R U I 



R U I 



vhich he undertakes to refute the hypothefis of Dodwelf, 

 " Do paucitate Marty rum." This work was feveral times 

 reprinted with confiderable additions. The next publica- 

 tion was an improved edition, in 1 694, of " Vidtoris Vitenfis 

 Hiftoria Perfecutionia Vandalicx." In 1699 he publifhed 

 a new and greatly eiteemed edition of " S. Gregorii Tur- 

 gonenfis Epifcopi, Opera Omnia, necnon Fredegarii Scho- 

 lafttci Epitome et Chronieon cum fuis continuatoribus et 

 aliis antiquis Monumentis:" he was the author and editor 

 of many other works, and in 1709 he publifhed a (ketch 

 of the " Life of Father Mabillon," and he died in the fame 

 year at the age of 52. His works afford abundant evidence 

 that he was a man of deep refearch and profound learning : 

 they recommend themfelves by their accuracy, perfpicuity, 

 and neatnefs of ftyle. The author, however, was not more 

 refpecL-d for his learning, than he was eftecmed for his 

 humility, modefty, and piety. 



RU1NES, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Cantal, and chief place of a canton, in the 

 diltria of St. Flour ; fix miles E.S.E. of St. Flour. The 

 town contains 649, and the canton 7994 inhabitants, on a 

 territory of 275 kiliometres, in 15 communes. 



RUININE Oil, a name given by fome authors to the 

 oil of the palma Chrifti, which is very common in the Weft 

 Indies, and is ufed by the common people in lamps. It is 

 a delicate, fweet, and tranfparent oil, and has no peculiar 

 operation in phyfic. They often give it in glyfters from 

 one fpoonful to three at a time, and it has only the effect 

 of common oil ; but the leaves of the plant are one of the 

 grand medicines of the Negroes ; bruifed and applied to 

 the head, they are thought to be an almoft infallible remedy 

 for the head-ache, of whatever kind, or from whatever caufe. 

 See Castor-O;/. 



RUINS, a term particularly ufed for magnificent build- 

 ings fallen to decay by length of time, and of which there 

 only remains a confufedheap of materials. 



Such are the ruins of the tower of Babel, of the tower 

 of Belus, two days journey from Bagdat, in Syria, on the 

 banks of the Euphrates ; which are now no more than a 

 heap of bricks, cemented by bitumen ; and of which we 

 only perceive the plan to have been fquare. 



Such alfo are the ruins of a famous temple, or palace, 

 near Schiras, in Perfia, which the antiquaries will have to 

 have been built by Ahafuerus ; and which the Perfians now 

 rill Tchelminar, or Chelminar ; q. d. the forty columns ; 

 becaufe there are fo many columns remaining pretty entire, 

 with the traces of others ; a great quantity of baflo relievos, 

 and unknown characters, fufneient to fhew the magnificence 

 of the antique architecture. The ruins of Palmyra may 

 alfo be reckoned in the clafs of famous ruins. 



RUISCH, K\c\\Y.i.,\t\ Biography, was born at Amfterdam 

 in 1664, the daughter of Frederick Ruifch, or Ruyfch, the 

 celebrated profeflor of anatomy. The very early difpofition 

 flic exhibited for drawing flowers, and the extreme accuracy 

 and minutenefs with which (he had copied prints without 

 afiiftancc, induced her father to place her under the tuition 

 of William Van Aellt, an eminent flower-painter. 



In a few years flic became the rival of her maftcr, and at 

 length furpafted him ; and indeed, as far as a neat and corrcft 

 imitation of a fingle flower, a leaf, or an infeft goes, fhe 

 has been equalled by few. The great defedt in her pro- 

 ductions is a want of combination, the parts being feparated, 

 and the maffes weak ; which is the more to be lamented, as 

 her choice of objefts was remarkably elegant, and her man- 

 jier of treating them perfection itfelf, even to illufion. 



Her extraordinary talents recommended her to the pecu- 

 Jiar patronage of the eleftor palatine, who in 1708 ap- 

 Vol. XXX. 



pointed her his paintrefs ; and he was fo great 3n admirer 

 of her works, that he pofleOed a confideiajble pcrtiou of 

 them, and rewarded their author munificently. She con- 

 tinued to exercife her talents, with almoft unimpaired fucceb, 

 to a very advanced period of her exiftence, and died at 

 Amfterdam in 1750, at the age of 86. 



RUISSEAU, Grand, in Geography, a fettlement in 

 the Indiana territory, on the left bank of the Miffifipp'. 



RUISSKAR, a fmall ifland on the caft fide of the 

 gulf of Bothnia. N. lat. 6l° 24'. E. long. 2 1° 8'. 



RUIVAINS, a town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Tras 03 Montes ; nine miles S. of Montalegre. 



RUIZ I A, in Botany, named by Cavanillcs in honour of 

 Don Hippolito Ruiz, a Spanifh botanift, who ftudied under 

 the celebrated Mutis in South America, and who in con- 

 junction with Pavon, another pupil of Mutis, pubhfned 

 the fplendid Flora Peruviana. — Cavan. DifT. 3. 117. 

 Schreb. 466. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 3. 798. Ait. Hort. 

 Kew. v. 4. 221. Juff. 275. — Clafs and order, Mona- 

 dclphia Polyandria. Nat. Ord. Columniferx, Linn. Mal- 

 vacea, JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, double ; outer of 

 three, ovate, concave, acute, deciduous leaves ; inner of 

 one leaf, permanent, cloven into five, lanceolate fegments. 

 Cor. Petals five, obliquely fickle-fhaped, rounded at the 

 tip, undivided, flat, fpreading, faftened to the bundle of 

 ftamens. S/am. Filaments numerous, generally from thirty 

 to forty, fhorter than the corolla, united at their bafe into 

 the form of a pitcher, inclofing the germen ; anthers ob- 

 long, incumbent. Fiji. Germen fuperior* globofe, ten- 

 furrowed ; ftyles ten, fhort ; fligmas fimple. Perk. Cap- 

 fules ten, compreffed, membranaceous, woody en the back, 

 boat-fhaped, of one cell, united into a globular, um- 

 bilical whorl. Seeds two, roundifh, or (lightly triangular, 

 pointed. 



Obf. This genus is nearly akin to Assoxia j fee that 

 article. 



EfT. CJi. Calyx double ; outer of three leavea. Styles 

 ten. Capfules ten, of one cell, with two feeds, and dif- 

 pofed in a circle. 



1. R. cordata. Heart-leaved Ruizia. Willd. n. l. 

 Cavan. DifT. t. 36. f. 2. — Leaves heart-fhaped, lanceolate, 

 wavy. — Native of the Ifle of Bourbon, where it flowers 

 in March and April. Stem fhrubby, branched. Leaves 

 alternate, (talked, numerous, ovate, pointed, notched. Sti- 

 pulas awl-fliaped, whitifh, powdery, deciduous. Flowers 

 in umbel-like terminal corymbs, fulphur-coloured, each on 

 a fhort (talk. 



2. R. lobata. Lobed Rui/.ia. Willd. n. 2. Cavan. 

 DifT. t. 36. f. 1. — Leaves heart-fhaped, five-lobed, notched. 

 — Found alfo in the Ifle of Bourbon, flowering in February 

 and March. A handfome frrub, five or fix feet high, much 

 branched, with a grcyifh-white harh. Leaves crowded 

 together at the extremities of the branches, alternate, 

 (talked, fmooth above, white and dufty beneath, the old> r 

 divided into five, rarely into feven, lobes. Stipulas awl- 

 fhaped, ereft, downy or powdery, deciduous. Flowers 

 like thofe of the above fpecies in form and colour. 



3. R. variabilis. Various-leaved Ruizia. Willd. n. 3. 

 Jacq. Hort. Schoenbr. v. 3. 24. t. 295. (R. palmata and 

 R. laciniata ; Cavan. Dill. t. 37. f. 1, and 2.) — Leaves of 

 the flowering branches palmate ; thofe of the barren ones 

 digitate. - Native of the Ifle of Bourbon, and introduced 

 at Kew, in 1792, where it flowers in May. A very hand- 

 fome Jhrub of rather humble, but diflule, growth. Stems 

 wavy, furrowed, brown. Leaves alternate, ftalked, dark 

 green above, whitifh underneath, extremely curious for the 



4 T variety 



