11 A I 



cient to overcome the weight, or refiftance, of the objeA to 

 which the machinery is apphed. 



RiUait^G-Pieces, or Riafon-pieces, in Arch'tteBure, arc 

 pieces that lie under the beams, and over the polls or 

 puncheons: thofe lying on the brick-work arc called plat- 

 bands. 



RAISINS, grapes prepared by drying them in the fun, 

 or in the air ; to fit them for keeping, and for lome medici- 

 nal purpofes. 



Of thefe there are various kinds : as, raifms of Damaf- 

 cus, thus called from the capital city of Syria, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of which they arc cultivated. They arc much 

 ufed in the compofition of ptifaus, together with jujubes 

 and dates ; they are brought flat, and feeded, of the fize 

 of the thumb ; whence it is eafy judging of the extraordi- 

 nary bulk of the grape, when fredi. Travellers tell us of 

 bunches weighing twenty-iive pounds. Tlieir tafte isfaintifh 

 and difagreeable. 



Raifms of the fun are a kind of raiiins brought from 

 Spain, of a reddilTi or blueiflt colour, feeded, and very 

 agreeable to eat. 



There are various other forts, denominated either from the 

 place where they grow, or the kind of grape, &c. as raifins 

 of Calabria, Mufcadine raifins, &c. 



The fined and beit raifins are thofe called in fome places 

 Damafcus and jube raifins. Thefe are the fruit of tlie 'vit'u 

 Damafcenn, and are diftinguirtiable from the others by their 

 largenei's and figure ; they are flat, and wrinkled on the fur- 

 face ; foft and juicy within, near an inch long, and femipel- 

 lucid, when held againfl; a good light ; they have a fweet, 

 agreeable, and vinous talte ; and when frefli, and growing 

 on the bunch, are of the fize and fhape of the large 

 olive. 



The common raifins are the fruit of feveral fpecies of 

 grape, which are better or worfe, according as they have 

 been more orlefs carefully cured. The raifins of the fun, or 

 jar-raifins, fo called, becaufe they are imported in jars, are 

 all dried by the heat of the fun ; and thefe are the forts ufed 

 in medicine. 



The common way for drying grapes for raifins is to tie 

 two or three bunches of them firmly together, while yet on 

 the vine, and dip them into a hot lixivium of wood-aflies, 

 with a little ohve oil in it. This difpofes them to fhrink and 

 wrinkle ; and after this they are left on the vine three or four 

 da^'s, feparated on ilicks in an horizontal fituation, and then 

 dried in the fun at leifure, after being cut from the tree. 

 Some raifins are dried by the heat of an oven ; and the dif- 

 ference between thefe and fuch as are dried in the fnn, is ob- 

 vious ; the latter are fweet and pleafant, but the former have 

 a latent acidity with the fweetnefs, that renders them much 

 lefs agreeable. See Currakt.s. 



All the kinds of raifins have much the fame virtues ; they 

 are nutritive and b,-ilfamic, but they are very fubjeft to fer- 

 mentation with juices of any kind ; and hence, when eaten 

 immoderately, they often bring on colics. They are allowed 

 to be attenuant, and are given in cafes where the humours 

 are too thick and vifcid, and they are faid to be very good 

 in nephritic complaints ; they are, however, too familiar 

 ta our foods, to be much rcj.'-arded at prefent as a medi- 

 cine. They are an ingredient, indeed, in our peftoral de- 

 coftions, and in fome other medicines of that intention ; in 

 which cafes, as alio in others where allringency is not re- 

 quired of tliem, they fliould have the ftones carefully taken 

 out. The are ufed in fome compofitions rather with an in- 

 tent of taking off the naufeoiis tafte of other ingredients, 

 and for obtunding their acrimony, than of doing any extra- 

 ordinary fervice themfclves 



R A 1 



K\Km-Brandy, a name given by our diftillcrs to a very 

 clean and pure Ipirit, procured from raifins fermented only 

 with water. Thus treated, they yield a fpirit, fcarce at all 

 dillinguifhable from fome of the wine-fpirits ; for there are 

 as many kinds of wine-fpirits as there are of grapes. The 

 coarfer the operation of diftilling is performed in this cafe, 

 the nearer will be the refemblancc of the wiiie-fpirit ; that 

 is, there will be moft of this flavour in the fpirit, when as 

 much as can be of the oil is thrown up with a galloping 

 heat. 



l"he diftillers are very fond of the wiiie-fpirit, with which 

 they hide and difguife the tafte of their naufeous malt, and 

 otiier fpirits ; and in defeft of that fpirit, this of raifins, 

 made in this coarfe manner, will go almoft. as far. It is in- 

 deed furprizing how extenfive the ufc of thefe flavouring 

 fpirits is, ten gallons of raifin-fpirit, or fomewhat lefs of the 

 wine-fpirit, being often fufficient for a whole pipe of malt- 

 fpirit, to take off its native flavour, and give it an agree- 

 able vinofity. It is no wonder, therefore, that the diftillers, 

 and ordinary reftifiers, arc fo fond of this, as it is a good 

 cloak for their defefts, and the imperfeftioii of their pro- 

 celies. 



When raifin-brandy is intended for common ufe, the fire 

 fliould be kept flower and more regular in the diftillation ; 

 and the fpirit, though it hatli lefs of the high flavour of the 

 grape, will be more pleafant and more pure. 

 KMnis-Wme. See Wine. 



RAIT, in Rural Economy, a term ufed to fignify the 

 procefs or operation of diflTipating the fap of vegetables, by 

 expofure to moifture, or the influence of the atmofphere. 

 It is moftly applied to hemp, flax, or other fimilar fub- 

 ftances, and fometimes to hay, when it has been much ex- 

 pofed to alternations of wet and dry weather. 



When the procefs is performed by means of water, as is 

 moftly the cafe with hemp, frequently but not always with 

 flax, and occafionally with other articles of the fame nature, 

 it is ufually denominated water-raiting, and the article is faid 

 to be iL'ater-raited ; but where it is eff^efted by expofure to 

 the air, upon the ground, when fpread out, it is generally 

 called ground-raiting, and the fubftance is faid to be ground- 

 raited. In the performance of thefe operations or procefles 

 with hemp, flax, and fuch like fubftances, there is great 

 nicety and attention required to fee that they are carried to a 

 fufficient length, without going too far, fo as to injure thetex- 

 turesof the fubftances in their cortical parts. This may pro- 

 bably be accompliflied with the greateft certainty by the fre- 

 quent examination of the materials themfelves ; keeping them 

 perfectly under the water in the former cafe, and frequently 

 turned with new furfaces to the atmofphere in the latter, never 

 having the grafly furface (jn which they are fpread out of 

 too great a length. The effects of heavy rains, when long 

 continued, ir.ult likewife be carefully attended to in this 

 latter inftance. See Flax, Hemp, and WATER-ra/inj-. 



RAITAPOUR, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, 



in the circar of Rajamundry ; 12 miles N. of Rajamundry. 



RAITCH, in Rural Economy, a term fignifying aline 



or lift of white, down the face of a liorfe. It is a very 



common mark in the faces of horfes. 



RAITENBACH, in Geography, a town of Germany, 

 in the principality of Culmbach ; 8 miles E.N.E. of Won- 

 fiedel. — Alfo, a town of Bavaria, in the bifliopric of Aich- 

 ftadt ; 8 miles N. of Aichftadt. 



RAITENBURG, a town of the duchy of Carmola ; 3 

 miles N. of Rudolfswerth. > 



RAITING, Ground, in Rural Economy, that method of 

 raiting or accomplifhing the feparation of the bai'ks or co- 

 verings of the ftems of flax, hemp, and other fimilar plants, 



by 



