Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/186

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RAGOZIN
RAINEY

at Newport, which is represented in the illustration, he considered a relic of one of their colonies. Many honors were bestowed upon him. In 1828 he was made a knight of the order of Danebrog and also held the title of Etatsraad, or state councillor. Of his works, which number about 70 volumes, the best known is “Antiquitates Americanæ” (1837), which has been translated into various languages. In this he holds that America was discovered by Norsemen in the 10th century, and that from the llth to the 14th century the North American coast had been partially colonized as far as Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and that the Vikings had been as far south as Florida. He gives an account of the discovery of the “Skalholt Saga,” a Latin manuscript dated 1117, found in the ruins of Skalholt college, which describes a voyage along the coast of North America southward from Vinland (Massachusetts) to a point where the explorers repaired their ships and then sailed northward until stopped by numerous falls, which they named Hvidsaerk, and there buried the daughter of Snorri, who was killed by an arrow. The locality was supposed to be the Chesapeake bay, and the falls those of the Potomac river. His works include “Nordische Helden-Geschichten” (3 vols., Copenhagen, 1825-'30); “Krakumal, seu Epicedion Rognaris Lodbroci. regis Daniæ” (1826); “Fornaldar Sagner Nordlanda” (3 vols., 1829-'30); “Fareginga Sagu” (1832); “Antiquitates Americanæ” (1837); and “Gröenlands Historiske Mindesmaerker,” in conjunction with Frim and Magnussen (1838-'45).


RAGOZIN, Zénaïde Alexeïevna, author, b. in Russia about 1835. She had no regular education, but studied by herself, and travelled extensively in Europe, especially in Italy. In 1874 she came to the United States, where she has been naturalized. She has written numerous articles for Russian and American magazines, and is a member of the American oriental society, of the Société ethnologique, and the Athénée oriental, of Paris, and the Victoria institute, London. Her most important writings are the volumes “The Story of Chaldea” (New York, 1886); “The Story of Assyria” (1887); and “The Story of Media, Babylon, and Persia” (1888) all in the “Story of the Nations” series. They form the first three volumes of a work on the ancient history of the East, more especially in its political and religious aspects, which will be complete in seven or eight volumes, and on which she is now (1898) engaged.


RAGUENEAU, Paul (rahg-no), missionary, b. in Paris, France, in 1608; d. there, 3 Sept.. 1680. He was a Jesuit, and was sent to Canada in June, 1636. After his arrival he went to labor among the Hurons, by whom he was called "Aon- dechete." In 1640 he was sent by the French governor to treat with the Iroquois for the restora- tion of some French prisoners that they held ; but, though he was well received, he did not succeed in his mission. He was superior of the missions in 1650, and in that capacity decided to bring such of the Hurons as had escaped the fury of the Iroquois to Quebec for safety. In 1657 he set out with another Jesuit and some French colonists for Onondaga. where large numbers had been convert- ed. He was coldly treated, and, on his reproach- ing the Onondagas for murdering some Hurons among them, a plot was formed to take his life and those of his companions. He escaped to the mission of St. Mary's, but found that the Indians there had also become hostile, and succeeded, after much difficulty, in reaching Quebec. He con- tinued among the Hurons up to September, 1606, when he returned to France, and acted as agent for the Canadian missions during the remainder of his life. His works are " Vie de la Mere St. Augus- tine, religieuse hospitaliere de Quebec en la Noi> velle France" (Paris, 1672; Italian translation, Naples, 1752) ; " Relation de ce qui s'est passe de plus remarquable es missions des Peres de la Com- pagnie en la Nouvelle France," covering the years 1645-'52 and 1656-'7 (7 vols., Paris, 1647-57). The second volume was translated into Latin under the title " Narratio historica " (1650). The fourth con- tains " Journal du Pere Jacques Buteux, du voyage qu'il a fait pour la mission des Allithamegues," and letters from other Canadian missionaries. Rague- neau also wrote " Memoires touchant les vertus des Peres de Noue, Jogues, Daniel, Brebeuf, Lalle- mant, Garnier et C'habanel."


RAGUET, Condy, merchant, b. in Philadel- phia, Pa., 28 Jan., 1784; d. there, 22 March, 1842. He was of French descent, received his educa- tion at the University of Pennsylvania, entered the counting-house of a merchant, and was sent as supercargo to Santo Domingo in 1804, where he spent four months. On his return he pub- lished "A Short Account of the Present State of Affairs in St. Domingo." After a second voy- age to that island in 1805, he published " A Cir- cumstantial Account of the Massacre in St. Do- mingo." In 1806 he entered business in Phila- delphia, and was successful. During the war of 1812 he took an active part in the defence of the city, encamping with a regiment, of which he was colonel, near Wilmington, Del. After the war he studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Phila- delphia in 1820. From 1822 till 1827 he was U. S. consul in Rio Janeiro, and he was appointed charge d'affaires in 1825, and negotiated a treaty with Brazil. After his return to the United States in 1830 he edited several journals devoted to free- trade doctrines, and contributed largely to the " Port-Folio" and other periodicals upon this sub- ject. He served in the legislature, was president of the chamber of commerce and other organi- zations, and was a member of the American philo- sophical society. In 1839 he received the degree of LL. D. from St. Mary's college. Baltimore. He edited " The Free-Trade Advocate" (2 vols.. Phila- delphia, 1829) ; " The Examiner " (2 vols., 1834-'o) ; and " The Financial Register " (2 vols.. 1837-'9) ; and was the author of " An Inquiry into the Cau.-cs of the Present State of the Circulating Medium of the United States " (Philadelphia, 1815); Tin- Principles of Free Trade " (1835) ; and a treatise " On Currency and Banking " (1839), which was republished in London (1839), and translated into French (Paris, 1840).


RAINEY, Joseph H., congressman, b. in Georgetown. S. ('.. ','1 June, 1832 f d. there. 1 Aug., 1887. He was born a slave, but acquired a i^md education, principally by observation and travel. Hi- lather was a barber, and the son followed that n<-eii|iation until ISliX 1 , when, after being forced to work on Confederate fortifications, he escaped to