RAINIER 



RAJMAHAL 



567 



receiving funnel, to retain the snow as it falls and 

 prevent its being blown out of the gauge, as is 

 likely to happen when the funnel is shallow. 

 Beckley's is perhaps the best continuously record- 

 ing rain-gauge, and is now very generally super- 

 seding Osier's so long in use. 



Since different amounts are collected at different 

 heights above the 

 ground, it is indis- 

 pensable, if uni- 

 formity and com- 

 parability is to be 

 attained, that the 

 rims of rain-gauge 

 be placed at one 

 uniform height 

 al)ove the ground. 

 The height now 

 generally adopted is 

 12 inches. The 

 points it is neces- 

 sary to secure at the 

 height adopted are 

 ( 1 ) the prevention 

 | of in-splashing as 

 the rain-drops strike 

 the ground and are 

 broken into minute 



Symons' Kain-gauge. 



droplets, a large 

 second descent fall 



the gauge ; ( 2 ) the prevention of out- 

 liing, which occurs when the funnel is very 



number of which in their 

 into 



splashing, 



shallow; and (3) the protection of the gauge as 

 much as possible from strong winds, which so 

 seriously interfere with the amount collected, by 

 placing it as near the ground as can be done con- 

 sistent with the prevention of in-splashing. These 

 conditions are best fulfilled by using the gauges 

 named, and placing their rims 12 inches above the 

 ground. It has been proved from carefully con- 

 ducted experiments that rain-gauges with diameters 

 varying from 3 inches upwards collect amounts, 

 when in positions exactly similar, within about 

 3 per cent, of each other. Accordingly, gauges 

 with diameters exceeding 8 inches insure no 

 greater accuracy than smaller ones, being only 

 really required in the case of continuously record- 

 ing gauges to hold the self-registering apparatus. 

 On the other hand, gauges of from 3 to 5 inches 

 diameter, such as Fleming's and Jagga's, give good 

 trustworthy results. 



Special care should be taken that the gauge and 

 its glass measure be kept clean ; that it be (irmly 

 fixed and the rim kept in a horizontal position ; 

 and that it be made of a material which will stand 

 exposure to the weather well. It should be placed 

 in a situation as open as can be secured for it, 

 particularly towards the directions from which the 

 rain chiefly comes ; and in each case it should l>e 

 R distant from any neighbouring house, tree, or 

 other object at least as far as the height of the 

 object itself. 



Rainier, MOUNT, or TACOMA, one of the highest 

 peaks of the Cascade Range ( q.v.), was in eruption 

 during part of 1894. 



Rainy Lake, forming a portion of the boun- 

 dary line Itetween Ontario and the United States, 

 lies west, and 100 miles distant from the nearest 

 point, of Lake Superior, and is alnmt 50 miles long. 

 It discharges by Rainy River into Lake of the 

 Woods. There were gold finds on the Canadian 

 si.lc in 1896-97. 



Rainur. a town in the Central Provinces of 

 India, standing on a plateau (950 feet), 180 miles 

 E. of Nagpur, has numerous tanks and groves, an 

 old fort ( 1640 ), and a trade in grain, lac, cotton, 

 &c. Pop. 23,759. 



Raised Beaches. See BEACHES (RAISED), 

 UPHEAVAL. 



Raisins are dried grapes, used for cooking, for 

 dessert, and in the manufacture of wines. They 

 are produced in largest quantities in the south- 

 eastern provinces of ISpain Malaga, Alicante, and 

 Valencia and in Asia Minor the islands of Cos 

 and Samos and the adjacent districts on the main- 

 land ; smaller quantities are grown in Provence, 

 Southern Italy, the islands of the Greek Archi- 

 pelago, and Crete. Currants (q.v.) are a small and 

 peculiar variety produced in Greece, in the Morea, 

 and the Ionian Islands. The grapes intended for 

 raisins are dried either on the vines, after the 

 stalks of the bunches have been partly cut through, 

 or spread out on the ground ; it is only in case of 

 continued bad weather or persistent want of sun- 

 shine that they are dried by artificial heat. The 

 better qualities are left on the stalks and dried in 

 bunches ; these are exported for use as dessert. 

 All less estimable qualities are intended for cook- 

 ing purposes, and, to a less extent, for the prepara- 

 tion of artificial wines or the improvement of wines 

 of inferior quality. Raisins are rich in sugar, and 

 it is this propeity that makes them serviceable to 

 the manufacturers of wine. The bunches intended 

 for table use are sometinies dipped in water upon 

 the surface of which swims a layer of olive-oil, or 

 in a strong potash lye. The object is to make the 

 skin soft and give it a glossy lustre. The raisins 



grown in Spain are large ami blue, and are known 

 in the market as ' Malaga raisins' and as 'lexias,' 

 the former for dessert, the latter for cooking. The 

 raisins of Asia Minor are shipped principally at 

 Smyrna (q.v.), and embrace the Elem6 and similar 

 varieties, which are long and light brown in colour, 

 and sultanas, small light-brown grapes, with a 

 thin and delicate skin and no seeds or kernels. 

 Britain imports in all annually from 493,600 cwt. 

 (1886) to 653,100 cwt. (1887), valued at 813,000 

 ( 1886) to 1,022,400. From Spain Britain imports 

 every year raisins to the average value (ten years 

 ending 1889) of 808,370, and from Asia Minor to 

 the value of 399,300 ( 1889 ). Of late years raisins 

 have been successfully dried in California ; but in 

 1890 the United States still imported raisins to the 

 amount of 36,914,330 Ibs., of the value of 1,997,103. 



Rajah, or more correctly RAJA (from the Sans- 

 krit rdjitn, 'king,' cognate with the Lat. reg- of 

 rex), originally a title which belonged to princes of 

 Hindu race who, either as independent sovereigns 

 or as feudatories, governed a territory. Now, how- 

 ever, the title has a much wider extension : it is 

 used of independent sovereigns, of subject or ' pro- 

 tected ' princes, of petty chiefs, of great landowners, 

 and of some persons of eminence who are neither 

 rulers nor landowners. 



Rajamahendrf (formerly often spelt Rajah- 

 muiu'ry), a town of India, in the presidency of 

 Madras, stands on the left bank of the Godavan, 

 30 miles from its mouth. It has a museum, a 

 provincial school, two gaols, and some Christian 

 churches. From 1753 to 1758 it was held by the 

 French. Pop. 24,555. 



Rajinahal, a decayed town of India, stands 

 on a steep eminence on the right bank of the 

 Ganges, 170 miles NNW. of Calcutta. It was long 

 the chief town of the Bengal and Bahar provinces, 

 but is now deserted and ruinous, being only note- 

 worthy for the remains of its palaces, formerly 

 belonging to Shah Shuja and Kasim AH, and as a 

 station in an important transit trade. Its com- 

 mercial value has been lessened in consequence of 

 the Ganges often shifting its bed at this point. In 

 the beginning of the 19th century it had 25,00(1 

 inhabitants, and now only about 4000. 



