RIBBON GRASS 29 RICASOLI ular dark lines and spots on the anterior part of the body ; dorsal red ; snout trun- cated, mouth edentate, stomach pro- longed as a pouch. Ribbon fishes, the acanthopterygian division Taeniiformes. RIBBON GRASS, Phalaris arundina- cea, a species of canary grass with variegated leaves. RIBBONISM, the name assumed by a group of secret associations among the lower classes in Ireland throughout the half century extending from 1820-1870, at its greatest height from about 1835 to 1855. Its origin and organization are alike wrapped in obscurity, but it ap- pears in the beginning at least to have been political in its aims, and it seems probable that it grew out of the north- ern Defenders who banded themselves to oppose the Orange organization. Earlier associations with somewhat similar aims were the Whiteboys and the Threshers, and, in particular corners of the island, the Carders, Shanavests, and Caravats. RIBOT, ALEXANDRE FELIX JOSEPH, a French statesman. He was born at St. Omer in 1842 and was edu- 1o5 W ALEXANDRE F. J. RIBOT cated at the Lycee of St. Omer. He was admitted to the bar in 1864 and in 1870 became substitut du tribunal de la Seine. In 1878 he was appointed by M. Dufaure secretary-general of the ministry of jus- C— Cyc tice and in the same year was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. In 1890 he became minister for foreign affairs in M. de Freycinet's cabinet and continued in that position for three years. Dur- ing his tenure of office the alliance be- tween France and Russia was concluded. He was president of the cabinet during the stormy period of the Panama case and became for the second time Prime Minister after the resignation of M. Casimir-Perier, and so continued till 1914. He was Minister of Finance dur- ing the greater period of the war, 1914- 1917, and became premier again in the latter year. He has opposed the policy of retaliation against the religious or- ders and his most important speeches have been delivered on finance, foreign affairs, and the question of freedom in teaching. He is a member of the Acad- emie Francaise et Academie des Sci- ences Morales et Politiques. His works include: "Life of Lord Erskine," "Re- forme de l'enseignement secondaire," "Discours politiques." RICARDO, DAVID, an English politi- cal economist; born in London, England, April 19, 1772. He stands next to Adam Smith (whose ideas he developed and systematized) in the British free-trade school of political science, and his writ- ings have exerted a vast influence on all theories of political economy. After mak- ing his fortune in the Stock Exchange in London, he retired to devote himself to the study of mathematics, chemistry, etc. The first result of his studies was a tract entitled "The High Price of Bul- lion a Proof of the Depreciation of Bank Notes" (1809). In 1817 appeared his most important work, "The Princi- ples of Political Economy and Taxation." Its leading feature was the theory of rent, now universally accepted — that it represents the surplus earning power of better or more favorably situated land over that just good enough to be worth utilizing. He published in addition a number of essays on economics. His "Works" were edited by MacCulloch (1846). His "Letters to Malthus" were published in 1887. He died in Gatcomb Park, Gloucestershire, Sept. 11, 1823. RICASOLI, BARON BETTINO, an Italian statesman; born in Florence, March 9, 1809; studied at Pisa and Flor- ence; was one of the best agriculturists in Italy; wrote books on the cultivation of the vine, the olive, and the mulberry, and for 10 years worked successfully at the drainage of the Tuscan Maremma. In 1859 he took a prominent part in opposing the government of the grand duke and when the latter fled Ricasoli was made dictator of Tuscany. He la- Vol 6
