Nazzari, Bartolomeo, an Italian painter who devoted himself to sacred and secular art, was born, ac- cording to Tassi, in tlie territory of Clusanc, in the Ber- gamese, in 1699. After studying at Venice under An- gelo Trevisani, he went to IJome, and finished his course under Benedetto Luti and Francesco Trevisani. He settled at Venice, and became an excellent painter of his- tory and portraits. He visited various capitals of dif- ferent (iennaii and Italian states, and gained a great reputation for his portraits of princes and of their court- iers, also for liis heads of youths and old men, drawn from life, very faneifidly dressed and decorated. Among his best historical productions is a Holy Family with St. Anne, at I'ontremoli. He died in 1758. See Spooner, Bioy. Hist, of the Fine A rts, ii, GIO.
Nazzari, Francesco, an Italian ecclesiastical sa- vant, was born about IGSl near Bergamo. He was still young when he was given a philosopher's chair in the College of Sapience at Borne. Following the advice of Micliel-Ange Kicci, afterwards cardinal, he undertook in 1GG8 to establish a literary journal in Italian, for which the .Journal lies Saraus, which ap- peared a short time before in I'aris, served him as a model. His associates, Kicci, J. Lucio, Salvator and Francesco Serra, Tommaso de Giuli, J. Pastrizi, and Ciampini, agreed to furnish him with extracts from works in foreign languages. He took upon himself the analysis of the French books, and the revision of all the articles wliich should be sent to him. He issued this journal, entitled (jiornale de letterati, until the month of March, 1(;75, from the office of Tiiiassi; but forced, in consetiuence of a difference with the latter, to yield his duties to' Ciampini, he formed a new society, and publislied, under the same title, a continuation, which was iirinted at the office of Cerrara until tlie end of 1(579. After having been attached as secretary to Jean Lucio, a Dalmatian savant, he accompanied, in 1686, the geometrician Auzout to France, and it is said was very useful to him in the observation of eclipses and celestial revoliuions. He died at Home Oct. 19, 1714. By his will he left his wealth and his library to the Ciuirch of the Bergamasipies, and founded at Home a college for the scholars iff his jmivince. Besides the journal that he has edited, and which has been reprint- ed at Bologna, with additions, we owe to Nazzari an Italian version of the Exposition <le la doctrine de VEylise catholiqne, by Bossuet (Home, l('i78, 8vo), and an edition of tlie Lettere discorsive de Dioniede Boryhesi (Rome, 17(U, 4lo). See Hoefer, Nonr. Bioy. Generale, s. v.
Nda is the name of a religions secret association among the people of Southern (Juinea, in AVest Africa. It is confined to the adult male popidation, and is thus described by Mr. Wilson, who, from his long residence in the country, acquired an intimate ac<iiiaintaiice with its peculiar customs: " It | i. e. the association ] is head- ed by a spirit of this name, who dwells in the woods, and appears only when summoned by some unusual event — at the death of a person connected with the or-
der, at the birth of twins, or at the inauguration of some one into office. His voice is never heard except at night, and after the people liave retired to rest. He en- ters the village from the wood-side, and is so bundled up in dry plantain leaves that no one would suspect him of belonging to the human species. He is always ac- companied by a train of young men, and the party dance to a [leculiar and somewliat plaintive air on a tlute-like instrument as they parade through the streets. As soon as it is known that he has entered the village, the women and children run away to their rooms to hide themselves. If they should have the misfortune to see Nda, or should be discovered peeping at him through the cracks of the houses, they would be thrashed al- most to death. Perhaps no woman has ever had the temerity to cast eyes upon this mysterious being. Nda frequently stops in front of the dwelling of a man who is known to have rum in his possession, and exacts a bot- tle, in default of which his property would be injured. The leading men of the village show the utmost def- erence to his authority, no doubt for the purpose of making a stronger impression upon the minds of the women and children. If a distinguished person dies, Nda affects great rage, and comes the following night with a large posse of men to seize the property of the villagers without discrimination. He is sure to lay hands on as many sheep and goats as are necessary to make a grand feast, and no man has any right to com- plain. Jlany take the precaution to lock up their sheep and other live stock in their dwelling-houses the night before, and in this waj- alone can they escape the rava- ges of this monster of the woods, who is sure to commit depredations somewhat in proportion to the importance and rank of the man who has died. The institution of Nda, like that of Mwetyi, is intended to keep the wom- en, children, and slaves in subjection. I once heard a man who belonged to the order acknowledge that there was no such spirit; 'but how,' said he, 'shall we gov- ern our women and our slaves if we do away w ith the impression that there is such a being.'"