canal which was to unite the Danube and the Rhine, the Black sea and the Northern ocean. The Rhine furnishes excellent salmon (called Lachse when they ascend the river in spring, coming from the sea, and Salmen when they descend in autumn to the sea), sturgeons, lampreys, pikes, and excellent carps. From Strasburg to Spire, the Rhine is about 1100 feet wide; at some parts of the Rheingau, it is 1800; at Cologne, 1300. At Schenkenschanz, where it enters the Netherlands, it is 2150 feet wide. Its depth from Bâsle to Strasburg is between ten and twelve feet; at Mentz, twenty-four; at Dusseldorf, fifty. When the snow melts in Switzerland, the Rhine rises from twelve to thirteen feet above its common level. The mean descent of the river is about seven feet a mile; its current runs about 288 feet in a minute, or about three and a third miles per hour. Vessels of from 300 to 450 tons go up the river to Cologne, those of 125 to 200 to Mentz, those of 100 to 125 to Strasburg. Steam-boats and "water diligences" render communication easy. The congress of Vienna, in 1815, declared the navigation of all the German rivers free; but this ordinance has not been carried into effect as regards the Danube (q. v.), and it was not till after fifteen years' negotiation between the various powers, and after 563 protocols had been drawn up on the subject that the navigation of the Rhine was made free, in the year 1831. Three books contain every thing necessary for a journey along the Rhine: one, by Lange, comprehends the journey from Mentz to Dusseldorf, the most romantic part south of Basle; another, by Aloys Schreiber, comprehends the whole course of the Rhine, with excursions into neighboring parts; the third is by Ch. A. Fischer-Newest Guide from Mayence to Cologne (Frankfort, 1827). There exist excellent representations of the scenery of the Rhine, semi-perspective and semi-topographic, very ingenious productions, which afford the traveller the highest gratification.— See, also, the Panorama of the Rhine, from Mayence to Cologne, by Delkeskamp (Dresd. and Frankf., 1825, in 80 engravings), also Primavesi's Course of the Rhine from its Sources to its Mouth, drawn from Nature (1818), and HistoricoStatistical Panorama of the Rhine, from Bingen to Coblentz, by Dahl (Heidelberg, 1820). Aloys Schreiber's book contains a catalogue of all the works on the Rhine or relating to it. RHINE; one of the eight circles of Ba varia, commonly called Rheinbaiern, separated from the rest of the kingdom, on the left bank of the Rhine. It is chiefly composed of the former French department Mont-Tonnere. The Mont-Tonnere, 2100 feet high, is the summit of the Vosges (q. v.), which traverse the circle. Inhabitants, 517,081; square miles, about 3000. RHINE, DEPARTMENTS OF THE UPPER AND LOWER. (See Department.) RHINE, CONFEDERATION OF. (See Confederation of the Rhine.) RHINE,LOWER (in German, Niederrhein), a Prussian province, with the title of a grand-duchy, formed by the congress of Vienna, in 1815, containing 1,127,297 inhabitants and 6100 square miles, embraces both banks of the Rhine, and is bounded by the Prussian provinces of JuliersCleves-Berg and Westphalia, by Nassau, Hesse-Darmstadt, France, the Netherlands, and several smaller territories. The Hundsrück (q. v.) traverses the province of the Lower Rhine between the rivers Nabe and Moselle, and joins the Vosges. The Eiffel and the High Veen are ridges of hills coming from the Ardennes. The province furnishes game, fish, grain, fruits, flax, hemp, wine, wood, silver, iron, copper, lead, calamine, marble, slate, sand and mill stones, basalt, tufa, porphyry, alum, sulphur, coals, and mineral waters. In some parts much manufacturing industry exists. Much cloth is made in and near Aix-la-Chapelle. The other manufactures are linen, silks, leather, iron and steel wares. The inhabitants are mostly Catholics; in the southern part French is spoken in some places. The province is divided into three governments-Aix-laChapelle, Treves, and Coblentz. Aix-laChapelle (q. v.) is the chief place. The province comprehends the chief part of the ancient archbishopric of Treves, the abbeys of Prüm, Cornely-Munster, Malmedy, part of the old archbishopric of Cologne, of the duchy of Luxemburg and Juliers, &c. RHINOCEROS. This is a large animal, belonging to the order of pachydermata, having each foot divided into three toes, and furnished with one or more horns on the snout. There are several species, the best known of which are the Indian, or one-horned, and the African, or two-horned.-One-horned rhinoceros. This species is a native of India, particularly of that part beyond the Ganges. It is a clumsy and deformed looking animal : a single black horn, placed near the end of the nose, makes its specific character. The upper lip is very large, and overhangs the lower: it is furnished with strong muscles, and is employed by the animal somewhat as the elephant uses his trunk. The ears are large, erect and pointed. The skin is naked, rough, and extremely thick; about the neck it is gathered into large folds; a fold also extends between the shoulders and fore legs, and another from the hinder part of the back to the thighs. The tail is slender, flat at the end, and furnished at the sides with very stiff, black hairs. The legs are very short. This animal was well known to the ancients, and was introduced into the games of the circus by Pompey; in all probability it is the reem (unicorn) of the Bible. From the time of the fall of the Roman empire, however, it was lost sight of so completely, that, prior to the sixteenth century, naturalists were of opinion, that it had never existed, or, if so, that it was extinct. When the Portuguese, however, doubled the cape of Good Hope, and opened the way to India, these animals again became known, and many were introduced into Europe. The first that appeared in England was in 1684. The rhinoceros lives in shady forests adjoining rivers, or in the swampy jungles with which its native country abounds. Though possessed of great strength, and more than a match for either the tiger or the elephant, it is quiet and inoffensive unless provoked. The female produces one at a birth. The growth of the young is very gradual, as, at the age of two years, it scarcely attains half its height. The sight of the rhinoceros is by no means acute, but, on the contrary, its senses of smelling and hearing are very vivid. Its chief food is canes and shrubs. It was for a long time supposed that the tongue was hard and exceedingly rough; but recent observations have shown that it does not present these peculiarities. The flesh somewhat resembles pork in taste, though of a coarser grain and stronger taste.-Two-horned rhinoceros. This species is a native of Africa, and resembles the preceding in many particulars, but differs in being provided with an additional horn, of a smaller size, situated nearer the forehead; the skin also is not thrown into the folds so remarkable in the Indian species; at least, this is the account given by Sparrman, whilst Bruce represents it as having them. The two-horned rhinoceros was better known to the ancients than the lastmentioned kind, and is represented on many of their coins, especially those of Domitian. The rhinoceros is greatly in ferior to the elephant in docility, and has never been made sociable to man. The skin is used for whips and walking-canes, and of the horns drinking-cups were made, which were highly esteemed by the East Indians, as they imagined that if poison were put into them, the liquor would ferment till it ran out of the vessel. Martial informs us, that Roman ladies used these horns as cases to hold their essence bottles and oils. The skin of the rhinoceros is also used by the Javanese for shields. RHINOPLASTIC (from for, the nose, and Marin, the art of forming). The art of restoring the nose, when lost by disease or external injury, was early practised, in India, by the Bramins, and is even now practised by the descendants of this caste, the Coomas, by means of a piece of skin cut from the forehead. In 1442, Branca, a Sicilian physician, operated by means of a piece of skin cut from the arm of the individual; and, after him, this method was preserved in the family of the Bajani as a secret, until Caspar Tagliacozzi (born in 1546, died in 1599) practised it in Bologna, and made it public in 1597. He pursued the method of taking the skin from the arm. This method was last practised by Molinetti, in the beginning of the seventeenth century. In 1816, Grafe, a German physician, attempted the formation of the nose from the skin of the arm upon a young soldier who had lost his nose by a sabre cut. The method differed but little from that of Tagliacozzi.-See Grafe's Rhinoplastic (Berlin, 1818, quarto). RHODE ISLAND, one of the U. States, includes what was formerly known by the name of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations; it originally consisted of two plantations, or provinces. This state is bounded north and east by Massachusetts, south by the Atlantic ocean, and west by Connecticut; length 49 miles; breadth 29; square miles 1350; population in 1810, 76,931; in 1820, 83,059, including 48 slaves; in 1830, 97,212, including 14 slaves; lat. 41° 22′ to 42° 3′ N.; lon. 71° 6′ to 71° 38 W. In the north-west part of the state, the country is hilly and rocky, but in other parts it is mostly level. The soil is better adapted to grazing than tillage, except on the island of Rhode Island, which has an excellent soil, adapted to the growth of every thing that is suited to its climate. A considerable part of the state has a thin soil, and affords small crops of New England productions; but the country near Narraganset bay is generally very fertile. Great numbers of cattle and sheep are produced on the islands, and on the margin of the bay; and butter and cheese, cider, many kinds of fruit, corn, rye, barley, and oats, are produced in abundance. The rivers and bays afford a great variety of excellent fish. Iron in abundance, small quantities of copper, limestone, and a mine of anthracite, are the minerals and fossils that have hitherto been found. The rivers are the Pawtucket, Providence, and Pawtuxet. Narraganset bay extends from south to north through nearly the whole length of the state, and embosoms Rhode Island, Connecticut, Prudence, Patience, Hope, Dyer's, and Hog islands. Block island, in the Atlantic, south of the state, is the most southerly land belonging to it. The exports of Rhode Island consist principally of flax-seed, lumber, horses, cattle, beef, pork, fish, poultry, and cotton and linen goods. Its manufactures have greatly increased within the last ten years, and add greatly to its wealth. The value of its exports of domestic produce, during the year ending September 30, 1829, was $337,468. Its tonnage in 1828 was 43,406. Since these periods, the commerce of the state has rapidly increased. The commercial and manufacturing interests of Rhode Island are principally centred in Providence. This has become one of the most important cities of New England, and contains now about one fifth of the population of the state. Newport is somewhat less than half the size of Providence, and the other towns are not large. The general assembly of Rhode Island meets four times in a year: at Newport on the first Wednesday of May, which is the commencement of the political year, and again at the same place in June; in October, it meets alternately at Providence and South Kingston; and in January at East Greenwich, Bristol, or Providence. Brown university is situated at Providence. At the same place there is a seminary styled the Friends' boarding-school, and there are eight or ten academies in the state. (See Providence.) The state now pays $10,000 annually for the support of free schools; and this sum is divided among the several towns, according to their population. This, however, affords but imperfect means for the education of the poorer classes of society. In 1831, the Baptists in Rhode Island had sixteen churches, twelve ministers, 2600 communicants; the Methodists ten preachers, 1,100 members; the Congregationalists ten churches, ten ministers, 1000 communicants; the Unitarians two societies, two ministers; the Sabbatarians about 1000 communicants; the Six Principle Baptists about eight churches and 800 communicants. There are many Friends, and some of other denominations. The settlement of Rhode Island was commenced, at Providence, in 1636, by the celebrated Roger Williams, a minister, who was banished from Massachusetts on account of his religious opinions. (For further information respecting the history, see Providence, and New England.) RHODE ISLAND; an island situated in Narraganset bay; lat. 41° 25′ N.; lon. 71° 20 W. The state of Rhode Island takes its name from this island. It is about fifteen miles from north to south, and three and a half wide, and is divided into three townships, Newport, Portsmouth and Middletown. It is a noted resort for invalids from southern climates. The island is very fertile, pleasant, and healthful; and many travellers call it the Eden of America. It suffered greatly by the war of the revolution, but has been, in a considerable degree, restored to its former beauty and value. About 40,000 sheep are fed on the island, besides neat cattle and horses. There is a coal-mine on the north part of the island, but the coal is not, at present, much esteemed. RHODES ('Podos, from podov, a rose, or from podos, noise of waters); an island in the Grecian archipelago, lying between Crete (Candia) and Cyprus, ten miles from the southern coast of Asia Minor; thirty-six miles in length, and fourteen in breadth; 450 square miles. Rhodes was, in ancient times, sacred to the sun, and was celebrated for its serene sky, its soft climate, fertile soil, and fine fruits. The republic of Rhodes was an important naval power, and planted colonies in Sicily, Italy and Spain. The beauty and size of its works of art were admired in all Greece, and it was much visited by the Romans on account of them. The commercial laws of the Rhodians were adopted, as the basis of marine law, on all the coasts of the Mediterranean, and some fragments of them still retain their authority. (See Commercial Law.) This rich and powerful republic took an important part in several of the Roman wars, and was first made a Roman province in the reign of Vespasian. In 1309, after the loss of Palestine, the knights of St. John occupied the island, and were thence called the knights of Rhodes. In 1480, they repelled an attack of the Turks, but, in 1522, were obliged to surrender the island to Soliman II. (See John, Knights of St.) The population is differently estimated, by Savary at 36,500, of which about one third are Greeks, with an archbishop. The island is governed by a pacha, who is under the capudan pacha or high-admiral and governor of the islands of the Archipelago. The revenue of the sultan from the island is estimated at 90,000 piasters. The productions are corn,wine, oil, cotton, fruits, wax, honey, &c. The capital, Rhodes lon. 2 12 E.; lat. 36-20 N., has a population of 6000 Turks. The suburb Neachorio is inhabited by 3000 Greeks, who are not permitted to reside within the city. The town is surrounded by three walls and a double ditch, and is considered by the Turks as impregnable. It has two fine harbors, separated only by a mole. The celebrated colossus probably stood here. (See Colossus.) RHODIUM; a new metal, discovered among the grains of crude platina by doctor Wollaston. Its specific gravity is 11. It readily alloys with every other metal, except mercury. One sixth of it does not perceptibly alter the appearance of gold, but only renders it more fusible. When paure, it is brittle, and requires a much higher temperature for its fusion than any other metal, unless it be iridium. It is insoluble in all acids. Doctor Wollaston tunde silver pens, tipped with rhodium, which, from its great hardness, were not hable to be injured by use. is found, within the U. States, only on the summits of the White mountains of New Hampshire. An Oriental species, sometimes seen in our green-houses, resembling the R. marimum, but with brilliant scarlet flowers, hardly yields in magnificence to any production of the vegetable creation. All the species are cultivated in gardeus on account of the beauty of their flowers. RHONE (Rhodanus); a great river in the south of Europe, which rises in the central and highest part of Switzerland, at the foot of mount Furca, only five miles from the source of the Rhine. It flows in a western direction through a long and wide valley of the Swiss canton of the Valais, and, being swelled by a number of mountain streams, it passes through the lake of Geneva. Flowing southward, and being joined by the Saone and other streams, such as the Isere, the Drome, the Ardeche, and the Durance, it discharges itself, after a course of nearly 500 miles, by three mouths, into the part of the Mediterranean called the gulf of Lyons, where its branches form the island of Camargue, The principal cities on the Rhone are Geneva, Lyons, Vienne, Avignon, Beaucaire and Arles. It is the most rapid river of Europe. The navigation down the stream is easy, but the upward can be performed only by draught or steam. (See Canals,) which it deposits at its mouth. Below Lacluse, the river plunges, with great noise, into a cavity of the rocks, and disappears for the distance of sixty paces. Several miles below this place, at a point called Malpertuis, it again almost entirely disappears under the rocks. RHONGEBIRGE; a range of mountains in Germany, extending from Kaltennordheim to beyond Bischofsheim, about 30 miles in length; it traverses the northwest of Bavaria, and part of Hesse Cassel, approaching the Thuringian forest on the north, and the Spessart towards the south. The highest summit is the Kreutzberg, 2500 feet high. RHODODENDRON Maximum, or DWARF ROSE BAY; one of the most ornamental. It carries down large quantities of earth, shrubs of North America. It is generally about ten feet high, but sometimes reaches to twenty or twenty-five, with a trunk four or five inches in diameter. The leaves are large, oval, oblong, coriaceous, smooth and shining; the flowers large, rose-colored, with yellow dots on the inside, and are dis. posed in an elegant terminal cluster. It is most abundant about the Alleghany mountains, where it sometimes forms impenetrable thickets, presenting a magniticent appearance when m flower. The wood is hard, compact, and fine-grained, but inferior, in these respects, to that of the mountain-laurel, and has not hitherto been applied to any useful purposes. Two other species of rhododendron inhabit the more southern parts of the Alleghanies, The species of rhododendron are shrubs, with alternate, entir, evergreen leaves, and ornamental flowers, usually disposed in terminal corymb, About eighteen species are known, which inhabit the cold and temperate parts of the northern hemisphere, and especially mountainous districts. One, the R. Lapponicum, grows as far north as civilized man has penetrated, and, in common with other arctic plants, RHUBARB (rheum); a genus of plants, mostly inhabiting the interior of Asia. It belongs to the family polygonen, together with the docks, which it somewhat resembles. It is one of the few genera which have nine stamens, the enneandria of Linnæus. The roots and leaves are remarkably large, and the flowers inconspicuous, but disposed in very ample panicles. The seeds are provided, at the angles, with a membranous wing. The roots of all are mildly purgative, com bined with tonic and strengthening properties; that of the officinal rhubarb (R. palmatum) is considered the most efficacious, but there is no great difference in this respect. The officinal or true rhubarb grows wild along the frontiers of China, near the great wall, upon a chain of mountains which stretches from the Chinese town Sini to lake Kokonor, near Thibet. It is easily distinguished by having the leaves divided into acute lobes; the roots are very large, yellow and branching; the stem is of moderate height, cylindrical, smooth and striated, provided at base with a great number of large petiolate leaves; these are divided into five or seven lanceolate, acute segments, each of which is again subdivided, and are green and rough above, a little whitish and pubescent beneath, and traversed with large yellowish nerves; their leaf-stalks are very long, and grooved; the flowers are small, yellowish-white, and are disposed in numerous upright panicles; the seeds are blackish-brown and triangular. It is usual with the Chinese, when the roots have been taken from the ground, cleaned and pared, to cut them in slices and lay then upon long tables, taking care to turn them three or four times a day, experience having taught that if exposed to a free current of air, they become light, and lose a portion of their strength. After the fourth day, they are perforated and strung upon cords, in such a way as not to touch each other, and are suspended to dry in the shade, either upon trees or in tents. In about two months, the roots have lost seven eighths of their weight, and are fit for market. Winter is the proper season for taking up the roots. Formerly rhubarb was brought from China, through Tartary, to Ormuz and Aleppo, thence to Alexandria, and even to Vienna. This was called Turkey rhubarb. Now it is brought by sea from Canton and Ormuz. All the rhubarb of commerce is obtained from the chain of mountains above mentioned. It is only within a few years that the officinal rhubarb has been successfully cultivated on a large scale in Europe. It is most readily multiplied by planting pieces of the root containing eyes, thirty or more of which are afforded by a root four or five years old: half an inch of the root is sufficient to ensure the shooting of these eyes. They are planted a little before the opening of the spring, after leaving them exposed to the air for a day, in order that cicatrices may be formed: they should be placed in quincunx order, about six feet apart, as the leaves occupy a very great space; but as, for the two first years, they do not fill this space, some other crop may be raised between them. It is an injudicious practice to cut away the leaves, and hinders the growth of the roots; but to cut or break the stems, about a foot from the ground, is very often advantageous. The plant may remain in the ground all winter, but during severe frosts should be covered with straw or dry leaves. A deep soil, and one where sand does not predominate, seems best adapted to its culture; but it succeeds in every soil that is not arid or watery; neither does it fear shade or a northern exposure; in dry weather, watering is advantageous, but long rains are very injurious. The roots are taken from the ground only after the fourth or fifth year, but sooner in a dry and warm soil than in a moist and cool one; when taken up too soon, their substance is soft, and will lose eleven twelfths of its weight in drying; on the other hand, if left too long in the earth, the roots become hollow, or even rot in the centre. The time for removing them is in the autumn, after the leaves are perfectly dry. The stocks live ten or twelve years in a good soil, and only half as long in one which is less adapted to them. The rhubarb of commerce is brownishyellow externally, saffron-yellow within, and variegated with white and reddish streaks. The odor is disagreeable, and the taste bitter, astringent, slightly acrid, and nauseous. Its properties are, at the same time, tonic and purgative. It is administered in powder, in mixtures, or formed into pills, or the root may be chewed in substance. The value of the annual import of this article into Great Britain is said to exceed $1,000,000. The bark of rhubarb has been used for tinctures, and is found, in every respect, as efficacious as the best part of the roots, and the seeds possess nearly the same qualities. The leaves impart an agreeable acidity, somewhat similar to that of sorrel; and a marmalade is made from the fresh stalks, by stripping off the bark, and boiling the pulp with an equal quantity of sugar. The common garden rhubarb (R. rhaponticum) has obtuse, smooth leaves, with hairy veins beneath. It was first brought into Europe about the year 1610, and is chiefly in request for the stalks of the leaves, which, when young, are used for pies and tarts. The root has occasionally been sold for the rhubarb of commerce, and for a long time was supposed to be identical with it. The rheum ribes is remarkable for having the seeds |
