NOLLET (Jona ANTHONY), in biogra phy, a French ecclesiastic and celebrat ed natural philosopher in the eighteenth century, was born at Pimpre, in the dio cese of Noyon, in the year 1700. His parents, who were persons of reputable character, though of bumble fortunes, as they could not make him wealthy, deter mined to bestow on him the advantages of a good education. With this view they sent him to the college of Clermont in the Beauvoisin, and afterwards to Beau vais, where he laid a good foundation of grammar learning, which encouraged them to send him to Paris, in order to go through a course of philosophy at that university. It was their wish that he should embrace the ecclesiastical profes sion, and young Nollet adopted without repugnance the choice which they made for him. From a very early age he had shewn a taste for the study of natural philosophy, which had not yet become his ,ruling passion ; he was, therefore, enabled to check himself in a pursuit which was likely to interfere with the studies more appropriate to his destined diameter, and gave himself up entirely to the study of scholastic theology. Hay big completed his academical course, and passed with reputation through the usual examinations, in 1728 he was admit ted to deacon's orders, and soon became a licensed preacher. This new occupa tion, however, did not wholly divert his attention from the subjects of his early inquiries, and they insensibly claimed more and more of his time. At length his inclination for the sciences became ir resistible, and he gave himself up to the study of natural philosophy, with an ar dour to which the kind of privation in which he had so long lived gave augment ed force. It was now his good fortune to become known to M. du Fay and M. Reaumur, and under their instructions his talents were rapidly developed. By the former he was received as an associate in his electrical researches ; and the lat ter resigned to him his laboratory. He was also received into a Society of Arts, established at Paris under the protection of the Count de Clermont. In the year 1734, he accompanied M. M. du Pay, du Hamel, and de Jussieu,`on a visit to Eng land, where he had the honour of being admitted a foreign member of the Royal Society, and be profited so well of this visit, as to institute a friendly and literary correspondence with some of the most celebrated men in this country. Two years afterwards he made a tour to Hol land, where he formed an intimate con nection with s'Gravesande and Musschcn broek. Upon his return to Paris, he res sumed a course of experimental philoso phy, which he commenced in 1735, and which he continued to the year 1760. These courses of experimental physics gave rise to tine adoption of similar plans in other branches of science, such as che mistry, anatomy, natural history, &c.
In the year 1738, the Count de Maure pas prevailed upon Cardinal Fleury to es tablish a public professorship of experi mental philosophy at Paris, and the Abbe Nollet was the first person who received that appointment. During the follow ing year, the Royal Academy of Sciences appointed him adjunct mechanician to that body ; and in 1742 he was admitted an associate. In the year 1739, the King of Sardinia being desirous of establishing a professorship of physics at Turin, gave an invitation to the Abbe Nollet to per form a course of experimental philoso phy before the royal family, with which he complied. From Turin he took a tour to Italy, where he collected some good observations concerning the natural history of the country. In the year 1744, he had the honour of being called to Ver sailles, to give lessons in natural philoso phy to the Dauphin, at which the King and royal family were frequently present. By the excellence and amiableness of his personal character, as well as by his sci entific talents, he recommended himself to the confidence of his illustrious pupil, who continued as long as he lived to ex press the greatest esteem for our philoso pher. It is to be lamented that his libe rality did not prompt him to better the mediocrity of his tutor's fortune. In the year 1749, the Abbe Nollet took a second journey into Italy, whence wonderful ac counts had been circulated throughout Europe, of the communication of medi cinal virtues by electricity, which seem ed to be supported by numerous well attested facts. To examine into these
facts, and to be assured of their truth or fallacy, was one grand motive with our author in passing the Alps at this time, and in visiting the gentlemen who had published any accounts of those experi ments. But though he engaged them to repeat their experiments in his presence, and upon himself, and though ho made, it his business to get all the information which he could concerning them, he was soon convinced that the pretended facts were deceptions or exaggerations, and that no method had been discovered, by means of which the power of medicine could by electricity be made to insinuate itself into the human body. But these wonders were not the only objects which engaged our Abbe's attention in this visit to Italy ; for his inquiries were extended to all the branches of natural philosophy, the arts, agriculture, &c. On his return to France, through Turin, the King of Sardinia made him an offer of the order of St. Maurice, which he thought it his duty to decline, not having the permis sion of his own sovereign for accepting it. In the year 1753, the King establish ed a professorship of experimental philo sophy at the Royal College of Navarre, and nominated the Abbe Nollet to fill that post. In the year 1757, the King bestow ed on him the brevet of master of natural philosophy and natural history to the younger branches of the royal family of France ; and in the same year appointed him professor of natural philosophy to the schools of artillery and engineers. Soon after this last preferment, he was received a pensionary of the Royal Aca demy of Sciences. This celebrated and laborious natural philosopher died in 1770, in the seventieth year of his age, regretted by the enlightened public, as well as the numerous friends whose at tachment he had secured by the amiable ness of his manners and the goodness of his heart ; and more especially regretted by his poor relations, to whose relief and comfort he always paid the most affec tionate attention. Besides the Royal So ciety of London, and the Royal Acade my of Sciences at Paris, he was a mem ber of the Institute of Bologna, the Aca demy of Sciences at Erfurt, and other philosophical societies and academies.
In addition to a multitude of papers in serted in the different volumes of the " Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences," from the year 1740 to the year 1767, both inclusive, the Abbe Nollet was the author of " Lessons on Experimental Philoso phy," in six volumes, 12mo. " A Collec tion of Letters on Electricity," 1753, in three volumes, 12mo. " Enquiries into the particular Causes of Electric Pheno mena," 12mo. and " The Art of making Philosophical Experiments," in three vo lumes, 12mo. From the articles just enu merated, as well as an anecdote already related in his life, it appears that Abbe Nollet paid particular attention to the study of electricity ; and it must be ac knowledged, notwithstanding the mis takes which he fell into upon the subject, that his indefatigable industry and curi ous experiments contributed materially to the improvement of that science. The theory of Affluences and Effluence of this philosopher, which gained considerable attention in his time, may be seen in Priestley's Electricity.
N0-snaW?slund, a space in midships, be tween the after-part of the belfry and the fore-part of a boat, when she is stowed upon the booms, as in a deep waisted vessel. These booms are laid upon the forecastle nearly to the quarterdeck, where their after-ends are usually sustain. ed by a frame, called the gallows, which consists of two strong posts, about six feet high, with a cross piece reaching from one to the other athwart ships, and serv ing to support the ends of those booms, masts, and yards, which lie in reserve to supply the place of others carried away, &c. The above-named space is used to contain any blocks, ropes, tackles, &c, which may be necessary on the forecas tle, and probably derives the name of no man's-land from its situation, as being neither on the starboard nor larboard side of the ship, nor on the waist nor ffirecas tle ; but being situated in the middle, par takes equally of all those places.