REG 



REG 



v/no piefiilct] over a kind of hofpitals, and looked to tlie dif- 

 tribution of alms. 



Thsre were alfo regionary fubdcacons, and regionary no- 

 taries, as alto regionary bifliops, &c. 



A regionary biiliop was properly a miflionary invefted 

 with an epifcopal charaftcr, but without being attached to 

 any particular fee, that he might be at liberty to go to 

 preach, and perform other fuiiftions of his miniflry, whither- 

 foever tlie Spirit of God and the wants of the people fliould 

 call him. 



REGIS, Peter-Sylvan, in Biography, a celebrated 

 French philofopher, was born at Salvetat de Blanquefort, 

 in the Agenois, in tiie year 1632. After havmg been in- 

 ftrufted iii clailical learning and the belles lettres, by the 

 Jcfuits, at Cahors, he entered himfelf a ttudent of divinity 

 at the univerfity of that city, intending to qualify himfelf 

 for the clerical profeffion. This, however, he abandoned, 

 in order to devote iiimfelf to the ftudy of the Cartefian phi- 

 lofophy, which at that time was taught with great fuccefs 

 by Rohault. With this view he went to Touloufe in 1605, 

 and read a courfe of leftures upon the principles of Def- 

 cartcs, and was attended by pe'fons of all ranks and charac- 

 ters, who inlifted themfelves in the number of his difciples. 

 Among thcfe were to be found the magiltrates, clergy, and 

 even the women of Touloufe, who affected to be the zealous 

 converts to the new philofophy, in oppofition to the old. 

 To exprefs their gratitude to the man who had been the in- 

 ftrument of diffufnig thi^ light over their city, the inha- 

 bitants granted him a perJion ; a circumllance which, it has 

 been obferved, correfponded more with the fpirit and ufages 

 of ancient Greece, than of irodern times. In 1680 he came 

 to Paris, confidering that as the moll proper fcene for the 

 exhibition of his talents. Here he was extremely popular, 

 and tlie friends to the Ariftotelian fyllem began to be 

 alarmed at his fuccefs, and complained againft him to the 

 archbifhop of Paris, who prohibited him from continuing 

 his left'vres, and they were accordingly fufpended. But 

 after a fliort time, the prelate withdrew his iuterdidl, and 

 Regis devoted the remainder of his life to the propagation of 

 the Cartefian philofophv, as well by his writings as his lec- 

 tures. In 1699 he was admitted a member of the Academy 

 of Sciences, but his infirmities prevented him from attending 

 its meetings. He died in the year 1707, at the age of 75, 

 highly efteemed by perfons of the firil dilHnftion for talents 

 and rank. He was author of a great number of works, of 

 which the following ma)' be mentioned : " A Syftem of 

 Philofophy, containing Logic, Metaphyfics, and Morals ;" 

 "An Anfwer to the Book of M. Huet, entitled ' Cenfura 

 Philofophiae Cartefiana;,"' which is mentioned by Bayle as 

 a model for every writer on the fame fide of the queilion ; 

 " An Anfwer to the Critical Reflexions of Du Hamel on 

 the Syllem of Philofophy." 



Regis, in Geography, a town of Saxony, in the bilhopric 

 of Nureniburg ; 14 miles S. of Leipfic. 



Regis, St., a village of Upper Canada, on the St. Law- 

 rence, half a mile N. from the N. line of the United States. 

 It is feated on a beautiful elevated plain, in the angle be- 

 tween the mouth of St, Regis river a^d the St. Lawrence, 

 it confilts of about 80 houfes of hewn logs, inhabited by 

 about 100 Indian families, of the Caghnowaya tribe, who 

 have lived here more than half a century. TUey are peace- 

 able, honeft, and induilrious. Their diverfions are foot- 

 -loes, playing at ball, and dancing. They are Roman 

 Catholics, and have a handfome Hone church, with a fpire, 

 did generally a minilter. Thefe Indians have 30,000 acres 

 A laud referved to them S. of the village. They keep a 

 ,ieat number of horfes and cattle, aud raife plenty of corn 



on the fertile iflands in St. I^avvrence. From St. Regis 

 there is a good road to Plattlburg, on Champlain ; the dif- 

 tance being 72 miles. — Alfo, a river of Canada, which rifes 

 from lakes near Racket river, and enters the St. Lawrence 

 at the village abow-mentinned. 

 REt;i.s Pntulus. See Ponih;s. 

 Re(;is Filla. See Vll.l.A. 



REG 1 STAN, or Sandy Defat of Agimere, in Geography, 

 a fandy defert, forming the wellern bound;:ry of Hindoof- 

 tnn, between the country of Aginii-re and tlie Indus. The 

 northern extreme of this defert bounds the dominions of 

 tlie Seiks on the foutli. 



REGISTER, Registrum, a public book ferving to 

 enter and record memoirs, acts, and minutes, to be had re- 

 coLirfe to occafionally, for the julUfyiug of matters of faft. 



Menage derives the word, by corruption, from regejlum, 

 a book containing extrafts of feveral books, &c. collettcd 

 together : " Dicitur regeltum qiiafi iterum geltum." 

 Otl'.ers derive it from the old French gijln', lo Ik elown in a 

 k(f, &c. 



Tlie law of Scotland is rendered very eaty and regular, 

 by means of the great number of regifters, for recording the 

 conveyances of lands, &c. of private perfons. Of thefe 

 there are two kinds : the one general, fixed at Edinburgh, 

 under the diretlion of the lord regilter, who, before tlie 

 Union, was the fittli officer of the ftatc, and, befides the 

 regiltry, was clerk of the parliament, trealury, exchequer, 

 and feffiou. 



The other is particularly kept in the feveral (hires, llcw- 

 arties, and regalities. The clerks of it are obliged to tranf- 

 mit the regifters of their refpeftive courts to the general re- 

 gifter ; and the notaries their protocols : and here they are 

 fo difpofed, that, on demand, the lieges can have a view of 

 any writs which the law requires to be regiftered, or which 

 parties, for their feciirity, have thought lit to record. 



The regifters were firft fet on foot by aft of parliament, 

 under king James VI., to the unfpeakable advant.ige of the 

 fubjeft. 



No man can have a right to any eftate, but it muft be 

 regiftered within forty day;, of his becoming feifed of it, 

 otherwife it is null ; and by this means all fecret conveyances 

 are cut off. 



By a law in 1704, it was enafted, that a memorial of all 

 deeds and conveyances, and of all wills and devifes in \vriting, 

 by which any honours, manors, &c. in tlie Weft Riding of 

 Yorkihire, might be any way affefted in law or equity, 

 may, at the election of the party or parties concerned, be 

 regiftered : aud that, after Inch regilfer, every fubfequent 

 deed or conveyance of the faid honours, manors, &c. fo 

 regiftered, or any part of it, ftiall be adjudged fraudulent 

 and void, unlefs a memorial of it ftiall be alfo regiftered : 

 and the like of wills, &c. But this act did not extend to 

 copyhold eftates, nor to leafes at rack-rent, nor to any leafe 

 not exceeding twenty-one years. 



Ill the year 1708, a fimilar ftatute was patfed for the re- 

 gittering of deeds, conveyances, wills, devifes, mortgages, 

 &c. in the Eaft Riding of Yorkfhire : and aU the provifions 

 and claufes in this act were hereby extended to the honours, 

 manors, lands, and tenements, in the Weft Riding of the 

 fame county. 



In 1709, a law was made for the public regiftering of 

 deeds, conveyances, wills, &c. in the county of Middlefex ; 

 which may be done for the fee of one Ihilling : and every 

 deed or conveyance, which fhall hereafter be executed, ihall 

 be adjudged fraudulent and void, againil any fubfequent 

 pmchaier or mortgagee for valuable confideration, unlefs 

 iuch memorial of it be regiftered according to the dire£Uon 



of 



