RECHBERG 



Rechberg-Rothenlowen, Jo- 

 HANN BERNHARD, COUNT VON (1806- 

 1899). Austrian statesman. Born 

 July 17, 1806, he is remembered 

 for his opposition to Bismarck at 

 the Federal Diet held in 1855 at 

 Frankfort, but as Austrian minister 

 for foreign affairs he supported Bis- 

 marck in common action against 

 Denmark, 1863. He died Feb. 26, 

 1899. 



Recherche Isles. One of the 

 archipelagoes off the S. coast of W. 

 Australia. The islands, with rocks 

 and reefs, from E. to W. for nearly 

 200 m., were explored by a scien- 

 tific expedition in 1921. 



Recidivist (Lat. recidivus, fall- 

 ing back). In criminology (q.v.), a, 

 name given to an old offender, i.e. 

 one who has been sentenced more 

 than once for criminal offences. 

 The recidivists comprise on an 

 average half the prison population 

 of the world, and in some countries 

 the percentage is as high as 70. 

 Efforts are being made in many 

 countries to face the problem by 

 methods of preventive detention 

 and extended police supervision. 

 The mentally defective form a large 

 percentage of recidivists, and the 

 problem of the reform of the re- 

 cidivist is most difficult. 



Recife (Port. Cidode do Recife, 

 city of the reef). Brazilian city, 

 now included in the seaport of 

 Pernambuco (q.v. ). 



Reciprocal (Lat. reciprocity, 

 alternating). In mathematics, the 

 reciprocal of a function or quantity 

 is such that when multiplied by the 

 function or quantity the product 

 is unity. Thus 1/8 and 8 are recipro- 

 cal numbers, a-\-b and I/ (a-\-b) are 

 reciprocal quantities, etc. Reci- 

 procal equations have their roots 

 of the form a and I/a. A series of 

 quantities form an harmonic pro- 

 gression when their reciprocals 

 form an arithmetical progression. 



Reciprocating Motion. Motion 

 to-and-fro in a straight line, e.g. 

 that of the piston and piston-rod 

 of a steam engine. A crank is re- 

 quired on the driver or driving 

 shaft to convert reciprocating into 

 rotary motion. Parts of machinery 

 which move in this way are kn'*wni 

 as the reciprocating parts. 



Reciprocity. In political econ- 

 omy, the mutual admission of 

 goods on equal terms between 

 nations. One of the first treaties of 

 the kind was that between Great 

 Britain and France in 1860. In 

 1854 a reciprocity treaty was rati- 

 fied between Canada and the 

 U.S.A., but it was abrogated by 

 the latter country some years 

 later owing to protectionist ac- 

 tivity. In Canada, again, in 1891, 

 the question of reciprocity with the 

 U.S.A. aroused much controversy, 



65 1 2 



the Conservatives under Sir John 

 Macdonald, the premier, proposing 

 that it should be restricted to raw 

 materials, while the Liberals fa- 

 voured complete reciprocity. Nego- 

 tiations with the U.S.A. on the 

 subject came to nothing, and were 

 unsuccessfully revived by Sir W. 

 Laurier in 1911, but in 1893 a 

 reciprocity treaty with France was 

 signed. Reciprocity and retalia- 

 tion are closely connected with a 

 protectionist policy, and therefore 

 not acceptable to convinced free 

 traders. See Free Trade ; Protec- 

 tion; Tariff Reform, etc. 



Recitative. Species of declama- 

 tory music in which the natural 

 accentuation of the words com- 

 bined with dramatic emphasis is 

 the first consideration. It is en- 

 tirely free as regards structure, and 

 is thus sharply differentiated from 

 the formal airs or choruses between 

 which it occurs. It is of two kinds : 

 Reciiativo secco, in which the ac- 

 companiment is as light as possible, 

 consisting only of a few chords, 

 played originally from a figured 

 bass ; and Recitative stromentato, 

 in which the accompaniment forms 

 an essential part of the effect. For 

 an example of each see Nos. 15 and 

 16 in The Messiah. The dramatic 

 scena is a development of accom- 

 panied recitative, while a great 

 deal of Wagner's music is directly 

 descended from it. 



Recklinghauseu. Town of 

 Germany. In the Prussian prov. 

 of Westphalia, it is about 20 m. 

 N.W. of Dortmund. It contains 

 the castle of the dukes of Aren- 

 berg, to whom the district for- 

 merly belonged. The Rhenish - 

 Westphalian coal district is around 

 here, and there are manufactures 

 of linen, tin, cigars, and beer. 

 Pop. 54,000. 



Reclamation (Lat. reclamare, to 

 cry out again). Act of winning 

 back or recovering. It is chiefly 

 used in connexion with the re- 

 covery of land from the sea. This 

 consists of engineering works for 

 excluding the sea from foreshores 

 in river estuaries covered at high 

 tide, and the draining of low-lying 

 tracts which are waterlogged by 

 the overflow of streams passing 

 through them, or by the lack of 

 natural drainage. In some dis- 

 tricts, where the general level is 

 below that of the sea, exclusion of 

 Bea and river water and the expul- 

 sion of water already accumulated 

 have to be effected under one 

 scheme. This has been notably the 

 case in Holland and the fens of the 

 Eastern counties of England. 



To reclaim a foreshore, an en- 

 closing embankment is formed 

 rising above the level of the highest 

 spring tides. In places where wave- 



RECUUSE 



action is strong, keeping the em- 

 bankment in repair may entail a 

 great deal of watchfulness, labour, 

 and expense. Reclaimed ground is 

 drained by ditches emptying into 

 a main ditch running along the in- 

 side foot of the embankment. At 

 intervals sluices from this ditch 

 are cut through the dyke, with 

 flaps at the outer end ; so that 

 water is discharged when it stands 

 higher inside than outside, but 

 cannot enter when the tides cover 

 the sluices. If there be not suf- 

 ficient fall for gravity drainage, 

 the water is lifted over the sea- 

 wall by steam or wind driven 

 pumps of large capacity. 



Fen land is protected by dykes 

 from streams which flow through 

 it. A system of drains and ditches 

 leads the water to points where it 

 is pumped or sluiced into rivers or 

 artificial cuts. As the ground dries 

 it consolidates and sinks, whereas 

 the beds of streams tend to rise 

 if much silt is present in the water 

 they carry. Consequently the lift 

 to be given by the pumps may 

 increase very considerably in 

 course of time. 



Reclamation of areas by cover- 

 ing them with mud, sand, or silt 

 confined by an embankment or 

 wall is practised only if the new 

 ground will have high value and 

 the material for filling is obtainable 

 at small cost. The ideal conditions 

 for this kind of work are found 

 where material excavated by 

 dredgers from a position in which 

 it is obstructive can be turned to 

 useful account to raise the level 

 of land adjacent to the water 

 where the dredger is operating. 

 Thus, in Bombay Harbour almost 

 a square mile of ground was re- 

 claimed by clay cut from the 

 bed of the harbour itself and de- 

 livered through long floating pipes. 

 See Embankment ; Netherlands ; 

 Zuider Zee. 



Recluse (Lat. recludere, to shut 

 up). Name given to a man or 

 woman living alone for the purpose 

 of devotion to religion. In medieval 

 days such persons were known as 

 anchorites and anchoresses. They 

 usually lived in a cell or small 

 building attached to a church or 

 convent. They were dedicated to 

 the life by the bishop, and the en- 

 trance to the cell was usually 

 closed. But the life of the inmate 

 \vas not one of undue austerity, 

 and popular ideas on the subject 

 are greatly exaggerated. The re- 

 cluse or anchorite was distinguished 

 from the hermit by the fact that he 

 remained within his cell, while the 

 latter was under no such restric- 

 tion. In ordinary language anyone 

 who shuns society is called a 

 recluse. See Anchorite. 



