R O C 



R O C 



Academy of Infcriptions and Belles Lettres, to which he 

 contributed feveral learned memoirs. He died in 1788, 

 highly eiteemed for his private and focial virtues. Gen. 

 Biog. 



Rochefort, in Geography, a town of the county of 

 Neufchatel ; 5 miles S.W. of Neufchatel. — Alfo, a town 

 of France, in the department of the Puy de Dome, and 

 chief place of a canton, in the diftrict of Clermont ; 13 

 miles S.W. of Clermont. The place contains r 10, and the 

 canton 12,177 inhabitants, on a territory of 365 kiliometres, 

 in 14 communes Alfo, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Jura, and chief place of a canton, in the diltritt 

 of Dole, feated on the Doubs ; 4 miles E.N.E. of Dole. 

 The place contains 562, and the canton 6395 inhabitants, 

 on a territory of 107A kiliometres, in 19 communes. — Alfo, 

 a town of France, in the department of the Sambre and 

 Meufe, and chief place of a canton, in the diftricvt of 

 Marche, furrounded by rocks, with an ancient caftle, faid 

 to be of Roman conltrudtion. The place contains 878, and 

 the canton 5148 inhabitants, on a territory of 237A kilio- 

 metres, in 18 communes ; 33 miles S.S.W. of Liege. 



N. lat. 50' 9'. E. long. 5 5' Alfo, a fea-port town of 



France, and principal place of a diltrift, in the department 

 of the Lower Charente, feated on the Charente. The place 

 contains 15,000, and the canton 17,842 inhabitants, on a 

 territory of 162^ kiliometres, in 8 communes. N. lat. 45 

 56'. W. long. o° 52'. This port has excellent docks 

 for building, careening, and refitting veffels, and magazines 

 well replenished with naval itores. It has alfo a marine aca- 

 demy, and an hofpital for feamen ; but the adjacent falt- 

 marfhes injure its falubrity. In this refpeft it has been im- 

 proved by the drying of the marfhes by canals. The town was 

 founded by Louis XIV. A.D. 1665 ; it is elegantly built and 

 fortified, and contains feveral churches and convents. It 

 has water fufficient, even at low water, to float large veffels, 

 and they are fheltered from all hurricanes, and alfo fecured 

 from all attacks of bomb-veffels. It is alfo faid, that the 

 worm, which is fo dcftructive to (hips' bottoms, does not af- 

 fedt them here. The approach to the town up the river is 

 defended by feveral forts, and is about two leagues from the 

 fea-coaft, five from the mouth of the river, and fix S.E. of 

 Rochelle. 



Rochefort, La, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Morbihan, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 

 triA of the Vannes ; 16 miles E. of Vannes. The place 

 contains 628, and the canton 9837 inhabitants, on a territory 

 of 1 87! kiliometres, in 9 communes. N. lat. 47 42'. W. 

 long. 2° 15'. 



Rochefort, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Seine and Oife ; 4 miles N. of Dourdan. 



Rochefort fur JJmre, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Mayne and Loire, on the S. fide of the Loire ; 

 13 miles S.S.W. of Angers. 



Rochefort Sam/on, a town of France, in the department 

 ©f the Drome ; 12 miles E.N.E. of Valence. 



ROCHEFORTIA, in Botany, received that name from 

 profeffor Swartz, in commemoration of a French writer, 

 De Rochefort, of whom we know nothing but that he pub- 

 1 i filed, in 1639, Hiitoire naturelle et morale des iles An- 

 tilles de l'Amerique, with plates ; a work of which a 

 fecond edition appeared at Rotterdam in 1665, and an 

 Englifh tranflation, by J. Davies, at London in 1666. — 

 Swartz Prodr. 4. Ind. Occ. v. I. 551. t. 10. Schreb. 797. 

 Willd. Sp. PI. v. 1. 1328. Mart. Mill. Did. v. 4.— Clafs 

 and order, Pentandria Digynia. Nat. Ord. Dumofx, Linn. 

 Rhamni, JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth of one leaf, inferior, in five 



deep, ovate, obtufe fegments. Cor. of one petal ; tub 

 fhort, pervious ; limb funnel-fhaped, in five deep, ovate- 

 oblong, fpreading fegments. Stam. Filaments five, inferted 

 into the mouth of the corolla between the fegments, awl- 

 lliaped ; anthers oblong. Fiji. Germen fuperior, roundifh, 

 comprelfed ; ftyles two, awl-ihaped ; itigmas iimple. Perk. 

 Berry? nearly globole, of two c-i!s. Seeds few, angular. 

 ElT. Ch. Calyx inferior, in five deep fegments. Corolla 

 funnel-fhaped, pervious at the mouth. Fruit of two cells, 

 with feveral feeds. 



1. R. cuneata. Wedge-leaved Rochefortia. Willd. n. 1. 

 Swartz Ind. Occ. v. 1. 552. — Leaves wtdge-fhaped, obo- 



vate, undivided Native of dry, (tony, mountainous places 



in Jamaica. Stem fhrubby, three or four feet high, erect, 

 with round, zigzag, lubdivided, grey branches, armed wit!; 

 a folitary projecting thorn, near the infertion of each foot- 

 ilalk. Leaves about three, rarely more, together, in alter- 

 nate tufts, ftalked, generally quite entire, fometimes emar- 

 ginate, rather rigid, imooth, and fomewhat fhiuing, on both 

 fides, of a brownilh-green, llightly ribbed ; paler beneath. 

 Feotjlalks fhort. Flowers fmall, greenifh or whitiih, in denfe 

 forked, cymofe, terminal or axillary, cluflers, lhorter than 

 the leaves. Calyx downy, as well as the germen vndjligmas. 

 The fruit was only feen in an unripe ltate by Dr. Swartz, fo 

 that he could not determine whether it were a berry or 

 caplule. 



2. R. ovata. Ovate-leaved Rochefortia. Willd. n. 2. 

 Swartz Ind. Occ. v. 1. 554. — Leaves ovate, emarginate. — 

 Native of bufhy Itony places in Jamaica. A-Jhrub, with 

 round fmooth branches. Swartz makes no mention of thorns. 

 The /eaves are alternate, (talked, ovate, emarginate at the 

 fummit, but otherwife entire, (lightly villous, veiny, an inch 

 long. Flower-flails one-fifth only of the length of the leaves, 

 each bearing many flowers in pairs. Unripe fruit like the 

 foregoing. 



ROCHEFOUCAULT, Francis, duke of, prince of 

 Marlillac, in Biography, a well-known writer in the age of 

 Louis XIV. was born in 161 3. He diftinguifhed himfelf 

 as one of the molt brilliant young noblemen about the 

 court, and formed a connection with the duchefs of Longue- 

 ville, which involved him in the civil war of the Fronde. 

 At the battle of St. Antoine, in Paris, he fignalized his 

 courage, and received a mulket (hot, which for fome time 

 deprived him of fight. When thefe troubles were termi- 

 nated, he devoted himfelf to the pleafures of fociety and 

 literature. His houfe was the refort of the belt company 

 at Paris, in point of talents and underitanding, and his con- 

 verfation was relifhed by Boileau, Racine, Sevigne, and La 

 Fayette, and the other literary charadters of France. Nor 

 did he only fhine by his wit and vivacity ; he difplayed great 

 firmnefs of mind under domellic loffes (having had one fon 

 killed and another wounded at the pallage of the Rhine), 

 and under the pain of the gout, with which he was afflicted 

 in his latter years. Mad. de Sevigne fpeaks of him as 

 " holding the firlt rank in courage, merit, tendernefs, and 

 good fenfe." In Mad. Mainter.on's Letters is the follow- 

 ing portrait of the duke. " He had a happy phyfiognomy, 

 a grand air, much wit, and little learning. He was in- 

 triguing, fupple, and wary : I never knew a friend more 

 lolid, more open, or who gave better counlel. He loved 

 to take the lead. Perfonal bravery appeared to him a folly, 

 and fcarcely did be difguife t His opinion ; yet he was very 

 brave. He preferved till death the vivacity of his difpofi- 

 tion, which was always very agreeable, thougli naturally 

 ferious." The duke de Rochefoucault died with philofo- 

 phical tranquillity at Paris in 16S0, in his 68th year. He 

 made himfelf famous by a work entitled " Reflexions et 



Maximes," 



