Providence has also large manufactures of cot-
ton, woolen, cordage, spermaceti, &c. Warwick
has several cotton manufactories, and at Newport
is a manufacture of lace. At Slatersville, in the
town of Smith field, are extensive manufactures
of cotton. Rhode island is almost exclusively
occupied in manufactures.

Blackstone river affords an immense water pow-
er for manufactories. Upon Woonsocket Falls,
and in the neighbourhood, are about 20 different
establishments, and others are begun. These al-
ready produce annually 2,500,000 yards of sheet-
ing, calico, shirting, drilling, satinet, &c. At
this place are also an iron foundry and manu-
factures of machinery.

Rhode Island is the only state in the Uuion
that is without a written constitution, the gov-
ernment being to this day founded on the pro-
visions of the charter, granted to the colony by
Charles II. in 1663. The obligations of this char-
ter as a constitution of civil government, became
annulled by the declaration of independence, but
by the common consent ofthe people, the form of
government was preserved without any essential
variation. The legislature is called the General
Assembly, and consists of a Senate and House of
Representatives ; the senators are 10. The rep-
resentatives are two from each town but Provi-
dence, Portsmouth and AVarwick send each four,
and Newport, sends 6. The representatives are
chosen twice a year. The executive consists of
a Governor, whose powers are very limited, and
a Lt. Governor, both of whom have seats in the
Senate; these, as well as the State Treasurer,
Secretary, and Attorney General are chosen an-
nually. Suffrage is universal. The legislature
have 2 stated sessions annually, and meet com-
monly four times a year. Common schools are
supported by an annual payment of 10,000 dollars
from the state ; and there is an university at Prov-
idence. The most numerous religious sect are
the Baptists, who have 12 ministers; the Congre-
gationalists have 10, and the Episcopalians, 8.
There is a remnant of the Narraganset Indians at
Charlestown in this state, amounting to about
430, and possessing 3,000 acres of land. They
are Baptists, and support a missionary.

Rhode Island was settled by Roger Williams,
who was expelled from Massachusetts for avow-
ing himself a friend to religious freedom. With
a few followers be journeyed beyond the limits

of the state and founded a settlement in 1630
which he called Providence. Two years after-
ward their number had increased so far that a
settlement was made on the island of Aquetnet, or
Rhode Island. A government was organized and
a coda of laws established in 1647. Religious
toleration with a trifling exception has always
prevailed in this state It was the last of the
states which acceded to the Union. This took
place in 1790.

Rhodes, an island of the Grecian Archipelago,
at the entrance of the gulf of Macri, 40 m. long
and 15 broad. The soil is pretty fertile but badly
cultivated. This island is much celebrated in
ancient history, having been frequently under
the dominion of different masters. The Saracens
became possessors of it in 665; and, in 1309, it was
taken from them by the knights of St. John of
Jerusalem, who afterwards took the name of
Knights of Rhodes. They retained it till 1623
when it was taken by the Turks, after an obstinate
resistance ; and the small number of knights that
remains were afterwards removed to Malta. Like
the neighbouring islands, it has been reduced by
the oppressions of the Porte to a state of great
poverty and wretchedness.

Rhodes, the capital of the above island and an
archbishop’s see ; was anciently 9 miles in cir-
cumference, and was regarded by Alexander,
who deposited his last will here, as the first city
in the world ; but the present town occupies only
a quarter of the extent of the ancient city. It
has a good harbour, with a narrow entrance be-
tween two rocks, on which are two towers to de-
fend the passage. Here, in all probability, stood
the famous Colossus, a statue of bronze, 70 cubits
high reckoned one of the seven wonders of the
world : it was thrown down by an earthquake ;
and, when the Saracens became masters of the
island, they knocked it to pieces, and sold tbe
fragments "to a Jew of Edessa, near 900 years
after its fall. Rhodes was deemed an impregna-
ble fortress, being surrounded by triple walls and
double ditches, which have long been in a state
of dilapidation. Long. 28. 20. E., lat. 36. 27. N.

Rhodes. See Rodez.

Rhone, a large river that rises in Switzerland,
in Mount Furca, and soon joins a more conside-
rable stream from an extensive glacier called that
of the Rhone. After passing through the vale of
Valais, it runs through the Lake of Geneva, and
separating Savoy from Bresse, it flows W. to
Lyons, then S. to Vienne, Tournon, Valence,
Viviers, Pont St. Esprit, Avignon, Beaucaire,
Tarascon, and Arles, and enters the Mediterrane-
an by several mouths.

Rhone, a department of France, so named from
the river Rhone, which flows on its E. border.
It includes the late provinces of Beaujolois and
Lyonois, and contains an area of 1050 square
miles, with 330,000 inhabitants. Lyons is the
capital.

Rhone, Mov.tlis of the, a department of France
on the coast of the Mediteranean, at the influx of
the Rhone, containing the W. part of the late
province of Provence. It comprises an area of

2,000 square miles, with 300,000 inhabitants.
Marseilles is the capital.

Rhonhmise, a village of Scotland, in Kirkcud-
brightshire, 8 m. N. N. W. of Newton Douglass,
noted for a great annual fair, and a weekly cat-
tle market from October to January.

Rhuden, a town of Prussian Westphalia, on the
Monne, 12 m. S. S. E. of Lipstadt.

Rhynberg, or RJimsberg, a town of Branden
burg, with a handsome palace, built by Frederic

II., when hereditary prince. It is seated on the
Rhyn, 10 m.'N. of Ruppin.

Rhyney. See Rummy.

Rhynow, a town of Brandenburg, at the conflux
of the Rhyn with the Havel, 9 m. S. E. of Have⁷!
burg.