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bay except in Providence. The mafs of the people, it is 

 faid, on the well fide of the bay, has generally been ignorant, 

 irreligious, and loofe in their morals. The tone of reli- 

 gious fentiment and of morals, in Providence, Newport, 

 and Briftol, and other towns adjoining thefe on the ealt of 

 the bay, has been much raifed by the emigrants from Mafia- 

 chufetts and Connecticut, and the ellablifhment of religious 

 raftitutions. The traveller fees few of the improvements in 

 agriculture, roads, manufactures, or mode of living, which 

 he finds in the neighbouring itates ; and meets with little 

 of that civility for which other parts of New England are 

 remarkable. The mifTionary labours, however, have not 

 been without their good effete. With relpecl to the re- 

 ligious profeflion of this Hate, the Baptilts are the moil 

 numerous ; mod of whom are Calvinillic ; lome are Armi- 

 nians, and a few of them are feventh-day Baptilts. A dill 

 fmaller number confifts of thol'e who claim peculiar fandity, 

 and are denominated Separate Baptids. The other deno- 

 minations are Congregationalilts, who have eight minillers ; 

 Epifcopolians, who have four, one of whom is thebif hop 

 of the ealtern diocefe ; Moravians, and Jews. In this ilate 

 religion is not fupported by law ; but the clergy are main- 

 tained by the voluntary contributions ot their people. 1 he 

 number of clergy, as thev have no Rated falary, enforced 

 bv law, is extremely fmall ; but the ilate of religion and 

 morals, in a great 'part of the flate, is lamentably low. 

 Literature has of late been encouraged. Brown umvcriity 

 at Providence, deriving its prefent name from Nicholas 

 Brown, efq., who gave the inftitutiou 5000 dollars, was 

 founded in 1764 at Warren, and removed to Providence in 

 I77 o. (See College.) Academies are eilabhlhed at 

 Providence, Newport, Briflol, Warren, Eaft-Grecnwich, 

 and South-Kinglton. Schools are kept during the winter- 

 months in moil towns of the ilate, though not provided tor 

 by the laws; and upon the whole the ilate of focietv is 

 improving. In this ttate there are 13 banks. The chiet 

 exports are flax-feed, lumber, horfes, cattle, beef, pork, 

 fifli, poultry, onions, butter, cheefe, barley, grain, fpints, 

 and cotton and linen goods. More than 600 vefTels enter 

 and clear annually at the feveral ports. In 1 S04 the amount 

 of exports was 1,735,671 dollars, and 111 1810, '»3S?»57 6 

 dollars. The imports confift of European and Weil India 

 .roods, and logwood from the bay of Honduras. The in- 

 habitants, particularly thole of Newport and Briilol, were, 

 not long iiuce, largely concerned in the Have trade, even 11. 

 defiance of the laws of the ilate. A turnpike road pailcs 

 from Providence, W.S.W., through Scituate and Coventry, 

 meeting a limilar road in Liibon, Connecticut, which leads 

 through Windham to Hartford ; its length is about 25 

 miles. Another road itrikes the Connecticut line S. ot 

 this, and pafles through Norwich, New London, to New 

 Haven and New York ; this is the gnat lout hern road from 

 Boflon to New York ; but the roads in this ilate have been 

 much negleded. This (late is reckoned as healthy as any 

 country in America. The winters in tho maritime parts ot 

 the ilate are milder than in the inland country ; and the 

 fummers are delightful: the extreme heats that occur m 



' other parts of America, being allayed by cool and refresh- 

 ing breezes from the lea. The riv< rs and hays Iwarm w 1th 

 various kinds rf fifli ; and this Hate produces com, rye, 

 barley, oats, and in lo.ne parts wheal, lull., lent lor home 



confumption, and the various forts ot grafles, fruits, and 



culinary roots and plants in great abundance and perfection. 

 Cyder is made for exportation. The north-wcllcr,, parts of 

 the ilate are rocky and barren, and ot courle thin y inha- 

 bited. The tract of land lying between North and South 

 Kinefton on the call, and Connecticut on the well, called 

 «« Shannock" country, or « Purchafe," U excellent grazing 



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land, and inhabited by a number of wealthy farmers, who 

 rear fome of the fuiell neat cattle in New England ; they 

 keep large dairies, and make butter and cheefe of the befl 

 quality, .and in large quantities for exportation. Iron or- 

 is found in great plenty in feveral parts of the ilate ; fo that 

 the moll confiderable manufactures of this ilate are thofe of 

 iron ; and alio abundance of lime-done, which furnifhes lime 

 for exportation. In this ilate are feveral mineral fprings ; 

 and one ill particular near Providence, to which many people 

 refort for bathing, and for drinking the water. 



Rhode //land, is an illand from which the American ilate 

 takes its name, near the coail of Malfachufetts, about 40 

 miles S.W. from Boiloii. It is about 15 miles from N. to 

 S., and on an average 3^ miles wide, and is divided into 

 three townlhips, oias. Newport, Portfmoutli, and Middle- 

 ton. This illand is pleafant and falubrious, and is a noted 

 place of refort for invalids from fouthcrn climates. Between 

 30,000 and 40,000 fheep are fed on the ifland, befides neat 

 cattle and horfes. N. lat. 41° 25'. W. long. 7 l : 20'. 



Rhode River, the weilernmoll water ot the N.W. 

 branch of Cape Pear river, in North Carolina. 



RHODEN, a town of Germany, in the county ot 

 Waldeck; 24 miles N.N.W. of Waldeck. 



RHODES, IJlandof, in Ancient and Modern Geography, 

 an illand of Alia, iituated in the Mediterranean, very near 

 the coail of Caria or Natolia, and N.E .of the illand of 

 Crete, but much larger than this illand. Pliny Hates its 

 circuit at 125 miles; but Ilidore makes it 103 miles. Ac- 

 cording to Sonnini, it is much longer than it is broad ; its 

 greatell length, in a direction from N. to S., being about 

 12 leagues, and breadth 6 ; and its circuit is commonly clli- 

 matedat 44 leagues. Its form is nearly triangular, whence 

 it obtained the name of " Trinacria ;" and it was alfo known 

 formerly by the names of Ophiufa, Alleria, TEthrea, Ce- 

 rymbia, Poeda, Atabyria, Marcia, Oloeda, Stadia, Tel- 

 chinis, Pelagia, and Rhodus. The lattar appellation has pre- 

 vailed in later ages ; and its etymology has been fought in 

 the Greek Rhodon, fignifying a rofe, with which flower the 

 ifland abounded. In confirmation of this etymology it has 

 been alleged that feveral Rhodian coins arc ilill extant, ex- 

 hibiting, on one fide, the fun, and on the reverie a rofe. 

 Diodorus Siculus deduces the origin of its name from 

 Rhoda, the daughter of Apollo by Venus. Others, how- 

 ever, have preferred the etymology of Bochart, who, avail- 

 ing hunfelf of one of its ancient names, via. Ophiufa or 

 Snake illand, given to it on account of the numerous (hakes 

 with which it was iufelled, when it was lirll inhabited, fays 

 that the Phoenicians alfo called it Snake illand, which, in 

 their language, lignified " Gefirat Rhod," the latter word 

 meaning a fnake, whence the Greeks afterwards formed the 

 name of Rhodes, which the illand has ("nice preferved. 

 Another name by which it was diitinguiflled, in common 

 witli the ifland of Cyprus, was Macaria, or fortunate, 

 referring to the nature- of the climate and ot the foil. Bui 

 it is laid to furpafs Cyprus, if not with rcljvet to the fer- 

 tility of the land, at lealt by its milder and more agrei abl 

 temperature. In this illand the heat is not exceffive, fo that 

 long droughts do not burn the plants, dry up the ival 

 ,„■ caufe the inhabitants to fuller. The fertility and pro- 



dudiivi -nel'sof its foil gave occafion to the fable, embcllilhed 



|, v the poets, ol thole' golden Ihowers which they pretended 



to have once fallen upon it. Itformerlj produced, in 



pi, ,,i v, all foi 1 a of delicious fi nits, and u incs ol fo exquiflte 

 a flavour, that thev were uled by the Romans chiefly in 



their iacntiee;, and thought to be, as Virgil informs US, 



fGeorg. l.ii.) too good lor nion.il.. Although the heat 

 is not lcorching, yet the air is fo ferene, that no day evei 

 pad; ,, 11ho.1t lun'-lhiue; whence the poets feigned Phccbu 



