368 ROCK FISH ROCKINGHAM Congreve's war rocket is guided by a long wooden stick attached to its base. Rockets are generally fired from wooden tubes or gut- ters, but where they have four sticks, these, forming a pyramid, permit them to be fired from the ground, by standing them on end. The advantages claimed for war rockets over cannon are unlimited size of projectile, porta- bility, freedom from recoil, rapidity of dis- charge, and the terror which the noise and fiery trail produce upon troops, especially cavalry or mounted infantry. The numerous conditions to be fulfilled in the construction in order to obtain accuracy of flight, and the difficulty of preserving the composition un- injured, have restricted their usefulness for military purposes. They were not used at all during the civil war in America, though two sizes are prescribed for service, namely, the 2-inch (interior space) weighing 6 Ibs., and the 8-inch, weighing 16 Ibs., and having with an elevation of from 4 to 5 a range of 600 or 690 yards, and with an elevation of 47 ranges of 1,760 and 2,200 yards respectively. They have also fallen into disuse in Europe, and hereafter, except in peculiar cases, they will probably be confined to the uses of signalling and pyrotechny. See Benton's " Ordnance and Gunnery" (3d ed., New York, 1867). ROCK lisil. See BASS, vol. ii., p. 368. ROCKFORD, a city and the county seat of Winnebago co., Illinois, on both sides of Rock river, hero crossed by a fine iron bridge, and at the intersection of the Chicago and North- western railroad, the Kenosha division of that line, and the Chicago, Rockford, and Northern railroad, 80 m. in direct line N. W. of Chicago; pop. in 1860, 6,976; in 1870, 11,049, of whom 8,041 were foreigners; in 1875, estimated by local authorities at 15,000. It is surrounded by a rich agricultural region, and has a healthy situation. The streets and private grounds are well shaded, and there are many fine residen- ces. The city is one of the handsomest in the state. It is lighted with gas, and is supplied with water by works on the Holly plan, recent- ly completed at a cost of about $225,000. The river supplies abundant water power, which is extensively used in manufacturing. There are two paper mills, four extensive flour mills, two cotton factories (producing batting, seam- less bags, and yarn), five reaper and mower factories, two machine and mill-casting shops, two pump factories, five extensive plough shops, four sock-knitting establishments, a tack factory (the only one W. of Pittsburgh), two furniture factories, extensive malleable iron works, a woollen mill (producing cloth and yarn), and various manufactories of agricultu- ral implements. An extensive watch factory has been recently established, with a capital of $150,000. There are four national banks, a state bank, and a private bank, with private deposits on May 1, 1875, to the amount of $1,350,000. The city has two high and seven ward schools ; a female seminary, founded in 1849, and attended by about 200 pupils; sev- eral private schools ; and a public library con- taining 6,500 volumes. Five weekly newspa- pers and a monthly periodical are published. There are 16 churches, viz. : 2 Baptist, 2 Con- gregational, 1 Disciples', 1 Episcopal, 1 Liberal Christian (church of the Christian Union), 4 Methodist Episcopal, 2 Presbyterian, 1 Roman Catholic, 1 Swedish Lutheran, and 1 Swedish Methodist. Rockford was settled in 1836, and incorporated as a city in 1852. ROCKCVGHAM. I. A S. E. county of New Hampshire, bordered E. by the Atlantic and S. by Massachusetts, and separated from Maine on the northeast by the Piscataqua river; area, about 700 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 47,297. It is watered by the Lamprey, Exeter, Beaver, and Spiggot rivers. Great bay, a body of water communicating with the Piscataqua, is on the N. E., and Massabesic lake on the W. border. Its surface is uneven, and the soil fertile. It is intersected by the Manchester and Lawrence, the Concord and Portsmouth, the Boston and Maine, the Eastern, and the Nashua and Roch- ester railroads. The chief productions in 1870 were 8,065 bushels of wheat, 165,843 of Indian corn, 51,816 of oats, 21,003 of barley, 456,227 of potatoes, 65,604 tons of hay, 28,240 Ibs. of wool, 674,208 of butter, and 74,226 of cheese. There were 4,771 horses, 20,129 milch cows, 4,326 working oxen, 7,836 other cattle, 7,960 sheep, and 4,337 swine; 4 manufactories of boats, 84 of boots and shoes, 12 of brick, 12 of carriages and wagons, 12 of men's clothing, 4 of cotton goods, 5 of hosiery, 3 of engines and boilers, 5 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware, 5 of woollen goods, 2 flour mills, 70 saw mills, 9 tanneries, and 2 distilleries. Capitals, Portsmouth and Exeter. II. A N. county of Virginia, bordered S. E. by the Blue Ridge and N. W. by the Shenandoah mountains, and drained by the Shenandoah river and its branches; area, about 850 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 23,668, of whom 2,516 were colored. It occupies part of the great valley of Virginia, and has an uneven surface and fertile soil. The chief productions in 1870 were 375,688 bushels of wheat, 36,251 of rye, 251,754 of Indian corn, 140,896 of oats, 16,459 tons of hay, 27,571 Ibs. of wool, 307,688 of butter, and 16,540 gallons of sorghum molasses. There were 6,505 horses, 5,401 milch cows, 9,335 other cattle, 8,061 sheep, and 17,949 swine; 14 flour mills, 1 distillery, and 2 woollen mills. Capital, Harrisonburg. III. A N. county of North Carolina, bordering on Virginia, inter- sected by the Dan and drained by the head waters of the Haw river ; area, about 600 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 15,708, of whom 6,215 were colored. It has an elevated and hilly surface and a fertile soil. The Richmond and Danville railroad passes through it. The chief produc- tions in 1870 were 53,295 bushels of wheat, 218,469 of Indian corn, 103,528 of oats, 16,159 of Irish and 16,057 of sweet potatoes, 1,441,971 Ibs. of tobacco, 7,101 of wool, 92,523 of but-
