NOYON, a t. of France in the department of Oise, 78 m. mme. of Paris by the North ern railway. It haS a tine cathedral of the 12th and 13th centuries, in the Romanesque style of architecture; an episcopal palace, and some linen and cotton manufactures; Pop. '76, 5,785. Noyon was a residence of Charlemagne, and the place where Hugo Capet was crowned king of France in 987. It is also/noted as the birthplace of John Calvin.
MIA, the modern appellation of a country subject to the khedive of Egypt, extend ing from Philae to the Sennaar, lat. 18° s., bounded on the e. by the Arabian gulf, n. by Egypt, s. by Abyssinia, and on the w. by time desert. It appears to have been anciently known as Ethiopia. The ancients gave the name of Ethiopia to the w. bank of the IN ile from Meroe to the bend of the river. The name seems to have been derived from the Egyptian and Coptic noub, or gold, a name still retained in Wady .15'ouba, which extends from the frontier of Dongola, n. of the Wady Seboua, above Derri. The tract between Seboua and Assonan is called the Wady Kenous. Diocletian removed hither a Libyan tribe, called Nobatm, to the district above Syene, to oppose the Blem myes, who inhabited the western desert, now held by the Ababde and Bisharein Arabs. The dominion of the Pharaohs, when most extended. reached to the isle of Argo, the last place where the monuments of the Egyptians have been found. Under these monarchs it was called Cush, and was governed by a royal scribe, entitled prince of Cush or Ethiopia, till the twentieth dynasty, when it appears to have been recov ered by a series of native rulers, who ultimately conquered Egypt; and although driven back, finally extended their rule from Meroe to Syene, the most southern city held by the Egyptian monarchs, the Ptolemies, and the Romans. These Ethiopians adopted the civ ililation of the Egyptians, and the names of some of their monarchs have been preserved. The subsequent fortunes of this country will be seen under ETHIOPIA. The modern inhabitants consist principally of Arabs, who invaded the country after the rise of Mohammed, the principal tribes being the Djowabere and El Gitarbye, who inhabit from Assonan to the Wady Haifa; the Kenons, Djaafere, and others, a branch of time Koreish, who occupied the laud from Esne to Assouan. By the aid of Bosnian soldiers the Djowabere were driven into Dongola in the reign of Selim: and their descendants still flourish at Ibrim, Assonan and Sai. Lower down inhabit a race called the Berbers or Barabras: s. of Cossier are the Ababde. From Dongola and Sennaar, a negro state, the people are called Noubas, a hardy race, differing from the pure blacks; but the country throughout is inhabited by mixed races of Arabian and Nigrilic blood. Another tribe, the Sheygya, e. of Dongola—a fine black race, addicted to horsemanship and war —are still more interesting. The Ababde Arabs are renowned as guides and camel drivers; the Bishareiu.are.sppposed hy_sonic. 10, be the ancient a tribe living on flesh and milk, lait without the cirietital jealonSY of the Arabs; th6:Takas, supposed to be the ancient Bojahs, dwell in the mountains. Three principal languages are spoken by these various tribes—the Nuba by the Berbers, who entered from the s.w.; the Kungara, a Nigritic dialect, by the negroes of Dafur; and the Bisliarie, said to exhibit Aryan affinities. The inhabitants, estimated at about 1,000,000, although less in stature
than the Egyptians, are a fine muscular race; the women are pleaSing, but not beautiful; and the climate is remarkably healthy. In their political government they were gov erned by their own chiefs, maks or malechs, till they were subdued by Ismael Pasha, in 1820, to the sway of Egypt, and the civil government is now administered by the Turks. The country is arid, in many places only cultivable at the sides of the Nile, and consists of granite and sandstone. The soil raises durra, cotton, and date palms. ' It is traversed by the Baltr-el-Azrek, or Blue Nile, and the Bahr-el-Aldad, or White Nile. The products are numerous, comprising maize, dates, tamarinds, gums, aloes, civet, musk, wax, myrrh, frankincense, seuna, black wool, hides both of the elephant and rhinoceros, and their ivory; ostrich feathers, ebony, gold dust, saltpeter, salt, tobacco, coffee, cotton—which are carried by way of commerce to Egypt. The taxes arc rated by the number of water wheels for the irrigation of the land. There being no native currency, the coins of Egypt and Europe, especially the Spanish dollar, are received, but glass beads, coral, cloth, lobs or shirts, and cloth (samoor) also pass as money. In Kordofan value is reck oned by cows. The most primitive modes of measurement are in use, maize being sold by the handful (selga), 18 of which go to a moud; and cloth being measured from the elbow to the fingers. Polygamy is general. and a wife at Kenous is purchased of her parents for 30 piastres; amongst the Arabs for 6 camels, 3 of Is hich are returned to the bridegroom. Some of the tribes are jealous of their women, who are celebrated by trav elers on account of their virtue. In their costume they use turbans, linen, and woolen garments, and are armed with lance and shield, the latter made of the hide of the hippo potamus. No looms exist, but they plait neatly. Their chief musical instrument is a guitar of five strings with of a gazelle's hide. They are generally averse to commerce, eat little animal food, and are Mohammedans. Their houses are low huts of mud or stone. The chief attraction of this country to travelers is the numerous temples and other ancient remains of the Egyptians, extending from Philae to the island of Argo. These consist of the temple of Isis, in the isle of Pliilae, founded by Nec tanebo, I., and continued by the Ptolemies; the temple of Deboud, built in honor of Amen Ra, by Ataramen, and continued by the Romans: Tafa or Taphis, the modern Kalabshe, built by RaineSes II.; the rock temple of Belt e recording the con quests of the same monarch; Wady Haifa, built by Osertesen I.; the rock temple of Ib iambonl, built by Rameses II. ; Gebel Addeli. built by Horns of the eighteenth dynasty; lbrim, built by Amenoplies II.; Amada, founded by Thothmes III. ; Ghershell, &bout], and Detail, built by Rameses II.; Dakkeh, the ancient Pselcis, built by Ergamenes; and the colossus of the isle of Argo ; ithe pyramids of Mero8 and Tanquassi.—Burckhardt, Travels; Champollion le Jenne, Lettres Eerites, p. 107, and foil.; Lepsius, 1?eise, p. 107, and foil.