RIESENGEBIRGE 



RIFLES 



717 



Innocent VI., resolved to take advantage of 

 Rietizi's old popularity in order to crush the power 

 of the Roman nobles, now becoming troublesome, 

 and sent him to Rome in the train of Cardinal 

 Albornoz. Their mission was swiftly accomplished, 

 and the power of the nobles overthrown again. 

 Rienzi aimed, however, at re-establishing liim- 

 self in supreme authority. In August 1354, 

 having Iwrrowed money and raised a small body 

 of soldiers, he made a sort of triumphal entry into 

 Rome, and was received with universal acclama- 

 tions. But misfortune had impaired and debased 

 his character ; he abandoned himself to luxurious 

 living, and his once generous sentiments had given 

 place to a hard, mistrustful, and cruel disposition. 

 The barons refused to recognise his government, 

 and fortified themselves in their castles. The war 

 against them necessitated the contraction of heavy 

 expenses ; the people grumbled ; Rienzi only grew 

 more severe and capricious in his exactions and 

 punishments. He even murdered the free captain, 

 Fra Monreale, for his wealth. In two months his 

 rule had become intolerable, and on the 8th of 

 October an infuriated crowd surrounded him in the 

 Capitol, and put him to death with ferocious 

 indignities. 



The fortunes and fate of Rienzi have been made the 

 subject of a romance by Lord Lytton, and of an opera by 

 Wagner. See monographs on Rienzi by Papencordt 

 (Hamburg, 1841), Auriac (Amiens, 1885), and Kodo- 

 canachi (Paris, 1888); and the histories of Medieval 

 Koine by Gregorovius and Reumont. 



Riesengcbirge (i.e. 'Giant Mountains'), a 

 mountain-range aliout 23 miles long by 16 broad, 

 separating Bohemia from Prussian Silesia. Seen 

 from Silesia on the north they look like a gigantic 

 wall of rock, pierced at places by deep ravines. 

 On the south they fall away more gradually. The 

 highest peak is the Schneekopne (5260 feet), the 

 loftiest mountain in this part of Europe. Granite 

 and crystalline schists, especially mica-slate, are 

 the principal geologic constituents of the range. 

 There are only three passes : one in the east, with 

 a railway, from Landeshut in Silesia to Trautenau 

 in Bohemia ; one in the west, from Hirschberg to 

 Reichenberg ; and one in the middle, from Hirsch- 

 berg to St Peter in the upper Elbe valley in 

 Bohemia. These mountains are a favourite tourist 

 resort of the Germans. They figure in popular 

 legend as the home of the mountain-spirit 

 Riibezahl, called also ' Herr Johannes,' who rules 

 the weather. See Meyer's Reisehandbiicfi by 

 Letzner (6th ed. 1888) ; and Bubezahl, seine Begrun- 

 dung in der deutschen Mythe (Prague, 1885). 



Riesi, a town of south Sicily, 10 miles NW. of 

 Terranova, has sulphur-mines and makes wine and 

 olive-oil. Pop. 11,914. 



Rieti (ancient Rente), a city of Central Italy, 

 40 miles NE. of Rome, is walled, and presents a 

 mediaeval appearance ; it has a fine cathedral with 

 a monument by Thorwaldsen. Pop. 9618. 



Rievaillx Abbey, situated 26 miles N. of 

 York and 10 E. by N. of Thirsk, is a ruined edifice, 

 Norman and Early English in style, originally 

 bnilt for the Cistercian order by Walter 1'Espec in 

 1131. The ruins consist of the choir and transepts 

 of the church, with a choir-arch 75 feet high, the 

 refectory, and the gate-house. They occupy a 

 beautiful site in the valley of the river Rye; 

 ' Rievaulx ' is but a Norman-French translation of 

 ' Rye vale.' At the dissolution this was one of the 

 richest foundations in Yorkshire. 



RiflT, a name given to the coast districts of 

 northern Morocco extending from Ceuta to the 

 western frontier of Algiers, and forming a line of 

 teep cliff* with few harbours. Its Berl>er inhabit- 

 ants were formerly much addicted to savage piracy. 



Rifle-bird (Ptilorhis paradiseus), often spoken 

 of as one of the 'Birds of Paradise,' is perhaps the 

 best-known species of a genus which, according to 

 Elliot, comprises four species confined to Australia 

 and to New Guinea. Ptilorhis paradiseus inhabits 

 the south-eastern districts of Australia, and is 

 found only in very thick 'bush.' The male is 

 regarded as more splendid in plumage than any 

 other Australian bird. The upper parts are velvety 



Rifle-bird ( Ptilorhis paradiseus ). 



black, tinged with purple ; the under parts velvety 

 black, diversified with olive-green. The crown of 

 the head and the throat are covered with innumer- 

 able little specks of emerald green of most brilliant 

 lustre. The tail is black, the two central feathers 

 rich metallic green. The female, as is often the 

 case, is much duller coloured than her mate. See 

 HONEY-EATEK. 



Rifles. A rifle is a weapon, whether cannon or 

 sinall-anii, whose bore is grooved with spiral chan- 

 nels for the purpose of causing copyright isi, 1997. nd 

 the projectile, when fired, to ro- i '" "" s '" > " 



, . ' . . '. Lilii.iijcott ('onipauv. 



tate round its axis, and thus to 

 impart steadiness to it in its passage or flight 

 through the air. The subject of rifled cannon has 

 already been dealt with under the head of Cannon 

 ( q. v. ) ; in this article, therefore, it is intended to 

 deal only with the question of rifles as applied to 

 small-arms, whether military or sporting. The 

 idea of imparting steadiness to the projectile and 

 thereby increasing the accuracy of fire is one which 

 has exercised the minds of scientific artillerists and 

 gunmakers from a very early period in the history 

 of firearms. The cause of inaccuracy when firing a 

 spherical ball from a smooth-bore firearm may l>e 

 briefly explained as follows : in all muzzle-loading 

 arms the projectile must be smaller in diameter 

 than the bore of the gun, otherwise it could not 

 enter and be rammed home from the muzzle ; the 

 projectile therefore rests on the bottom of the 

 barrel, and its centre is below the axis of the bore. 

 When the gun is fired part of the gas generated by 

 the explosion of the powder escapes over the top of 

 the ball, causing a downward pressure on it ; as 

 this pressure is removed during its passage down 

 the barrel the ball impinges on the top side of the 

 barrel, and so on, up and down and from side to siil<\ 

 until it leaves the muzzle of the gun ; the direction 

 of its flight is therefore not in line with the axis of 

 the bore, but is determined by its last impact 

 against tire side of the barrel. To overcome this 

 inaccuracy the idea suggested itself to cut grooves 

 in the bore of the barrel which by gripping the 

 ball would cause it to rotate round its axis and to 

 leave the barrel more nearly in line with the axis of 

 the bore. 



The first authenticated instance we have of a 

 rifled small-arm being actually used was in the 

 year 1563, when the Swiss government issued an 

 edict to the following effect: 'For the last few 



