11 A T 



RAT 



The floops of war carry from eigliteen to eight cannon : tythe for them pro rata, according to the cuftom of the 

 the largcft of which have fix-pounders ; and the fmallcft, place. 

 i)tz. thofe of eight or ten guns, four-pounders. Their R.\y%,_'m Geogrnphy, a town of Hindooflan, in Myfore ; 



officers are generally the fame as in the fixth rales, with 

 little variation ; and their complements of men are from one 

 hundred and twenty to fixty, in proportion to their force or 

 magnitude. 



Bomb-veflels are on the fame eftablifhment as floops ; 

 but iire-(hips and hofpital-fliips are on that of fifth rates. 



If the dimenfions of all (liips of the fame rate were equal, knap, is frized 



25 miles E. of Rattitigiiery. 



RATEEN, or Ratten, in Commerce, a thick woollen 

 ftuft, quilled, woven on a loom with- four treddles, like 

 ferges, and other Huffs that h;ive the whale or quilling. 



There are fome rateens drcfled and prepared like cloths ; 

 others left fimply in the hair ; and others where the hair, or 



it would be eafy to colleft them into one point ot view in a 

 table ; but as there is no invariable rule for the general di- 

 menfions, we (hall felea thofe of fome of a late conllruc- 

 tion in each rate. 



Ships of one hundred guns, and above, and downwards 



to fixty-four, are termed fhips of the line. 



Ships of the line, fifties, frigates, and royal yatchs, are 



commanded by poft-captains ; floops of war, bombs, fire- 



fliips, armed (hips, ftore-fhips, and armed en jlute, under 



fifty guns, by commanders ; fchooners, cutters, &c. by 



lieutenants ; (lop-(hips occafionally by mafters ; and fmall 



craft by mid(hipmen, who have pafTed for lieutenants. 



Ships of the fecond rate, and thofe of the third, which 



have three decks, carry their fails remarkably well, and 



labour very little at fea. They are excellent in a general 



aftion, or in cannonading a fortrefs. Thofe of the third 



rate, which have two tiers, are fit for the line of battle, to 



lead the convoys and fquadrons of (hips of war in aAion ; 



and, in general, to fuit the different exigencies of the naval 



fervice. The fourth rates may be employed on the fame 



occafions as the third rates ; and may be alfo deftined for 



fervice among the foreign colonies, or on expeditions of 



great dillance ; fince tlicfe veffels are ufually excellent for Wellmeath, Ireland, which gives name to a barony, 



keeping and fuftaining the fea. Vefiels of the fitih rate are ' »t • -"^t r t^ 1 i- 



too weak to fufFer the (hock of a Hue of battle ; but they 

 may be deftined to lead the convoys of merchant fliips, to 

 protect the commerce in the colonies, to cruife in different 

 ftations, to accompany fquadrons, or be fent exprefs with 

 neceffai-y intelligence and orders. The fame may be ob- 

 ferved of the fixth rates. 



The frigates which mount from twenty-eight to thirty- 

 eight guns upon OBe deck, with the quarter-deck, are ex- 

 tremely proper for cniifing againft privateers, or for fhort 

 expeditions, being light, long, and ufually excellent failers. 

 Falconer. 



Rates, Booh! of. See Book and Customs. 

 Rate, Poor. See Poor. 



Rate-Tj'/Ac When (lieep, or other cattle, are kept in 

 a pari(h for lefs time than a year, the owner muft pay 



Rateens are chiefly manufaftured in France, Holland, and 

 Italy ; and rnoflly ufed in linings. 



The frizc is a fort of coarfe rateen ; and the drugget is a 

 rateen half linen, half woollen. 



RATEL, in Zoology, a name given by the Hottentot* 

 to an animal inhabiting the Cape of Good Hope, which 

 lives on honey, and is a great enemy to bees : hence called 

 the VlVERKA Mellivora: which fee. It has a blunt black 

 nofe ; no external ear.'!, but a fmall rim round the orifice ; a 

 rough tongue, (hort legs, very long claws, which are llraight 

 like thofe of a badger, and guttered beneath : the colour of 

 the forehead, crown, and whole upper part of the body, is 

 a cinereous grey ; the cheeks, and fpace round the ears, 

 throat, breaft, belly, and hmbs, black ; from each ear to 

 the tail extends along the fides a duflty hne, leaving beneath 

 another of grey. Its length from the nofe to the tail is 

 forty inches, and the tail twelve. 



This animal preys in the evening, and afcends to the 

 highefl parts of the defert to look about ; and will then put 

 one foot before its eyes, to prevent the dazzling of the fun. 

 The reafon of its going to an eminence is for the fake of 

 feeing or hearing the honey -guide cuckoo, or cuculus indi- 

 cator, which lives on bees, and, as it were, condufts it to 

 their haunts. Pennant. 



RATENSTADT, in Geography, a town of Hungary ; 

 16 miles S.E. of Baes. 



RATESPONTE de Mulher, a town of Portugal, in 

 the province of Entre Duero e Minho ; 15 miles N.E. of 

 Villa de Conde. 



RATH, a word ufed in the compofition of names of 

 places in Ireland, as Rathdrum, &c. It fignifies an in- 

 trenchment, or fort. 



Rath, ripe, in yigrkulture, a term applied to fome early 

 ripe corn crops, and which have a degree of rednefs in the 

 ftraw ; fuch as fome varieties of barley, &c. 



RATHANGAN, in Geography, a pod-town of the 

 county of Kildare, Ireland, fituated on the Athy branch of 

 the Grand Canal ; 285 miles W. from Dublin, and 5 miles 

 N.N.W. from Kildare. 



RATHCONRATH, a fmall town of the county of 



It is 

 44 miles N. by W. from Dublin, on the road to Lanef- 

 borough, and 6 miles W. from MuUingar. 



RATHCOOLE, a fmall poft-town of the county of 

 Dubhn, Ireland, where fairs are holden for cattle and ped- 

 lars' wares. It is on the great fouthem road, 7^ miles S.W. 

 from Dublin. 



RATHCORMUCK, a poft-town of the county of 

 Cork, Ireland, which returned two members to the Irifh 

 parliament, before the union. It has gone much to decay, 

 in confequence of the profperity of Fermoy, which is little 

 more than three miles diflant. It is near the river Bride, 

 II I miles S.W. from Dublin, and 135 N.E. from Cork. 



RATHDOWNY, a poft-town of the Queen's county, 

 Ireland ; 59 miles S.W. from Dubhn. 



RATHDRUM, a poft-town of the county of Wick- 

 low, Ireland, fituated on the river Ovoca. It has a monthly 



fair 



