Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/352

 336 RIMOUSKI RING Adriatic, in the province and 30 m. S. E. of the city of Forli, with which it is connected by railway; pop. in 1872, 83,886. It contains celebrated antiquities, especially a bridge of the finest white marble built under Augus- tus and Tiberius at the junction of the Via Flaminia and Via .Emilia. The church of San Francesco is of remarkable architecture, and was built by Pandolfo Malatesta, whose family were the local rulers from the beginning of the 13th century to the beginning of the 16th. Rimini possesses one of the largest and finest theatres of Italy. See Storia Riminese, by Tonini (2 vols., Rimini, 1860). RIMOISKI, an E. county of Quebec, Cana- da, bounded N. W. by the St. Lawrence river, near its mouth ; area, 4,932 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 27,418, of whom 25,957 were of French and 880 of Scotch origin or descent. It is watered by streams flowing into the St. Law- rence and into the Restigouche river and bay of Chaleurs, and is traversed by the Interco- lonial railway. Capital, Rimouski. RINDERPEST. See MURRAIN. RLVEUART, William Henry, an American sculp- tor, born in Frederick co., Md., Sept. 13, 1825, died in Rome, Italy, Oct. 28, 1874. Ho was apprenticed to a stone cutter, attended the night school of design of the Maryland in- stitute in Baltimore, became foreman of the establishment in which he was employed, and was noted for his fine monumental and mantel work. Opening a small studio, ho devoted his leisure hours to modelling, and executed one of his earliest works, "The Woodman." Ho was in Florence from 1855 to 1858, and on his return to Baltimore brought his bass re- liefs " Night " and " Morning." He established a studio there, but soon afterward went to Rome, where he resided till his death, lie completed the double bronze door in the capi- tol at Washington, left unfinished by Craw- ford. His best works are a "Nymph," "Wo- man of Samaria," " Indian Maiden," " Re- becca," "Endymion," "Atalanta," "Hero," "Leander," "Antigone," and "Latona." His masterpiece, " Clytie," is in the Peabody insti- tute, Baltimore ; his statue in bronze of Roger B. Taney is at Annapolis. He executed more than 100 portrait busts. RIXG (Ang. Sax. hring), a circular orna- ment worn on the finger. The finger ring has been more intimately associated with the most important interests of life than any other or- nament. In ancient times it was a symbol of authority, and power was delegated by means of it. When "Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand," he intrusted to him the government of Egypt. Ahasuerus gave his ring to Haman as his warrant for exterminating the Jews ; and when he ordered Mordecai to write letters annulling the decree, he took the ring from Hainan and gave it to him to seal them with. Signet rings and rings for ornament were worn by all classes of the ancient Egyptians. Many gold ones have been found in the tombs, and some of silver and of bronze, the latter mostly signet rings. Those worn by the lower class- es were usually of ivory or of blue porcelain. The favorite rings of the rich were plain cir- clets of gold, bearing either a scarabteus or a stone engraved with the name of some deity or king, or with a sacred emblem and legend. Frequently many were worn, sometimes two or three on each finger and on the thumbs. Among the Hebrews the signet ring was an indispensable article of dress, and was per- haps handed down from father to son as a mark of rank and authority (Luke xv. 22). The Hebrew ladies wore rings adorned with precious stones, valuing most those set with rubies, emeralds, and chrysolites. As Homer makes no mention of rings, they are sup- posed to have been introduced into Greece from Asia subsequent to his time. In the days of Solon every freeman wore a signet ring of gold, silver, or bronze, and it does not appear that the right was ever restricted to any class of the Athenians. At a later period rings were set with precious stones, and were worn as ornaments, some persons displaying several on each hand. Women wore ivory and amber rings. Among the Lacedaemonians only did the law attempt to repress the luxury of wearing gold and jewelled rings, and every Spartan took pride in the use of a plain iron ring. According to Pliny, the Romans derived the custom of wearing rings from the Greeks, but Livy ascribes its introduction to the Sa- bines, and Florus to the Etruscans. At first all rings were of iron, and such continued to be worn by many noble families as a distin- guishing mark after gold rings had come into common use. For a long time not even the Roman senators wore rings of gold, but they were given to ambassadors at the public ex- pense as a part of their official dress, to be used only on ceremonial occasions. Afterward the privilege was extended to senators, to chief magistrates, and to those of the equestrian or- der, who were said to enjoy the jut annuli aurei or jus annulorum. After the battle of Cannro Hannibal sent to Carthage three modii of gold rings which had been stripped from the fingers of the slain Roman knights. Under the empire the right of granting the annultit aureus was assumed by the emperors, and oven magistrates and governors of provinces con- ferred the privilege of wearing it upon infe- rior officers and those whom they desired to honor. In the reign of Tiberius many pro- tected themselves from the consequences of the infraction of certain laws on the plea that they wore the gold ring, in consequence of which an ordinance was passed directing that it should be worn only by freemen whose fathers and paternal grandfathers had pos- sessed a property of 400,000 sesterces. Aure- lian gave the right to all the soldiers of the empire, and under Justinian every citizen was entitled to it. With the increase of luxury the