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NASHVILLE 379 NASTURTIUM Exposition was held near West End Park, and some of the handsome buildings were left standing. About 12 miles E. of Nashville is The Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson, which" contains the log cabin in which he was born, and near by it his tomb. Pop. (1900) 80,- 865; (1910) 110,364; (1920) 118,342. NASHVILLE, BATTLE OF, a des- perate battle fought near Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 15-16, 1864. In November of that year, Atlanta having been taken, the Confederate General Hood invaded Tennessee. On Nov. 30, he advanced against Nashville, where he shut up a National force under General Thomas for two weeks. The latter then sallied out and in a terrible conflict of two days defeated the Confederates. The Union loss was 400 killed and 1,740 wounded: the total Confederate loss was estimated at 15,000. NASIK, a town of Bombay, British India, on the Godavari, 31 miles from its source, and 100 miles N. E. of Bom- bay. It ranks as one of the most sacred of Hindu places of pilgrimage, the banks and even the bed of the river being crowded with temples and shrines. For- merly it was a Mahratta capital; now it manufactures paper, cotton, and excel- lent brass and copper work. Fop. about 35,000. NASMYTH, JAMES, a British en- gineer and astronomer* son of A. Na- smyth; born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Aug. 19, 1808. He was educated at the School of Arts, Edinburgh, and in engi- neering under Maudsley in London. He removed in 1834 to Manchester, England, where he became a successful machine constructor and inventor. The^ steam hammer, which has rendered possible the immense forgings now employed, was in- vented by him in 1839. The steam pile driver, and the safety foundry ladle, are among his other inventions. He also acquired fame as a practical astronomer. He died in London, England, May 7, 1890. NASR-ED-DIN (Shah of Persia), born in Teheran in 1831; died in 1896. Though not the eldest son of his father, Mohammed Mirza, the influence of his mother caused him to be proclaimed heir. Came to the throne in 1848. His right of accession was strongly disputed by El Beb, a leader of the people, but the new Shah succeeded in holding his throne. At an early age he showed him- self keenly alive to the deficiencies of his people and made a deep study of western European methods f govern- ment, finance, and military organization. In 1856 he precipitated a war with Great Britain by his occupation of Herat, hos- tilities lasting a year. Later he made a number of visits to western Europe and established friendly relations, especially with London. His reign marked a long step in advance toward civilization by his people, especially in the field of ap- plied science. He was finally assassi- nated by political opponents. NASSAU (nas'sou), formerly a Ger- man duchy, now a district of the Prus- sian province of Hesse- NASSAU (q.v.). The soil is fertile and produces some of the most esteemed Rhenish wines. The chief towns are Wiesbaden (q. v.), the capital of the district; Schwalbach, Schlangenbad, Fachingen, Selters, and Geilnau. The family of Nassau, the elder branch of which reigned till 1866, dates from the 10th century. The younger branch inherited in 1544 the principality of Orange (q.v.), and as the princes of Orange took an important place in Eu- ropean history (see Holland), The reigning Duke of Nassau sided against Prussia in 1866, and his duchy was in- corporated with Prussia (see Prussia: Germany) ; and on the extraction of the male line of the Orange branch by the death of William III. of Holland, in 1890, the Duke of Nassau became Grand- Duke of Luxemburg. NASSAU, FORT, an old fort on the Islands and the center of the trade and seat of government of the Bahama Islands (g. v.), and a bishop's see. Pop. about 12,000. NASSAU, FORT, an old fort on the Delaware river, near the site of the present city of Gloucester, N. J., memo- rable as the first settlement on the shores of the Delaware, and built by Capt. Ja- cobus May, in 1631. NAST, THOMAS, an American artist; bom in Landau, Bavaria, Sept. 27, 1840; was educated in the public schools of the United States. He began early to draw and contributed illustrations to various papers, notably "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper." and "Harper's Weekly." He also illustrated a large number of books, and lectured through- out the country, introducing the system of drawing on a blackboard the various characters or subjects under considera- tion. He is best known for his political cartoons, which were of great influence in the various political campaigns, and were exceptionally effective in exposing the "Tweed ring," He died in 1902. NASTURTIUM, the botanical name of the watercress; also the popular desig-