Ralph

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Ramsay

the king, he was sent to the Tower and tried
for high treason. But though condemned to
death ne was reprieved and allowed to make
an expedition to Guiana in quest of gold
The expedition was a failure, and Raleigh
was executed on Oct. 29, 1618. A poet, a
philosopher, and a historian, as well as an
explorer, Raleigh was the embodiment of
the Elizabethan age.

Ralph, Julian (1853-1903), American au-
thor and journalist, born in New York city.
At various times he was connected with thv
Daily Graphic, Sun, Herald, and Journal, all
of New York, and achieved a wide reputa-
tion as a correspondent. He was with the
Turkish army in 1897, and in 1899 went to
South Africa as the correspondent of the
London Daily Mail

Ram, the protruding and strengthened bow
given to many men-of-war of past centuries
to be used as a weapon against an enemy's
vessel. A beak of much the same kind, but
usually above instead of below water, was
anciently fitted to the galleys of the Romans
and their successors. Modern experience
seems to indicate that the ram is as dangerous
to friend as to foe.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Moham-
medan year. The fast of Ramadan was in-
stituted by Mohammed, and is one of the
cardinals points of Islam,

Ramayana, a great epic, which shares with
the Mahdbkdrata the veneration of all pious
Hindus. It is the work of an inspired Brah-
man named Valmiki, and describes the wan-
derings of Rama, the seventh incarnation of
Vishnu. It assumed its present form towards
the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 3d
century B.C. The precepts of the Mqhdbhd-
rata point the paths of duty and obedience,
and insist upon their fulfillment, whatever
the cost or the personal sacrifice; the Ram&-
yana, more sympathetic and humane, empha-
sizes the joys of homely life, and lays stress
upon filial, fraternal, and conjugal affection,
pure, unselfish devotion to relatives and
neighbors.

Rameses, name of several Egyptian Phar-
aohs. RAMESES n., who reigned from 1300 to
1230 B.C., is one of the greatest of Egyptian
kings. He not only defeated a powerful coal-
ition in Syria and so secured the north-east-
ern frontier of his dominions, but he com-
pleted the conquest of Ethiopia. He is fa-
mous as the builder of some of the most im-
posing of ancient Egyptian edifices and public
works. RAMESES m, reigned from 1180 to
1150 B.C., waged successful war against the

Nubians, and cleared Egypt of the sea-Pi-
rates. He built the beautiful temple of Med-
inet-Abu and other monumental works. Ow-
ing to Herodotus's story of his treasury, his
name was famed for great wealth.

Ramganga, Western, riv., United Prov-
inces, India, rises in Himalayas, and after a
south-easterly course joins the Ganges nearly
opposite Kanauj,

Ramie, or China Grass, the bast fibre ob-
tained from the inner side of the bark of two
varieties of a plant belonging to the order
Urticaceae. These plants, Bcehmeria nivea
and B. n. tenadssimat grow largely in India
and neighboring countries, and are of great
economic importance. The fibres are among
the strongest and finest of all known textile
materials.

Rampolla, Mariano, Marches* del Tin.
daro (1843-1913), cardinal and papal secre-
tary of state, born at Polizzi, Sicily. In 1869,
he entered thp papal service, and in 1875 was
appointed counsellor of the papal embassy at
Madrid. From 1880 to 1882 he was secretary
of ecclesiastical affairs, and in 1882 became
papal nuncio at Madrid, where he did good
service in the dispute between Germany and
Spain with regard to the Caroline Islands.
In 1887 he was created a cardinal, and in
May of the same year became under-secre-
tary of state, and shortly afterwards secre-
tary of state to Leo xni. He resigned in
1903.

Rampwr, tn.,cap. of feudatory state, Unit-
ed Provinces, India, 38 m. n.w, of Bareilly;
manufactures damask, pottery, and jewelry.
The state of the same name has an area of
899 sq. m. of level and fertile country and a
population of 450,000. The town has a mod-
ern fort, fine government buildings, and an
important Arabic college; p. 73,156.

Rampur-Beauleah, chief tn., Rajshahi
dist., Bengal, India. Industries, silk and in-
digo; p. 21,589.

Ramsay, Allan (1686-1758), Scottish
writer. About 1719 he set up as a bookseller
in Edinburgh. In 1725 he published the work
which makes his name live—The Gentle
Shepherd, a dramatic pastoral. His place in
literature is determined by the fact that he
revived Scottish vernacular poetry which had
been dormant for a century, and prepared
the way for Fergusson and Burns.

Ramsay, Sir William (1852-1916), Scot-
tish chemist, was born in Glasgow, and was
appointed professor of chemistry in Universi-
ty College, Bristol, in 1880. In 1887 he was
elected to the chair of chemistry in Univer-