R U S 



R U S 



RUSKO, a town of Sweden, in the government of Abo ; 

 6 miles N.W. of Abo. 



RUSKOBAGAN, the Indian name of Parker's ifland 

 in Kennebeck river. 



RUSKY, or Ruskybridge, a fmall pod-town of Ireland, 

 in the county of Leitrim, where there is a bridge over the 

 Shannon. It is 67 miles N. by W. from Dublin, and 7 from 

 Longford. 



RUSLAM River, a river of Upper Canada, which 

 runs into lake St. Clair, between Point aux Roches and Belle 

 river ; it is navigable by a loaded boat fix miles upwards. 

 The land on its banks is very good, and at the diftance of 

 a few miles in afcending it there is an Indian fettlement. 



RUSMA, in Natural Hijlory, the name given by the 

 Eaftern nations to the fubftance called by the ancient Greeks 

 fory, and ufed as a depilatory. 



The Turks call this fubftance rufma, and the Arabians 

 nourel. It is not, as fome have imagined, a mineral fub- 

 ftance found ready for ufe, as a depilatory, in the bowels of 

 the earth ; but it requires a preparation and an alloy to give 

 it that property. Bellon, who firft defcribed (at Cuta, in 

 Galatia,) " the fource cf a mineral which they call rufma," 

 adds, that this mineral alone cannot be ufed " till it has been 

 beaten into a very fine powder, putting half as much quick- 

 lime as rufma, which is then diluted in a vefl'el with water." 

 Thus, the rufma of Bellon is not of itfelf a depilatory ; but 

 it contains fome caullic matter, which being mixed with lime, 

 gives it that property. This prefumption is confirmed by M. 

 Velmont de Bomare, who, having received from Conftanti- 

 nople fome fmall pieces of mineral rufma, perceived, that on 

 throwing it upon hot coals, there immediately exhaled from it 

 a vapour, which gives reafon for fufpefting that it is a " col- 

 chitis" mineralized by fulphur and arfenic. This mixture is 

 the true rufma of the Turks, and the nouret of the Arabs. 

 There are different names of the fame fubftance, or rather 

 of the fame compofition. It is, in faft, with arfenic or orpi- 

 ment, mixed with quick-lime, that the drug for taking off 

 the hair is prepared in the Egyptian baths. The proportion 

 is feven parts of lime to three of orpiment. It is neceflary for 

 the perfon who defires to ufe it, to keep in a very warm place, 

 fuch as the hot baths of the Eaft, in which a profufe fweat 

 exudes from all parts of the body. The mixture is diluted 

 with water, and lightly rubbed on the parts from which the 

 hair is to be taken off. After a few moments, it will be feen 

 if the hair be loofened ; it can then be plucked out without 

 pain, and the (kin is afterwards wafhed with hot water. Care 

 muft be taken, however, that this liniment does not remain on 

 too long, becaufe it would burn the fkin. This does not 

 prevent the hair from growing again, and at the end of iome 

 time the operation muft be repeated. 



Mr. Boyle tells us, he made a fine powder of equal parts 

 of rufma and quick-lime, and letting them foak a little time 

 in water, they became a foft parte, which he fpread on the 

 part he would free from hair ; and after letting this pafte he 

 on about three minutes, he wiped it off with a wet cloth, 

 and found the hair taken away by the roots without any in- 

 convenience to the part. 



RUSOER, in Geography. See Risoer. 



RUSOOLPOUR,' a town of Hindooitan, in Allahabad; 

 35 miles N. of Gazypour. 



RUSPACH, a town of Auftria ; five miles S. of Son- 

 neberg. 



RUSPiE, She-ah, in /Indent Geography, a town of 

 Africa, on the gulf of Numidia, according to Ptolemy, 

 fituated between Achola and Brachodes Exterma ; fix miles 

 S. of Achola. Some ruins ftill remain. 



RUSPEN, in Geography. See RoszWEIN. 

 4 



RUSPINA, Sahaleel, in Ancient Geography, a town 

 of Africa, on the gulf of Numidia, between Leptis Minor 

 and Adrumettium, according to Ptolemy. It was fitu- 

 ated on the declivity of an eminence about a mile from the 

 fea, S.E. of Adrumettium. It is known by fome ancient 

 remains. 



RUSPONO, in Commerce, a gold coin of Tufcany, 

 which is a piece of 3 fequins, weighing 8 denari 21 grani, 

 Florence weight, and paffing for 40 lire or 60 paoli. In 

 gold and filver weight, the pound contains 12 ounces ; 

 the ounce, 24 denari or 576 grani. This pound weighs 

 Iioz. 2 deniers 8 grains, French poids de Marc, or 5241 

 Englifh grains; fo that ioolbs. of this weight anfwer to 

 9 libs. Englifh troy weight. The aflay and value of the 

 rufpono are as follow : compared, as to finenefs, with the 

 Englifh itandardof 22 carats, and as to value with the mint 

 price of gold in England, /. e. 3/. 17/. lo\d. per oz. 

 ftandard, viz. 



The imprelfionj on the rufpono are a lily, with the name 

 and title of the reigning prince, thus : ferdinandus nr. 

 D. G. A. A. M. D. etr. that is, Dei Gratia Arcbidux Aujlriet, 

 Magnus Dux Etrurite, (Ferdinand III. by the grace of God, 

 archduke of Aultria, grand duke of Tufcany) ; reverfe, a 

 figure reprefenting St. John the Baptift ; legend, s. Joan- 

 nes baptista. Some pieces, coined about the year 1738, 

 bear the head of the reigning prince; legend, franciscus hi. 

 D. G. LOTH. BAR. ETM. ET. D. REX HIER. (Francis III. by 

 the grace of God, duke of Lorraine and Bar, grand duke 

 of Tufcany, king of JerufaleirO ; reverfe, arms of the prince ; 

 legend, in te do.mixe speravi, (in thee, O Lord, have I 

 hoped). 



The new rufpono of the kingdom of Etruria bears the 

 fame impreffions as above ; legend in thofe coined in 1803, 



LUDOVICUS I. V. G. IIISP. INF. REX ETRURIJE, (Louis I. 



by the grace of God, infant of Spain, king of Etruria) ; 

 and in thofe ftruck in 1804, CAROLUSI. d. c. rex et m. 

 aloysia r. rectrix, (Charles I. by the grace of God, 

 king of Etruria, and Maria Louifa queen regent). 



The fequin of Tufcany has the fame impreffion as the 

 rufpono. 



RUSS, in Geography, a town of Pruffian Lithuania, and 

 principal place of a diftrift, fituated at the mouth of the 

 river Ruffe ; 20 miles N.W. of Tilfit.— Alfo, a fmall ifland 

 in the Eaft Indian fea, near the W. coaft of Nafl'au. S. 

 lat. 2 53'. E. long. 99 48'. 



RUSSE, a river of Prufiia, one of the branches of the 

 Memmel, which runs into the Curifch Haff. 



RUSSELE'E, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the pro- 

 vince of Diarbekir ; 58 miles S. of Mofnl. 



RUSSELIA, in Botany, received that name from Jac- 

 quin, in honour of Dr. Alexander RulTel, for many years 

 phyfician to the Englifh faclory at Aleppo, and author of a 

 " Natural Hiftory" of tha* ■ ice, publifhed in 1756 ; which 

 was fubfequently re-edited bj his brother, the late worthy Dr. 

 Patrick Ruffell, fo well known by his works on the Plague, 

 andon Indian Serpents. (See RussELL.) This original RuJJelia 

 was neglected by Linnsu5 ; but in the Supplementum, printed 



