RIEDESEL, Frederica Charlotte Louisa, baroness, the daughter of the Prussian minister of state Massow, was born at Brandenburg in 1746. At the age of sixteen, she was married to lieutenant-colonel Riedesel, who commanded the Brunswick troops employed in the English service in America in 1777. Madame Riedesel, who accompanied her husband, wrote an interesting account of her adventures, published by her son-in-law, the count de Reuss, under the title of Voyage to America, or Letters of Madame von Riedesel (translated into English, New York, 1827). She returned to Europe in 1783; and having lost her husband (who had been made a general) in 1800, she fixed her residence at Berlin, where she died in 1808.

RIEGO Y NUÑEZ, Rafael del, a Spanish patriot, born of a noble family, in the province of Asturias, in 1785. After having been liberally educated, he entered the army, and served during the invasion of Spain by Bonaparte. He was taken prisoner; and, on his liberation, the constitutional general Abisbal gave him a staff appointment; and when that chief betrayed the cause of independence, Riego retired from the service in disgust, and for a time led a private life. In the beginning of 1820, at the head of a battalion, he proclaimed the Spanish constitution, and, traversing a large extent of country, shut himself up in a fortress, with the small number of troops who had the patriotism and courage to follow his example. Being threatened by a powerful army, and aware of the danger of delay, he sallied forth from the isle of Leon with a few hundred brave men, made his way through the forces that opposed his passage, visited several large towns, intimidated the authorities, fought obstinately, lost the greater part of his troops, and retired to the mountains with the determination to defend himself to the last extremity, rather than submit to the mercy of his enemies. But the spirit of freedom which he had excited was not extinguished; the provinces ranged themselves under the banners of independence, and Riego received the homage of national gratitude. His popularity excited the jealousy of those in power, and he was calumniated as a promoter of anarchy and disorder: his army was dissolved, and he was proscribed. But he preserved the confidence of the people, and was appointed a deputy to the cortes 4

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of 1822, of which assembly he became the president, and in this arduous station displayed prudence and firmness, with a conciliatory disposition that did him honor. When king Ferdinand refused to maintain the constitution which he had sworn to observe, Riego again appeared in arms to assert the liberty of his country; but it was destined to fall before foreign foes. He was taken prisoner after the surrender of Cadiz to the French, under the duke d'Angouleme, and, being conveyed to Madrid, was executed as a traitor, Nov. 7, 1823. His widow, who sought refuge in England, died at Chelsea, June 19, 1824.-See the Memoirs of the Life of Riego, by the canon Riego (London, 1824), and Mathew's Narrative, &c.

RIENZI, Nicholas Gabrini de; a native of Rome, who, in the fourteenth century, became celebrated by his attempts to restore the Roman republic. Although the son of one of the lowest order of tavern keepers, he received a literary education, and early distinguished himself by his talents, parts, and elevated sentiments. The glory of ancient Rome excited his enthusiasm, and he came to be regarded by the common people as an extraordinary person, destined to rescue them from the tyranny of the aristocracy, which, on the removal of the popes to Avignon, had become in the highest degree insolent and oppressive. He obtained the post of public scribe or notary, and in 1346 was joined in a deputation to pope Clement VI, at Avignon, to exhort him to bring back the papal court to its original seat. He acted on this occasion with so much energy and eloquence, that the pope created him an apostolic notary, which office, on his return, he executed with strict probity. He let no opportunity escape to excite the discontent of the people, by haranguing against the nobility and the defects of the public administration. Having prepared men's minds for a change, and engaged persons of all orders in his designs, in the month of April, 1347, during the absence of the governor of Rome, Stephen Colonna, he summoned a secret assembly upon mount Aventine, before which he made an energetic speech, and induced them all to subscribe an oath for the establishment of a plan of government, which he entitled the good cstate. He had even the address to gain over the pope's vicar, and, in a second assembly in the capitol, produced fifteen articles as the basis of the good estate, which were unanimously approved; and the people conferred upon him the title of tribune, with the power

of life and death, and all the other attributes of sovereignty. The governor, Colonna, upon his return, threatened him with punishment, but was himself constrained to quit the city; and Rienzi banished several of the noble families, after capitally punishing such as were convicted of oppression and injustice. In the first exercise of his authority, he conducted himself with a strict regard to justice and the public good; and even the pope was induced to sanction his power. The reputation of the new tribune extended throughout Italy, and his friendship was even solicited by the king of Hungary and the emperor Louis. Petrarch was highly interested in his proceedings; and there are extant several eloquent letters, in which that poet exhorts him to persevere in his glorious undertakings. But the intoxication of supreme power began to betray him. into extravagances. He caused himself to be created a knight, with a mixture of religious and military ceremonies, and cited the two rival emperors, Charles and Louis, to appear before him to justify their pretensions. He also dismissed the pope's legate, and, reducing the nobles into complete humiliation, commenced a reign of terror. But at length, finding that he had lost the affection and confidence of the people, he withdrew, in 1348, from Rome, and remained in Naples until 1350, when he took advantage of the jubilee to return secretly to Rome; but being discovered, he withdrew to Prague. Thence he came into the hands of pope Clement at Avignon, who confined him three years, and appointed a commission to try him; his successor, Innocent VI, released Rienzi, and sent him to Rome to oppose another popular dema gogue, named Boroncelli. The Romans received him with great demonstrations of joy, and he recovered his former authority; but after a turbulent administration of a few months, the nobles excited another sedition against him, in which he was massacred in October, 1354. His last brief career had been marked with great cruelty, which excited the populace to treat his remains with indignity. Rienzi, who possessed a union of fanaticism and artifice, was more energetic in speech and council than in action, and failed in courage and presence of mind in great emergencies.

RIES, Ferdinand, a distinguished pianoforte player and composer, was born in Bonn, on the Rhine. Beethoven was his teacher, and under his direction he appeared before the public in Vienna, in

1804 and 1805. After several journeys, be settled in Loudon, as teacher and composer. In 1817, he also became director of the philharmonic concert. In 1825, he retired to Boun. His productions are very numerous.

RIESENGEBIRGE (the Giants' mountains); part of the Sudetic chain, separating Silesia from Bohemia and Moravia, till it joins the Carpathians; but the term is properly applied to that part of this range which lies between the sources of the Neisse and the Bober. It contains the loftiest mountains of the north or central part of Germany. Some of the principal summits are Schneekoppe, 5270 feet high; Great Sturmhaube, 5030 feet high; and Lesser Sturmhaube, nearly as high. The vali-ys of the Riesengebirge present many picturesque scenes. (See Sudetic Mountains.)

RIFACIMENTO (Italian, a remaking, or reëstablishment) is now often used in English. One of its most common applications is to the process of recasting literary works, so as to adapt them to a changed state of circumstances; as when a work written in one age or country is modified to suit the circumstances of another. The German word Umarbeitung is still more expressive.

RIFLE; a fire-arm which has the inside of its barrel cut with from three to nine or ten spiral grooves, so as to make it resemble à female screw,varying from a commnou screw only in this, that its grooves or rifles are less deflected and approach more to a right line; it being now usual for the grooves with which the best rifled barrels are cut, to take about one whole turn in a length of thirty inches. The number of these grooves differ according to the size of the barrel and the fancy of the workman; and their depth and width are not regulated by any invariable rule. The period of their invention cannot be precisely determined. In 1381, the city of Augsburg promised, in the war of the free imperial cities against the nobility in Franconia, Suabia and Bavaria, to send thirty ritles, (busses, buchsen) to the army. In 1498, fire-arms with rifled barrels were used at a public shooting-match in Leipsic.

RIGA; a fortified city in the Russian government of the same name (sce Livonia), lying on the Duna, or Dwina, seven miles above its entrance into the gulf of Riga; lat. 56° 57′ N.; lon. 24° 5 E. The suburbs, which were almost entirely destroyed in 1812 (see Russian-German War), bave since been rebuilt with broad, handsome streets, and numerous public walks and squares. The city has also received

many additions and ornaments of late. The population, which, in 1821, amounted to 41,500, was, in 1828, 55,547, principally Lutherans. In 1829, 1403 vessels entered the port of Riga; the exports for the same year amounted to 47,888,000 roubles. The commerce is principally carried on by English merchants. There are numerous public institutions and buildings here, among the latter of which are the magnificent town-house, an imperial palace, the old castle, &c. The inhabitants are chiefly Germans, or of German origin. Next to Petersburg, Riga is the most important commercial place in the empire, and has large naval establishments. Corn, flax and hemp are the chief articles of export. Riga was founded in 1200, by bishop Albert, and, until the middle of the sixteenth century, belonged to the Teutonic knights. In 1710, it was taken possession of by Russia. RIGADOON; a lively kind of dance, performed in figure by a man and woman, and the tune of which is always written in triple time. The rigadoon was borrowed originally from Provence. The word is formed from the French word rigaudon, signifying the same thing.

RIGGING; a general name given to all the ropes employed to support the masts, and to extend or reduce the sails, or arrange them to the disposition of the wind. -Standing riggings that which is used to sustain the masts, and remains in a fixed position; as the shrouds, stays, and back-stays.-Running rigging is that which is fitted to arrange the sails by passing through various blocks, in different places about the masts, yards, shrouds, &c., as the braces, sheets, halliards, clewLines, &c., &c.

RIGHI, OF RIGI (Mons regius, or Regina montium); an isolated mountain in the canton of Schweitz, between the lakes of Zug, Lucerne and Lowertz, 6000 feet high. The view from the summit is remarkably fine, and attracts great numbers of travellers; it embraces the whole of the north and cast of Switzerland, far into Swabia, the Jura, the Alps to the Jungfrau, and fourteen lakes. Füssli (see Fuseli) and Meyer published the finest views in the Sketches on the Righi (Zurich, 1807).

RIGHT AND LEFT BANK OF A RIVER. That bank which is on the right of a person looking down the river is called the right bank; the other the left.

RIGHT, PETITION OF. (See Petition of Right.)

RIGHTS, BILL Or. (See Bill of Rights.) RIGHTS, DECLARATION OF. (See Bill of Rights.)

RIMINI (Ariminum); a city in the States of the Church, on the Marecchia, near its entrance into the gulf of Venice; lat. 44° 4' N.; lon. 12° 34' E. There is a harbor at the mouth of the Marecchia, which, however, is choked up by sand and stones, brought down by the river. The sea has receded more than two miles from the ancient light-house, which is now surrounded by gardens. The river is crossed by a handsome marble bridge, of five arches, built by Tiberius, at the point where the Flaminian and Æmilian ways met, and is the finest monument of antiquity of the kind Before one of the gates is an ancient triumphal arch, erected in honor of Augustus. The cathedral erected on the ruins of the temple of Castor and Pollux is, like several of the other churches, built of the marble taken from the ruins of the old port. The church of S. Francesco, built in the middle of the fifteenth century, is celebrated for its noble and splendid style of architecture. It was erected by Pandolfo Malatesta, whose family governed Rimini for a long period, in the middle ages, and adorned the city with many public buildings. In the Piazza del Commune is a handsome fountain, and a bronze statue of pope Paul V; in the market-place is shown a pedestal, from which it is pretended that Cæsar harangued his troops before passing the Rubicon. Rimini contains some other fine remains of antiquity. March 25, 1831, it was occupied by Austrian troops, after having been some time defended by Italian patriots.

RING. (For the pope's ring, see Fisherman's Ring; for the bishop's, see Investiture, also Kiss; for Saturn's ring, seo Planel, and Suturn. See also Fairy Circle.)

RIO BRAVO DEL NORTE. (See Norte.)

RIO DE JANEIRO, or S. SEBASTIAŌ (often called simply Rio); capital city of Brazil, on the western shore of the bay of the same name, which makes up from the Atlantic ocean; lat. 22° 54′ S.; lon. 43° 15′ W.; population in 1820, estimated at 135,000, and by Walsh, in 1830, at 150,000. Before the arrival of the Portuguese court, in 1808 (see John VI), the population was about 50,000, and occupied only that part of the city now called the old city. The streets of the new city are broad and straight, and the houses in both sections are mostly built in the same style, of granite, and three stories high. The public places are not remarkable for beauty, but most of them have fountains supplied with water by a very handsome aqueduct.

The imperial palace, formerly the residence of the viceroys, is built in an ordinary style, and was enlarged, after the arrival of the court, by connecting it with the Carmelite monastery. The mint, the custom-house, the arsenal, and the exchange, are handsome buildings. The churches and convents (five) present nothing deserving of notice. The public gardens are prettily laid out, and enjoy a fine prospect. Music is a favorite amusement of the people, and is cultivated with success by all classes. The manufacturing industry is inconsiderable; but Rio is the great mart of Brazilian commerce; the harbor is one of the finest and safest in the world. All the ports between Bahia on the north and Montevideo on the south send their merchandise to Rio for exportation or consumption. The internal commerce with the inland provinces is also extensive, particularly in mineral riches. Sugar, coffee, cotton, tobacco, hides, tallow, furs, molasses, indigo, fustic, cocoanuts, diamonds, topaz, and other precious stones, are among the exports. (See Brazil.) The climate is warm and humid; and, on account of the marshes which surround the city, and the filth of the streets, the vultures being the only scavengers, the city is often an unhealthy residence for strangers; but, by adopting the Brazilian mode of living, avoiding exposure in the sun, night dews, abstaining from spirituous liquors, and using vegetable diet, the danger is averted. The population consists of a singular mixture of colors and nations; about two thirds are negroes, mulattoes, &c.; and among the whites are seen French, Germans, English, Italians, Dutch, and North Americans. The environs are charming, and vegetation never ceases. The place derives its name, signifying river of January, from the mistake of the first discoverer of the bay, who conceived it to be the mouth of a large river. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1565, and in 1763 was made the capital of Brazil. It was the residence of the Portuguese court from 1808 to 1821, and, in 1822, became the capital of the independent empire of Brazil. (See Pedro I.) In 1831 (April 7), it was the theatre of a revolution, in which 6000 armed citizens were joined by the troops of the line in their opposition to the government, and in consequence of which dom Pedro abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Pedro II.-See Walsh's Notices of Brazil (London, 1830).

RIO GRANDE. (See Plata, La.)
RIOTS are disturbances of the public

peace, attended with circumstances of tumult and commotion, as where an assembly destroys, or in any manner damages, seizes, or invades the property either of individuals or the public, or does any injury to the persons of individuals, or invades, seeks, or pursues them, with intent to confine them, or put them in fear, or violently constrains any one to act contrary to his interest, duty, or inclination. Where three or more persons assemble on their own authority to disturb the public peace, whether in a house or highway, with intent mutually to assist each other against any who shall oppose them in the execution of some enterprise of a private nature, and they afterwards actually execute the same, in a violent and turbulent manner, to the terror of the people, whether the act be lawful or not, they incur the guilt of a riot. All who are actually engaged in a riot are considered, in law, as equally guilty of the offence; but the circumstances of each are to be considered in assigning his punishment. A riot will not be justified by an apparently useful and laudable object, as to put down a house of ill fame or a common gaming house, or to remove other great and confessed nuisances. The law of Massachusetts of 1786 (ch. 38) enacts, that where any persons, to the number of twelve or more, armed with clubs or other weapons, or where any number of persons, consisting of thirty or more, shall be unlawfully, riotously or tumultuously assembled, any justice of the peace, sheriff or deputysheriff of the county, or constable of the town, shall make open proclamation among the rioters, or as near to them as he can come, and charge all persons so assembled immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their homes, under penalty of the pains inflicted by said act. If any persons so unlawfully assembled do not disperse themselves within one hour after proclamation made, or attempted to be made, it is lawful for any officer to command sufficient aid to seize such offenders, and to require an armed force if the rioters appear armed. Should any of the latter be killed or wounded by reason of their resistance, the magistrate or officer will be held guiltless; but if the magistrate or officer, or any of his assistants, should be killed in their endeavors to restore the peace and to arrest the offenders, it would be murder in all those who were guilty of the riot. Similar provisions exist in other states of the Union, as well as in England.

RIPPERDA, John William, baron of,