portation of strong beer furnish the principal em-
ployment of the inhabitants. It is seated on the
Saale, 15 m. N. W. of Leipzig.

Mersey, a river of England, which rises in the
N. extremity of the Peak in Derbyshire, receives
the Tame at Stockport, and, lower down, the
Irwell; it then passes by Warrington, and receives
the Weaver at Frodsham, where it forms a broad
estuary, that contracts on its approach to Liver-
pool, below which it enters the Irish Sea. This
river not only affords salmon, but it is visited by
annual shoals of smelts, here called sparlings, of a
remarkable size and flavor.

Mersey, an island in Essex, Eng. between the
mouth of the Coin and the entrance of Blackwater
Bay. It has two parishes, ca.led E. and W. Mer-
sey. 7 m. S. of Colchester.

Merthyr Tidvil, a town of S. Wales, in Glamor-
ganshire. It has a canal to Cardiff, immense
mines of iron and coal, and very extensive iron
works. 3 m. distant are the ruins of Morlais Cas-
tle, said to have been the residence of the kings
of Brecknock. II is seated on the Taafe, 24 m.
N. N. W. of Cardiff and 180 W. of London.

Mertola, a strong town of Portugal, in Alemtejo,
seated near the Guadiana, 60 m. S. of Evora and
100 S. E. of Lisbon. Long. 7. 37 W.. lat. 37.
41. N.

Merton, a village in Surrey, Eng. with calico
manufactures and bleach-fields. Here Henry III.
held a parliament in 1236, at which were enacted
the Provisions of Merton, the most ancient body
of laws after Magna Charla. It is seated on the
Mandle, 7 m. S. W. ofLondon.

Mervllle, a town of France, department of Nord,
seated on the Lys, 15 m. N. of Lisle.

Mesehed, a city of Persia, capital of Khorassan.
It is fortified with several towers ; and is famous
for the magnificent sepulchre of Iman Risa, of the
family of Ali, to which the Persians pay great de-
votion. Here is a manufacture of beautiful pot-
tery, and another of skins. Caravans are con-
tinually passing through this city from Bokharia,
Balk, Candahar, Hindoostan, and all parts of Per-
sia. It is 180 m. E. of Asterabad and 490 N. E.
of Ispahan. Long. 58. 30. E., lat. 35. 56. N.

Mesehed Ali, a town of Asiatic Turkey, in Irak-
Arabi, near a large lake, called Rahema, which
communicates with the Euphrates by a canal. It
stands on the spot where Ali, one of the succes-
sors of Mahomet, was interred; and his tomb is
annually visited by Persian pilgrims. It is 110
rn. S. of Bagdad. Long. 44. 50. E., lat. 32. 5. N.

Mesopotamia, the ancient name for the country
lying between the Tigris and Euphrates. It now
forms a part of Asiatic Turkey.

Mesopotamia., ph. Trumbull Co. Ohio. 170 m.
N. E. Columbus. Pop. 562.

Messa, a considerable town of Morocco, on the
river Sus, not far from the Atlantic. It is 165
m. S. W. of Morocco. Long. 10.46. W.,Jat. 29.
58. N.

Messina, a sea-port of Sicily, capital of an in-
tendancv ofthe same name, in Val di Demona,
with a citadel and several forts. It is 5 m. in cir-
cumference, has four large suburbs, and contains

36,000 inhabitants. The public buildings and
* monasteries are numerous and magnificent; there
are 50 churches, including the cathedral, which
is much admired. The harbour is one of the
safest in the Mediterranean, and has a quay about
a mile in length. A great trade is carried on here
in silk, oil, fruit, corn, and excellent wine. Thi9
city suffered much by an earthquake in 1770; and
also in 1683, “when it was half destroyed, it has
since been rebuilt, with elegant houses only tw?
stories high. For several years prior to tne peace
of 1814,Messina was the head-quarters of the Brit-
ish troops in Sicily. It is seated on the strait of
Messina, which separates Sicily from Calabria
130 m. F. of Palermo. Long. 15. 50. E.,lat. 38
!0. N.

Messing, a town of Franconia, in the principali-
ty of Aichstat. 14 m. N. N. E. of Aichstat.

Mestre, a town of Austrian Italy, in Treviso
8 m. N. W. of Venice.

Mesurado, a considerable river of W. Africa,
which falls into the Atlantic on the Grain Coast
On its banks is a kingdom of the same name, th<?
boundaries of which are very uncertain. See
Liberia.

Mesurata, a sea-port of Tripoli, and the resi-xc2xbb
dence of a governor. Caravans travel hence to
Fezzan and other interior parts of Africa, by which
they carry on a great trade. It is 100 m. E. S.
E. of Tripoli. Long. 15. 10. E., lat. 32. 0. N.

Meta, a large river of New⁷ Granada, which has
its rise opposite to Santa Fe de Bogota, and fall*
into the Orinoco, about 450 m. from its source*
in long. 67. 45. W.,lat. 6. 10. N.

Metapura, a town of the isle of Borneo, in the
kingdom of Banjermassing, 72 m. N. E. of Ban-
jermassing and 100 S. E. ofNegara.

Metealfsborough, a village in Franklin Co
Ten.

Metelen, a town of Prussia, in the province of
Westphalia, seated on the Vechta, 19 m. N. W.
ofMunster.

Metelin, or Mytilcne, an island of the Grecian
Archipelago, anciently called Lesbos, to tbe N. of
Scio, and almost at the entrance of the gulf of
Guestro. It is about 40 m. long and 12 broad ;
somewhat mountainous, and has many hot springs
The soil is very good, and tbe mountains are in
many places covered with wood. It produces
good wheat, wine, oil, and the best figs in the
Archipelago. Castro is the capital.

Methil, a town of Scotland, in Fifeshire, with
a safe harbour on the frith of Forth, whence much
coal is exported. 6 m. N. E. of Dysart.

Methuen, ph. Essex Co. Mass. on the Merri-
mack, 30 m. N. Boston. Pop. 2,011. Here are
manufactures of cotton and paper.

Methuen, a town of Scotland, in Perthshire,
where king Robert Bruce wins defeated by the
English in 1306. 6 m. W. N. W. of Perth.

Metling, or Mottling, a strong town of the Aus-
trian states, in Carniola; seated on the Kulp, 13
m. N. W. of Carlstadt and 40 S. E. of Lau-
bach.

Metro, a river of Italy, which rises on the fron-
tiers of Tuscany, crosses the duchy of Ur'oino
and enters the gulf of Venice near Fano.

Metropoli, a town of the island of Candia, on
the site of the ancient Gortyna, of which many
vestiges remain. 22 m. S. S. W. of Candia.

xe2x80xa2Metz, a towin of France, in the department of
Moselle, and formerly the capital of the kingdom
of Austrasia. The fortifications are excellent,
and it has three citadels and noble barracks. The
cathedral is one of the finest in Europe. Here
are manfactures of cotton, linen, gauze, chintz,
fustian, &c.; and a considerable trade in leather,
wine, brandy, &c. The sweetmeats made here
are in high esteem. Metz is the seat of the de-
partment administration and a bishop’s see, and
contains nearly 42,000 inhabitants. It is seated
at the conflux of the Moselle and Seille, 210 m.