NEWCOMB NEWELL 285 that year was 5,018,926 ; the exports of the produce of the United Kingdom amounted to 6,803,819. Newcastle derived its ancient name of Pons ^Elii from a bridge over the Tyne attributed to the emperor Hadrian, and its sub- sequent one of Monkchester from its monastic establishments. The holy well of Jesus Mound (now called Jesinond), about a mile from the town, was a favorite resort for pilgrims. Du- ring the reign of Charles I. the city was taken by the Scottish army under Lesley in 1640, and again in 1644. The borough is governed by a mayor, 14 aldermen, and 45 councillors. NEWCOMB, Harvey, an American clergyman, born at Thetford, Vt., in 1803, died in Brook- lyn, N. Y., Aug. 30, 1863. He removed to western New York in 1818, was a teacher for eight years, and from 1826 to 1831 edited sev- eral journals, the last being the " Christian Herald," at Pittsburgh, Pa. For the next ten years he was engaged in writing books for Sabbath schools. He was licensed to preach in 1840, and took charge of a Congregational church at West Roxbury, Mass., and subse- quently was pastor in other places. In 1850-'51 he was assistant editor of the New York " Ob- server," also preaching for some time in Brook- lyn, and in 1859 became pastor of a church in Hancock, Pa. He contributed largely to re- ligious journals, and wrote in all 178 volumes, of which 14 are on church history, but most of them are books for children. They include "Young Lady's Guide," "Manners and Cus- toms of the North American Indians" (2 vols.), and "The Cyclopaedia of Missions" (1855). NEWCOMB, Simon, an American astronomer, born at Wallace, Nova Scotia, March 12, 1835. He came to the United States in his youth, taught school several years in Maryland, and was employed as computer on the " Nautical Almanac" for 1857. He began his original investigations in theoretical astronomy in 1858, and in 1861 was appointed professor of mathe- matics in the navy, and ordered to the naval observatory. He negotiated the contract for the great telescope authorized by congress, su- pervised its construction, and planned the tower and dome in which it is mounted. He was a member and secretary of the commission cre- ated by congress in 1871 to provide for the observation of the transit of Venus, Dec. 9, 1874. The work of organizing parties, select- ing their stations, and planning the system of observation fell chiefly on him. In 1872 he was elected a foreign associate of the royal astro- nomical society of England ; and in 1874 he received that society's gold medal for his tables of Neptune and Uranus, and in the same year was elected a corresponding member of the institute of France. His most important as- tronomical works are : " On the Secular Varia- tions and Mutual Relations of the Orbits of the Asteroids" (I860) ; " Tables of the Planet Neptune;" "Investigation of the Solar Paral- lax" (1867); "On the Action of the Planets on the Moon," communicated to the French academy during a visit to France (1871) ; and " Tables of Uranus" (1873). He has also pub- lished "A Critical Examination of the Finan- cial Policy during the Southern Rebellion" (1865), and has contributed to the "North American Review " and other periodicals arti- cles on political economy, &c. NEWCOME, William, an English archbishop, born at Abingdon, Berkshire, April 10, 1729, died in Dublin, Jan. 11, 1800. He was edu- cated at Oxford, and distinguished himself as a tutor. He became bishop of Dromore in 1766, of Ossory in 1775, of Waterford in 1779, and archbishop of Armagh in 1795. The most important of his works are : " The Harmony of the Gospels " (1778) ; " Observations on our Lord's Conduct as a Divine Instructor" (1782) ; " New Critical Version of the Twelve Minor Prophets and Ezekiel" (l785-'8) ; "An His- torical View of the English Biblical Transla- tions" (1792); and "An Attempt toward Re- vising our English Translation of the Greek Scriptures" (1796). NEWELL, Robert Henry, an American humorist, born in New York, Dec. 13, 1836. He was literary editor of the " New York Mercury " from 1858 to 1862, and was employed by the " World " from 1869 to 1874, when he became editor of the "Hearth and Home" weekly journal. He has published, under the pseu- donyme " Orpheus C. Kerr," a series of letters on the civil war (4 vols. 12mo, 1862-'8) ; " The Palace Beautiful and other Poems " (1865) ; " Avery Glibun," an American romance (1867) ; "The Cloven Foot," an adaptation of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood " to American scenes and characters (1870); a second volume of poems entitled " Versatilities " (1871) ; and "The Walking Doll," a humorous novel of New York life (1872). NEWELL. I. Sanrael, an American missionary, born in Durham, Me., July 24, 1784, died in Bombay, India, March 30, 1821. He graduated at Harvard college in 1807, studied theology at Andover, was ordained at Salem, Feb. 5, 1812, and sailed in company with Judson for Calcutta. On his arrival the Bengal govern- ment ordered him to leave the country, where- upon he sailed for the Isle of France, thence to Ceylon, and finally in 1817 joined the Rev. Gordon Hall at Bombay. He was one of the signers of the paper which led to the formation of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions. In conjunction with Mr. Hall he wrote " The Conversion of the W r orld, or the Claims of Six Hundred Millions " (An- dover, 1818). II. Harriet Atwood, wife of the preceding, one of the first female missionaries from the United States, born in Haverhill, Mass., Oct. 10, 1793, died in the Isle of France, Nov. 30, 1812. She was married to Mr. Newell in February, 1812, and accompanied him to India. Her memoirs by her husband, with her letters, and a funeral sermon by Dr. Leonard Woods, have passed through many editions, and have been translated into several languages.
