II H A 



R II A 



on the fouth coaft of New Holland, as well as in Van Die- 

 men's ifland. 



RHAGOIDES, 'PayottSn-; in Anatomy, the fecond 

 coat or tunic of the eye ; more ufually called uvea. 



It has its name rhagoides, as refembling a grape-Hone. 

 In the tunica rhagoides is the hole called the pupil. 

 RHAHAANS, in Hiftory, a name given to the priefts 

 of the Birman empire, to whom are affigned kioums, or con- 

 vents ; which are different in their flrufture from common 

 houfes, and much refemble the architecture of the Chinefe. 

 Thefe buildings are conftruCted of wood ; the roof is com- 

 pofed of different ftages, fupported by flrong pillars ; the 

 infide comprehends one large hall ; the whole houfe is open 

 at the fides ; fome are curioufly carv«d with various fymbolic 

 reprefentations of the divinity. There are no apartments 

 for the private recreation of the Rhahaans; publicity being 

 the prevailing fyftem of conduct among the Birmans, who 

 admit of no fecrets either in church or date. From the 

 number of convents in the neighbourhood of Rangoon, the 

 Rhahaans and Phonghis, who are an inferior order of prieils 

 called Tallapoins, areprelumed by colonel Symes to exceed 

 1500 ; including in this eftimate thofe in their novitiate. 

 The age of induction into thefe convents, is generally from 

 eight to twelve years, and young perfons are introduced into 

 them with great formality and ceremony. Parents vie with 

 each other in obtaining this honour for their children, and 

 fpare no cofl on the occafion of their admilfion ; the princi- 

 pal charge conlilHng in entertainments, and the cuHomary 

 prefents to the Rhahaans. When a boy is to be introduced 

 into a convent, either as a temporary refident, or with a view 

 to future confecration, his friends prepare their offerings of 

 cloth, rice, preferves, fruit, fans, culhions, mats, and 

 houfhold utenfils. On an appointed day he parades the 

 ltreets, dreffed in yellow, and mounted on a horfe richly ca- 

 parifoned, led by two fervants : a band of mufic goes be- 

 fore, and a party of Rhahaans encircle him : his male 

 friends follow in a troop, and the females of their families 

 bring up the rear, the latter carrying on tlirir heads the offer- 

 ings meant for the Rhahaans. Thus they proceed to the 

 convent of which the novice is to become a member, where 

 he is prefented in form to the fenior of the brotherhood. 

 This ceremony is repeated three times, and at each perambu- 

 lation, frefli prefent3 are to be provided. 



The Rhahaans, likethe Carmelites, go barefooted, and have 

 their heads clofe (haven, on which they never wear any co- 

 vering. Yellow is the only colour worn by the prielUiood : 

 they have a long loofe cloak, which they wrap round them, 

 fo as to cover molt part of the body ; they profefs celibacy, 

 and to abltain from every fenfual indulgence. The prefcribed 

 punilhment tor a Rhahaan detected in an a£t of incontinence 

 is, expullion and public difgrace ; the delinquent is feated on 

 an afs, and his face daubed with black paint interfperfed with 

 fpots of white ; he is thus led through the llreets, with a 

 drum beating before him, and afterwards turned out of the 

 city : but Inch inilances of degradation are very rare. The 

 juniors are reftricted from wandering about hcentioufly, 

 either by day or night. There is a prior in every convent, 

 who has a difcretionary power to grant permillion to go 

 abroad. 



The Rhahaans never drefs their own victuals, holding it an 

 abufe of time to perforin any of the common functions of 

 life, which, fo long as they occupy, mult divert them from 

 the abilrac/t contemplation of the divine efience. They re- 

 ceive the contributions of the laity ready cooked, ami prefer 

 cold food to hot. At the dawn of the morning they begin 

 to perambulate the town, to collect (upplie:> for the day : 

 each convent fends forth a certain number of its members, 



who walk at a quick pace through the ftreets, fupporting 

 with the right arm a blue lackered box, in which the dona- 

 tions are depofited ; thefe ufually confilt of boiled rice mixed 

 with oil, dried and pickled HAS, fweetmeats, fruit, &c. 

 During their walk, they never call their eyes to the right 

 nor to the left, but keep them fixed on the ground ; they 

 do not Hop to folicit, and leldom even look at the donors, 

 who appear more defirous to bellow, than the others to re- 

 ceive. The Rhahaans eat but once a day, at the hour of 

 noon. A much larger quantity of provilion being com- 

 monly procured than fuffices for the members of the con- 

 vent, the furplus is difpofed of, as charitably as it was given, 

 to the needy llranger, or the poor fcholars who daily attend 

 them to be inttrueted in letters, and taught their moral and 

 religious duties. 



In the various commotions of the empire, colonel Symes 

 fays, that the Rhahaans take no a&ive (hare, nor do they 

 publicly interfere in politics, or engage in war : by this 

 prudent conduct they excite no reientment : the Birmans 

 and Peguers profefling the fame religion, the conquerors, to 

 wluchfoever party they belonged, equally refpefted the mi- 

 nifters of their faith. The head of the Rhahaans at Ran- 

 goon, called Seredaw, is treated with great veneration. He 

 lives in a very handfome monaftery half a mile from the 

 town, on the road leading to Shoedagon, or temple. He 

 is in no refpett dillinguilhed, as to his outward appear- 

 ance, from the common Rhahaans. He goes every day, 

 at the fame hour, to the temple, to offer his devotions, 

 and performs the journey, which is about four miles, on 

 foot. In his conversation with Symes he betrayed a 

 worldly pride inconliltent with his years (being about 

 feventy-five) and facred function: he announced, with much 

 pomp, that lie was the head of the church at Rangoon, and 

 ollentatioudy difplayed, engraven on iron plates, his facer- 

 dotal titles, which had been conferred on him by the prcfent 

 and the late king. Formerly there were nunneries of vir- 

 gin prieflefles, who, like the Rhahaans, wore yellow gar- 

 ments, cut off their hair, and devoted themfelves to chaility 

 and religion ; but thefe were not long ago abolifhed, as 

 being injurious to the population of the Hate. At prefent 

 there are a few old women, who (have their heads, wear a 

 white drefs, follow funerals, and carry water to the convents ; 

 and thefe venerable dames are treated with fome portion of 

 relpeft. Symcs's Ava, vol. ii. 



RHAIADAR, or R11 wad eh, in Geography, a borough 

 and market-town in the cwmwd of Glynn-Jeithon, cantref 

 of Maelienydd (now called the hundred of Rhayader I, county 

 ot Radnor, South Wales, is lituatcd on the banks of the 

 river Wye, at the diftance of 20 miles N.W. from New 

 Radnor, and 176 W.N.W. from London, Tins place is a 

 borough by prescription, and lays claim to a very high an- 

 tiquity. It is governed by a bailiff, who is annually elected 

 at a court-lcet, held in the town-hall, at which alio the bur- 

 gellcs are chofen by a town jury. Rhayader is one of the 

 live contributary boroughs to return a reprclentative toferve 

 in parliament for the town <'t New Radnor. This place 

 was formerly of much greater confcqiiencc and extent than 

 at prefent. On Cefn-Ceido, about half a mile to the noith- 

 eal'c, is a tract of land, called Pant-yr- Fglw \ , u here, accord- 

 ing to tradition, a church anciently Hood, winch was in- 

 cluded within the precincts ol tin' borough. The great 

 feflione for thecountl were .'.t one tune held here; .mil the 

 COUnty-COUrt alternately nut at New Radnor and Rhayader, 

 till removed From the latter pi ue to the town ot I'relleigue, 

 in the reign of Henry VIII. The gaol tor the lecurity of 

 criminals then Hood on a fpot of ground now occupied by a 

 Prefbyterian mcctinghoufe ; ami the place ot execution u .. 



at 



