Reclamation of Land. 1. Thames side, by Somerset House, in 1860 61, looking up river at low tide. Note men standing on 

 river bed. 2. Somerset House and Victoria Embankment, looking down river, in 1921. 3. Water Gate, Buckingham Street, 

 in 1780, with the river at high tide. 4. Water Gate and Embankment Gardens, with temporary huts built during the 

 Great War. The Water Gate now stands 130 yds. from the river edge 



Recognizance. In English law, 

 a written acknowledgment of a 

 debt due to the crown, with a con- 

 dition that the debt shall be void 

 if such-and-such a thing is done, or 

 not done. Thus a prosecutor is 

 bound in the sum of 20, but the 

 money is not to become payable 

 if the prosecutor appears to prose- 

 cute the accused at the next ses- 

 sions, etc. A surety for bail enters 

 into a recognizance, promising to 

 pay a certain sum ; but if the 

 prisoner shall appear to take his 

 trial at the next sessions, etc., the 

 recognizance is void. See Bail. 



Re collet Fathers (ultimately 

 from Lat. recolligere, to gather 

 together). Name given to the 

 Friars of the Strict Observance, a 

 section of the Observantine branch 

 of the Franciscan Order. An alter- 

 native spelling of the name is Re- 

 collect. They were founded about 

 1489 by Juan de Puebla in Sierra 

 Morena, Spain, and did much mis- 

 sionary work in S. America. They 

 also spread into Italy and France. 

 These friars have charge of the 

 sacred places of the Latin observ- 

 ance at Jerusalem. The name 

 Recollettes has been adopted by a 

 reformed branch of the Poor Clares. 

 See Franciscans ; Monasticism. 



1. Stereoscopic Co. 



Reconnaissance. Military term 

 for the employment of troops to 

 obtain information in war as to the 

 topographical features and re- 

 sources of a country, or the move- 

 ments and dispositions of an enemy. 

 Strategical reconnaissance is re- 

 quired before the opposing armies 

 are within striking distance of one 

 another ; the frontier raids which 

 immediately follow a declaration of 

 war are of this character. Tactical 

 reconnaissance is the work of ad- 

 vanced guards and outposts when 

 hostile forces are in contact, and 

 battle plans are dependent on 

 knowledge of the enemy's pre- 

 liminary dispositions. Aircraft 

 and cavalry are principally used 

 for reconnaissance work. See 

 Patrol; Strategy; Tactics. , 



Reconstruction (Lat. re-, again; 

 construere, to put together). Pro- 

 cess of building up again. The 

 term is specially applied in Ameri- 

 can history to the process of re- 

 storing normal relations after the 

 Civil War between the seceded 

 southern states and the Union. It 

 was again employed in 1917 and 

 subsequent years to describe the 

 plans evolved for the rebuilding of 

 Europe after the Great War. See 

 Reconstruction, Ministry of. 



Reconstruction. Term used in 

 commercial law. When a limited 

 liability company has suffered 

 heavy capital losses, and it is not 

 desired that the concern shall cease 

 business altogether, it is not un- 

 usual to reconstruct the companv. 

 This is generally done by formally 

 winding-up the company and 

 transferring its business and assets 

 to a new company, paying for the 

 assets by shares in the new com- 

 pany which are only partly paid 

 up. These shares are distributed 

 amongst the old shareholders, with 

 the result that each one becomes 

 liable to pay certain further 

 " calls " to provide more funds. 



Thus, suppose the old company's 

 capital was 10,000 in 10,000 1 

 shares, all of which have been 

 paid up, the new company will pay 

 for the business and assets 10,000 

 1 shares credited with 10s. paid 

 up. The effect is that each share- 

 holder will receive share for share, 

 but he will have to meet a fresh 

 liability of 10s. on each share. 

 There are several other methods. 

 See Company Law. 



Reconstruction, MINISTRY OF. 

 Department of the British Govern- 

 ment formed in 1917 to prepare for 

 the end of the war with its release 



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