R O U 



R O U 



ROUSAY, in Geography, one of the Orkney iflands, 

 Scotland, is fituated to the north-welt of the Mainland of 

 Orkney, from which it is feparated by a ftrait about a mile 

 in breadth. It confifts chiefly of a ridge of lofty hills de- 

 clining on all fides towards the coaft. The belt cultivated 

 parts of this ifland are its eaftern and fouth-weftern fides ; but 

 there is a narrow ftrip of arable land extending round the 

 whole fhore. The hills are moilly covered with heath, inter- 

 mixed with various kinds of graffes, which afford futtenance 

 to a great number of flieep, fwine, and black cattle. Op- 

 pofite to the Mainland, in a romantic fituation, itands the 

 houfe of Weftnefs, which in remote ages was the abode of 

 the celebrated earl Sigard, who fell in the famous battle 

 of Clontarf in Ireland, and is ranked by hiftorians among 

 the greateft heroes of his age. On a flat tract of land, clofe 

 to the fhore, about a quarter of a mile weftward from the 

 place, are feveral " immenfe piles of ftones, evidently the 

 ruins of fome ancient ftrudture, around which are to be 

 feen graves formed with ftones fet on edge, as in fome other 

 places ; and the name of Swendrow, which it bears, points 

 it out, with great probability, as the fcene of the capture 

 of earl Paul, by Swein, the fon of Afleif, and the (laughter 

 of his attendants, when he was, with the bafeft intention, 

 carried a prifoner into Scotland." The ridge known by 

 the whimfical name of the camp of Jupiter Fring, is fituated 

 about two miles eaftward from Wellnefs. Several Handing 

 ftones are to be met with in different parts of the ifland ; 

 and there are fome tumuli on the fouth fide, near the 

 Froit, alfo a few Pifts-houfes. 



Contiguous to Roufay, on the north-weft, is the fmall 

 ifland of Eaglelhay, which yields to none of the Orkney 

 ifles in beauty of appearance, or conveniency of fituation. 

 This ifland is about two miles long and one broad, and, in con- 

 junction with Roufay, forms one parifh ; which, according 

 to the population cenlus of 1811, contained 189 houfes, 

 and 965 inhabitants. Eaglefhay is remarkable in hiftory 

 for having been the fcene of the unjuft and barbarous 

 murder of St. Magnus, the tutelary faint of the Orkney 

 iflands. The church, which is very ancient, is faid to 

 occupy the fpot on which the afTaflination was committed. 

 Owing to the natural attractions of this ifland, feveral of 

 the counts of Orkney made it their ufual place of refidence, 

 and their example was followed in later times, when it 

 became the property of the Douglafes and the Monteaths. 

 Hiftory of the Orkney Ifland:;, by the Rev. Dr. Barry, 

 2d edit, by the Rev. James Headrick, 4to. London, 1808. 

 ROUSE up a Hare, among Hunters. See Hunting. 

 Rouse, To, among Falconers, is when a hawk lifts up and 

 makes himfclf. 



ROUSHOLM Head, in Geography, a cape on the 

 S.W. coaft of the ifland of Stronfa. N. lat. 58 56'. W. 

 long. 2° 34'. 



ROUSSE, GrWand Petit, rocks in the Englifh Chan- 

 nel ; 5 miles N.E. from the ifland of Jerfey. 



ROUSSEA, in Botany, was fo called by the writer of the 

 prefent article, in memory of the celebrated Jean Jacques 

 Rouffeau. Botany had fpread a charm over the latter 

 years of this diltinguifhed man, and foothed their real or 

 imaginary ills. Whenever he touches on this favourite 

 fubject, he' communicates the fame charm to his readers. 

 Such has been the effect of his example, perhaps above all 

 others, that he would now no longer have to deplore " the 

 grofs ignorance and barbarifm" of the French, who, about 

 fifty years ago, flared at a botaniit with fovereign con- 

 tempt. His letters on the fcience have rendered the Lin- 

 ntean fyftem popular all over Europe. He correfponded 

 with Linnaeus, who had dedicated a genus to his name ; 



which the younger Linnaeus, through mifapprehenfion, 

 publifhed as RuJJelia, and which is now called Vahlia, 

 there being already a Rujfelia, named by Jacqum. What 

 we are about to defcribe was therefore felected as a very 

 fine and lingular genus, and it has been generally adopted, 

 both in France and elfewhere. — Smith Plant. Ic. fafc. 1. 6. 

 Schreb. Gen. 792. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 1. 607. Mart. 

 Mill. Diet. v. 4. Juff. in Sims and Kon. Ann. of Bot. 

 v. 2. 568. Lamarck Illultr. t. 75 — Clafs and order, 

 Tetrandr'ta Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Campanacea, Linn. Jufi. 

 Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, ot one leaf, in four 

 deep, equal, widely fpreading, tongue-fhaped, permanent 

 fegments. Cor. of one petal, externally rugofe ; tube 

 nearly globular, almoft as long as the calyx ; limb in four 

 equal, lanceolate, acute, revolutr fegments. Stam. Fila- 

 ments four, erect, equal, linear, flattened, fomewhat taper- 

 ing upwards, longer than the corolla ; anthers terminal, 

 lmall, arrow-fhaped. Pijl. Germen fuperior, pyramidal, 

 quadrangular ; ltyle terminal, fquare, permanent, the length 

 of the ftamens ; ftigma funnel-ihaped. Perlc. Berry ? py- 

 ramidal, quadrangular, of one cell? with a coriaceous coat. 

 Seeds very numerous, lenticular, imbedded in pulp. 



Eil. Ch. Calyx in four deep fegments. Corolla bell- 

 fhaped, four-cleft, inferior. Berry ? quadrangular, with 

 many feeds. 



I. K. /implex. Sm. Ic. t. 6. Willd. n. I Gathered 



by Commerfon in the iland of Mauritius, and commu- 

 nicated by Thouin to the younger Linnaeus, with about 

 1500 fine plants befides. This appears to be ajhrui, of a 

 flefhy habit, climbing over molly rocks, or Items of trees, 

 in moilt fituations. The Jlem is thick and knotty. Lea-vet 

 oppofite, in pairs crofting each other, ltalked, fimple, 

 obovate, rather flefhy, diltantly toothed, pointed, quite 

 fmooth on both fides, with a folitary rib, and many fine 

 tranfverfe veins ; their length about three inches ; breadth 

 one, or one and a half. Footjlslks an inch long, even, 

 channelled, fmooth. Stipulas oppofite, between the foot- 

 italks, triangular, acute, membranous. Floit'ers folitary, 

 axillary, large, flefhy, on drooping round Jlalis, rather 

 fhorter than thofe of the leaves, accompanied at the bafe 

 of the ftalk by feveral crowded, membranous, acute bra&eas, 

 very like the Jlipulas. Calyx fmooth, an inch long. Corolla 

 fomewhat downy at the outfide ; of its colour we have no 

 means of judging. The fhiit appears to be a coriaceous 

 berry, about an inch in diameter, but we have not feen it 

 fully formed, nor has Commerfon left any note refpe&ing 

 the qualities of the plant. In the texture, and external 

 downinefs, of the corolla, this genus accords not fo much 

 with Campanula itfelf, as with others of the fame order, 

 Goodenia, Scuvola, &c. To fome of thefe the form of its 

 J/igma approaches, while the anthers, fo widely differing 

 among themfelves in this order, are, in the- prefent inflance, 

 very unlike moil of the other genera. The oppofite leaves, 

 and intermediate Jlipulas, evince, as M. de Juflieu obferves, 

 an approach in habit to the natural order of Rubiace^e. 

 See that article. 



ROUSSEAU, John Baptist, in Biography, a French 

 poet of considerable celebrity, was born at Paris in 1671. 

 His father, though only a fhoe-maker, contrived to give him 

 a liberal education. By his literary talents he obtained, 

 while very young, admiflion among perfons of rank and 

 tafle. In 168S he attended the French ambaffador to the 

 court of Denmark, in quality of page. After this he went 

 with marfhal Tallard to England, where he contracted an 

 intimacy with Saint Evremond. In 1703 he was domici- 

 liated with M. Rouille, director of the finances, whom he 

 accompanied to court, and elfewhere, living in tranquillity 



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