  A novel large volume spherical proportional counter, recently developed, is
used for neutron measurements. Gas mixtures of $N_{2}$ with $C_{2}H_{6}$ and
pure $N_{2}$ are studied for thermal and fast neutron detection, providing a
new way for the neutron spectroscopy. The neutrons are detected via the
${}^{14}N(n, p)C^{14}$ and ${}^{14}N(n, \alpha)B^{11}$ reactions. Here we
provide studies of the optimum gas mixture, the gas pressure and the most
appropriate high voltage supply on the sensor of the detector in order to
achieve the maximum amplification and better resolution. The detector is tested
for thermal and fast neutrons detection with a ${}^{252}Cf$ and a
${}^{241}Am-{}^{9}Be$ neutron source. The atmospheric neutrons are successfully
measured from thermal up to several MeV, well separated from the cosmic ray
background. A comparison of the spherical proportional counter with the current
available neutron counters is also given.
