ROTHSCHILD ROTTERDAM. 



25 



looms. The cotton mills of Rothesay are moved 

 by water collected in reservoirs, from the rains fal- 

 ling in the adjacent country, applied in a most 

 ingenious manner by Mr Thorn, engineer. Sixty 

 years since the town possessed no more than one 

 or two half-decked vessels of fifteen tons burden, 

 and some open boats; but so much had the trallic 

 of the port increased in 1791, that there were 

 then, in addition to boats, from eighty to a hundred 

 vessels between fifteen and a hundred tons burden 

 belonging to it. Since that period there has been 

 a proportionate increase. The prosperity of the 

 town has been facilitated by the erection of piers, 

 with an excellent harbour, which opens on a safe 

 and extensive bay; and from this circumstance 

 alone, Rothesay may be expected to rise still more 

 in the scale of commercial importance. The dis- 

 tillation of spirits, a tan-work, net-making, buss 

 and boat-building, in addition to fishing and fish- 

 curing, give employment to a considerable number 

 of hands. As a bathing place, or resort during the 

 summer months, Rothesay possesses many charms, 

 and is deservedly popular. Being sheltered by 

 rising grounds, forming behind it a screen from 

 south-western storms and winds, the climate is 

 considered mild and pleasing, while the air is of a 

 salubrious character from sweeping over the sea. 

 The old part of the town is situated at the inner 

 part of the bay ; it has extended itself on both 

 sides, near its head, by the addition of villas and 

 lodging houses, which command a remarkably fine 

 view of the entrance from the Clyde. 



The parish of Rothesay is about ten miles in 

 length, and from three to four in breadth ; and on 

 the coast are four bays, which afford safe anchorage. 

 The surface is in general hilly, but there are some 

 small valleys, which are very fruitful. 



Population of the landward part of the parish in 

 1821, 1602; of the burgh, 4107; in 1841, popula- 

 tion of the parish, and burgh, 7147- 



ROTHSCHILD. This celebrated European 

 house has raised itself from an humble sphere to 

 an unexampled degree of wealth and importance 

 by judicious enterprise, a sagacious and systematic 

 series of operations, which thousands of others had 

 the same opportunities to take advantage of, a 

 reputation for fair dealing, and a correct estimate 

 of men and events. The father of the five brothers, 

 Mayer Anselm, was born at Frankfort on the 

 Maine, in 1743, and died in 1812. His parents 

 died wh.en he was but eleven years old, and he was, 

 as is common with poor Jews in Germany, educated 

 for a teacher. This occupation not suiting his 

 taste, Rothschild engaged in trading, in a small 

 way, and was not long after employed in a banking 

 house in Hanover ; and in a few years his industry 

 and frugality made him master of a small capital. 

 Returning to Frankfort, he married, and established 

 the banking house, which is still in existence. His 

 activity, intelligence, and integrity in a short time 

 procured him a continually increasing credit, parti- 

 cularly after his nomination as agent to the land- 

 grave of Hesse, in 1801. In 1802, 1803 and 1804, 

 his affairs continued to prosper so much, that at 

 this period he was able to contract for a Danish 

 loan of four million dollars. The house, up to the 

 recent death of Nathan Rothschild, consisted of his 

 five sons; Anselm, born in 1773, the head of the 

 house, resides at Frankfort ; Solomon, born in 1774, 

 resides alternately at Berlin and Vienna, principally 

 at the latter place ; Nathan, born in 1777, lived in 

 London since 1798, where he died in 1837; Charles, 



born in 1788, is at Naples; and James, born in 

 1792, at Paris. In 1813, occurred those political 

 events which raised the house of Rothschild to the 

 position it has since occupied in the commercial and 

 financial concerns of the world. In a period of 

 twelve years, about 500 million dollars were raised 

 by the house for different powers, by way of loan 

 or subsidy, which were distributed in nearly the 

 following proportion: for England two hundred 

 millions, for Austria fifty millions, for Prussia forty 

 millions, for France eighty millions, for Naples 

 fifty millions, for Russia twenty-five millions, for 

 several German courts four millions, for Brazil 

 twelve millions, exclusive of various other large 

 sums. The remarkable success of the Rothschilds, 

 setting aside the great opportunities which they 

 have enjoyed from favourable circumstances, may 

 be attributed to their strict adherence to two funda- 

 mental maxims. The first of these, in compliance 

 with the dying injunctions of their father, is their 

 conducting all their operations entirely in common. 

 Every proposition of magnitude made to one of 

 them is submitted to the deliberations of all ; no 

 project is adopted until thus fully discussed, and it 

 is then executed by united efforts. A second prin- 

 ciple is, not to aim at exorbitant profits, to set 

 definite limits to every operation, and, so far as 

 human prudence and oversight can do, to render it 

 independent of accidental influences : in this maxim 

 lies one of the main secrets of their strength. The 

 reasonableness of their terms, the punctuality with 

 which they execute their contracts, the simplicity 

 and clearness of their plans, and their judicious 

 manner of carrying them into effect, fortify their 

 credit. A constant exchange of couriers is kept 

 up between them, who are frequently in advance 

 of those of the government. Several princes have 

 publicly acknowledged their obligations by con- 

 ferring nobility and other honours upon the dif- 

 ferent members of the family. In the latter part 

 of 1831, the Rothschilds contracted for a loan of 

 fifteen million francs for the court of Rome, which 

 may be increased to twenty-five millions. 



ROTROU, JEAN, a French tragic poet, born at 

 Dreux, in 1609, was the most distinguished dra- 

 matic writer among the predecessors of Corneille. 

 Of his thirty-six tragedies, tragi-comedies, and 

 comedies, only one the tragedy of Venceslas (as 

 revised by Marmontel) keeps the stage ; the plot 

 of this piece is borrowed from the Spanish of 

 Roxas. Rotrou endeavoured to elevate the tone 

 of the drama by giving it a moral purpose, and his 

 heroes and heroines are made to utter Christian 

 sentiments. Richelieu, who granted him a pension, 

 could not prevail upon him to assist in decrying 

 the Cid of Corneille. In 1650, Hotrou fell a 

 victim to a pestilential disease, to which he nobly 

 exposed himself in the discharge of his official 

 duties, as one of the principal magistrates of his 

 native place. His CEuvres appeared at Paris in 

 1820, in 5 vols. See France, Literature of, division 

 Dramatic Poetry. 



ROTTERDAM; a city, and seaport town of 

 Holland, on the right bank of the Meuse, which is 

 here above a mile in width, twenty miles from its 

 mouth; lat. 51 55'' N.; Ion. 4 28' E.; twelve 

 miles south-east of the Hague, thirty-three south- 

 west of Amsterdam. Rotterdam is the second city 

 in the Dutch provinces, for commerce and wealth, 

 and contains 63,093 inhabitants. The form of 

 Rotterdam is triangular, its longest side (above a 

 mile arid a half in extent) stretching along the bank 



