R A N 
'ii A S 
550 
r; a v 
Rank betwe en the Army, N aw, and Governors. 
army. 
AAVY. 
Li OVER*} OKS. 
General in chief 
Admiral in chief 
Commander in chief of the forces in America 
G enerals of horse 
Admiral with a flag at 
the main-top-mast 
Captain- generals of provinces 
Lieutenant-generals 
Vice-admirals 
Lieutenant-generals of provinces 
Major-generals 
Rear-admirals 
Lieutenant-governors and presidents 
Colonels 
Post-captains of 3 years 
Lieutenant-governors not commanding 
Lieutenant-colonels 
Post-captains 
Governors of charter colonies 
Majors 
Captains 
Deputy-governors 
Captains 
Lieutenants 
Established by the king, 1760. 
R AX l NCULl S, crowfoot, a geinis of 
■the polvgamia order, in the polyandria class 
ol plants; and in the natural method ranking- 
under the 26th order, lmdtisiliqux. The ca^ 
JVK is pentaphyllous ; there are five petals, 
earn with a melliferous pore on the inside of 
the heel ; the seeds naked. 
I here are 59 different species of this genus ; 
* ,x or eight of which claim general esteem as 
flowery plants for ornamenting the gardens. 
I he rest, as the common crowfoot, &c. are 
common weeds in the fields, waters, and pas- 
ture-ground, not having merit for garden-cul- 
ture. Of the garden kinds, the principal sort 
is the Asiatieus or Turkey and Persian ra- 
nunculus, which comprises many hundred 
varieties of large, double, most beautiful flow- 
ers, of various colours: but several other spe- 
cies having varieties with fine double flowers, 
make a good appearance in a collection; 
though as those of each species consist only of 
one colour, some white, others yellow, they 
are inferior to the Asiatic ranunculus, which 
is large, and diversified a thousand ways in 
rich colours, in different varieties. All the 
garden kinds, however, in general effect a 
very agreeable diversity in assemblage in the 
flower compartments, &c. and they being 
all very hardy, succeed in anv open beds and 
borders, &c. 
The Asiatic species in all its varieties will 
succeed in any light, rich, garden earth; but 
the florists often prepare a particular compost 
for the fine varieties, consisting of good gar- 
den-mould or pasture-earth, sward and all, a 
fourth part of rotted cow-dung, and the like 
portion of sea-sand; and with this they pre- 
pare beds four feet wide, and two deep: 
however, in default of such compost, use beds 
of any good light earth of your garden ; or, if 
necessary, it may be made light and rich 
with a portion of drift-sand and rotten dung, 
cow-dung is most commonly recommended ; 
but they will also thrive in beds of well- 
wrought kitchen-garden earth, and they often 
prosper well in the common flower-borders. 
The season for planting the roots is spring; 
and it may be performed any time in Febru- 
ary, or as soon as the weather is settled. 
All the varieties of the Asiatic ranunculus 
propagate abundantly by offsets from the 
root ; and new varieties are gained by seed. 
The juice of many species of ranunculus is so 
acrid as to raise blisters on the skin, and yet 
the roots may be eaten with safety when 
boiled. 
RAPE. See Brassica. 
Rape, in law, is where a man has carnal 
knowledge of a woman by force, and against 
her will; by 18 Eliz. c. 7, if any person shall 
unlawfully and carnally know and abuse any 
woman-child under the age of ten years, whe- 
ther with her consent or against U, he shall be 
punished as for a rape. And it is not a suf- 
ficient excuse in the ravisher, to prove that 
she is a common strumpet; for she is still 
under the protection of the law, and may not 
h? forced. Nor is the offence of a rape mi- 
tigated by shewing that the woman at last 
yielded to the violence, if such her consent 
was forced by fear of death or duress ; nor is 
it any excuse that she consented after the 
fact. 1 Haw. 108. 
The civilians make another kind of rape, 
called rape of subordination or seduction; 
which is seducing a maid either to unclean- 
ness or marriage, and that by gentle means, 
provided there is a considerable disparity in 
the age and circumstances of the parties. 
Rape is also a name given to a division of 
a county, and sometimes means the same as 
a hundred, and at other times signifies a di- 
vision consisting ot several hundreds ; thus 
Sussex is divided into six rapes, every one of 
which, besides its hundreds, has a castle, a 
river, and a forest, belonging to it. The like 
parts in other counties are called tilhings, 
lathes, or wapentakes. 
RAPI-IANUS, radish, a genus of the sili- 
quosa order, in the tetradynamia class of 
plants; and in the natural method ranking 
under the 39th order, siliquosa*. The calyx 
is close: the siliqua lorose, or swelling out in 
knots, subarticulated, and round. There are 
two melliferous glandules between the shorter 
stamina and the pistil, and two between the 
longer stamina and the calyx. There are six 
species; the sativus, or common garden-ra- 
dish, is best known, and of this there are se- 
veral varieties. They are annual plants, 
which being sown in the spring, attain perfec- 
tion in two or three months, and shoot up 
soon after into stalk for flower and seed, 
which, ripening in autumn, the whole plant, 
root and top, perishes ; so that a fresh supply 
must be raised annually from seed in the 
spring, performing the sowings at several dif- 
ferent times, from about Christmas until 
May, in order to continue a regular succes- 
sion of young tender radishes throughout the 
b allowing only a fortnight or three 
weeks interval between the sowings; for cine 
crop will not continue good longer than that 
space of time, before they will either run to 
seed, or become tough, sticky, and too hot t® 
eat. 
RAPHIDIA, a genus of insects of the or- 
der neuroptera. 'The generic character is, 
mouth with two teeth; head depressed, 
horny; feelers four; stemmata three ; wings 
deflex; antennas the length of thorax, which 
is cylindric, and elongated in front , tail of the 
female furnished with a recurved lax bristle. 
This genus contains but few species, the most 
remarkable of which is the raphidia ophiopsis 
of Linnaeus; a smallish fly, with rather large 
transparent wings, and a narrow thorax, 
stretching forwards in a remarkable manner. 
It is found on trees, &c. in summer, but is ra- 
ther a rare insect: the pupa, according to 
Linnaeus, resembles the complete insect, but 
is destitute of wings. 
Raphidia cornuta is a large species, equal 
in size to one ot the larger dragon-flies, and is 
distinguished by its very long' hornlike jaws, 
which extend far beyond the thorax, and are 
terminated by a bifid tip: the wings are 
large, reticulated, and semitransparent. It is 
a native of North America. 
Raphidia mautispa is a small species, but 
little superior is size to the It. ophiopsis, and 
is a native of some of the warmer parts of 
Europe. It has the habit of the genus man- 
tis, and it is even doubtful whether it should 
not more properly be referred to that genus. 
RAREFACTION, in physics, the act 
whereby a body is brought to possess more 
room, or appear under a larger bulk, without 
the accession of any new matter. This is 
commonly the effect of caloric, as has long 
been universally allowed. In many cases, 
however, philosophers have attributed it to 
the action of a repulsive principle. How- 
ever, from the many discoveries concerning 
the nature and properties of the electric 
fluid and caloric, there is the greatest reason 
to believe that this repulsive principle is no 
other than caloric or Are. 
RASANT, or Razant, in fortification. 
Rasant flank, or line, is that part of the cur- 
tin or flank w lienee the shot exploded rase, or 
glance along, the surface of the opposite bas- 
tion. 
RASH, in medicine, an eruption upon the 
skin, thrown out in fevers or surfeits. See 
Medicine. 
