MERSA, a town of Barbary, pleasantly situated about 11 miles from the city of Tunis, and two from Melcha the site of ancient Carthage. The Bey has here two country-houses, one of them very costly work, built by Hassan Bey furnished the Good. From these are orange gardens reaching almost to the sea.
shore; on the edge of which is a famous well of sweet water, esteemed the best and lightest in the kingdom. Close to this is a coffee-house, whether numbers of people from the neighbouring places resort to drink coffee, and a glass of this natural luxury so peculiarly enjoyed in the eastern countries. In the middle of the court is a large mulberry-tree, under the shade of which they sit and smoke and play at chess; inhaling the comfortable sea-breeze that refreshes this delightful spot. The water is drawn up by a camel with the Persian wheel.
Here are the remains of an ancient port, or cothon, (supposed to be an artificial one), built by the Carthaginians after Sappi had blocked up the old port, nothing but the turret or light-house being left.
MERS or MERSS, a county of Scotland, called also Berwickshire. This last name it derives from the town of Berwick, which was the head of the shire before it fell into the hands of the English, and obtained the appellation of Mers or Mareh, because it was one of the borders towards England. It is washed on the south and east by the river Tweed, and the German Ocean, bounded on the west by Tweedale, and on the north by Lothian. It extends 24 miles from east to west, and the breadth amounts to 16. The face of the country is rough and irregular, exhibiting hills, moors, and moyses, with intermediate valleys, which are pleasant and fruitful. It is watered by many streams; and particularly by the famous Tweed, which, rising from the same hills that give birth to the Clyde and Annan, runs with a rapid course through Tweedale forest and Teviotdale, and after a course of 50 miles disembogues itself into the German Ocean. Notwithstanding the length of its course, it is not navigable above Berwick, where there is a noble bridge over it, consisting of 15 arches. There is another fine one, called the Union Bridge, at Coldstream. There is a third at Melrose, a fourth at Peebles, and a fifth at Kelso. The shire of Berwick is generally distinguished into the three divisions of Mers, Lammermuir, and Lauderdale. The Mers is low, pleasant, and tolerably fruitful in corn. Lammermuir is a hilly country, abounding with game, and yielding good pasture for sheep and black cattle. Lauderdale is a tract of land lying on each side of the river Lauder, agreeably varied with hill, dale, and forest, producing good store of corn and pasture, and giving the title of earl to the family of Maitland: but the most fruitful and populous parts of Berwickshire, are those that lie along the Tweed, and on both sides of the lesser rivers White Water, Black Water, and Eye. The seats of noblemen and gentlemen abound in this county.