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bullet will be hereby affected, and will be 
increased in that part where the whirling 
motion conspires with the progressive, and 
diminished where it is opposed to it. And, 
by this means, the whole effort of the re- 
sistance, instead of being in a direction op- 
posite to the direction of the body, will be- 
come oblique thereto, and will produce 
those effects already mentioned. If it were 
possible to predict the position of the axis, 
round which the bullet should whirl, and if 
that axis were unchangeable during the 
whole flight of the bullet, then the aberra- 
tion of the bullet, by this oblique force, 
would be in a given direction, and the in- 
curvation produced thereby, would regu- 
larly extend the same way, from one end of 
its track to the other. For instance : if 
the axis of the whirl were perpendicular to 
the horizon, then the deflection would be 
to the right or left ; if that axis were hori- 
zontal, and perpendicular to the direction 
of the bullet, then the deflection would be 
upwards or downwards. But as the first 
position of this axis is uncertain, and as it 
may perpetually shift in the course of the 
bullet’s flight, the deviation of the bullet is 
not necessarily in one certain direction, nor- 
tending to the same side in one part of its 
track that it does in another ; but it more 
usually is continually changing the tendency 
of its deflection, as the axis round which it 
whirls, must frequently shift its position to 
the progressive motion by many inevitable 
accidents.” 
RIGGING of a ship, is all her cordage 
and ropes, belonging to her masts, yards, 
&c. A ship is said to be well rigged, when 
all her ropes are of a fit size and proportion : 
and she is said to be over-rigged, when her 
ropes are too large, which is of great preju- 
dice to her sailing, and is apt to make her 
heel. 
RIGHT, in geometry, signifies the same 
with straight : thus, a straight line is called 
a right one. 
Right, in general signification, includes 
not only a right, for which a writ of right 
lies, but also any claim or title, either by 
virtue of a condition, mortgage, or the like, 
for which no action is given by law, but 
only an entry. A writ of right is the most 
ancient remedy in the law, for the recovery 
of lands, and is not barred till sixty years 
have elapsed since the claimant or his ances- 
tor was disseised, or ousted of possession. 
RING, in astronomy and navigation, an 
instrument used for taking the sun’s altitude, 
&c. It is usually of brass, about nine 
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inches diameter, suspended by a little 
swivel, at the distance of 45° from the point 
S which is a perforation, which is the cen- 
j Of a quadrant of 90° divided in the inner 
^Incave surface. To use it, let it be held 
by the swivel, and turned round to the 
«m, till its rays, falling through the hole, 
i^ke a spot among the degrees, which 
--t-»rks the altitude required. This instru- 
liient is preferred before the astrolabe, be- 
t^tuse the divisions are here larger than on 
that instrument. See Astrolabe. 
• ; Ring, of Saturn, is a thin, broad, opaque 
circular arch, encompassing tlie body of that 
■ivaanet, like the wooden horizon of an artifi- 
cial globe, without touching it, and appear- 
double when seen through a good te- 
'scope. See Saturn. 
'Rings of colours, in optics, a phenomenon 
first observed in thin plates of various sub- 
stances, by Boyle, and Hook, but after- 
wards more fully explained by Sir Isaac 
Newton. Mr. Boyle having exhibited a 
variety of colours in colourless liquors, by 
shaking them till they rose in bubbles, as 
well as in bubbles of soap and water, and 
also in turpentine, procured glass blown so 
thin as to exhibit similar colours ; and he 
observes, that a feather of a proper shape 
and size, and also a black ribband, held at 
a proper distance between his eye and the 
sun, showed a variety of little rainbows, as 
he calls them, with very vivid colours. Dr. 
Hook, about nine years after the publication 
of Mr. Boyle’s Treatise on Colours, exhi- 
bited the coloured bubbles of soaji and 
water, and observed, that though at first it 
appeared white and clear, yet as the film of 
water became thinner, there appeared 
upon it all the colours of the rainbow. He 
also described the beautiful colours that ap- 
pear in thin plates of Muscovy glass; which 
appeared, through the microscope, to be 
ranged in rings surrounding the white specks 
or flaws in them, and with the same order of 
colours as those of the rainbow, and which 
were often repeated ten times. He like- 
wise took two thin pieces of glass, ground 
plane and polished, and putting them one 
upon another, pressed them till there began 
to appear a red coloured spot in the middle ; 
and pressing them closer, he observed seve- 
ral rings of colours encompassing the first 
place, till, at last, all the colours disappeared 
out of the middle of the circles, and the 
central spot appeared white. The first co- 
lour that appeared was red, then yellow, 
then green, then blue, then purple ; then 
again red, yellow, green, blue, and purple ; 
