R A F 



n. 7 " Leaves lanceolate, alternate or oppofite. Flowers 



terminal." — This and all the following were gathered by 

 profclFor Thiinbcrg, at the Cape. In the I^innaean her- 

 barium is a fpecimen, by whom gathered does not appear, 

 which fcems to anfwcr to the above character, (except the 

 Laves being linear-lanceolate, ) and which may perhaps ex- 

 plain the paradoxical contrariety between the Ipecific name 

 and charatter. In tliis fpecimen the /lowers are really ter- 

 mlnal, being folitary at the ends of copious, ftiort, leafy, 

 lateral branches, which are axillary. The whole Jeliage has 

 a HylTop-likc afpeft. 



7. R. aiigulata. Angular Rafnia. Thunb. ib. WiUd. 

 n. 8. — " Leaves lanceolate, alternate. Flower-ftalks lateral. 

 Stem angular." 



8. K. fpicata. Spiked Rafnia. Thunb. ib. Willd. 



n. 9 " Leaves lanceolate, alternate. Flowers axillary, 



racemofe." — Of this fpecies alone, it feems, Willdenow had 

 feen a dried fpecimen, and we regret that he did not give us 

 ferae account of il. 



9. R. angujlifolia. Narrow-leaved Rafnia. Thunb. ib. 

 Willd. n. lo. — " Leaves lanceolate, alternate. Flower- 

 ftalks lateral. Stem round." 



10. K. Jilifrjlia. Thread-leaved Rafnia. Thunb. ib. 

 Willd. n. II. — " Leaves linear-lanceolate, alternate. Flovv- 

 ers axillary." — The Linnxan herbarium contains two fpe- 

 cimens, fpccifically different, which we prefume belong to 

 this and the lall, but no human fagacity can appropriate 

 them ; except that one of them, with large and feemingly 

 purplirti Jloivers, having rather the narrowed leaves, may 

 be taken iox jUtfolia. This is marked as gathered by Thun- 

 berg. The other has much fmaller and yellow Jloiuers. 

 l.'hejle/n is round in both. 



11. R. relrujlexa. Bent Rafnia. Thunb. ib. Willd. 

 n. 12. — "Leaves obovate. Branches reflexcd backwards 

 and forwards." — A fpecimen from Thunberg anfwers to the 

 above name and charafter, except the leaves being rather 

 linear-lanceolate than obovate. Their colour is fomewhat 

 glaucous. Flowers moftly terminal, folitary, on fhort 



Jlalks, with an awl-fiiaped bradea, or abortive leaf, at the 

 bafe of each ilalk. 



12. R. ereSa. Upright Rafnia. Tiiunb. ib. AVilld. 

 n. 13. — " Leaves oblong. Flowers lateral. Stem erecl." 



i^. R. diffufa. Prollrate Rafnia. Thunb. ib. Willd. 

 n. 14. — " Leaves ovate, fmooth. Stem decumbent." 



All the fpecies turn more or lefs black in drying. For 

 Rafnia rctiifa of Ventenat, Malmaif. t. 53, fee Temple- 

 TONIA hereafter, and Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 4. 269. 



RAF30, in Geography, a fmall idand on the E. fide of 

 the gulf of Bothnia. N. lat. 61° 37'. E. long. 21^12'. 



RAFSUND, a town of Sweden, in the province of 

 Jamptland ; 28 miles S.E. of Frofon. 



RAFT, in Sea Language, a fort of float formed by an 

 affemblage of various planks, or pieces of timber, faltened 

 together fide by fide, fo as to be conveyed more commo- 

 dioufly to any fiiort diitance in a harbour or road, thin if 

 they were feparate. The timber and planks, witli which 

 merchar.t-fliips are laden in the different parts of the Baltic 

 lea, arc attached together in this manner, in order to float 

 them off to the (liipping. 



This means of conveying timber to navigable fituations 

 may be advantageoufly praftifed in many places. It is 

 found of great utility in many of the northern parts of tiie 

 ifland as well as others, near canals and waters, where a 

 cheap conveyance for fuch articles is required. 



Thebalfaor catsmaran ufcd by the Indians and Spaniards 

 in South America, is only a raft made of the trunks of the 

 balfa ; far an account e£ which, fee the article Boat. 



5. 



U A G 



They have one malt, on which is lioifteJ a large fquare fail ; 

 and a pair of (heers, whofe heels red on each fide the raft. 

 When a fore-ftay fail is fet, a pair of fheers is rigged fur- 

 ward. Thefe rafts were the firll conveyance by water, w , 

 dvjubt, long before veffels ot a better conltruftion wer 

 thought of; and what is rather lurprifing, they arc made to 

 fail with foul winds, and lleer, as well as any ottier kind of 

 vellel, by means of an inventit>u fimilar to, and perhaps th(r 

 original of, that which is now called "a fliding-keel." 

 They have for this pnrpofe planki about ten feet long, and 

 fifteen to eighteen inches wide, which Hide vertically in the 

 fpaces between the trunks which form the raft. It is only 

 neceflary to immerge them more or lefs, and put down a 

 greater or lefs number at the fore or after part of the raft, 

 to make it either luff-to, or fall-off from the wind, tack, 

 veer, lie -too, and perform every neccffary manoeuvre. The 

 number of thefe planks is five or fix, and if one of thefe 

 planks be drawn up forward, the raft will keep away ; and, 

 if one is raifed abaft, it will come to tlie wind. This fort 

 of raft, from the fimplenefs of its conllruftion, might per- 

 haps be well adapted to many cafes of emergency, after (hip. 

 wreck upon coalts, dtftitute of all other materials for ihip- 

 building. 



Rai-t-Po;7, in a Ship, a fquare hole cut through the fut- 

 tocks of fome (hips, immediately under the counter, to re- 

 ceive the planks or pieces of timber which are brought to 

 lade her for tranfportation ; and which, on account of their 

 great length, could not be received aboard otherwife. 



RAFTERING, in jigriculture, a provincial term ufed 

 for a fort of ploughing in narrow ridges, or fmall ridglets. 

 It is ufeful fin- expofing a large furface of earth to the in- 

 fluence of the atmofphere. 



RAFTERS, in Building, are pieces of timber, which, 

 ftanding by pairs on the rcafon-piece or raifing-piece, meet 

 in an angle at the top, and form the roof of a building. 



It is a rule in architetlure, that no rafters fhould ftand 

 farther than twelve inches from one another. 



For the fizea or fcantlings of rafters, it is provided by 

 aft of parliament, that />r/m/^«/ rafters from 12 feet 6 inches 

 to 14 feet 6 inches long, be c inches broad a-top, and 8 at 

 the bottom, and 6 inches thick. Thofe from 14, 6, to 

 1 8, 6 long, to be 9 inches broad at the foot, 7 a-top, and 

 7 thick. And thofe from 18, 6, to 21, 6, to be loinches 

 broad at the foot, 8 a-top, and 8 thick. 



Single raftei-s, 6 feet 6 inches long, to be 4 and 3 inches 

 in their fquare. 



RAFTY, a provincial term fignifying damp and mufty, 

 as corn or hay in a wet feafon. 



RAG, or Rake, among Hunters, denotes a company or 

 herd of young colts. 



Rag, or Ragg, Rowley, in Mineralogy. See Ferri- 



LITE. 



Rag, a torn piece of cloth of any fort. See the nest 

 article. 



Rags, Woollen, as well as the clippings of pitch marks upon 

 (heep, are good manure. The rags fliould be chopped fmallj 

 about an inch or two fquare, and fcattered on the earth at 

 the fecond ploughing ; for being thereby covered they will 

 begin to rot by feed-time. They imbibe the moifture of 

 dews and rain, retain it long, and, according to Dr. Home, 

 keep loofe dry foils in a nioift date. They formerly coft 

 about fourpence a bufhel at London, from whence many 

 loads were fer.t every year to Dundable, which is thirty- 

 three niiles, where they are laid on even diff lands, jud after 

 the fowing of the corn, allowing to the acre four facks, of fix 

 bufiiels each 5 they are much higher now, at more than 



double 



