\ I '.'.:. 



Iki wnty. but their rnsJas ST* rery imperfect Onstowtrof Aber 

 Kdw r^U. remaina, It U situated clow to UK romantic Tillage of 

 Absr Bdw, sjear the junction of the Bdw with the Wye, about thro 

 mile* below the town of BuUth. ThU CMtle belonged to Llewellyn 

 a Oriftyth. and was tht prince's but retreat Be wu here killed. 

 The dell of the Edw hiu erer (inae been called Cwm Llewellyn, or 

 LWwellyn's Pingle. 



The only monsMic establishment in Radnorshire seems to have been 

 that of Abbey Cwm Hir. It is romantically .itunted in n narrow valley 

 Moulded by high hills 5 mile* eatt by north from Kliayader. It wu 

 founded about 1148. The only remains of the edifice are part of the 

 exterior walli and the foundation of the pillars which supported the 

 arches. Born* of the columns and arches of the abbey were removed 

 to !>*"'"-. and are now in the church of that place. The ancieut 

 font and creen at Newtown were also taken from Abbey Cwm ) I ir. 



aMitfiM.- JUMotu WortUr and JniKmction. According to the 

 Returns of the Census of 1851, it appears that in the Registration 

 County of Radnor, including a population of 31,425, there were tlu-n 

 13 plaoM of worship, of which 5 belonged to the Church of England, 

 60 to three bodies of Methodists, 17 to BsptuU, and 11 to Independ- 

 ents. The total number of sittings provided was 22,802. The number 

 of day-schools was 88, of which 34 were public schools, with 1731 

 scholars, and 49 were prirate schools, with 699 scholars. Of Sunday 

 schools there were 51, with 2519 scholars. There was au eveufug 

 school for adults, with 9 scholars. 



RAUOM. [PoLASD.] 



RADWINTER. [EasM.] 



RAGGED ISLAND. [BAHAMAS.] 



RAOU'SA, or RAU'OIA (Rhacusa, in Latin ; Dubrouuik, in Sla- 

 vonian), an episcopal and sea-port town of Austria, iu the crown-laud 

 of Dalmatia, is situated on the eastern coast of a peninsula in the 

 Adriatic, formed by the Gulf of Breno on the east and the Gulf of 

 Santa Croce, or Ombla, on the west. The town stands about 40 miles 

 W. by N. from Cattaro, in 42* 38' N. lat, 18 8' E. long., and is built 

 partly at the foot and partly on the steep declivity of two hills : it is 

 fortified with walls and ditches, and has a castle on the east, at the 

 entrance of the harbour, and another at the western end of the town. 

 The streets are paved, but very narrow, except two : the houses, 

 which are built of freestone, ore generally large and commodious. 

 The principal buildings are the cathedral, which is a good structure ; 

 the palace of the government, which is extensive, and has some fine 

 halls and galleries ; the custom-house, the guard-house, and barracks. 

 The town has a lyceum and several other institutions, a theatre, and a 

 quarantine station. The town is well supplied with spring-water. 

 Outside of the walls are numerous gardens and country-houses, with 

 plantations of orange and other fruit-trees, and handsome fountains. 

 From Ragusa along the western coast as far aa the Creek of Ombla, a 

 distance of about three miles, there is an almost continuous suburb. 

 The surrounding country produces abundance of fruit and very good 

 wine : the malmsey of Ragusa has a great reputation, and forms an 

 article of export The climate of Ragusa is temperate and healthy, 

 and instances of great longevity are not uncommon. The population 

 of Ragusa, which is said to have once amounted to 30,000 inhabitants, 

 is now only about 6000. Its maritime trade, which during the period 

 of iU independence was very flourishing, was almost annihilated after 

 the French occupation in 1806; but it bos somewhat revived since 

 the peace. Ship-building, manufactures of soap, roeoglio and other 

 liqueurs, and tobacco are the chief branches of industry. The har- 

 bour, which lies immediately south of the town, admits only small 

 Teasels ; but two miles west of Ragusa is the fine harbour of Gravosa, 

 which admits ships of the line, and has docks for ship-building, and 

 fine country-houses and gardens. Timber is carried thither from the 

 opposite coast of Monte Uargano in Italy. A few miles east of Ragusa 

 is Ragusa Vecchia, on or near the site of the ancient Epidaurus in 

 lUyria, a Roman colony, which was destroyed by the Slavonians in the 



Bagnsium, or Rausium, seems to owe its origin to the inhabitants 

 of Epidaurue who escaped from the sack of the city by the Slavonians. 

 In the 7th century the population was increased by emigrants from 

 other town* of Dalmatia and Albania, and the town was then enlarged 

 and fortified. The people organised a republican form of government, 

 umsistloy of a general council, from which the senate, or executive, 

 wu elected, with an officer at their head, who was first styled Count, 

 and afterwards Rector. Till the 10th century they lived under the 

 protection of the Slavonian princes of Narenta, The Narcutines were 

 defeated at sea by I'ielro Orseolo, doge of Venice ; after which the 

 Ragman* now applied themselves strenuously to agriculture, as well 

 as to maritime trade : they built vessels, and became so powerful by 

 sea, that in no very long time afterward* a Ragusan squadron joined the 

 Imperial fleet and defeated the Saracens, who had attacked Ragusa 

 and several other towns on the Dalmatian coast. The annals of Ragusa 

 for several oratories after this event exhibit a succession of wars and 

 treaties between the republic and the Slavonian powers of Croatia, 

 Serria, Bosnia, and Bulgaria, u well as with the emperors of Constan- 

 tinople and th* Norman kings of Sicily, throughout which the small 

 community of Ragusa preserved its independence and extended its 

 maritime trade. 



From about the year 1260 till 1368 Ragusa had Venetian rectors, 



HAJMAHAL. 



who held office for two yean each, and were taken from among the 

 first patrician families of Venice. Ragusa however still continued to 

 govern itself as an independent state, and to be administered according 

 to its own laws. In thi* interval it greatly extended its trade, 

 obtained considerable accessions of territory, and built the strong 

 futUosn ot Stagno to defend the isthmus of the peninsula of Sabioncello. 

 About 1368, war having broken out between Venice and the king of 

 Hungary, who had attacked Ragusa and several other towns on the 

 Dalmatian coast, the Hungarians advanced as far us Maestre, and 

 Venice was obliged to sue for peace, one of the conditions of which was 

 that Ragusa should be restored to independence, and should choose 

 its own rectors. It was also determined that the rector should be 

 renewed every six months. In gratitude for this the Ragnsans agreed 

 to pay a tribute of 500 ducats yearly to the king of Hungary, and to 

 hoist his flag on their ramparts by the side of that of the republic. In 

 the war between Genoa and Venice (1378-80) the Ragusans sided with 

 Genoa, and some of their galleys were at the battle of Chioggia. After 

 the defeat of the Genoese, Venice sent a squadron against Ragusa, 

 which applied to tho king of Bosnia for assistance, by whose means 

 they repulsed the Venetians, after which peace was made between 

 Venice and Ragusa. About the year 1397 the Ottomans, under 

 Sultan Bayazid, having defeated Sigismund of Hungary at the great 

 battle of Nicopolis, overran part of Bosnia, and spread alarm a* far as 

 Ragusa. About 1414 the Ragusans purchased peace with the Ottomans 

 by paying an annual tribute of 500 ducats, which was afterwards 

 gradually raised as the Turks drew nearer to Ragusa. In 1433 the 

 Ragusaiia introduced the manufacture of woollens from Florence, which 

 became their principal branch of internal industry. They also con- 

 structed an aqueduct to carry the spring-water from the valley of 

 Giuncheto to their town, at an expense of 12,000 ducats. 



In 1440 George Despotos of Servia, being defeated by Amurath II., 

 took refuge at Ragusa with his family and treasures, and was there 

 protected against the threats of Amurath. About 1450 the Ragusans 

 purchased from several Bosnian lords the district of Ragusa Vecchia 

 and Canale, which constituted the eastern part of their territory, and 

 distributed the land among the citizens. But in 1463-64 Mahomet II. 

 conquered Bosnia also, and the Turks became immediate neighbours 

 of Ragusa, and have been ever since. About 1471 they ravaged tho 

 district of Canale, but Ragusa obtained a respite by raising the tribute 

 to 8000 ducats. From this time the Ragusans paid a yearly tribute 

 to the Porte, which afforded them its powerful protection. During 

 the long wars of the 16th century, between Sultan Solyman and his 

 son Selim on one side, and Venice and Spain and other Christian 

 powers on the other, the Ragusans found it a most arduous task to 

 preserve their neutrality, as the fleets of the belligerents came repeat- 

 edly off their coa?ts, and landed and plundered the territory without 

 scruple. 



During the 17th and 18th centuries, after a better understanding 

 had been established between the Porte and the Christian powers, 

 Ragusa continued to enjoy her independence and neutral security, 

 paying the accustomed tribute to the Sultan, who however did not 

 interfere in her internal concerns, and no Turkish soldier was allowed 

 to step within its boundaries. The Sultan's protection was of import- 

 ance to Ragusa, by securing its flag from the attacks of tho Barbary 

 pirates. In this respect the Ragusan merchant ships had the advantage 

 over those of most states in the Mediterranean, and they acted as 

 carriers in that sea between the Levant and the ports of western 

 Europe, and realised considerable profits, especially in times of war. 

 Ragusan mercantile houses were established in many of the sea-port 

 towns of tho Mediterranean. The republic maintained a small fleet of 

 galleys and other armed vessels for tho protection of its coasts and its 

 trade. In 1667 Ragusa was afflicted by a dreadful earthquake, which 

 ruined the greater part of the town. 



Ragusa had remained an independent state for more than a thousand 

 years. Coeval with Venice, it fell soon after that republic. In 1806 

 France and Russia wore quarrelling about the possession of the im- 

 portant district of Cattaro, which was ceded to France by the treaty 

 of Presburg between Austria and France. The Russians however from 

 Corfu had been beforehand, and had taken possession of Cattaro. Tho 

 French troops from Dalmatia could not reach Cattaro without crossing 

 the neutral territory of Ragusa. The soldiers of Napoleon, unable to 

 occupy Cattaro, took military possession of Ragusa in May, 1806. The 

 French occupation of Ragusa led the Montenegrins to overrun its 

 territory. They besieged the French within the town. The unfortu- 

 nate Ragusans, placed between the regular French troops within and 

 the savage Montenegrins without, saw their country-houses and villages 

 devastated, but the town was saved from the Montenegrins. The 

 result was, that Napoleon by a stroke of the pen in 18uS abolished 

 the republican government, and incorporated Ragusa with the province 

 of Dalmatia, and he made Marinout titular duke of Ragusa and 

 governor of the province. On the fall of Napoleon in 1814, whan the 

 Auatrians again occupied Dalmatia, they found Ragusa included in 

 that province, and they kept it 



RAINHAM. [EssKX.] 



RAJAMUNDY. [CIKCARS, NORTHERN.] 



RAJASTHAN. [HIUDVSTAN.] 



RAJMAHAL, a town of Hindustan, in the presidency and* province 

 of Bengal, on the right bank of the Ganges, in 26 2' N. lat., 87 53' 



