RHAYADER, or RHAYADERGWY, Radnorshire, a market-town, parliamentary borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the parish of lthayader, is picturesquely situated on the banks of the river Wye, in 52° 19' N. lat., 3° 31' W. long., distant 27 miles W. by N. from Preeteigue, and 181 miles W.N.W. from Loudon. The popu lation of the borough of Rhayader in 1851 was 1007. The borough is contributory to the Radnor boroughs in returning one member to the Imperial Parliament The living is a perpetual curacy in the archdea conry of Brecon and diocese of St. David's. Rhayader Poor-Law Union contains 10 parishes, with an area of 105,532 acres, and a population in 1851 of 6796.
Rhayader derived anciently its chief importance from its castle, erected about 1178, of which the only vestige remaining is the fosse, which was excavated out of the solid rock. A bridge of one arch crosses the Wye at this place. A plain town-hall stands in the centre of the town. The parish church, a spacious edifice, was rebuilt in 1733. The Wesleyan and Calvinistic Methodists, Independents, and Baptists have places of worship, and there are National and Free schools. The flannel manufacture is carried on. The market-day is Wednesday ; five fairs are held in the year. A county court is held.
ItHE'OlUM, now Reggio, one of the oldest Greek towns in Italy, is situated on the Fretum Siculum, or Strait of Messina, and about 8 miles S.E. from the town of Mesaina. It received a colony of the Chalcidiens, who were joined by a party of Messenian emigrants who left their country during the first quarrel between Messene and Sparta. Both the town and the name probably existed previous to the establishment of the Chalcidian colony, as Diodurus and other ancient writers place its foundation in the Heroic times. After the taking of 'theme, and the end of the first Messenian war, a fresh colony of Measenians, led by Aleidamas, settled at Rhegium about an 723, and after the capture of Eira, a third party of Messeuian emigrants, led by two eons of Aristomenes, joined their countrymen at Rheginm, which became a very populous and flourishing city, and extended its dominion over the neighbouring towns and districts. The government appears to have been a kind of open aristocracy, which, according to some accounts, was vested in one thousand of the citizens.
About an 494, Annsilaua, a citizen of Rhegium, of a Messenian family, usurped the supreme power. He took the town of Zancle on
the opposite side of the strait, and colonised it with. his Messenian countrymen, who gave it the name of Messana. Anaxilaus married a daughter of Therillus, tyrant of Himera, who, being afterwards defeated by Theron of Agrigentum, took refuge at Carthage. Anaxilaus and Therillus invited the Carthaginians to the first invasion of Sicily (s.c. 430), which was defeated by Gelon of Syracuse. Anaxilaus died shortly after, and his sons were subsequently driven away from both Measana and Rhegium. Rhegium joined the Athenians in their first expedition against Syracuse, but in the second Athenian expedition against Syracuse it remained neutral. Afterwards a long etruggle began between Rhegium and Dionyeius the elder, tyrant of Syracuse, which terminated with the ruin of Rhegium. Dionysius besieged the city ac. 353 with a large force. The Rhegians made a brave resistance, but they were compelled to surrender through famine (rte. 337). Many of the inhabitants were found dead ; fifteen thousand of the remainder were sent to Syracuse as slaves ; some of the wealthiest ransomed themselves. Python, their commander, was put to a cruel death with all his family by Dionysian, who razed the walls of Ithegium, and obliged the neighbouring towns of Magna Grsecia to pay allegiance to him. Under his successor, Dionysius the Younger, Rhegisun recovered its independence, and gradually some part of its former prosperity.
While Pyrrhus was waging war in South Italy and Sicily, Rhegium applied to Rome for assistance. The Romans sent a body of 4000 men, raised in the Latin colonies in Campania. These auxiliaries, finding themselves far from Rome, rose against the Inhabitants, killed most of the men, took possession of their houses and property, and appropriated their wives and daughters to themselves. After the final retirement of Pyrrhus from Italy, the Romans severely punished the traitors, and the surviving citizens were restored to their houses and property, and to their municipal independence under the protection of Rome. The Aquilian road terminated at Rhegium. The town has often suffered from earthquakes. It retained the Greek language, manner's and customs to a late period of the empire.