183 



ROYLE, JOHN FORBES, M.D. 



RUBENS, PETER PAUL. 



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(afterwards Sir A. Bryce) and it was executed with the steel chain of 

 Ramsden, as being better fitted for use on such ground than the glass 

 tubes. The length of this base, after reduction, was found to be 

 28,532-92 feet, or rather less than 5 miles, differing only a few inches 

 from the length determined by triangulation from the Hounslow base, 

 and therefore verifying the accuracy of the latter. The English trian- 

 gulation was then connected with the French, by observations from 

 both sides of the Channel, and thus were obtained the relative posi- 

 tions of the observatories. In addition to the great triangles, many 

 secondary triangles were observed, which became a sure foundation 

 for the topographical survey of Middlesex, Kent, and the adjoining 

 counties. 



In September 1783 General Roy completed this memorable work, 

 involving the beginning of the measurement of the British arc of the 

 meridian, and returned to London, but in very indifferent health. 

 The increase of his illness compelled him to pass the winter of the 

 following year at Lisbon ; in April 1790 he returned to England, but 

 he died on the 1st of July, at his house in Argyll-street, London ; 

 before the printing of his paper on the operations he had conducted, 

 in the ' Philosophical Transactions,' had been completed, " though he 

 lived sufficiently long," says Colonel Portlock (from whose sketch of 

 the history of the survey the principal part of this article has been 

 derived), " to correct all but the three last sheets of that most detailed 

 and able account, both of the instruments he used and of the nature, 

 objects, and result of the operations he so successfully carried out." 

 At the peiiod of his decease, General Roy was deputy quartermaster- 

 general, colonel of the 30th regiment of infantry, and surveyor-general 

 of the coasts. In 1821 and some of the following years, General Roy's 

 work of the Hounslow base and subsequent operations was subjected 

 to a much more severe and decisive test than had been afforded by 

 the base of verification measured on Romney Marsh. The angles 

 were re-measured by Colonel (after wards Major-Gen eral) Colby [COLBY, 

 THOMAS], and Captain Kater [KATER, HENRY], -with the great theodolite 

 by Ramsden, and the triangles were calculated with reference to the 

 sphericity of the earth, which had not previously been taken into 

 account. On comparing the results with those obtained by Roy, the 

 greatest difference was found to be in the distance between the signal- 

 stations at Dover and Calais, and this amounted only to 12^ feet, the 

 whole distance being 137,472 feet (see 'Phil. Trans.,' 1828). On the 

 resumption of the survey, after the death of General Roy, the Hounslow 

 base itself had been re-measured by Mudge [MuDGE, WILLIAM], and 

 Dalby [DALBY, ISAAC], the result differing only by 2| inches from 

 that originally obtained by the subject of this notice. The present 

 astronomer-royal, Mr. Airy, has remarked on this commencement of 

 the national survey and measurement of an arc of the meridian, 

 " We believe it may fairly be said, that in this, as in other grand 

 experiments, though we began later than our Continental neigh- 

 bours, we conducted our operations with a degree of accuracy of 

 which, till that time, no one had dared to form an idea." (' Fig. of the 

 Earth,' in ' Ency. Metrop.,' vol. v. 1171.) 



In 1777, as Colonel Roy, he communicated to the Royal Society, of 

 which he had been elected a Fellow ten years previously, a paper, 

 entitled ' Experiments and Observations made in Britain, in order to 

 obtain a Rule for measuring Heights with the Barometer,' which was 

 inserted in the ' Philosophical Transactions.' It is one of the most 

 valuable contributions of the last century to the practical philosophy 

 of the subject. But General Roy united to his purely scientific 

 pursuits those of a geographical and historical antiquary, to which he 

 had been led by his military studies. In 1774 he had a reduced copy 

 of his survey of Scotland engraved for private circulation, with the 

 title of ' Mappa Britannia} Septentrionalis Faciei Romanso,' &c. He 

 had given much attention during the survey to the Roman camps in 

 Scotland, and at the period of his death he had completed an elaborate 

 work on the subject, which, together with the illustrative drawings and 

 the copper-plate of the map, was presented by his executors to the 

 Society of Antiquaries of London, at whose expense it was published, in 

 a folio volume of more than 200 closely-printed pages, with 51 plates, 

 in 1793. The author's own title-page to this work, which is here trans- 

 scribed, fully explains its object and nature : 'The Military Antiquities 

 of the Romans in North Britain, and particularly their ancient system 

 of Castrametation, illustrated from vestiges of the camps of Agricola 

 existing there : hence his march from South into North Britain is in 

 some degree traced. Comprehending also a Treatise, wherein the 

 Ancient Geography of that part of the island is rectified, chiefly from 

 the lights furnished by Richard of Cirencester. Together with a 

 description of the Wall of Antoninus Pius, commonly called Grime's 

 Dyke. To which is added, an appendix, containing detached pieces 

 [all on subjects relating to the Roman and British military history of 

 Britain]. The whole being accompanied with maps of the country, 

 and plans of the camps and stations, &c.' 



* ROYLE, JOHN FORBES, M.D., a distinguished living botanist, 

 was educated for the medical profession, and was a pupil of the late 

 Dr. Anthony Todd Thomson, from whom he acquired that love of 

 botany and taste for materia medica for which he was afterwards so 

 distinguished. After passing the usual medical examinations in 

 England, he entered the service of the East India Company. In 

 Hindustan he worked with great diligence in the collection of plants, 

 and especially in acquiring a knowledge of their medical properties 



and history. He wrote a work ' On the Antiquity of Hindoo Medicine,' 

 in which he included a great amount of valuable information on the 

 subject of the practice of medicine amongst the Hindoos. Having 

 spent a large portion of his time in the Himalaya, where he was super- 

 intendant of the East India Company's botanic garden at Saharunpoor, 

 he was enabled to form a great collection of plants, and to make obser- 

 vations on other departments of natural history. On his return to 

 England he published his great work, entitled ' Illustrations of the 

 Botany and other branches of the Natural History of the Himalaya 

 Mountains.' This work, which appeared in parts, was commenced in 

 1839 and finished in two volumes 4to. It contained a large amount 

 of valuable information on the natural products of India, especially 

 those which are useful in medicine and the arts. Although 

 Dr. Royle did not practise medicine, his knowledge of drugs and 

 their uses pointed him out as a fit and proper person for the chair 

 of lecturer on materia medica at King's College, London, a position 

 he occupied till the year 1856. The results of his experience in this 

 department of knowledge were given in a volume entitled a ' Manual 

 of Materia Medica,' which has been since "the time of its publica- 

 tion a text-book in medical schools. Dr. Royle's botanical know- 

 ledge has often been employed on the productive resources of India. 

 He has several times read papers on the cultivation of tea and cotton 

 in India at the meetings of the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science. His activity at those meetings led to hia appointment 

 for a short time as co-secretary with General Sabine of that association. 

 In 1840 he published an ' Essay on the Productive Resources of India.' 

 In 1855 he also published a volume on ' The Fibrous Plants of India,' 

 pointing out those which could be made more especially available for 

 the manufactures of Great Britain. He took au active part in the 

 Great Exhibition of 1851, especially in arranging the East Indian 

 department. He is a Fellow of the Royal and Linnsean societies, and 

 holds an appointment in London in connection with the East India 

 Company. 



RUAULT, JEAN, more generally known by his Latin name Rualdus, 

 was born at Coutances, in Normandy, about the year 1580. He dis- 

 tinguished himself in early life by his knowledge of the classical 

 languages and of ancient history. He afterwards obtained considerable 

 success as a teacher, and was for several years professor of classical 

 literature at the university of Rouen ; whence he went to Paris, 

 where his lectures were attended with similar success. His fame as a 

 scholar caused him to be twice appointed to the important office of 

 rector of the university of Paris, and in 1629 he succeeded the cele- 

 brated Frederic Morel as professor of ' belles-lettres ' in the College 

 Royale. He died in 1636. 



The erudition of Rualdus is described as having been exact and 

 profound, but fault is found with him as a writer on account of the 

 prolixity of his style and its want of elegance. His oral teaching pro- 

 cured for him a greater reputation than his writings. The work by 

 which he is best known is a valuable edition of Plutarch. The best 

 copy of it is that printed at Paris, of which, as it is now rarely to be 

 met with, we give the title in full : ' Eorundem Plutarchi Operum 

 editio altera Gr. et Lat., ex interpretatione Hermaui Cruserii et Wil- 

 helmi Xylandri, cum notis doctorum variorum et Johanuis Rualdi 

 variantibus lectionibus e MSS. codicibus excerptis et indicibus, ex 

 recensione Philippi Joannis Maussacci.' Parisiis. Typis Regiis, 1624, 

 2 vols. folio (' Bibliographic,' &c., de Bure, art. 6080, Paris, 1768). Oil 

 account of the rarity of this edition, that of Frankfurt (1620) likewise 

 in 2 vols. folio, is generally used, but it is far inferior to it. There 

 also remain of Ruault 1, A Collection of Latin Poems, 12 mo, Paris, 

 1610 : the volume contains two books of epigrams and one of religious 

 poems, besides two harangues on scriptural subjects and panegyrics of 

 St. John the Baptist and St. Ursula. 2, ' Controversia de Duellis,' 8vo, 

 Paris, 1625. 3, A Latin funeral oration on Achille de Harlay. 4, 

 'Preuves de 1'Histoire du Royaume d'Yvetot,' 8vo, Paris, 1631 ('Diet. 

 Bibliographique,' Cailleau, Paris, 1790, vol. ii., p. 513). This being 

 the only edition of this curious work, it is an object of research among 

 the collectors of rare books. Ruault attempts to show that the terri- 

 tory of Yvetot, so celebrated in one of the most popular of French 

 songs, was really constituted a kingdom by Clotaire. 



RUBENS, PETER PAUL, the most celebrated painter of the 

 Flemish school, was born at Cologne in 1577, on the 29th of June, the 

 day of St. Peter and St. Paul, whence his baptismal names. His father, 

 John Rubens, who was one of the dchevins of Antwerp, had taken 

 refuge at Cologne with his family, in consequence of the disturbances 

 prevailing in the Netherlands. In that city he died in the year 1587. 

 His widow shortly afterwards took advantage of the restoration of 

 Flanders to the Roman Catholic faith by the victories of the Duke of 

 Parma, and returned to Antwerp. In his sixteenth year Peter Paul 

 Rubens was placed as a page in the household of the Countess of 

 Lalaing, but the life did not suit him, and he soon returned home. 

 At his own desire he became the pupil, first of Tobias Verhaegt, a 

 landscape-painter, and then of Adrian van Oort, who was celebrated as 

 a colourist. His next master was Otho van Veen, or, as he is commonly 

 called, Otho Venius, court painter to the Infanta Isabella and the 

 Archduke Albert. In the year 1600, when Rubens was twenty-three 

 years old, he was advised by his master to visit Italy. He was already 

 thoroughly conversant with all the technical and general knowledge 

 which would enable him to reap the full benefit from such a journey, 



