Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 21.djvu/20

Rh 10 R U R U educational institutions comprise an academy of art and technical science, a naval school, an industrial school, a deaf and dumb asylum, itc. In the Groote Markt (to the south of the Hoog Straat) stands the bronze statue of Erasmus (Gerrit Gerrits), erected by his fellow-citizens in 1662 ; and his birth-house, now a tavern in ijde Kerk- straat, is distinguished by a Latiu inscription. The statue by Grefs of Gijsbert Karel van Hogeudorp (1762- 1834), a great Dutch statesman, gives his name to the Hogendorpsplein, formerly Boymansplein, behind the museum ; in the " Park," which extends west along the bank of the Maas, is a marble statue by Strackee of Hen- drik Tollens, the Dutch poet; and the Nieuwmarkt is adorned with a fountain in memory of the jubilee (1863) of the restoration of Dutch independence (1813). Exten- sive works for supplying the town with filtered water were constructed between 1870 and 1875, the water in the river and -canals being rendered unwholesome by the sewerage, the treatment of which naturally presents great difficulties in a city lying in great part below high-water level.' The most important industrial establishment is that of the Netherlands Steamboat Company, who are ship- owners, shipbuilders, and engineers ; there are also exten- sive sugar-refineries and a great variety of smaller factories for the production of lead, iron, and copper wares, white lead, varnishes, tobacco and cigars, beer and vinegar, chocolate and confectionery, <fcc. Rotterdam is, however, not so much a manufacturing as a commercial city, and its commercial progress has been very striking since the middle of the century. While in 1846 it had only 321,764 tons out of the total of 1,024,705 tons which then represented the export trade of the Netherlands, in 1883 it had 1,940,026 tons out of a total of 3,953,009 tons. In 1850 it had only 27 '9 per cent, of the outgoing vessels, and 35*77 per cent, of the tonnage ; by 1870 it had 35*60 per cent, of the vessels and 50'37 of the tonnage, and by 1883 43'75 per cent, of the vessels, and 49'08 of the tonnage. Rotterdam has thus become what Amsterdam formerly was the principal port in the country. For steamers it is now, since the opening of the new waterway through the Hoek van Holland in 1872, only two hours distant from the sea, and the channel is deep enough for vessels drawing 22 feet of water. 1 From 4471 vessels with a register tonnage of 1,688,700 tons in 1873, the shipping clearing from the Netherlands by the new waterway had increased by 1884 to 8177 vessels with register tonnage of 4,382,100 tons. Up- wards of 18,000 emigrants left Europe by Rotterdam in 1881. Besides its maritime trade Rotterdam commands a most extensive river traffic, not only with the towns of the Netherlands, but with those of Belgium and Ger- many. With Germany alone its Rhine traffic amounted in 1883 to 1,706,587 tons, against 2,021,644 for all the other ports of the Netherlands. On January 1, 1885, Rotterdam owned 43 sailing vessels and 50 steam-ships with a united aggregate burden of 99,018 tons. Owing 1 Previously the only direct way to the sea was by the Brielle (Brill) Channel, where in 1856 the fairway had gradually diminished in depth to 5 feet at low water and 11 or 12 feet at high water. In 1866 the works for the new waterway were commenced, and by November 1868 the canal from the Scheur (or northern arm of the Maas) across the Hoek had been dug. The seaward piers were com- pleted to the originally proposed length of (together) 2800 metres, but in 1874 they were prolonged to a total of 4300 metres, thus jutting out into the sea for more than a mile. Contrary to expecta- tions the scour was not strong enough to widen the fairway; and works for this purpose were commenced in 1877, and at a later period the width of 900 metres between the piers was reduced to 700 metres by constructing an inner pier north of the south pier. The whole work has cost upwards of 23,000,000 guilders (1,750,000) 15.J millions expended up to 1879, and 7$ between 1881 and 1884. With the exception of a contribution of not more than 3,000,000 from the city of Rotterdam, the entire sum has been paid by the state. to the great increase of navigation and commerce the berthing accommodation of the port frequently proves too small, though by the works at Fijenoord the length of the quays has of late years been extended by about 8000 metres. This island, two-thirds of which was purchased by the town in 1591 and the remaining third in 1658, was dyked in 1795, and became the. scat of a building which has been in succession a pest-house, a military hospital, a naval college, and a private industrial school. The Netherlands Steamboat Company established its work- shops there in 1825 ; and in 1873 the Rotterdam Trading Company began to construct the harbours and warehouses which have been purchased by the city. The population of the commune of Rotterdam, which did not much exceed 20,000 in 1632, was 53,212 in 1796, 72,294 in 1830, 88,812 in 1850, 105,858 in 1860, 132,054 in 1876, and 148,102 in 1879-80. In 1870 the city contained 111,256 inhabitants, the suburbs 3341, and the ships 2478, and in 1884 the total, exclusive of the shipping, was 169,477. Rotterdam probably owes its origin to the castles of Wena and Bulgerstein, of which the former was laid in ruins by the Hoek party in 1426. In 1299 Count John I. granted the " good people of Rotterdam" the same rights as the burghers of Bcvenvijk, and freedom from toll in all his lands. In 1597 a sixth extension of the town's area took place, and a seventh, followed in 1609. Francis of Brederode seized the place in 1488, but had to surrender it to the emperor Maximilian in 1489. The Spaniards were in possession from April 9th to July 31st 1572, having gained entrance partly by treachery and partly by force (see Motley, Dutch Republic, ii.). It was at a meeting of the states held at Rotterdam in June 1574 that the relief of Leyden was determined on, though it was not till 1580 that the town obtained a vote in the assembly. ROUBAIX, a manufacturing town of France, the second in population in the department of Nord, lies to the north-east of Lille on the Ghent Railway and on the canal connecting the lower Deule with Scheldt by the Marq and Espierre. Several tramway lines traverse the town and connect it with various manufacturing centres iu the neighbourhood. The population of Roubaix, which in 1881 was 79,700 (the commune 91,757), is almost entirely manufacturing, and the trading firms of the town gave employment besides to an equally large number of hands in the vicinity. The weaving establishments number 300 (250 for woollen or woollen and cotton goods), the leading products being fancy and figured stuffs for waistcoats, trousers, overcoats, and dresses, velvet, barege, Orleans, furniture coverings, and the like. The yearly production is estimated at 6,000,000, but the annual turnover ex- ceeds 8,000,000, if all the industries of the place are taken into account. These include 70 wool-spinning mills, 12 cotton mills, silk-works, wool-combing establishments, carpet manufactories, dye-houses, soap-works, machine- works, and foundries. Roubaix possesses several interest- ing churches, a library and art museum, a most interesting museum of local industries, communal schools of art and music, an industrial school for weaving, founded in 1857, a chamber of commerce dating from 1871, a chamber of arts and manufactures, a board of prud'hommes, and an agricultural and horticultural society. The prosperity of Roubaix has its origin in the first factory franchise, granted in 1469 by Charles the Bold to Peter of Rou- baix, a descendant of the royal house of Britanny ; but the great development of the manufacturing industries of the town and the growth of its population date from tho French Revolution. The population, which in 1804 was only 8700, had risen in 1861 to 40,274, in 1866 to 65,091, and in 1876 to 83,000. ROUBILIAC, Louis FRANCOIS (1695-1762), an able French sculptor. Born at Lyons in 1695, he became a pupil of Balthasar of Dresden and of N. Coustou. About the year 1720 he settled in London, and soon became the most popular sculptor of the time in England, quite super- seding the established success of the Flemish Rysbraeck.