tournaments were held, at which various times the kings Henry III., Edward I., and Edward II., and his queen Philippa, were present. Edward the Black Prince was also present at a tournament in 1350. The castle, which had been used as a place of confinement for prisoners under the earl, was, in the fourteenth year of the reign of Edward III., given over entirely to the sheriff of the county, and from that time was used wholly as a county prison. In 1403 the city was separated entirely from the county of Norfolk, under the name of the county and city of Norwich; and the first mayor was elected by the citizens.

In 1429 the doctrines of the Reformation made their appearance in Norwich; and several persons were executed as Wickliffites or Lollards. A large chalk-pit on the outskirts of the city is to this day known as "Lollards' Pit," from having been the scene of these persecutions, which continued at intervals until the reign of Edward VI. Among the list of martyrs is the name of Thomas Bilney, who was burned in 1531. In 1549 the city was the scene of an insurrection resembling that of the Jacquerie in France and the Peasants' War in Germany. The facts of this local rebellion were simple enough. The poor objected to the inclosure of certain common and waste lands in the neighbourhood of Attleborough and Wymondham; fences were thrown down; Robert Kett also, Knight, a tanner, a bold and resolute man, headed the rebels, aided by his brother William, a smith. These numbers increased, and marching towards Norwich they encamped on Mousehold Heath, took possession of the mansion of the Earl of Surrey, and thence proceeded to lay siege to the city. They held courts of justice under a large tree, called the "Oak of Reformation," and having augmented their numbers from the citizens to 16,000, and strongly fortified their camp, they summoned the city to surrender. For months they maintained hostilities, and the country round was pillaged and laid waste, until at length they gained an entrance to the city, and bore off the mayor and several of the corporation prisoners to their camp. A strong force was sent down for the defence of the city, under the Marquis of Northampton. A regular engagement was fought at the base of the hill, on St Martin's Palace plain, in which Lord Sheffield, a nobleman engaged in the strife, was slain. The rebels prevailed, and forced the marquis to retire, and on his retreat, plundered him for fire to the value of £1000. The Earl of Warwick, assisted by his son Robert Dudley, lord of Leicester, was then sent to the relief of the citizens. The city was again stormed by the king's troops, and the rebels forced to retreat, after two days' sharp conflict, during which upwards of 3000 were killed. The insurgents were subdued. About 300 of the ringleaders were executed, and the two Kettts were sent to the Tower of London, and being both convicted of high treason, Robert was executed on the top of Norwich Castle, and William on Wymondham steeple.

common with all Norfolk and Suffolk, took up the cause of the Reformation with a vehemence which causes them to stand alone in the annals of history, and has ever preserved the same spirit of progress and independence amongst the masses, amounting to democratic tendencies and tastes. In Elizabeth's reign the burnings of the Roman Catholics rivalled the flames which had been raised by the Puritans, and the executions for heresies for heresy of doctrine, even among Protestants themselves, were far from being uncommon. In 1578 the queen visited the city in person, and very grand doings celebrated the event. During the Commonwealth the city was put in defence against the royal cause, the castle was fortified for the service of Cromwell, the goods of the bishops and clergy sequestered, the bishop's palace sacked, the cathedral and churches plundered and defaced, and Bishop Hall turned out and driven into retirement. In 1645 the city was divided into presbyteries, and the observance of Christmas-day abolished by command. At the Restoration the city was amongst the earliest to do homage to King Charles. In June 1660 the fees of the city was resigned to him, with a present of £1,000 in gold; in 1663 the charter of the city was renewed and enlarged. In 1671 the king visited the city, and was entertained most hospitably. In 1701 the act of printing, which had been discontinued for many years, was revived, and newspapers began to be printed. Few other events of historical interest have distinguished the city, apart from its progress in manufactures.

It has been already stated that woollen manufactures were commenced in the city by a colony of Dutch weavers in the reign of Edward III. In the reign of Richard II. they declined; discontent reigned throughout the kingdom; and Norwich shared the general lot of devastation and plunder at the hands of armed bands, 80,000 Norwich, in number, under Litester, a dyer. In Elizabeth's reign trade revived, through the invitation given to the Dutch and Walloons, then fleeing from the persecutions of the Duke of Alva. Thirty of these were invited to Norwich, all of them experienced workmen, each to bring with him ten servants, to be maintained at the expense of the Duke of Norfolk. These multiplied, until their numbers exceeded 5000. Soon after the settlement of these strangers new articles of manufacture were introduced, and the admixture of mohair and silk with the wool produced a total change in the quality of the goods. The camlet trade to order for the East India Company were annually from 12,000 to 20,000 pieces, until 1823, when the order was transferred to Yorkshire for cheaper and inferior articles. In 1734 the manufacture of cotton was introduced into the city; but the invention of the spinning-jenny, and the facilities possessed by the north, with its coal and iron, for the development of that great power, proved fatal to the progress of cotton manufactures in Norwich. In 1819 a new silk and worsted fabric, called "Norwich crage," was invented, and became so fashionable, that during the Walpole administration (1821) court mourning was ordered entirely to consist of it. Subsequently the chalis superseded this fabric; it was woven in Norwich, but printed in London. The most flourishing period of Norwich manufactures was during the middle of the last century, when fabrics of almost every kind were made. The camlet trade of late has greatly revived, and large quantities are now made for exportation. Fancy goods are also made to a great extent for the American and Australian markets in great variety. Poplins; palings, crepes, sateens, figured silks; cashmere, muslins, velvets, guizes, crepes, silks, salms, satinettes, lustres, mousselines de lin, etc., etc., are all now produced in abundance by the Norwich weavers. The numbers engaged in woollen manufactures at the last census were 973; in silk and woollen goods, 3896; flax and hemp, 2044; cotton, 178. There are also extensive establishments for dyeing and finishing the goods manufactured. During the past ten years the manufacture of shoes has been very largely carried on. At this time the number of persons employed in the work amounts to 2722 men and 1241 women, besides those wives of shoemakers who frequently earn a good addition to their income by binding. There are 114 curriers, 25 fellsmen, and 30 tanners in the city. Very large manufactures of oil-cake, starch, and mustard have sprung up of late. The premises of one new establishment of the kind covers three acres of ground. Brushes are now being extensively made in the city; and tobacco is manufactured in large quantities for London and other markets.

The city of Norwich is built partly upon a plain on the principal banks of the River Wensum, a tributary of the Yare, navigable for barges, and partly on the gentle acclivity of a hill. The ancient boundary walls, of which few fragments remain, inclosed a space of a mile and a half from N. to S., and a mile and a quarter from E. to W. The modern suburbs have, however, long outgrown these limits. Its chief characteristics are its castle, crowning the summit of a curious sugar-loaf hill, of remote but doubtful origin, in the central part of the city; its noble cathedral; its multitude of churches, nearly all built of flint, some very old, but chiefly of the perpendicular period; its quaint guildhall, a rare specimen of flint studwork; its spacious market-place, and badly-paved, narrow, winding streets, branching off from open spaces or plains of frequent occurrence. The unusually large proportion of ground occupied by gardens has obtained for it from very ancient times the title of "The City in an Orchard." The castle, as before stated, is of Norman architecture, occupying the site of an ancient British fortress. The walls of the keep exist entire, but the exterior has been so completely renovated as to present quite a modern appearance. The interior, however, preserves its genuine features of antiquity. The space around on the summit of the hill has been inclosed, and very commodious arrangements been made for the accommodation of prisoners, the whole building having been appropriated as a county jail since the reign of Henry III. The castle-hill or meadow beyond the ditch which surrounds the sugar-loaf hill, occupies a large area, and is used as a cattle and sheep market. The fairs are also held there.

The cathedral is one of the finest specimens of Norman Public architecture existing in the country. The tower is unbuildings, rivalled for the beauty of its details and proportions. It is Norwich, not well situated, being closely surrounded by buildings and walled-in gardens, among which may be traced vestiges of the old monastic edifice of which the cathedral formed a part. The transepts and west fronts have been restored, but not thereby improved in beauty. The chief entrance on the west is a deep and vaulted portal of pointed architecture, above which is a noble well-proportioned window, recently filled in with stained glass, the design of which is totally out of character with the tracery of the window itself. The nave within is grand and imposing, divided in length by fourteen semicircular arches of great solidity and depth, supported by massive piers, excepting in two instances, where the piers are replaced by cylindrical columns ornamented with spiral mouldings. The triforium is composed of similar arches. The side aisles below are low, and the vaultings plain. The nave and aisles are 72 feet in width, and 204 feet in length. The roof is elaborately decorated with sculptured bosses. Two of the arches of the south aisle of the nave are perpendicular, the vaulting being of the latest florid style, strangely out of harmony with the simplicity of the Norman style which prevails around. This formed the chapel of Bishop Nix, the last Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese, famous for his persecutions of the Protestants in the reign of Mary. The choir, which is 183 feet in length, extends westward considerably beyond the tower, is of unusual length, and imposing in its effect. On each side of the entrance are the stalls of the dean, archdeacon, and prebendaries, all beautifully carved. The transepts have been thrown open to the choir, much increasing the accommodation for sittings, and improving the general effect. The chancel terminates with an apsis, in recesses of which formerly were the stalls of the bishop and clergy. The decorating of both nave and choir is peculiarly beautiful; the lantern of the tower, which rises upon four semicircular arches, supported by four massive piers, is handsome, but disfigured by painted medallions on the ceiling. A curious speculator or oriel, for watching the altar at Easter, remains in the north wall of the chancel. There are only two tombs with statues in the cathedral,—one to Bishop Goldwell, a curious specimen of the style of monumental sculpture in the fifteenth century; another, modern, to the memory of Bishop Bathurst, by Chantrey. Mural monuments are plentiful. Sir William Boleyn, great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth, is buried on the south side of the choir; the founder, Bishop Herbert de Losinga, lies in the centre of the chancel. The cloisters are situated on the south of the nave, and form one of the largest quadrangles in England, being 174 feet in length on each side. They are in excellent preservation, and elaborately-sculptured bosses ornament the vaulted roofs. At the south-west corner are two lavatories. The cloisters were 153 years in progress of building. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Several chapels still remain about it; only one, however, is fitted up for use—St Luke's, which is used as the parish church. The bishop's palace is a low rambling structure of mixed dates, the most ancient portion being the cellars, which are groined and vaulted. Some ruins exist of an ancient refectory, now overgrown with ivy. The whole place was thoroughly desecrated and spoiled at the period of the Commonwealth. Two of the gates of the Close are fine specimens of the architecture of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

The next public building of importance is St Andrew's Hall, a fine old ecclesiastical structure, originally the nave of the church of the Black Friars' monastery. At the Reformation and suppression of the religious houses, the corporation of the city negotiated the transfer of this handsome edifice to its possession for the sum of £80. Since that time its nave has served the purposes of a spacious town-hall, and is used for every variety of civil and political meeting, most especially for the triennial musical festivals for which Norwich is so justly celebrated. The chancel Norwic has always been preserved for religious worship, having been leased by the corporation to the Dutch congregation, who in their turn grant permission for its use to the chaplain and poor of the workhouse, which stands on the site of other parts of the monastery, the cloisters being converted into kitchens, &c. The hall is of perpendicular architecture, and was built by the famous Sir Thomas Erpingham. The roof is open timber, and supported by two rows of slender and graceful pillars, which divide the nave and aisles. It is now adorned with portraits of civic dignitaries and other paintings, among which are two historical pieces by Martin, a native of the city, and a fine full-length portrait of Lord Nelson.

The guildhall, an ancient and curious specimen of flintwork, stands in the north-west corner of the market-place. The assizes for the city are held there, as well as all meetings of the magistrates and council. The council-chamber is a handsome room, fitted up with furniture of the period of Henry VIII., and is an interesting specimen of a court of justice of that period. A glass case incloses a naval trophy in honour of Lord Nelson, being the sword of the Spanish admiral, Xavier Winthuysen, presented by his lordship to the corporation. The original letter accompanying the sword is inclosed in the case.

The market-place is an oblong of very irregular outline. Many gable-ended roofs lingering above the modern shop-fronts, and quaint projecting storeys, give a picturesque and somewhat foreign character to the scene. The market is abundantly supplied with provisions of every kind. Poultry and sausages, the staple product of Norfolk and Norwich, of course abound; and in summer the display of plants and flowers forms a very pretty addition to the view.

Norwich has two large public libraries, in addition to the new free library opened in 1857, which already numbers some thousand volumes, and is much frequented by the class for whom it was designed. A good museum, containing one of the finest collections of birds in the kingdom out of London, occupies the only remaining portion of the ancient palace of the dukes of Norfolk in the city. The museum contains the valuable herbarium of Sir J. E. Smith, the distinguished botanist. It has a spacious corn exchange, where a very extensive business is carried on; and assembly-rooms for miscellaneous purposes. The gaol is a modern structure on the confines of the city. The churches, thirty-six in number, besides the French and Dutch church, are not generally worthy of note, save to the antiquarian. St Peter's Mancroft, the largest, is a handsome structure, measuring 180 feet in length, and 60 in height, with north and south aisles. It has lately been completely restored, and fitted up with open seats. The roof is fine open timber-work, and the organ one of those originally built by Harris. The church contains many curious tombs and monuments. The famous Sir Thomas Browne was buried beneath the chancel of this church. The peal of twelve bells in the tower is said to be unrivalled. The tenor bell weighs 41 cwt. St Andrew's, St Stephen's, and St Michael's Coslany churches are the next in importance. Besides the numerous churches, Norwich has two Roman Catholic chapels, a Jews' synagogue, and between twenty and thirty dissenting places of worship. The city is well supplied with charitable institutions. It has four endowed hospitals for the poor, each possessing very large funds. St Giles, the most important, has an income of nearly £8,000 per annum; while as much as £10,000 per annum is dispensed in the city through the medium of other charitable institutions. The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital may be classed among the most important of these; it was established in 1772, and contains 105 beds. The number of patients that have been admitted since the opening is 47,072. Norwich in-patients, and 37,531 out-patients. From December 1855 to December 1856 the number was—in, 781; out, 721. A public dispensary, eye infirmary, infirmary for sick children (established by Jenny Lind), a Bethel blind asylum, orphanages' homes, and many other charitable institutions exist, and several very rich benevolent societies.

The corporate body consists of 16 aldermen and 48 councillors. The mayor and sheriff are chosen annually from their number. The city has sent two members to Parliament since Edward I. Pop. (1851) 68,195. (s.s.m.)

town of the United States of North America, state of Connecticut, at the confluence of the rivers Yantic and Shetucket, which join to form the Thames, 13 miles N. of New London, and 40 E.S.E. of Hartford. It is built on the slope of a hill, and has a fine appearance from the river, the streets running in terraces one behind the other. There are here county buildings, a town-hall, eight or nine churches, several schools, and six banks. The water of the rivers supplies moving power to several manufactories, which produce woollen and cotton stuffs, paper, ropes, leather, pottery, &c. The River Thames is navigable up to this place; and Norwich also communicates with the sea by means of a railway on each side of the river. There is daily steam communication between New York and a point 7 miles below Norwich. Pop. (1850) 10,265; (1853) about 11,500.

Norwood, a town of England, in the county of Surrey, 6 miles S. of London. It contains two district churches, one of Grecian and the other of Gothic architecture; Wesleyan, Independent, and Baptist places of worship; several schools; almshouses; and a Roman Catholic convent. Among the places of interest are the noble public cemetery, and a pleasure ground called Beulah Spa, which contains a mineral spring. Pop. 3977.

Norwood, Richard. See Dissertation IV., § 4.

Nossi-Be, or Nos-Be, an island in the Indian Ocean, in front of the Bay of Passandava, on the N.W. coast of Madagascar; S. Lat. 13° 20', E. Long. 48° 20'. It is irregular in outline and surface, and evidently of volcanic formation. The highest summit, which is near the southern extremity, is about 1700 feet above the sea, and is covered with fine timber to the top. The area of the island is about 580 square miles. The land near the sea is well cultivated, and produces rice, maize, potatoes, &c., more than enough for the inhabitants. At several places on the coast excellent anchorage may be obtained. Nossi-Be belongs to the French, being a dependency of the Island of Bourbon. Pop. (1851) 15,178.

Nostradamus, Michel de, or Notre-Dame, a celebrated physician and astrologer, was descended of a noble Provençal family, and born on the 14th of December 1503, at St Rémy, in the diocese of Avignon. He studied humanity and philosophy at the college of Avignon, and physic at Montpellier. On the outbreak of the plague in 1525 he set out towards Toulouse, and passed on till he reached Bordeaux. After spending five years on the journey, treating all the patients that came in his way, he returned to Montpellier, and was created doctor of his faculty in 1529. At Agen he contracted an acquaintance with Julius Caesar Scaliger, which induced him to make some stay in that town. On his return to Provence, he established himself first at Marseilles, and afterwards at Salon, where he became a recluse, and employed his leisure in study. In 1546 he rendered essential service by his medical skill to the inhabitants of Aix, then suffering from a severe visitation of the plague. He had for a long time occasionally followed the trade of a conjurer, and now he began to think himself inspired, nay, miraculously illuminated with a prospect into futurity. As often as he fancied these illuminations discovered to him any future event, he entered it in writing, in enigmatical prose sentences; but revising them afterwards, he thought the sentences would appear more respectable, and would savour more of a prophetic spirit, if they were expressed in verse. This opinion determined him to throw them all into quatrains, and he afterwards ranged them into Centuries. When this was done, he hesitated about making them public, till reflecting that the time of many events which he had foretold was very near at hand, he determined to print them. This he did with a dedication addressed to his son Caesar, an infant only some months old, in the form of a letter or preface, dated the 1st of March 1555. This edition, which includes seven Centuries, was printed by Rigault at Lyons.

Henri II., and his mother Catherine of Medicis, having resolved to see the prophet, he received orders to repair to Paris. He was very graciously received at court; and he returned to Salon loaded with honours and presents. Animated with his success, he augmented his work from three hundred quatrains to a complete milliad, and published it in 1558, with a dedication to the king. That prince having died the next year of a wound which he received at a tournament, the book of the prophet was immediately consulted; and in the 35th quatrain of the first century this unfortunate event was, strange to say, found predicted.

So remarkable a prophecy added greatly to his fame, and he was shortly afterwards honoured with a visit from Emanuel, Duke of Savoy, and the Princess Margaret of France, his consort. From this time Nostradamus found himself overburdened with visitors, and his fame daily increased. Charles IX. presented him with a purse of two hundred crowns, together with a brevet, constituting him his physician in ordinary. But the prophet enjoyed these honours only for the space of sixteen months, having died at Salon on the 2d of July 1566. Besides his Centuries, we have the following compositions of Nostradamus:—A treatise de Fardements et de Senteurs, 1552; a Book of singular Receipts, pour Entretenir la Santé du Corps, 1556; a piece des Confitures, 1557; and a French translation of the Latin of Galen's Paraphrase, 1552. In addition to various Prophecies, some of which were translated into English during his own time, he published the Almanac of Nostradamus in 1559. The eleventh and twelfth Centuries of his quatrains were published after his death. It is to these productions that the following pungent distich was applied by Jodelle—

Nosra damus cum falsa damus, nara fallere nostrum est, Et cum falsa damus, nil nisi Nostra damus.