ROHLFS 



5050 



ROLAND DE LA PLATIERE 



ROHLFS, FRIEDRICH GERHARD (1831-1896), 

 an explorer and writer, born at Vegesack, near 

 Bremen, Germany. II. \v:is r. Invited in the 

 medical departments of the universities of Hei- 

 delberg, Wurzburg and Gottingen. Between 

 his school and university courses he had served 

 with distinction in the German army; there- 

 fore, when Rohlfs became an explorer of Africa 

 in 1860, he entered the work with a reputation 

 for abilin and endurance. During his 



n-av. U in Morocco he so thoroughly mastered 

 the Arabic language that he was able to pass 

 himself as a Mussulman and thus easily inves- 

 tigated the whole country. He explored the 

 Sahara Desert, visited the then almost unknown 

 section of Tafilet, Africa, afterwards passed on 

 to Murzuk, in the interior, and again across the 

 Sahara to Bornu. Many times he traveled in 

 Africa where no white man had been before. 

 In 1868 he explored Abyssinia and brought back 

 valuable maps of the country. 



He married in 1870 and tried to lead a do- 

 mestic life, but the longing for adventure was 

 so strong that in 1873 he returned to Africa to 

 explore the Libyan Desert. During the next 

 twelve years he led other parties into the Sa- 

 hara Desert and Abyssinia, and had several 

 thrilling escapes from the savage natives. In 

 1885 Bismarck appointed him consul at Zanzi- 

 bar, in the hope of strengthening Germany's 

 claim to the island; but the explorer was not 

 trained in diplomacy and was soon recalled. 

 His last days were spent near Bonn, Germany. 

 Among his books which have been of value in 

 geographical study should be mentioned Trav- 

 els in Morocco, Land and People of Africa and 

 Travels in Tripoli. 



ROJESTVENSKY, ro jest ven'' ski, SINOVI 

 PETROVICH (1848- ), a Russian naval officer, 

 commander of the Baltic fleet which, during 

 the Russo-Japanese War, was defeated in the 

 great Battle of the Sea of Japan by the Japa- 

 nese on May 27 and 28, 1905. He fought in 

 the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, and took 

 part in the Chino- Japanese War (1894) as sec- 

 ond in command to General Alexieff. He was 

 made rear-admiral in 1902, and was given com- 

 mand of the Baltic fleet two years later. In 

 October, 1904, while conducting this fleet to 

 Vladivostok, during the Russo-Japanese War, 

 he incurred the wrath of England by firing on 

 some British fishermen on the Dogger Bank 

 in the North Sea, whom he mistook for the 

 enemy. As a result of the incident Russia was 

 for several days on the verge of war with Eng- 

 land, The Japanese commander, Togo, pru- 



dently awaited the Russian fleet in home 

 waters, and on May 27 a great naval battle 

 began near the Tsushima Islands, in the Sea of 

 Japan. In a two-days' fight nearly the whole 

 Russian licet was captured or sunk. Rojest- 

 vensky was wounded but was rescued, and over 

 4,000 of his men were captured by the Japa- 

 nese. 



ROLAND, a celebrated hero of French ro- 

 mances of chivalry, known in Italian romances 

 as Orlando. According to the generally ac- 

 cepted legend he Was the nephew of Charle- 

 magne, in whose army he fought against the 

 Saracens in Spain. When the army crossed the 

 Pyrenees into France, Roland remained behind 

 with the rear guard, and at Roncesvalles was 

 set upon by the Saracens, defeated and killed. 

 His friend Oliver besought him in the early 

 stages of the battle to blow a blast upon his 

 horn and bring the forces of Charlemagne to 

 his aid, but he refused; and only with his last 

 breath did he sound the call. Charlemagne 

 heard it, turned back, and overthrew the Sara- 

 cens. The Song of Roland, in which this story 

 is told, dates from the eleventh century and 

 ranks as a masterpiece. It was translated into 

 English, German, Italian, Norse and other 

 languages, and formed the basis of many tales. 



ROLAND DE LA PLATIERE, rolahN' deh 

 la platyair' , MADAME (MANON JEANNE PHILI- 

 PON) (1754-1793), a Frenchwoman who became 

 very prominent during the early years of the 

 French Revolution. She Was born in Paris, 

 and in a convent 

 there was given 

 the beginnings of 

 an education. 

 Her real educa- 

 tion came, how- 

 ever, from her 

 reading after she 

 left school. In 

 1781 she was 

 married to Jean 

 Marie Roland de 

 la Platiere, and 

 from the first she 

 exercised a strong 

 influence in his 

 affairs. After the outbreak of the Revolution 

 they removed from Lyons to Paris, where their 

 home became the meeting place for many of 

 the leaders of the popular party. In 1792 Ro- 

 land became minister of the interior, and much 

 that was excellent in the administration of his 

 office he owed to his wife. 



MADAME ROLAND 



