

RAVENNA. 



READING. 



270 



RAVENNA, a province of the Ppal State, is bounded N. by the 

 province of Ferrara, W. by that of Bologna and by Tuscany, S. by the 

 province of Forii, and E. by the Adriatic. The area is about 674 

 square miles, and the population in 1850 was 175,338. The eastern 

 part of the province, which lies near the Adriatic, is low and marshy ; 

 but the western or inland part, which stretches to the foot of the 

 Tuscan Apennines, in the neighbourhood of Imola and Faenza, is 

 healthy, well cultivated, and thickly inhabited. The chief products 

 of the country are corn, wine, silk, hemp, and cattle. A considerable 

 quantity of sea-salt is derived from the Lagoon of Cervia. The 

 principal towns of the province are RAVEXXA and FAEXZA. Imola is 

 an episcopal city of 10,000 inhabitants on the Santorno, which is 

 crossed by a handsome bridge. It has a fine cathedral, a college, and 

 manufactory of cream-of-tartar. Popes Pius VIL and Pius IX. were 

 bishops of Imola before their election to the Holy See. Cerria, a 

 small town, in an unhealthy situation near the sea-coast, has about 

 1200 inhabitants. Cadet Boloynete, a bustling town, in a fertile 

 district, has about 4000 inhabitants. 



The province of Ravenna is crossed by numerous streams, which 

 rise in the Tuscan Apennines, and flow in a north-east direction to the 

 Adriatic. The principal are the Santemo, which flows by Imola; 

 the Senio ; the Lamone, which flows near Faenza ; the Montone, 

 which enters the sea below Ravenna ; and the Ronco, which joins the 

 Montone above its month. A road leads from Faenza across the 

 Apennines into the valley of the Sieve, north of Florence. 



RAVENNA, situated in 44' 26' N. lat, 12* 12" E. long., is an 

 ancient city of Italy, once a sea-port, bat now 9 miles from the sea, 

 which has receded all along this coast, owing to the accumulation of 

 sand thrown up by the waves, and of the alluvial earth brought down 

 by the rivers. Between Ravenna and the sea is the Pineta, or Forest 

 of Pine*, which extends about 15 miles in length along the sea-coast, 

 and which has been noticed by Dante, Boccaccio, Dryden, and Byron. 

 Ravenna is an archbishop's see, and the residence of the legate of the 

 province. It has a college, and civil, criminal, and commercial courts. 

 The population is about 18,000. The cathedral, built in the 4th 

 century, but since that time almost completely rebuilt, retains several 

 sculptures and other remains of its early age: the baptistery, detached 

 from the church, is still in its original state. The church of Santa 

 Vitale was built by an exarch in toe time of Justinian, in imitation 

 of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. It has some handsome pillars 

 of granite, and a large mosaic, in good preservation, representing the 

 emperor Justinian with his courtiem, and his empress Theodora 

 Mraded by her ladies. The church of St John the Baptist was built 

 by Placidia, daughter of Thcodosius, as well as that of St John the 

 Evangelist, with its altar, which is faced with porphyry and other 

 valuable marbles. The mausoleum of Theodoric, which is outside of 

 toe town, has a monolithic dome, nearly 100 feet in circumference, 

 which has been transformed into a church, called Santa Maria Rotonda. 

 There are torn* remains of the splendid palace of Theodoric, which 

 was inhabited by hi* successors the Exarchs. A fragment of a wall, 

 with two or three pillars, and a semicircular rewss above, are all that 

 remain of the palace. A porphyry bath, which was found near the 

 mausoleum, has been let into the wall of the palace. The church of 

 St. Apollinaris in Classe, so called because it was built on the she of 

 the old port, is a magnificent structure, raised also by Theodoric, with 

 24 large columns, each of a stogie piece of marble, which were 

 Drought Afoul Constantinople ; flsjd a fine mosaic, representing a view 

 of Ravenna hi the 4th century, with numerous figures of saints. The 

 great altar is made of porphyry, verde antko, and oriental ilshsstsr; 

 and the pulpit, which is of marble, is of curious workmanship. 

 Ravenna, next to Rome, is the city of Italy which abounds most with 

 valuable and rare ancient marbles. The church of St. Apollinaris 

 contains the tombs of many of the old archbishops of Ravenna, and a 

 series of their portrait.. 



The public library of Ravenna contains 40,000 volumes and 700 

 manuscripts. There is also a cabinet of ancient medals and inscrip- 

 tions, and a gallery of paintings. The mausoleum of Dante, who died 

 at Ravenna, was raised in the 15th century, by Bernardo Bern bo, a 

 Venetian podesta, and father of Cardinal Bembo : it has been repaired 

 several times. 



The ancient town of Classis, the port of Ravenna, which stood 

 2 or 8 miles 8. from the city, was destroyed in the year 728 by 

 I.iiitpnml, king of the Longobards. It is now a marsh, 6 miles 

 distant from the sea. 



Ravenna is said to have been originally a town of the Umbri. It is 

 not particularly noticed in Roman history till the time of the empire, 

 when the port of Ravenna became one of the two great stations for 

 the Roman fleet, Misennm bring the other. After the fall of the 

 empire Tbeodorio made Ravenna the capital of bis kingdom, and he 

 greatly emhellishpd the town. When Narses, the general of Justinian, 

 having overthrown the kingdom of the Goths, A.D. 568, was appointed 

 by the emperor exarch or governor-general of Italy, he fixed his 

 residence at Ravenna, which continued under his successors to be the 

 nitre of the imperial administration in Italy, till Astolphus, king of 

 the Lombards, took Ravenna In 752. In 755 Pepin, having defeated 

 Astolphos, obliged him to give up Ravenna and the district called the 

 Pentapolis to the see of Rome. 



RAWIT8CH, [Poem.] 



RAWTONSTALL. [LANCASHTRB.] 



RAYLEIQH. [Essex.] 



RE, ISLE OF. [CHAREXTE-IxFERiEnRE.] 



READING, Berkshire, the county town, a municipal and parlia- 

 mentary borough and market-town, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, 

 is pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Rennet, just above 

 ita junction with the Thames, in 51 27' N. lat, 68' W. long., 

 distant 39 miles W. by S. from London by road, and 36 miles by the 

 Great Western railway. The population of the town of Heading in 

 1851 was 21,456. The borough is governed by 6 aldermen and 18 

 councillors, of whom one is mayor ; and returns two members to the 

 Imperial Parliament The sanitary arrangements of the town are 

 under the management of a Local Board of Health. The livings are 

 in the archdeaconry of Berks and diocese of Oxford. Reading Poor- 

 Law Union contains three parishes, with an area of 4699 acres, and a 

 population in 1851 of 22,175. 



Reading is first noticed in history in 871, when it was occupied by 

 the Danes, who quitted the town towards the close of that year. In 

 1006 it was burnt by the Danes, who destroyed an abbey of nuns, on 

 the site of which an abbey for Benedictine monks was erected in 1121 

 by Henry I., who was buried here. In the following reigns the kings 

 frequently resided at Reading, where a grand tournament was held 

 by Kdward III., 'and four parliaments were held by Henry VI. and 

 Edward IV. On the dissolution of the abbey, the buildings were 

 appropriated as a royal palace. In the civil war of Charles I. the town 

 was occupied successively by both parties, and suffered severely from 

 being so long a garrison town. 



The town is very irregularly laid out Much improvement has 

 however taken place in its general appearance of late years. The 

 chief business part of the town stands on the point of land at the 

 junction of the Kennet with the Thames. The town is well paved, 

 lighted with gas, and tolerably supplied with water. The houses are 

 in general substantial, and built of brick ; but there are some old ones 

 of lath and plaster, with high gables. As the river Kennet has a 

 divided channel, there are several bridges in and near the town. St 

 Lawrence's church has some portions of the original structure of 

 Norman character; it consists of a nave and north aisle, and a chancel. 

 There is a fine tower at the west end, of perpendicular character, and 

 of chequered flint-work ; it has a peal of ten bells. St. Mary's church 

 consists of a nave, south aisle, a small north aUle, and a chancel ; it 

 was rebuilt about 1551, chiefly from the materials of the abbey 

 church, then pulled down ; it has a tower similar to that of St Lawrence. 

 There are two district churches and a chapel of ease. The Baptists 

 and Independents have each three chapels, the Primitive Methodists 

 two, and the Wesleyan Methodists, Quakers, and Roman Catholics 

 one each. The Roman Catholic chapel, erected in 1840, is a neat 

 structure in the Norman style. It is built chiefly of flints from the 

 abbey ruins. The Free Grammar school, founded in I486, has an 

 income from endowment of about 501. a year, and had 26 scholars 

 in 1854. Attached to the school are two fellowships at St John's 

 college, Oxford ; and two recently-founded scholarships. There are 

 National, British, and Infant schools; a Blue-Coat school, with an 

 income of about 8501. a year, in which 40 boys are maintained and 

 educated; a Green-Coat school for 21 girls; a Charity school of 

 industry ; and six sets of almshousea. The town-hall is a commodious 

 modern building, the under part of which is appropriated to the use 

 of the grammar school. A building, termed ' the Oracle,' was erected 

 early in the 17th century by Mr. John Kendrick, a great benefactor to 

 the town, for the employment of the poor ; the principal gateway, 

 which is the most striking portion of the building, is of mingled gothic 

 and Grecian architecture. The Public Hall is a fine structure, con- 

 taining apartments for the Literary Society and mechanics institute. 

 A new ssnisri hill has lately been completed. The new county jail and 

 house of correction, erected on the plan of the Pentonville model prison, 

 stands on the site of the abbey. Among other buildings requiring 

 notice are, the borough buildings, public baths, a new and spacious 

 hospital, and a Urge union workhouse. A medical dispensary is 

 supported by voluntary contributions. There is a savings bank. 



The trade of the town is considerable. Coarse linen is now woven 

 to a small extent Silk for umbrellas and parasols is manufactured ; 

 silk ribands and galloons are woven, and somn floor-cloth and sail- 

 cloth is made. There are iron-foundries, breweries, and yards for 

 building and repairing barges. Trade is carried on hi corn, seeds, 

 timber, bark, hops, wool, and cheese. There are flourishing biscuit- 

 making establiihmenta. Fish sauce, sometimes called Reading sauce, 

 is extensively made. Large quantities of flour and of agricultural 

 produce are sent by railway and by barges to London. The markets 

 are held on Wednesday and Saturday. Fain are held on February 2nd, 

 May 1st, July 25th, and September 21st The Kennet is navigable to 

 Beading for vessels of about 120 tons burden. The Kennet and 

 Avon Canal affords a water communication with most of the chief 

 ports of the kingdom. The Great Western railway crosses the Kennet 

 between the town and the river Thames. By the Reading, Guildford, 

 and Reigato railway, the Great Western, South-Western, and South- 

 Eastern main lines are connected ; by the Basingstoke branch of the 

 Great Western from Reading, another communication is obtained with 

 the South- Western line ; there is likewise a branch of the Great 

 Western railway from Reading to Hungerford. The assizes, quarter 



