R A A 



R A B 



"! 



(hire of Invernefs. It is about fifteen miles in length, and 

 from two to five in breadth. On all fides the coafl rifes to 



When a dafh was added at top, as R, it fignificd eighty 



thoufand. > . , r n i \ r.,r„U\^A , a great heiirht above the level of the fea ; and on the eaft 



The Greek r, f, with a fmall mark over ■'. JS"'' ^^ a b ^^.^^^^ .^ peculiarly bold, and ahnoll perpendicular, 



hundred; with the fame mark under it, it denoted looo . r . ' . . . i- «- . 

 X lOO ; thus p fignified 100,000. 



In the Hebrew numeration, 1 denoted 200 ; and with 

 two horizontal points over it, 1000 x 200; thus 1 = 



200,000. , . , • n 1 



R on the French coins, denotes their being Itruck at 



Orleans. „ , ,■ ■ i 



R, or R, in Medic'wal Prefcrlption, (lands tor recipe, tnke. 

 RAA.'in Geography, a town of Norway; 10 miles N.E. 

 of Frederickftadt. 



RAAB, GyoR, or Javarin, a town and tortrels ot 

 Hungary, fituated in a pleafant level country, at the conflux 

 of the Danube, the Raab, and Rabnitz, which furround 

 it. Its houfes are conllrufted of ftone, and its ftreets are 

 large and ftrs.ight. It is the fee of a bifhop. Its fortifica- 

 tion confilto of feveu baftions, and it has always a ftrnng 

 garnfon, provided with military (lores. The fortifications 

 of the city and caflle are chiefly the works of the emperors 

 Ferdinand I. and Maximilian II. In this place are feen 

 fome Roman antiquities; 56 miles S.E. of Vienna. N. lat. 

 47= 42'. E. long. 18^ 45'. 



Raab, a rivt-r of Stiria, which rifes near mount RettI- . 

 ilein, and runs into the Danube, near Raab in Hungary. 



RAAF, or Raff, Anthony, in Biography, the moft 

 exquifite and celebrated tenor finger of the lall century, 

 was born at Bonn in 1 7 10. He was a fcholar of Bernacclii, 

 and equally admired for his tafte, expreflion, and fl;yle of 

 finging, by the Italians and Germans. In 1729 his voice 

 was fettled from a high treble to a fweet and firm tenor, 

 fufficiently for him to perform a capital part in an opera at 

 Naples. After finging in all the great cities of Italy, he 

 returned to Germany, where he was courted and carefled 

 by all the princes of the empire. He was knighted by the 

 eledlor of Bavaria, and appointed his chamber mufician. 

 In 175 1 he performed again at Naples in Metallafio's "At- 

 tilio Rigolo," with the Mingotti, and in the letters of 

 Metaftafie of that period, we have the poet's opinion of his 

 performance. (Mem. of the Life and Writings of Metallafio, 

 vol. i. p. 403.) He performed in an opera compofed by 

 Chriftian Bach at Manheim in 1 7 70, when the celebrated 

 air " Non fo donde viene" was in his part, and which was 

 afterwards fung on our opera Itage with fuch effeft by Ci- 

 prandi. Rafl:' was at Paris more than once; for in 1780, 

 his 70th year, Laborde fpeaks of him with great refpeft. 

 " This celebrated tenor has acquired great reputation, and 

 though at prefent d'un certain age, he obliges us Hill to ad- 

 mire his tafte, and regret all that he has loft." According 

 to Gerber, Mufical Lexicon, vol. ii. he fung at Manheim in 

 1783, and was living in 1792. 



RAAGOE, in Geography, a fmall ifland of Denmark, 

 near the N. coaft of the idand of Laland. N. lat. 54° 58'. 

 E. long. 11° 19'. 



RAAJAGUR, a town of Hindooftan, in the country 

 of Malwa, near the river Nieunoudge ; 74 miles N.E. of 

 Ougein. N. lat. 24° 2'. E. long. 76= 56'. 



RAALBRANN, a town of Auftria ; feven miles S.E. 

 of Meiffau. 



RAAN, a town of Auftria ; four miles E.S.E. of 

 Hooren. 



RAASAY, an ifland of the Hebrides, or Wefl:ern 

 Iflands, Scotland, is fituated between the main land and the 

 Ifle of Skye, and is included within the pari(h of Portree and 



The interior is throughout its whole extent mountainous ; 

 and hence is better adapted for pallurage than for tillage, 

 but there are neverlhelefs fevcral fpots of very fertile and 

 well cultivated land. The fupply of free-ttone is almoft 

 incxbauftible, and there is likewife plenty of lime-ftone. 

 Formerly there were in Raafay feveral ancient chapels, but 

 thtfe are now ruinous and only ufed as places of burial. 

 Here arc likewife remains of two forts, the highcft of which 

 was fituated at the fouthern extremity of the ifland, and is 

 called Dunn-Cann, as tradition records, from Cannc, coufin 

 to one of the ancient kings of Denmark. The other fort, 

 called Caftle-Broichin, is a well-known land-mark among 

 failors. The rock on which it is fituated is nearly round, 

 covering an area of little more than feventy feet fquare ; is 

 forty feet high, except at the fpot where the ftair leads up 

 to it ; and is fixty feet above the level of the fea at its bafe. 

 The caftle is built of ftone and lime, and feems to have been 

 no lefs rtrongly fortified by art than by nature. It was an- 

 ciently the chief feat of the lairds of Raafay. Now, how- 

 ever, the family refidence is at Clachan, or Kirk-town, near 

 the oppofite extremity of the ifland. One of the old High- 

 land alliances has continued for more than two hundred 

 years, and is ftill fubfiftiiig between Macleod of Raafay, and 

 Macdonald of Skye, in conlequence of which the furvivor 

 always inherits the arms of the deceafed ; a natural memorial 

 of military friendfl-iip. At the death of the late fir James 

 Macdonald, his fword was delivered to James Macleod, efq. 

 the prefent laird of Raafay. Dr. Johnfon, in his Tour to 

 the Hebrides, fpeaks in warm terms of the elegance and 

 hofpitality with which he was entertained by this truly re- 

 fpeclable family. Carhfle's Topographical DiAionary of 

 Scotland, 2 vols. 4to. 1813. Pennant's Tour through 

 Scotland, vol. ii. 



RAASS, a town of the duchy of Stiria ; five miles W. 

 of Marburg. 



RAASTORF, a town of Auftria; four miles N. of 

 Entzerft&rfF. 



RAAT, a town of Hindooftan, in the country of Agra ; 

 128 miles S.S.E. of Agra. N. lat. 25^ 37'. E. long. 



19" 58'- 



RABACAL, a town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Beira ; [2 miles S. of Coimbra. 



RABANUS, MAUnus Magnentius, in Biography, a 

 celebrated German prelate in the ninth century, was born 

 at Fulda in the year 785. He was educated partly at Fulda, 

 and partly at Tours, under the famous Alcuin. In the 

 latter fituation he diftinguifhed himfelf by an unwearied ap- 

 plication to his ftudies, and his almoft unequalled proficiency 

 in ail the learning of the times, both profane and facred. 

 Not long before the death of Alcuin he returned to Fulda, 

 and embraced the religious profeffion in its abbey. In the 

 year 810 he was placed at the head of a fchool belonging 

 to the abbot Ratgarius, and the fame of his fuperior learn- 

 inor foon raifed the feminary into great reputation, and 

 filled it with pupils, many of whom were afterwards pro- 

 moted to the higheft ecclefiaftical dignities, and proved the 

 brighteft ornaments of the age. In 815 he was ordained 

 prieft, and in 822 he was elefted abbot of Fulda. About 

 830 he was, by his prudence and good conduct, the means 

 of cffefting a reconciliation between the emperor Lewis 1^ 

 Debonnaire and his fons. Shortly after this, Ebbo, arch- 

 bilhop of Rheims, who had been condemned for high trea- 

 fon, was committed to his cuftody. In 838, at the requeft 



of 



