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The Ficncli have long maintained an agent at Rangoon, and 

 are thoroughly acquainted with the advantages which the 

 country of Pegue attords. The imports into Rangoon from 

 the Britifli fettlementss in tlie years 1794 — 5, amounted, 

 according to Mr. Symes, to more than twelve lacks of 

 rupees, about 135,000/. fterling : thcfe confifted chiefly of 

 coarfe piece goods, glafs, hardware, and broad cloth, the 

 demand for the lalt article being confidcrable ; and returns 

 were ahnolt wholly made in timber. Teak, the moll durable 

 wood that is known, and belt adapted for the conftrudtion 

 of (hips, is produced in the Birman and Pegue empire in 

 incxhauilible abundance. The river of Rangoon is equally 

 commodious for the conflrudion of fliips; the fpring tides rife 

 20 feet in perpendicular height ; the banks are foft, and fo 

 flat, that little labour is ncceilary for the formation of docks : 

 velFels of any burden may be built. Nature, fays Symes, 

 has liberally done her part to render Rangoon the moil 

 flourifliing iea-port of the eaftern world. The entrance of 

 the river, about twelve miles below Rangoon, and the banks on 

 each fide, be.ar a near refemblance to thofe of the Ganges ; 

 but the navigation is much more commodious. The channel 

 is bold and deep, from llx and a half to eight fathoms, unin- 

 terrupted by (hoals or inequality of ioundings. At this 

 place the breadth of the river is ellimated to be from three 

 quarters to one mile. On the bank of the river, oppofite to 

 Rangoon, is a confidcrable town, called Maindu,the relidence 

 of the governor of tlie province of Dalla. This government is 

 entirely diltindl: from Rangoon, on the eaft fide. The city of 

 Dalla, from which the province takes its name, is faid to be 

 on the welt fide of the China Buckler river, and was formerly 

 a place of confiderable importance. The town of Maindu 

 IS compofed of one long ftreet ; at the eail end is a creek, 

 which goes all the way to Baflein, and has tv^elve feet 

 depth of water, at high tide ; on the weft fide is a fmaller 

 creek, on the bank of which Hands a village called Mima- 

 Shunrua, or the village of proititutes, being wholly inha- 

 bited by women of tliat defcription. Rangoon lies in N. 

 lat. 16° 47'. E. long. 96° 9'. Symes's Embaffy to Ava, in 

 3 vols. Svo. See Birman Empire. 



RANGSIO, a town of Sweden, in Helfingland ; 15 

 miles W.N.VV. of Sodcrhamn. 



RANGUANA, a fmall ifland in the bay of Honduras, 

 near the coaft of Mexico. N. lat. 16° 25'. W. long. 

 88° 52'. 



RANHADOS, a town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Beira ; 18 miles N.W. of Cartel Rodrigo. 



RANINA, Jrteria et Vena, in Anatomy, the artery and 

 vein fituated on the inferior furface of the tongue. See 

 Artery and Vein. 



RANINAL Vessels, Bleeding from. See Fr.enum 

 LiNGU/E, Divijion of. 



RANISH, ni Geography, a fmall ifland near the W. coaft 

 of Scotland. N. lat. 57° ^s'- W. long, f 5'. 



RANK, a due order, or a place allotted a thing fuitably 

 to its nature, quality, or merit. 



Kings are perfons of the firfl rank on earth. In caval- 

 cades, proceflions, &c. every perfon is to obferve his 

 rank. 



Rank, in Military Difcipline, denotes a feries, or row of 

 foldiers, placed fide by fide ; a number of which ranks form 

 the depth of the fquadron or battalion, as a number of files 

 does the width. 



When infantry is drawn up three deep, the firft rank is 

 called the front rank ; the fecond, the centre rank ; and the 

 third, the rear rank. 



To clofe the rank, is to bring the men nearer ; to open it, is 

 to fct them farther apart. To double the ranks, is to throw 



I 



RAN 



two into the fpace of one, by which the files are thinned. 

 See DouBi.iNC;. 



Rank, in the /Irmy and Navy, is ufcd for the order of 

 precedence ; which ice. 



In the army the ufFicers in the life-guards arc entitled to 

 the rank of lieutenant-colonel, when they obtain or purchafe 

 a majority, provided they are of feven years ftanding. Their 

 commiflioni in this cafe run major and lieutenant-colonel. 

 But if an officer fliould not have completed either of thofe 

 periods, he obtains the rank of major only until its comple- 

 tion. A lieutenant-colonel attains to the rank of full colonel 

 if he has been feven years major, or twenty-one years in 

 the Britifh fervicc. Cornets in the life-guards rank as fub- 

 lieutcnants in their own corps, and as firft lieutenants in the 

 army. The Englifh fuzileers enjoy the fame privilege. 

 Sub-lieutenants in the Welfh fuzileers, rank only as fecond 

 lieutenants in the army. Marines do the fame. 



Officers of the regular forces command the officers of 

 equal degree belonging to the other fervices. Officers of 

 the militia, fencibles, yeomanry cavalry, and volunteer 

 corps, rank together, according to the dates of their re- 

 fpedtive commiflions. Thefc regulations are fubjeft to fomc 

 exceptions, fpecified in the articles of war. Officers of the 

 militia rank generally witli the regular forces as junior of 

 their refpedlive commilfions. An enfign in the guards 

 ranks no higher than an enfign in the regulars. The chief 

 of the engineers ranks as colonel; direftor, as lieutenant- 

 colonel ; fub-direftor, as major ; engineer in ordinary, as 

 captain; engineer extraordinary, as captain-lieutenant ; fub- 

 engineer, as lieutenant ; praftitioner-engineer, as enfign. 



In the navy the admiral or commander-in-chief of his 

 majefty's fleet has the rank of a field-marftial ; admirals, with 

 the flags on the top-mait-head, rank with generals of horfe 

 and foot ; vice-admirals, with lieutenant-generals ; rear- 

 admirals, as major-generals ; commodores with broad pen- 

 dants, as brigadier-generals ; captains of poft-ftiips, after 

 three years from the date of their firft commifiion, as 

 colonels ; other captains, commanding poft-fhips, as lieute- 

 nant-colonels ; captains, not taking poft, as majors ; and 

 lieutenants, as captains. 



Rank, Brevet, rank without pay, nominal dlftinftion, 

 which fometimes entitles the holder of it to command in 

 mixed fervice. The brevet rank in the militia is confined to 

 the colonels and adjutants of the feveral corps in that eila- 

 bliftiment. The former receive the brevet rank of colonels 

 in the army whilft aftually embodied for fervice, and com- 

 mand all lieutenant-colonels in the line when they do duty 

 together. Adjutants in the militia may have the brevet 

 rank of captain, provided they have ferved five years 

 as lieutenants in the militia, or in other forces on the 

 Britifli eftablifliment. In the line, an adjutant who has the 

 rank of captain, may command as fuch when there is no 

 fuperior officer on the parade, or for duty. This is not the 

 cafe in the militia. No adjutant, let his brevet rank of 

 captain be ever fo ancient, can command the youngcft 

 captain of a company. The fame difference prevails with 

 refpedl to the captain-lieutenancy ; which is literally brevet 

 rank. In the regulars, a captain-lieutenant, the inftant he is 

 promoted to a company, takes rank according to the date 

 of his firft commiffion, and, as we have obfervcd, may be 

 major by brevet ; but no captain-lieutenant can ever avail 

 himfelf of that feniority to the prejudice of a captain of a 

 company in the militia ; nor can an officer in the latter efta- 

 blifliment take advantage of his ftanding, when he quits one 

 regiment to ferve in another, even in time of war, although 

 he may have the requifite qualifications in both counties. 

 Brigade majors rank with captains, provided they have 



that 



