SS4 
K H E 
leaves and stalks are annual. The roots 
being thick, fleshy, generally divided, stiike 
deep into the ground ; of a brownish colour 
without and yellow within; the leaves rise in 
the spring, generally come up m a large head 
folded together, gradually expanding them- 
selves, having thick foot-stalks; and grow 
from one to two feet high, or more, in length 
aud breadth, spreading all round: amidst them 
rise the flower-stems, attaining their full height 
in June, when they flower, and are succeeded 
by large triangular seeds, ripening in August, 
borne plants of each sort merit culture in 
gardens for variety ; they will effect a sin- 
gularity with their luxuriant foliage, spikes, 
-and flowers ; and, as medical plants, they 
demand culture both for private and public 
use. 
They are generally propagated by seeds 
sown in autumn soon after they are ripe, or 
early in the spring, in any open bed ot light 
deep earth. Scatter the seeds thinly, either 
by broad-cast all over the surface, and raked 
w'ell in, or in shallow drills a foot and a half 
distance, covering them near an inch deep. 
The plants will rise in the spring, but not 
flower till the second or third year: when 
they are come up two or three inches high, 
thin them to eight or ten inches, and clear 
out all weeds; though those designed always 
to stand should afterwards be hoed out to a 
foot and a half or two feet distance; observ- 
in' 5 ' if any are required for the pleasiue- 
' ground, Ac. for variety, they should be 
transplanted where they are to remain in 
autumn, when their leaves decay, 01 eaily 
in spring, before they shoot: the otheis le- 
maining where sown must have the giouud 
kept clean between them ; and m autumn, 
when the leaves and stalks decay, cut them 
down, and slightly dig the ground between 
the rows of plant', repeating the same woik 
every year. The roots remaining, they in- 
crease in size annually; and in the second or 
third year many of them will shoot up stalks, 
flower, aud perfect seeds; and in three or 
four years the roots will be arrived to a large 
size, though older roots are generally prefer- 
able for medical use. 
Two sorts of rhubarb are met with in the 
shops. The first is imported from Turkey 
and Russia, in roundish pieces freed from the 
bark, with a hole through the middle of each: 
they ’are externally of a yellowish colour, and 
on cutting appear vuriegated with lively led- 
dish streaks. The other, which is less esteem- 
ed, comes immediately from the East Indies, 
in longish pieces, harder, heaviei, and moic 
compact than the foregoing. The first sort, 
unless kept very dry, is apt to grow mould v 
and worm-eaten ; the second is less subject 
to these inconveniences. Some 01 the moie 
industrious artists are said to fill up the worm- 
holes with certain mixtures, and to colour 
the outside of the damaged pieces with pow- 
der of the finer sorts of rhubarb, and some- 
times with cheauer materials: this is often so 
nicely done as ‘ effectually to impose upon 
the buyer, unless he very carefully examines 
each piece. I he marks of good rhubaib aie, 
that it is firm and solid, but not flinty ; that 
H is easily pulverable, and appears when 
powdered of a fine bright yellow colour ; 
that, upon being chewed, it impaits to the 
spittle a saffron tinge, without proving slimy 
or mucilaginous in the mouth. Its taste is 
R H I 
subacrid, bitterish, and somewhat astringent ; 
the smell lightly aromatic. 
Rhubarb is a mild cathartic, which operates 
without violence or irritation, and may be 
given with safety even to pregnant women 
and children. Besides its purgative quality, 
it is celebrated for an astringent one, by which 
it strengthens the tone of the stomach aud 
intestines, and proves useful in diarhoeas and 
disorders proceeding from a laxity of the 
fibres. Rhubarb in substance operates more 
powerfully as a cathartic than any ot the 
preparations of it. Watery tinctures purge 
more than the spirituous ones ; whilst the 
latter contain in greater perfection the aro- 
matic, astringent, and corroborating virtues 
of the rhubarb. The dose, when intended 
as a purgative, is from a scruple to a drachm 
or more. 
The Turkey rhubarb is, among us, umver- 
sally preferred to the l^cist India, soit, though 
this last is for some purposes at least equal 
to the other ; it is manifestly moie astiin- 
gent, but has somewhat less of an aromatic 
flavour. Tinctures drawn from both with 
rectified spirit have nearly the same taste: 
on distilling off the menstruum, the extiact 
left from the tincture of the East India rhu- 
barb proved considerably the strongest. 
The method of curing the true rhubarb is 
as follows: Take the roots up when the stalks 
are withering or dying away, clean from the 
earth with a dry brush, cut them in small 
pieces of about four or five inches in bieadth, 
and about two in depth, taking awa\ all the 
bark, and make a hole in the middle, and 
string them on packthread, keeping every 
piece apart ; and every morning, it the wea- 
ther is clear and fine, place them in the open 
part of the garden on stages erected b\ fixing 
small posts about six feet high in the giound, 
and six feet asunder, into which fix horizontal 
pegs, about a foot apart, beginning at the top ; 
and the rhubarb being strung crosswise on 
small poles, place them on these pegs , so 
that, if it should rain, you could easily re- 
move each pole with the suspended pieces 
into any covered place. Never suffer them 
to be out at night, as the damps at this season 
would be apt to mould them. 
RHEUMATISM. See Medicine. 
R HEX I A, a genus of the monogyma or- 
der, in the octandria class of plants, and in 
the natural method ranking with those of the 
1 7th order caly canthemae. The calyx is qua- 
drifid with four petals inserted into it; the 
anthem; are declining ; the capsule is quadri- 
lociilar, within the belly of the calyx. There 
are 13 species, annuals and shrubs of Ame- 
rica. 
RHINANTIIUS, a genus of the angio- 
spermia order, in the didynamia class of 
plants, and in the natural method ranking 
under the 40tli order, personat®. 1 he caljx 
is quadrifid, and ventricose ; the capsule bi- 
locular, obtuse, and compressed. r l here are 
eight species, among which is the yellow 
rattle, a weed well known. 
RHINOCEROS, a genus of quadrupeds 
of the order belluse : the generic character is, 
horn solid, perennial, conical, seated on the 
nose - • • . . . 
1. Rhinoceros unicornis, single-horned rhi- 
noceros. • The rhinoceros is the largest of 
land animals, the elephant alone excepted. 
It is of a highly uncouth and awkward form. 
The back, instead of rising, as in the elephant, 
sinks in Considerably : the head is moderately 
lame and long ; the upper lip protrudes or 
hangs over the lower in the form of a length- 
ened tip ; and, being extremely pliable, an- 
swers the end of a small proboscis, and is use- 
ful to the animal in catching hold of the 
shoots of vegetables, Ac. and delivering them 
into the mouth. On the nose is situated a 
very strong, slightly curved, sharp-pointed 
horn, which, irk the full-grown animal, is 
sometimes three feet in length, and eighteen 
inches in circumference at the base. r i he 
mouth has four cutting-teeth, which are 
placed at each corner of each jaw ; there are 
also six grinders in each jaw, of which the 
first is remote from the cutting-teeth. (In 
strict propriety it may be doubted whether 
the four teeth first mentioned should be called 
by the title of cutting-teeth.) The ears are 
moderately large, upright, and pointed ; the 
eves small ; the skin naked, rough, arid tu- 
berculated, or marked with very numerous, 
large, callous granulations ; it is destitute of 
hair, except a few straggling and very coarse 
bristles on some parts ot the head, Ac. About 
the neck the skin is disposed into several large 
plaits or folds ; another fold of the same kind 
passes from the shoulders to the fore legs, 
aud another from -the hind part of the back 
to the thighs ; the tail is slender, flattened at 
the end, and covered on the sides with very- 
stiff and thick black hairs ; the belly is some- 
what pendulous, or shaped like that of a hog ; 
the legs very short, strong, and thick; the ( 
feet marked into three large hoofs, all stand- 
ing forwards. The general height ot the 
rhinoceros is about eight feet; but it is said j 
that some have been seen in Sumatra and j 
Java which nearly equalled the size of the ; 
elephant, though they appeared lower on 
account of the sinking back, the pendulous j 
abdomen, and short legs. 
The rhinoceros is a native of several parts 
of India, as well as of the islands of Java, Su- ; 
matra, Ac. This animal tails far short of the 
elephant in sagacity and docility. It is, how- 
ever, of a quiet and inoffensive disposition, 
but very furious and dangerous when pro- 
voked or attacked: he is said to run with 
great swiftness, and, from his strength and 
unpenetrable covering, is capable of rushing 
with resistless violence through woods and 
obstacles of every kind ; the trees bending 
like twigs'while lie passes between them. In 
general ^habits and manner of feeding, the j 
rhinoceros resembles the elephant, residing 
in cool sequestered spots, near waters, and 
in shady woods : it delights in rolling occa- 
sionally in the mud, in the manner of a hog. 
Its skin is so hard as to be impenetrable by 
any common weapons, except on the belly : j 
it is even said, that, in order to shoot a lull- ; 
grown rhinoceros of advanced age, it is ne- 
cessary to make use of iron bullets ; those of 
lead having been known to be flattened 
against the skin. 
The bones of the rhinoceros, like those of 
the elephant, are often found in a fossil state 
in various parts of the world ; and in the 
year 1772, an entire rhinoceros was found 
buried in the banks of a Siberian river, in the 
antient frozen soil, with the skin, tendons, 
and some of the flesh, in the highest state of 
preservation. It was discovered in the sandy 
banks of the river Witim, which falls into the 
Lena, below Jakutsk, in north lat. f>4. 
2. Rhinoceros biconns, the two-horned 
