Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/782

RAMSAY. RAMSAY, James Andrew Brown. See Dal- HOUSIE, tenth Earl and first Marquis of.

RAMSAY, Nathaniel ( 17.')1-1S17). An American soldier. He was born in Lancaster County, Pa.; graduated at Princeton in 1767; Avas admitted to the Maryland bar in 1771; and in December, 1770, became lieutenant-colonel in the Continental Army. At Monmouth (q.v.), Juno 28, 1778. he, together with Colonel Stewart, checked the advance of the English until Wash- ington could rally the main army, but was badly wounded and ^xas taken prisoner. He was ex- cliangcd in December, 1780, but retired on Jan- uary 1. 1781. He was a member of Congress in 1786-87.

RAMSAY, William (1852—). A British chemist, nephew of the geologist Andrew Crom- bie Kamsay. He was born in Glasgow, studied there and at Tubingen, where he received his doctor's degree at the age of twenty, was pro- fessor of chemistry at University College, Bris- tol (1880-87), and in 1887 became professor in University College, London. Ramsay made a special study of the less knowii gases.. With Lord Rayleigh he discovered argon, a new constituent of the atmosphere. His other dis- coveries are helium and the atmospheric gases, neon, .xenon, and kryjiton. He wrote several text-books of general chemistry, translated Beil- stein's Qualitative Analt/sis, and in 1890 pub- lished The Gases of the Atmosphere, the Tlistorij of Their Diseoiery.

RAMSAY, William Mitchell (1851 — ). A distinguished Scotch classical scholar and Church historian, born in Glasgow. He was educated at the universities of Aberdeen, Oxford, and Giittin- gen, and was elected fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, in 1882. and of Lincoln College three years later. In 1880 he was appointed professor of humanity (Latin) in Aberdeen University. Pro- fessor Ramsay l)eeame widely known for his re- searches in the history of the Church, especially in Asia Jlinor. His published works include: The Uistorieal Geoffraiihi/ of Asia Minor ( 18;)0) ; The Church in the Roman Empire (4th ed., 18fl.5) ; The Cities and Bishoprics of Phryf/ia (180.5-07) : and Uistorieal Commentary on Gala- tians (1800).

RAMS'BOTTOM. A town in Lancashire, England, on the Irwell. four miles northwest of Bury (Map: England, D 3). Its industries com- prise cotton mills, bleaching fields, calico print- ing establishments, iron fonn<lries, and stone quirries. Its growth dates from the installation of calico printing by Sir Rol)crt Peel. Popula- tion, in 1891, 10.700': in 1001, 15,900.

RAMS'DEN, Jesse (1735-1800). An English optician and mcclianician, born at Salterhelible, a suburb of Halifax in Yorkshire. He received a good education, and. after having first been engaged as a cloth-worker, became an apprentice in the workshop of an instrument-maker (1758). In 1702 he had gained such great skill that he was employed by the best artists. In 17 (id he married Dollond's (q.v.) daughter and received, as her dowry, a shai-e of his father-in-law's patent for achromatic telescopes. The sextants of his time were very imperfect, being untrust- worthy within 5' of a degree, and Ramsden suc- ceeded in reducing the possible error to within 30". He also invented a dividing-machine, which could graduate instruments much more rapidly and accurately than could be done by hand. For this imention he received a reward from the Board of Longitude. He constructed the theodo- lite used by (General Roy (q.v.). and also tele- scopes for the observatories of Blenheim, Jlann- heim, Dublin. Paris, and Gotha, and mural quad- rants for those of Padua and Vilna. He was one of those who strongly recommended the in- troduction of the mural circle in place of the ((uadrant (q.v.), and he constructed also two of the former instruments for the observatories of Palermo and Dublin. The minor scientific instruments invented or inipioved by him are also numerous. Riimsden published : Description of an Enyinc for Diridiny Mathi inatical Instru- ments (1777), also the following memoirs read before the Royal Society> "Description of two new Micrometers" ( 1777) ; "A New Construction of Eye-glasses" (1782).

'''RAM'SEUR. Stephen DoDsox (1837-64). An American soldier, born at Lincolnton, North Carolina. He graduated at West Point in 1860, and was assigned to artillery duty at Fortress Monroe. The next year, while serving in Wash- ington, he resigned from the army. April 0th, and was made major of Xorth Carolina State troops. With this rank he commanded a battery of artil- lery at the siege of Yorktown, but was soon elected colonel of the Forty-ninth Xorth Carolina Infantry. He was engaged in the Seven Days' battles and was severely wounded at ilalvern Hill, .July 1, 1802. During his convalescence he was promoted brigadier-general October 27, 1862, and took tlu^ field soon after Fredericksburg. At Chancellorsville he led the advance of Rodes's division and won special commendation from both Lee and Jackson. On July 1, 1803. at Gettysburg, by a flank attack on the Federal right he helped to take possession of the town. He was engaged in the battles around Spottsyl- vania Court House, and after Hancock took the Confederate works on the morning of ^lay 12, 1804, was sent to drive him out. In this he was successful, but was again severely wounded. On May 27th he was assigned to connnand of Early's division with rank of major-general. He took part in Early's raiil and was engaged at Harper's Ferry and at the ilonocacy. In the battle at Winchester, September 10th, his division was the first to be attacked, but retreated in good order. While covering the retreat at Cedar (I'reek Octo- ber 10th he was mortally wounded and captured.

RAMSEY, ram'zl, Alexander (1815-1003). An .morican administrator, 'war Governor' of ilinnesota. born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and educated at Lafayette College. He took a prominent part in politics as a member of the Whig Party, and in 1849 was appointed Terri- torial (Jovernor of ^linnesota. In that capacity he made treaties with the Sioux and Chippewas by which much valuable land was opened to set- tlers. From 1850 to 1803 he was Governor of the State of Jlinnesota. He became United States Senator in 1803, was reelected in 1860, was Secretary of War under President Hayes, and from 1882 to 1880 was chairman of the Ed- nuniils Utah connnission on polygamy.

RAMS'GATE. A seaport and favorite watering place on the Isle of Thanet. County of Kent, England, 05 miles southeast of London (^lap: England, H 5). The town consists of well-ar-