RAM
460
RAM
the foot-cloth, and soon rewarded the sacrifice of a cloak with ahandsome suit to the owner. Being still intent upon making dis-coveries, he sailed again with Gilbert, who was lost in the voyage.This, however, did not discourage Raleigh , who fitted out anothersquadron, which discovered the country called, in honour of Eli-zabeth, Virginia. In 1584 he was elected into parliament for thecounty of Devon, and knighted. He continued indefatigable inhis favourite object of improving navigation, and was concernedwith his relation Sir Richard Greenvile in colonizing Virginia,from whence the first tobacco was brought by this fleet to Eng-land. About this time he was made captain of the queen’s guard,and lord warden of the stannaries. In the defeat of the Spanish armada Sir Walter bore a glorious part, for which he receiveddistinguishing marks of favour from the queen, but having obtain-ed a grant of the manor of Sherborn in Dorsetshire , which had be-longed to the bishopric of Salisbury, it gave great offence, and hewas stigmatized unjustly as an atheist. About the same time heincurred the queen’s displeasure by an intrigue with one of hertnaids of honour, whom he afterwards married. In 1595 lie sailedto Guiana, and destroyed the capital of Trinidad. The year fol-lowing we find him principally engaged in the taking of Cadiz .Honours were lavished in abundance upon him, and he obtainedthe lordship of St. Germaine, in Cornwall. Sir Walter had anactive concern in the fall of Essex ; and remained in the favour ofthe queen till her death. But in the succeeding reign the face ofhis affairs was changed. He was stripped of his preferments, tried,and condemned for high (reason, on a charge the most frivolous,and without the least evidence. He lay in the tower twelve years,during which he wrote several pieces on various subjects of na-tional importance; but bis greatest performance was the Historyof the World, which was published in folio in 1614. The yrnarfollowing he was released, occasioned by the flattering accountwhich lie had given of some rich mines in Guiana. On gaining bisliberty he sailed to that country in search of those pretendedmines, instead of discovering which lie burnt the Spanish town,and returned to England, where, in consequence of the complaintof Gondamor, the Spanish ambassador, lie was apprehended, and,in a most unprecedented manner, beheaded, on his former sen-tence, in Palace-yard, Westminster, in 1617. His works are his-torical, philosophical, poetical, and political. His son, GarewRaleigh , who was born in the Tower, became governor'of Jerseyin 165<>, and died in 1666. He wrote some sonnets, and a vindi-cation of his father against Janies Howell.
Raleigh, in geography, a city of North Carolina , in Wakecounty, on a rivulet which runs into the Neus. Lon. 79. 3. W.,Lat. 35. 56. N.
RALLUS, the Rail; in ornithology, a genus of the order ofgrail®. Beak thickest at the base, compressed, equal, acute, andsomewhat sharp on the back near the point; the nostrils are oval ;the feet have four toes, without any web ; and the body is com-pressed. Mr. Latham enumerates twenty-four species, besidessome varieties. They are chiefly distinguished by their colour.“ These birds (says BufTon) constitute a large family, and theirhabits are different from those of the other shore-birds, which re-side on sands and gravel. The rails, oil the contrary, inhabit onlythe slimy margins of pools and rivers, especially low grounds co-vered with flags and other large marsh-plants. This mode of liv-ing is common to all the water-rails. The land-rail frequents mea-dows, and from the disagreeable erv or rather rattling in the throatof this bird, is derived the generic name.” The K. aquaticus, orwater-rail, the R. crex, or corn-crake, and the R. porzana, or gal-linule, belong to this genus.
Ram, Battering, in antiquity, a military engine used tobatter down the walls of besieged places. See BatteringRam.
RAMA, an ancient town of Palestine, called in Scripture Ra-mahand Ramatha, &c. and now called Raniula bv the Turks. Itis 20 miles N. \V. of Jerusalem. Lon. 34. 55. E. Eat. 32. 0. N.
RAMADA, a sea-port-town of New' Granada in Terra -Firms,in the province of St. Martha; 100 miles E. of St. Martha. Lon.71.20. W. Eat. 11. 10. N.
RAMADAN, a solemn season of fasting among the Moham-medans.
RAMAII, in ancient geography, a town of Benjamin, near
Gibeah , called also Ram ah of Sam, (1 Sam. xxii.j six miles N. ofJerusalem : memorable for the story of the Levite and his concu-bine '. taken and fortified by Baasna king of Israel , to annoy thekingdom of Judah. ’Phis Ramali is mentioned Isa. x. Jer. xxxi.,.nd Malth. ii. and is to be distinguished from
Hamah , or Ramah of Samuel, 1 Sam. xix. called also Rama-tha, 1 Sam. i. 19, and Ramathaim Zophim, ibid. i. 1 1 which lay agreat wav to the W. towards Joppa, near Lydda .
RAMANANCOR, an island in the East Indian Ocean, lyingtoward Cape Comorin . It is about 23 miles in circumference,■and has a temple and several small towns. The soil is sandy.Lon. 79. 45. E. Lat. 9. 25. N.-
RAMBERV1LLIERS, a town of France , in the departmentof lhe Vosges , and late province of Lorrain, 30 miles S. E. ofNanci. Lon. 6. 44. E. Eat 48. 21. N.
RAMBOOZE, or RAM BUS Li, a drink made of wine, ale,eggs, and sugar, in the winter-time; or of wine, milk, sugar, androsewater, in the summer-time.
RAMEKINS, a fortress on the S. coast of the island of Wal-eheren, in the department of the Meuse , und the late province ofZelaud, 4 miles E. of Flushing, and 4 S. of Middleburg. Lon.4. 24. E. Lat. 51.34. N.
11AMESES, king of the Lower Egypt , when Jacob went thi-ther with his family, about B. C. 1706. Ancient authors men-tion several other kings of Egypt of the same name.
Ramkses, in ancient geography, a town built by the Israelites during their bondage in Egypt , and from which the Exodus tookplace, and which must have been towards, and not far from, theArabian Gulph, seeing in the third station the Israelites arrivedon its shore.
RAM-HEAD, a cape of Ireland , on the S. coast of Waterford :4 miles E. of Youghal Bay. Lon. 7. 44. W. Lat. 51.56. N.
Ram-Head, a capo on the S. E. coast of New Holland. Lon.149. 35. E. Lat. 36. 56. S.
RAMMER, an instrument used for driving down stones orpiles into the ground ; or for healing the earth in order to renderit more solid for a foundation.
Rammer of a Gun, the gun-stick ; a rod used in the charging1 of a gun, to drive home the powder, as also the shot and the wad,which keeps the shot from rolling out. The rammer of a greatgun is used for the same purpose. It has a round piece of woodat one end, and the other is usually roiled in a piece of sheep-skin, fitted to the bore of the piece, and is used to dear herafter she has been discharged, which is called sponging thepiece.
RAMPANT, in heraldry, a term applied to a lion, leopard,or other beast that stands on its hind-legs, and rears up his fore-feetin the posture of climbing, shewing only half his face, one eye,&c. See Heraldry.
Rampart, in fortification, denotes also an elevation of earthround-a place capable of resisting the cannon of an enemy ; andformed into bastions, curtins, &c. .See Fortification .
KAM1TIASTOS, the Toucan ; a genus of birds of the orderPic®. Bill extremely large, hollow, carinated on the top, andserrated at the edges ; nostrils long, narrow, and behind (he baseof the bill ; tongue ciliated. These birds have been met withonly in South Amer’n a, and there merely between the tropics,being totally incapable of sustaining the cold. They subsist onfruits, particularly of the palm-tree. See Plate C XX.\V.
RAM POUR, a town ol Hindustan, in Almora; 90 miles W r . ofDelhi , and 30. N. N. W. of Berilly. Lon. 79. 22. E. Lat.28. 45. N.
RAMROD, (lie rod for ramming the charge into (lie barrel ofa firelock, gun, musket, pistol, or other fire-arm. bee Projec-tiles.
RAMSEY, a town of Huntingdonshire, 68 miles N. of Lon-don, and 12 N. E. of Huntingdon . Eon. 0. 19. VV. Lat. 52.26. N.
RAMSGATE, a sea-port-town of Kent, in the isle of Thanet,five miles from Margate , with a very tine pier, seated near theDowns, between the N. and S. Foreland, 10 miles N. E. of Can-terbury . Eon- 1. 30. E. Lat. 51. 20. N.
Ram’s Head, in a ship, is a great block belonging to the foreand main hanlyards. It has three shives in it, in which the haul-yards are put; and in a hole at the end are reeved the ties.
RAMTEAK,