R O H 



U O B 



and was always mentioned by her with the grcatell kindnefs 

 tor the many friendly offices (he ufed to do her in her child- 

 hood when in lady Oxford's family, which made a lulling 

 imprefiion upon the duchefs of Portland's noble and generous 

 heart. 



" Mrs. A. Robinfon had one filler, a very pretty ac.com- 

 plifhed woman, who married Dr. Arbuthnot's brother. 

 After the death of Mr. Robinfon, lord P. took a houfe 

 near Fulham, in the neighbourhood of his own villa at 

 Parfon's-Green, where he fettled Mrs. Robinfon and her 

 mother. They never lived under the fame roof, till the earl, 

 being feized with a violent fit of illncfs, folicited her to 

 attend him at Mount Bevis, near Southampton, which fhe 

 refufed with firmnefs, but upon condition that, though ft ill 

 denied to take his name, fhe might be permitted to wear her 

 wedding ring ; to which, finding her inexorable, he at length 

 confented. 



" His haughty fpirit was Hill reluclant to the making a 

 declaration, that would have done juftice to fo worthy a 

 character as the perfon to whom he was now united ; and, in- 

 deed, his uncontrollable temper, and high opinion of his 

 own actions, made him a very awful hulband, ill fuited to 

 lady P — 's good fenfe, amiable temper, and delicate fenti- 

 ments. She was a Roman Catholic, but never gave offence 

 to thofe of a contrary opinion, though very ftric/t in what 

 fhe thought her duty. Her excellent principles and forti- 

 tude of mird fupportcd her through many fevere trials in 

 her conjugal llatc. But at lalt he prevailed on himlclf to do 

 her juftice, inltigated, it is fuppofed, by his bad Rate of 

 health, which obliged him to feek another climate, and fhe 

 ebfolutely refufed to go with him unlefs he declared his mar- 

 riage ; her attendance upon him in his illnefs nearly coit her 

 her life. 



" He appointed a day for all his neareft relations to meet 

 him at the apartment over the gate-way of St. James's 

 palace, belonging to Mr. Pointz, who was married to lord 

 Peterborough's niece, and at that time preceptor to prince 

 William, afterwards duke of Cumberland. Lord P. alfo 

 appointed lady P. to be there at the fame time ; when they 

 were all aflemblcd he began a moll eloquent oration, enu- 

 merating all tlu' virtues and perfections of Mrs. A. Robin- 

 fon, and the rectitude of her conduct during his long ac- 

 quaintance with her, for which he acknowledged his great 

 obligations and fincere attachment, declaring lie was deter- 

 '1 to do her that juftice which he ought to have done 

 long ago, which was prefenting her to all his family as his 

 wife. He fpoke this harangue with fo much energy, and 

 in parts f<> pathetically, thai lady P. not bring apprifed of 

 his intentions, was fo affeftcd that fhe tainted away in the 

 midftof the company. 



" After lord P — 's death (he lived a very retired life, 

 chiefly at Mount Bevis, and was fcldom prevailed on to leave 

 that habitation, but by the duchefe of Portland, who was 

 always happy to have her company at Bulilrode, when fhe 

 could obtain it, and often vifited her at her own houfe. 



" Among lord P — 'b papers Hie found his memoirs, 

 written by himfelf, in which he declared he had been guilty 

 of fuch aftions as would have reflected very much upon his 

 character. For which reafon fhe burnt them ; this, how- 

 ever, contributed to complete the excellency other prin- 

 ciples though it did not fail giving offence to the curious 

 enquirers after anecdotes of fo remarkable a character as 



thai of the earl of Petei boi u h." 



Robinson's IJland, in Geography, a fmall ifiand in the 

 Florida ftreams. N. lat. 24 ^ 3'. W. long. Si ^c'. 



Robinson Cni/b '.< Coat, in Botany. See Cacti s. 



ROBINSO.Nl A, was fo named by Scopoli, in his Intro- 



dufiio a.! hi/loriam natnralem, in honour of one, or all, of 

 the four Robinfons, mentioned in Haller's flib/iotheca Bota- 

 nica. The worthy author informed us, byword of mouth, 

 that Haller's index was his ufnal refource for names to his 

 new genera ; any perfon mentioned there being, in his opi- 

 nion, fufficiently worthy of this kind of commemoration. 

 It is pity that Robinfon Crufo was not in the lift, or 

 he might have fliared a botanical crown with Cook and Bou- 

 ganville. If we mult ferioufly appropriate the above ho- 

 nour, it would be in favour of Dr. Tancred Robinfon, a 

 particular friend, and botanical affociate, of Ray. — Schreb. 

 337. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 2. 999. Mart. Mill. Did. v. 4. 

 (Touroulia ; Aubl. Guian. v. 1. 492. .lull. 434. La- 

 marck Illullr. t. 424.) — Clafs and order, Icofandria Mono- 

 gyn'ia. Nat. Ord. uncertain, Jufl. 



Gen. Ch. CaL Perianth inferior, of one leaf, turbinate, 

 with five acute teeth. Cor. Petals five, roundifh, concave, 

 fpreading, inferted into the calyx. Stam. Filaments nu- 

 merous, capillary, f welling upwards, inferted into the calyx 

 beneath the petals ; anthers of two oblong cells, divaricated 

 at the bafe. Pijl. Germen fuperior ; Ryle none ; ftigma 

 oblong, Itriated. Peric. Berry globofe, fomewhat depreffed, 

 marked with numerous, contiguous, longitudinal furrows, 

 fiefhy, of feven cells, with membranous partitions. Seeds 

 folitary, oblong, compreffed, externally convex, hairy. 



EfT. Ch. Calyx five-toothed. Petals five. Berry fupe- 

 rior, Itriated, of feven cells. Seeds folitary, hairy. 



I. R. melianthifolia. Willd. n. 1. (Touroulia guian- 

 enfis ; Aubl. Guian. v. 1. 492. t. 194.) — Found by Aublet 

 in the forefts of Guiana, where the inhabitants know it by 

 the name of Touroulia. The flowers appear in November, 

 and the fruit is ripened in May. A large and lofty tree, with 

 a wrinkled bark, and red wood ; the branches fpreading, 

 quadrangular. Leaves oppoiite, pinnate, of about four 

 pair, with an odd one, of elliptic-oblong, pointed, fmooth, 

 ferrated leaflets, whofe lateral veins are numerous and 

 parallel, and their ferratures each tipped with a bridle. 

 Stipulas acute. Clujlers terminal, compound, with oppoiite 

 branches. Flowers tufted, nearly feffile, yellow, Iniall. 

 Berry an inch in diameter, reddifh, of a pleafant acid flavour. 

 The calyx being certainly inferior, as Jufiieu determined by 

 examination, its teeth can hardly crown the fruit, though, 

 by Aublet's defeription, its bale fcems confluent there- 

 with. 



ROBION, or Rot'iiiov, in Geography, a river of 

 France, which runs into the Rhone, a little below Montc- 

 limart. 



ROBISON, John, in Biography, an eminent Scotch 

 mathematician and natural philolopher, was born at Boghall, 

 in the county of Stirling, in the year 1 7 ^9. 1 le was fent t.> 

 Glafgow to receive his education, and was foon diftinguifhed 

 for the rapid progrefs which he made in clafiical learning. 

 He went, while very young, to the univerlity, where lie en- 

 joyed the benefit ot the mftru&ions of profeflbrs Simlon, 

 Leechman, Moore, Smith, and others, lie was led to 

 attach himfelf particularly to the mathematics, by per- 

 ceiving how fuccefsfully that fcience was applied to fevers] 

 branches <>l natural philofophy. Dr. Robert Simfon was 

 his tutor in mathematics, and in his clafs Mr. Robifon was 

 foon diftinguifhed beyond any ol Ins fellow (ludents. Among 

 other branches, Mr. Robifon made himfeli well acquainted 

 with the modes of algebra ; but from profeffor Simlon he 

 derived a peculiar (] • to the lludy ot geometry, 



affigning, for a reafon, what others have often done, who are 

 tolerablj converfanl with both fubji <. , that in the longer) 



ill 1. initiation, the geometrician has clear and accurate ii! 

 which the moll expert algebraill can very fcldom have. Mr. 

 3 B 2 Robifon 



