RAM 



places mentioned by St. Jerom, where he fays, " Rama et 

 Bethoron et reliqucc urbes nobiles a Salomone conftruftx 

 parvi viculi demonftrantur :" Rama was a village in the 

 time of Jerom, and the fituation of Bethoor is diftinftly 

 marked in the Apocrypha, with reference to the plain of 

 Rama. (l Maccab. iii. i6. 24.) (However, the prophecy 

 of Jeremiah (xxxi. 15.) applied by St. Matthew (ii. 17.) to 

 the murder of the Innocents by Herod is not believed to refer 

 to the place now mentioned, but to another Rama, noticed 

 by Eufebius.) The origin of Rama has been afcribed to 

 the Moflems under Soliman, fon of Abdolmelic, who is 

 ftated to have built the town with materials from the ruins 

 of Lydda, diftant three miles from Rama. But that this 

 is an error may be evinced by reference to the writings of 

 St. Jerom ; who fpeaks of its vicinity to Lydda, and calls 

 it Arimathea, from a prevalent opinion that it was the 

 native place of Jofeph, who buried our Saviour. Jerom's 

 teftimony, preceding the Mahometan conqueft of the coun- 

 try, is fufhcient to prove that the city exifled anterior to 

 the invafion of Palelline by the Moflems. Neverthelefs it 

 is poflible that Rama, from having been a fmall village, 

 might have become a large town under their dominion : 

 nor does there feem much reafon to doubt, that this Rama 

 was the village mentioned with Bethoron by St. Jerom, as 

 the only remains of the two cities fo named, which were 

 built by Solomon. According to Reland, the oldeft writer 

 who mentions Rama is Bernard the monk, who vifited the 

 Holy Land in the 9th century. Oriental geographers 

 defcribe it as the metropolis of Paleftine ; and it is faid 

 that St. George, the tutelar faint of our anceftors in Eng- 

 land, fuffered martyrdom in this place ; though others fay, 

 that his relics repofed in a magnificent temple at Lydda or 

 Diofpolis. Its diftance from Jerufalem, ufually eftimated 

 at a day's journey, is defcribcd as equal to 36 or 37 miles 

 by Phocas ; who diftinguiflies Armathem, the native place 

 of the prophet Samuel, from Ramola or Rama, with which 

 Adrichomius feems to have confounded it ; and places 

 the church of St. George within the latter city ; which 

 pofition, although difputed by Reland and other authors, 

 not only feems to coincide with the teftimony given 

 from the Alexiad of Anna Comnena, but alfo with the 

 evidence afforded by Bernard the monk, who mentions a 

 monaftery of St. George near to Ramula. There is not a 

 part of the Holy Land more fertile than the plain around 

 Rama ; it relembles a continual garden ; but cultivation 

 had been neglected at the time of the arrival of Dr. Clark, 

 the traveller now cited, owing to the dreadful plague 

 with which the whole country had been infefled. Rama 

 and Lydda were the two tirft cities of the Holy Land 

 that fell into the hands of the Chriflians when the 

 army of the Crufaders arrived. Rama was then in its 

 greateft fplendour ; a fenced city, abounding in all the luxu- 

 ries of the Eaft. It was exceedingly populous, and was 

 adorned with ftately buildings, and well fortified with walls 

 and towers. The count of Flanders having been difpatched 

 by the princes and generals of the Chriftian army, with five 

 hundred cavalry, to reconnoitre the place, and to fummon 

 the city to furrender, found the gates open : the inhabitants, 

 alarmed by the fudden approach of fo powerful an army, 

 had abandoned their dwellings and all their property during 

 the preceding night. In confequence of this, a general 

 rendezvous of the Chriftian forces took place in Rama, 

 where they remained during three entire days, regaling 

 themfelves in the abundance the place afforded. During 

 tliis time, Robert of Normandy was elefted bilhop of 

 Rama and Lydda, to which bifhopric all the revenues of 

 the two cities and their dependencies were annexed ; the 

 Vol. XXXIX. 



R E A 



whole army joining in thankfgiving to St. George the Mar- 

 tyr, the patron faint of Diofpohs and Rama, to whom the 

 aufpicious commencement of the enterprife was attributed. 

 Hence probably originates the peculiar confideration in 

 which St. George was held by the inhabitants of England, 

 during the early periods of its' hiftory. 



RAMSBURY. By the returns of 181 1, the parifh of 

 Ramfbury contained 398 houfes, and 2095 perfons ; vix. 

 1028 males, and 1067 females: 248 famihes being em- 

 ployed in agriculture, and 85 in trade, manufaftures, and 

 handicraft. 



RAMSDAL, de/e. 



RANDOLPH. Add — In lSio,theirnumberwas 1170; 

 1. 3 of next article, infert — including 798 (laves. 



Randolph, a county of the lUinois {dele Indiana) terri- 

 tory, containing four townfhips ; viz. Kalkadcia, United 

 States' Saline, Shawanee, and the refidue of Randolph 



county, and 12,282 inhabitants, including 168 (laves 



Alfo, a townfhip of Montgomery county, in Ohio, con- 

 taining 936 inhabitants. 



RAPIDES. Add — This is one of the bell trafts in 

 Louifiana. No town, except Alexandria, on the right 

 bank of the Red river, has been foimd, (fays Mr. Darby, 

 1 8 16,) in the parilh of Rapides. This place is a thriving 

 little village, and ftanding at the head of conftant boat 

 navigation, is of confiderable commercial importance. 

 The rtaples of the pari(h are, cotton, timber, beef, pork, and 

 maize ; the four firft being the principal. 



RATE, 1. 8, for Ireland r. India ; in Ireland fix, legal 

 intereft charged by all private banks, though the intereft 

 charged by the bank of Ireland for money advanced is 

 5 per cent. 



Rate of a Ship, &c. col. 2, 1. 39, add — About ten years 

 ago, an additional lieutenant was appointed to the hne of 

 battle (hips. Ships of 50 and 38 guns have four heutenants : 

 1. 5 from bottom, after lieutenants, infert — fhips of 20 guns, 

 and all fhips upon the eftabliftiment of floops of war, have 

 two lieutenants. Col. 3, 1. 14, add — See Ship. 



Rat^ of Ships of IVar, add — By an order of council, 

 the operation of which commenced Jan. i, 181 7, the 

 following regulations were fixed with regard to rates in the 

 navy ; -viz. 



I ft rate. All three deckers. 



2d rate. All of 80 guns, and upwards, on two decks. 



3d rate. All of 70, and under 80 guns. 



4th rate. All of 50, and under 70 guns. 



5th rate. 7\11 of 36, and under 50 guns. 



6th rate. All of 24, and under 36 guns. 



I ft rate, 900, 850, and 800 men. 



2d rate, 700 or 650 men. 



3d rate, 650 or 600 men. 



4th rate, 450 or 350 men. 



5th rate, 300 or 280 men. 



6th rate, 175, 145, or 125 men. 

 RAVA, in Geography, a town of the Perfian empire, in 

 the pachalic of Bagdad, fituated between Kerkefia (the 

 Roman Circefium) and Annah (the Amatho of Ammianus 

 Marcellinus), and confifting of about 200 ftone houfes 

 in the midft of extenfive ruins. On the oppofite fide of 

 the river are the remains of a caftle, erefted on the fummit 

 of a rock. 



RAYUN, a town of Perfia, in the province of Ker- 

 man, which, hke Tchroot and Mahim, is furrounded by 

 numerous gardens. 



READING, a townfhip of Fairfield county, in Ohio, 

 having 789 inhabitants. 



REALIZE, r. Realise, or Realize. 



4L RED 



