ROSS ROSTOPSC H I N. 



23 



He was master of the grammar-school of South- 

 ampton, and chaplain to Charles I. The titles of 

 his numerous works, which are now entirely for- 

 gotten, it is needless to enumerate. He is now 

 chiefly remembered from the celebrated couplet in 

 Hudibras : 



" TlnTP was an nncient sage philosopher, 

 Who had read Alexander Koss over.'' 



ROSS, ALEXANDER, the author of the "For- 

 tunate Shepherdess," a Scottish poem of consider- 

 able merit, was born in Aberdeenshire, in 1699. 

 His father was a farmer in easy circumstances, and 

 he received a good education in the Mareschal col- 

 lege, Aberdeen. After acting as tutor for some 

 time, he was, in 1732, appointed schoolmaster of 

 Lochlec, a wild parish, in Angus-shire ; and the rest 

 of his life was spent in discharging the duties of 

 this humble office. It was not till he was nearly 

 seventy years of age that he first appeared as an 

 iiuthor. In 1768, was published, at Aberdeen, 

 with the patronage of Dr Beattie, "Helenore, or 

 tho Fortunate Shepherdess," a poem which has 

 gone through numerous editions, and which in the 

 north of Scotland disputes popularity with Ramsay 

 and Burns. Its chief merit consists in descriptions 

 of scenery and of the habits of a rude and pastoral 

 life. Many of Ross's songs are still favourites with 

 his countrymen. We may mention 'The Rock 

 and the Wee Pickle Tow,' ' To the Begging we will 

 go,' and ' Woo'd and Married and a'.' Ross died 

 in 1784, leaving a vast number of pieces in manu- 

 script, which, however, have never been published. 



ROSS-SHIRE; an extensive maritime county in 

 the north of Scotland, bounded on the north and 

 north-east by Sutherland, and on the south by In- 

 verness-shire. It has the main part of Cromarty- 

 shire on the east, and is throughout interspersed 

 with minute portions of that county. On the west 

 coast it comprehends the island of Lewis, and some 

 smaller islands. On the east coast, the county 

 terminates in an obtuse point, but on the western 

 shores, which are much indented by arms of the 

 sea, the land extends sixty miles from north to 

 south. The most northerly point of the county in 

 the mainland is in lat. 58 30' north, and the most 

 southerly 57". The shire contains a superficies of 

 2427^- square geographical miles, of which the in- 

 terspersed parts of Cromarty-shire form 260. Lewis 

 contains 431 square miles. The number of acres 

 in the mainland is about 2,071,466, and in Lewis 

 359,093. Of the first number, 220,466 belong to 

 Cromarty-shire, and 5973 to the district of Ferin- 

 tosh, which is part of the county of Nairn. The 

 whole of this extensive territory, except a portion 

 on the east side, called Easter Ross, is mountain- 

 ous, wild, and pastoral. The mountains are for 

 the most part in groups. Ben Wyvis is esteemed 

 the highest, and rises about 3720 feet above the level 

 of the sea. Almost the whole of the west coast 

 abounds in magnificent mountain scenery, and the 

 interior is in general picturesque. The eastern 

 part of the county is pleasing in its aspect, and 

 possesses all the attributes of a rich champaign 

 country. The chief rivers on the east side of Ross- 

 shire are the Conan, which flows into the Cromarty 

 Firth, and the Oikel and the Carron, flowing into 

 the Dornoch firth. The largest river on the west 

 coast is the Ewe, which has a short course from 

 Loch Maree. The Conan, and its principal branch 

 the Ritmey or Black- Water, form some falls of con- 

 siderable height and beauty. The indentations of 

 tli.j sea on the west coast, or salt water lakes, pro- 



ceeding from north to south, are Loch Enard, Loch 

 Broom, Little Loch Broom, Loch Greinord, Loch 

 Ewe, Gairloch, Loch Torridon, Loch Keeshorn, 

 Loch Carron, and Loch Alsh, with its inner south- 

 erly arm, Loch Duich. The county has a great 

 number of lakes of fresh water in the interior, the 

 most important of which is Loch Maree. 



As regards agriculture this county may be consi- 

 dered as consisting of three districts ; namely, the 

 East coast, where the land is suited for the culture 

 of grain, and where farming has been brought to a 

 high state of perfection; the Central- Highlands, 

 partly adapted for grain, and partly for pasture ; 

 and the west coast, which is fitted only for past- 

 urage, being rugged and mountainous. Great num- 

 bers of horses, cattle, goats, and especially sheep, 

 are fed on the hills, which likewise abound with 

 game ; and the sea, lochs, and rivers are much fre- 

 quented by water-fowl. Limestone and free-stone 

 approaching to the nature of marble, are found 

 here; ironstone is abundant; and a rich vein of 

 silver and lead ore has been discovered in the parish 

 of Alness. The three royal burghs in this county 

 are Tain, Dingwall, and Fortrose. The principal 

 Highland clans here are the Mackenzies, the 

 Rosses, the Frasers, the Mackays, the Macraes, 

 and the Munroes. Rosshire with Cromarty, con- 

 tains thirty-one complete parishes, and part of two 

 other parochial divisions. In 1801, the population 

 of Ross and Cromarty shires was 53,525; in 1811 

 it was 60,853; in 1821 it was 68,828; and in 1841, 

 it was Y8.685. 



ROSSBACH; a village, in the Prussian province 

 of Saxony, between Naumburg and Merseburg, 

 famous for the decisive victory which Frederic the 

 Great obtained there over the imperial and French 

 troops under marshal Soubise, November 5, 1757. 



ROSSBERG; a mountain in Switzerland, near 

 the east bank of lake Zug, and not far from Righi. 

 In 1806, in consequence of a long continuance of 

 heavy rain, a large mass detached itself, and covered 

 with desolation the valley of Goldau. Part of it 

 reached lake Lowerz, which rose above its banks. 

 Above a hundred lives were lost by this disaster. 



ROSSTRAPPE (horse's hoof-mark}; one of the 

 finest spots in the Hartz mountains, near the vil- 

 lage Thale, on the river Bode, above which the 

 rocks rise 830 feet. One of these, a rugged and 

 precipitous peak, has on its top an indentation like 

 the print of the hoof of a gigantic horse, which 

 gives its name to the neighbouring district. 



ROSTOCK; a seaport of the Baltic, in Meck- 

 lenburgh-Schwerin, with 19,024 inhabitants, among 

 whom no Jew is suffered. It was a member of the 

 Hansa (q. v.) from the earliest time of this league 

 to 1630, when the greater league was dissolved'. 

 Its former importance was great. Its university 

 was founded in 1419; it has twenty-three profcs- 

 sores ordinarii, but is one of the less important uni- 

 versities of Germany. No subject of Mecklenburg- 

 Schwerin can have an appointment in that country 

 under the government, without having studied for 

 some time in Rostock. There are generally but 

 about a hundred and fifty students there. The 

 library has about 80,000 vols. Lat. N. 54 O' 1"; 

 Ion. E. 12 12' 16''. It is the largest city of the 

 grand-duchy. In 1824, four hundred and eighty- 

 six vessels entered this port, and five hundred and 

 seventeen cleared out. 



ROSTOPSCHIN, FEODOE, count, was born in 

 1760, of an ancient Russian family. He entered 

 the imperial guards as a lieutenant, and afterwards 



