RAN 



R A N 



iiTerts, that he compiled the Diftionary that bears the name 

 of Charles Stephens. He wrote " Le Trefor de la Langue 

 Fran9oile, tant ancienne que moderne." Moreri. 



RANCONNIERES, in Geography, a town of France, 

 in the department of the Upper Marne ; 9 miles VV. of 

 Bourboiiue. 



RANDAL, Dr. Joiiv, in Biography, organift, doflor 

 in mufic, and miific profedbr in the univerfity of Cam- 

 bridge. He was brought up in the king's chapel, was one 

 of the children of that choir who lir(t performed ia Handel's 

 oratorio of Ellher, at the houfe of Bernard Gates, mafter 

 of the boys in James-ltreet, Wcftmintter, on Wcdnefday, 

 February 23, 1731, when it was performed in aftion, pre- 

 vious to its having been heard in pubhc, or any where but 

 at Cannons, the magnificent feat of tlic duke of Chandos, 

 for wliofe chapel it was compofcd in 1720. 



Randal was never rated very high in his profeflion : he 

 was regarded as a flight organ-player, and had never dillin- 

 guifhed himfelf as a compofer. He obtained his degree at 

 the inftallation of the duke of Grafton in the univerfity of 

 Cambridge, for which he compofed the ode written by Mr. 

 Gray, to the allonilhment of all the mufical profeflion, by 

 undertaking to have it performed by the muficians refident 

 in the univerfity, without putting his grace to the expence 

 of additional hands and voices from London, as Drs. Greens 

 and Boyce had thought necefi'ary on former occafions at 

 Cambridge, and Dr. William Hayes at Oxford. 



As Dr. Randal's profeflional life was unmarked by ta- 

 lents, his death, which happened in 1799, was hardly no- 

 ticed, except by the candidates for the profeflorthip, and I-.is 

 organift's places. 



RANDALSTOWN, in Geography, a poft-town of 

 Ireland, in the county of Antrim, in the neighbourhood of 

 which is Shanes caftle, the feat of lord O'Neill. It is fitu- 

 ated on the river Maine, to the northward of lough Neagh. 

 Randalftown is 4 miles N.W. from Antrim, and 8S N. 

 by W; from Dublin. Before the union, it was reprefented 

 in parliament. Carlifle, &c. 



RANDANS, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Puy-de-D6me, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 

 trift of Riom ; 12 miles N.E. of Riom. The place con- 

 tains 1047, and the canton 7996 inhabitants, on a territory 

 of 130 kiliometres, in 1 1 communes. 



RANDASALMI, a town of Sweden, in the govern- 

 ment of Kuopio ; ^2 miles S. of Kuopio. 



RANDAZZO, a town of Sicily, in the valley of De- 

 mona ; 25 miles W. of Taormina. N. lat. 37° 57'. E. 

 long. 15^4'. 



RANDEER, a town fcf Hindooftan, in Guzerat, on 

 the Taptee, oppofite to Surat. 



RANDEGG, a town of Auflria; Smiles N.N.E. of 

 Bavarian Waidhoven. 



RANDERADT, a town of France, in the department 

 cf the Roer ; 10 miles N.W. of Juliers. N. lat. 50*^ 59'. 

 E. long. 6° 8'. 



RANDERS, a town of Denmark, in North Jutland, 

 on the Gulden. This town is reduced, and has now only 

 one parifii church, a grammar-fchool, an hofpital, and a 

 chapel near the town. The chief articles of trade confifl. of 

 leather gloves, falmon, earthen-ware, and ftrong beer. It 

 was formerly well fortified ; 20 miles E. of Viborg. N. 

 lat. 56° 28'. E. long. 10° 3'. 



RANDERSACKER, a town of the duchy of Wurz- 

 burg, on the Maine; 2 miles S. of Wurzburg. 



RAND 1 A, in Botany, was fo named by Houftoun and 

 Linnaeus, in honour of Mr. Ifaac Rand, F.R.S., an apo- 

 thecary in London, who filled the place of lefturer and de- 



VoL. XXIX. 



monilrator of botany in the Chclfca garden, from the yev 

 1722 to 1739. He publifhed in 1730 an oftavo index of 

 the ofTicinal plants of that collcftion, 518 in number, fpeci- 

 fying the part of each ufed in pliyfic. He alfo printed, in 

 '739' a general catalogue of the Garden. His name oftea 

 occurs among the botaniils of that period. The Randia 

 however, of which two fuppofed fpecics arc defined in Linn. 

 Sp. PI. 213, 214, by the names of milh and acukala, both 

 Weil Indian flirubs, is now funk in GAitiiKNiA ; fee that 

 article, where we have fuggefled a doubt, poffibly aot 

 well founded, ot the propriety of this meafurt. Both 

 fpecies of Randia are united by Willdenow, Sp. PI. v. i. 

 1230, on the authority of Swart/,, as well as in Ait. Hort. 

 Kcw. v. I. 370, under the name of Gardenia Randia. This 

 plant, fent by Houftoun to Miller, before the year 1 733, 

 does not appear to exill in our lloves at prefent. Its form 

 may be fcen in Browne's Jamaica, 143, t. 8. f, I. That 

 author fays the pulp of the berries (tains paper or linen of a 

 fine permanent blue, which refifts the aftion of foap and of 

 acids. The fhrub is frequent in the low lands of Jamaica, 

 on the moft barren clay foil. 



RANDNITZ, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in 

 the circle of Schlan ; 12 miles N.N.E. of Schlan. N. lat, 

 50" 23'. E. long. 14° 24'. 



RANDOLPH, Thomas, in Biography, an Englifli 

 poet of great celebrity, was born at Newnham, in North- 

 amptonfliire, in 1605. He was educated at Weftminfter 

 fciiool, and having completed his courfe, he was eledled to 

 Trinity college, Cambridge. He fhewed an early turn for 

 poetry, and at ten years old wrote " The Hiftory of the In- 

 carnation of our Saviour," in verfe. He acquired an un- 

 fortunate, and, to him, a fatal habit of conviviality, which 

 diverted him from the purfuit of any profeflion, and which 

 led him to wafte his fcanty patrimony, and his health, in the 

 company of wits and men of pleafure in the metropolis. 

 He died in his 30th year, to the great regret of thofe who 

 admired his poetry and loved his company. He poflefled an 

 excellent genius, and had his life been extended, it has been 

 thought he might have attained te a very high rank among 

 the poets of his age. His mifcellaneous poems were col- 

 lefted after his death by his brother, who publiflied them at 

 Oxford, in 1640. They have been, but not of late years, 

 feveral times reprinted. He likewife compofed fix dramatic 

 pieces of the comic clafs, one of which, " Hey for Ho- 

 nefty, down with Knavery," was taken from the Plutus of 

 Ariitophanes. His pieces are faid to be fome of the beft in 

 the manner then prevalent, which confided in playing with 

 words and thoughts, and connefting remote ideas by fanciful 

 refemblances. His cxpreflions are often elegant, and hit 

 verfes harmonious- His friend, fir Chrittopher Hatton, 

 caufed, at his own expence, a monument of white marble to 

 be eredled over his grave, the infcription on which, in Latin 

 and Englifh verfe, was made by Peter Haufted. Biog. 

 Brit. 



Raxdolph, John, a learned prelate of the church of 

 England, defcended from a refpeftable family in Kent, was 

 born July 6th, 1749. ^^ "'^^ ''^'^ younger fon of Dr. 

 Randolph, formerly prcfidentof Corpus Chrilli college, Ox- 

 ford, who died in March 1783, after having prefided over 

 the college for the long fpace of 35 years. The prcfident'* 

 father was recorder of Canterbury, and had feveral fons, 

 among whom was Dr. Francis Randolph, principal of Albaa 

 Hall, Oxford. The whole family have been remarkable for 

 their orthodox zeal and attachment to the eftabliftied rehgioB 

 of the country. The fubjeft of this article became a itudent 

 of Corpus Chrifli college, Oxford, where he took his feveral 

 degrees, that of D.D. be had by diploma in 1783. Pre- 



3 F vioufly 



