ROY 



HUB 



Royal Exchange a splendid desert, com- 

 pared to what it has been ; but the enter- 

 prising 1 spirit of our traders, which out- 

 strips all the cold calculations of poli- 

 ticians, may serve to convince the world, 

 that though this spirit may be checked 

 for a short time, it can never be extin- 

 guished, nor will all the powers of the 

 earth combined produce the growth of 

 grass between the stones of its pave- 

 ment. 



The architectural decorations render 

 the exterior and interior fronts of the 

 Royal Exchange an ornament to the vast 

 metropolis of England. The form is 

 square, and the area the same ; there are 

 four gates which face the cardinal points, 

 but the principal is in Cornhill. Mr. 

 Malcolm informs us that the statues of 

 George I. and George II. are by Rys- 

 brack; his present Majesty's by Wil- 

 ton, which was erected in March, 1764 ; 

 and that most of the Kings previously to 

 Charles II. were sculptured by Gibber ; 

 that of the latter King, which originally 

 stood in the area, is the work of Grinlin 

 Gibbons, the unrivalled carver in wood ; 

 those of Charles I. and II., on the princi- 

 pal front, are by Bushnell. The statue 

 of Charles II., in the area, was a few years 

 since replaced by another in a Roman 

 habit, the performance of Mr. Spiller. 

 We shall conclude this slight sketch of 

 the history of the Royal Exchange with 

 a brief description by the author just 

 mentioned. The grand gateway is in the 

 centre intercolumniation of four Corin- 

 thian pillars, which are the whole height 

 of the front, and have a complete entab- 

 lature, the great arch reaching to the 

 architrave. In the attic, directly over 

 the gate, are the royal arms, and this 

 forms the base of the steeple, on which 

 there are three gradations, or stories, 

 each bounded by pilasters and pillars, 

 with entablatures and balustrades, and 

 busts in place of vases, the usual orna- 

 ments of this sort of magnificent edifices ; 

 except the third, which has pediments 

 on each side, with a cupola arising from 

 the centre. On this is a globe and gilt 

 grasshopper. 



Over each side intercolumniation of 

 the front are circular pediments ; above 

 them are attics and balustrades, with the 

 Mercers' crest and the City supporters. 

 The lesser entrances have divided pedi- 

 ments, and over them Corinthian niches, 

 and pediments containing statues of 

 Kings Charles the First and Second. The 

 wings of the front are five arches in 

 iength, on each side of the gates, three of 



these form a piazza ; the two remaining 

 retire into the main building. The base- 

 ment in which they are turned is rustic, 

 and the story above them Corinthian, 

 with four pillars, an entablature, and ba- 

 lustrade. The three windows of the 

 projection, and those of the building, are 

 exactly attic in their borders, though 

 placed in Corinthian intercolumniations. 

 The four sides of the quadrangle are 

 magnificent, and richly decorated with 

 the basement arches of the walks, the 

 cornices over them, the niches, statues, 

 pillars, circular windows, entablatures, 

 and balustrade, all in correct proportion 

 and arrangement. 



ROYENA, in botany, African bladder- 

 nut, so named in honour of Adrian Van 

 Royen, a genus of the Decandria Digynia 

 class and order. Natural order of Bi- 

 cornes. Guaiacanae, Jussieu. Essential 

 character : calyx pitcher-shaped ; corolla 

 one-petalled, with the border revolute; 

 capsule one-celled, four-valved. There 

 are seven species. 



RUB1A, in botany, madder, a genus of 

 the Tetrandria Monogvnia class and or- 

 der. Natural order of Stellatac. Rubia- 

 cese, Jussieu. Essential character : corolla 

 one-petalled, bell-shaped ; berries two, 

 one-seeded. There are seven species. 

 See MAUDKR. 



RUBRIC, in the canon-law, signifies a 

 title or article in certain ancient law- 

 books ; thus called because written, as 

 the titles of the chapters in our ancient 

 Bibles are, in red letters. Rubrics also 

 denote the rules and directions given at 

 the beginning, and in the course of, the 

 liturgy, for the order and manner in 

 which the several parts of the office are 

 to be performed. There are general 

 rubrics and special rubrics, a rubric for 

 the communion, &c. In the Romish 

 missal and breviary are rubrics for matins, 

 for lauds, for translations, beatifications, 

 commemorations, &c. 



RUBUS, in botany, the raspberry, a 

 genus of the Icosandria Polygynia class 

 and order. Natural order of Senticosae. 

 Rosaceae, Jussieu. Essential character : 

 calyx five-cleft ; petals five ; berry com* 

 posed of one-seeded acini. There are 

 thirty -two species ; among which is the 

 R. idaeus, or common garden raspberry, 

 too well known to need a particular de- 

 scription : it is found wild in many parts 

 of Europe, particularly in rocky moun- 

 tains, moist situations, woods, and hedges. 

 The varieties of the raspberry are, the 

 red-fruited, the white-fruited, and th$ 

 twice-bearing 1 . 



