the rank of departments under the immediate control of the central authority. Nunez was re-elected president for a term of six years, to begin in Sep- tember, 1886. During 1887 his stringent measures against the press, and his banishment of many of the opposition leaders, caused much discontent. On 12 Dec. he left Bogota for Cartagena, and the vice-president, Eliseo Payan, assumed the executive. Nuñez was a brilliant writer and kept abreast of the most advanced philosophical movements of the century. His favorite authors were John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer. As a poet he has enriched Spanish literature with many compositions, of which the most famous are "Que sais-je," " Dulee Igiioraneia," "Todavia," and "Moises." His works include " Ensayos de Critica Social" (Rouen, 1876); and "La Reforma Politica en Colombia " (Bogota, 1885). A collection of his political articles that appeared in 1881-'4 has been issued in book-form, and a collection of his poems was published by Rafael M. Merchan, under the title of "Versos de Rafael Nunez" (Bogota, 1885).
NUNEZ DE MIRANDA, Antonio, Mexican clergyman, b. in Fresnillo, Mexico, 4 Nov., 1618: d in "the city of Mexico, 17 Feb., 1695. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1637, taught successively humanities, philosophy, and theology in Valladolid, Puebla, Guatemala, and Mexico, and was provincial of his order in New Spain. He became blind toward the end of his life, but continued to preach and visit the hospitals and prisons. He wrote twenty-nine religious works (Mexico, 1664-1708), a list of which is given in Backer's "Bibliotheque
des ecrivains de la compagnie de Jesus" (Liege, 1858). A large number of manuscripts by the same author are in the Universitv of Mexico.
NUNEZ-PEDROSO, Francisco, Spanish ad-
venturer, b. in Spain about 1500 ; d. probably in
New Grenada. He followed Gonzalo Jimenez de
Quesada to South America in 1536, soon afterward
reached the grade of captain in that leader's band,
and took part in all the engagements with the
Indians of New Grenada. In 1550 he obtained
leave to found a city on the left bank of the Mag-
dalena on land that was then inhabited by Guali
Indians. He was granted a favorable site by the
cacique Marqueta, and built in the same year a
town which he dedicated to St. Sebastian on 28
Aug. In 1556 the city was removed to the neigh-
borhood of Guali river, and called Mariquita, a
corruption, according to some, of the name of the
cacique, but, according to others, the name of a
fem,il(>_ln(lian slave of Quesada.
NUÑEZ-VELA, Blasco, first viceroy of Peru,b. in Castile in the latter part of the 15th century; d. in Añaquito, Peru, 18 Jan., 1546. He had been
governor of Malaga and Cuenca, and as one of his brothers was gentleman of the bed-chamber of the Emperor Charles V., and another was archbishop
of Burgos, he enjoyed high favor at court, and
was appointed in 1539 commissioner to Nombre de
Dios, to transport treasure from Peru to Spain.
Meanwhile the repeated representations of Bishop
de las Casas (q. v.) in favor of the Indians had
confirmed the emperor in his resolution to abolish the
servitude of the natives, notwithstanding the
opposition of the council of the Indies and numerous
clergymen and jurists. To execute this decree in
Peru, he resolved to establish there an audience
and a viceroyalty as in Mexico, but unfortunately
he chose for this purpose Nuñez-Vela, who,
although just and rigorous in the fulfilment of his
duty, was impetuous and arbitrary. He was
appointed in April, 1543, viceroy and president of
the audiencia, and arrived in Nombre de Dios, 10
Jan., 1544, and in Tumbez on 4 March. In
consequence of the measures that he took during his
voyage for the protection of the Indians and the
establishment of the new form of government, he
was received with great animosity by the people
and clergy. He arrived in Lima on 15 May, where
the news of his arbitrary measures had already
arrived, and in consequence he met with passive
but determined resistance from the authorities.
Numerous petitions for the suspension of the new
ordinance poured in from all sides, but Nuñez
continued to abuse his power, and finally, after he had
imprisoned Vaca de Castro, his predecessor, and
assassinated Guillen Suarez de Carvajal with his own
hand, 13 Sept., 1544, he was arrested by order of
the judges of the audiencia. He was taken to the
island of San Lorenzo on 20 Sept., and afterward
to Huacho, to be transported to Spain, but was
liberated by Judge Alvarez. Meanwhile Gonzalo
Pizarro had revolted against the royal authority,
usurping the government of Peru, and, owing to the
feeling against the viceroy, gained many adherents.
Pizarro marched upon Lima, and, seeing that the
popular opinion was in his favor, the bishops of
Peru, at a meeting on 21 Oct., 1544, signed an
agreement, delivering the government to Pizarro,
on condition that he should surrender it when he
should be ordered by the king, and on 24 Oct. he
made his entry into Lima. Nuñez-Vela, who had
gathered a small force at Tumbez, marched to
Quito, where he organized an army, and, on 4
March, 1545, began his march upon Piura. The
campaign that was thus begun ended in the battle
of Añaquito, 18 Jan., 1546. Nuñez-Vela was
defeated, and when he had been stunned by a blow
from a battle-ax was recognized by Benito Suarez
de Carvajal, brother of the man that he had
murdered. Carvajal ordered one of his slaves to
decapitate Nuñez and dragged his head with a rope
to the pillory in the square of Quito.
NURSE, Rebecca, reputed witch, b. in
Yarmouth, England, in February, 1621; d. in Salem,
Mass., 19 July, 1692. Her maiden name was Towne,
and she became the wife of Francis Nurse, who
settled in Salem village, and in 1678 purchased the
valuable Bishop farm. Although Rebecca stood in
the highest esteem for goodness of heart and piety
and was one of the most respectable women in the
town, yet the “afflicted children,” as they were
called, after accusing two or three persons of lower
station, pointed out this aged matron, who was
now an invalid, as one of their tormentors. She
was arrested on 24 March, 1692, for practising
“certain detestable arts called witchcraft.” She
was confronted before the examining magistrates
with the children, who went into spasms on seeing
her. Several grown women also accused her, not
only of tormenting them, but of having killed
people by witchcraft. She was tried on 29 June,
and, notwithstanding the weighty testimony of
many persons, the clamors of the townspeople, and
the bias of the court against her, the jury delivered
a verdict of “Not guilty.” The judges expressed
dissatisfaction, and directed attention to the fact
that the accused had at the trial spoken of a
witness against her who had confessed to being a
witch as “one of our company.” Her meaning, as
she subsequently explained, was that they had been
confined together in jail on the same charge. The
jury went out again and brought in a verdict of
guilty. She was excommunicated by the church
after her conviction, and hanged with four other
convicted witches on the appointed day, a
committee of citizens having dissuaded the governor
from granting a reprieve in her case, as he intended.
