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RENNIE 497 RENWICK he became associated with his father in business, and on his father's death with his brother John. He constructed great naval works at Sebastopol, Nicolaiev, Odessa, Cronstadt, and in the principal ports of England, built several English and continental railways and was the au- thor of important works on engineering. He died March 30, 1866. RENNIE, JOHN, an English civil en- gineer; born in Phantassie, Scotland, June 7, 1761; educated at Dunbar and Edinburgh. He labored for some time as a workman in the employment of a mill- wright. He was afterward employed in London in the construction of machin- ery. Here his reputation rapidly in- creased, till he was regarded as stand- ing at the head of the civil engineers of Great Britain. He built or designed nu- merous bridges, canals, docks, and har- bors; among others, London Bridge across the Thames, the Crinan Canal, the Lancaster Canal, and the Avon and Kennet Canal; the London Docks, the East and West India Docks, and docks at Hull, Greenock, Leith, Liverpool, and Dublin; the harbors at Queensferry, Berwick, Howth, Holyhead, Kingstown, and Newhaven; and the government dockyards at Portsmouth, Chatham, Sheerness, and Plymouth. He died in London, Oct. 16, 1821. RENO, a city of Nevada, the county- seat of Washoe co. It is on the Truckee river, and on the Southern Pacific, the Virginia and Truckee, and the Nevada, California, and Oregon railroads. It is also on the Truckee-Carson canal, a government irrigation project extending over 30 miles. It is the chief city of the State in industry, and contains railroad shops, reduction works, flour mills, and meat-packing houses. It is the seat of the Nevada State University, and has the United States Agricultural Experiment Station, the State Hospital for Mental Diseases, the Mackay School of Mines, a public library, Y. M. C. A. buildings, etc. Pop. (1910) 10,867; (1920) 12,016. RENOIR, (PIERRE) AUGUSTE, a French figure and landscape painter; born in 1841, at Limoges. He began his artistic career by painting figures upon china and porcelain. After study- ing in Paris he became associated with the leaders of the modern impressionist school and in 1879 his works were exhib- ited in the Salon. He has devoted him- self to the portraiture of women and children and his best work has been done in this field rather than in landscape painting. Among his best works are found "Young Girls at the Piano" (1888); "Fem-Je Torso" (1906); "Ma- dame Charpentier and Her Children" (1878, Metropolitan Museum, New York) ; and the portraits of his contem- poraries Monet and Sisley. RENSSELAER, a city of New York, in Rensselaer co. It is on the Hudson river, directly opposite Albany, and on the New York Central and Hudson River and the Boston and Albany railroads. Its industries include the manufacture of ice tools, chains, dyes, medicines, clothing, furniture, lumber products, etc. It has the shops and freight yards of the Boston and Albany railroad. It has several parks and public buildings. Pop. (1910) 10,711; (1920) 10,823. RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC IN- STITUTE, an engineering and scientific school located at Troy, N. Y. Founded by Stephen Van Rensselaer in 1824, the first engineering school that has had a continued existence to be founded in America. The old buildings were de- stroyed by fire in 1904, so that the pres- ent buildings are new, well arranged, and well equipped with modern appara- tus. There are courses leading to de- grrees of Chemical Engrineering, Mechan- ical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Graduate de- grees in these subjects are also given on the completion of advanced work. In 1919 the number of students enrolled registered 641, with a faculty of 60. Palmer C. Ricketts is the president of the institute. RENT, a sum of money, or other valu- able consideration, payable periodically for the use of lands or tenements; the return made to the owner by the occupier or user of any corporeal inheritance. It does not necessarily consist in money. Adam Smith considers rent as the price paid for the use of land. Ricardo and his followers considered that the rent of superior soils is equal to the difference between their produce and that of the worst soils cultivated. There is great doubt as to the accuracy of this view. Land let by a landlord to a ten- ant for purpose of cultivation is anal- ogous to money lent to a borrower. The rent of the land is virtually the interest on the land viewed as a loan. See Single Tax. RENUNCIATION, the act of renounc- ing a title; applied especially to the act of an executor, who, haang been nomi- nated in a will, and having the option of acting as such or not, declines to act, and in order to avoid any liabilitj/ ex- pressly renounces the office. RENWICK. JAMES, the last of the martyrs of the Covenant; born in Mon-