﻿rn 



HEN'S. 



MBRIONETHSUIRE. 



The vegeUUon of Menorca U Tery limOar to that of Mallorca, 

 though it u much lea tbundant, and the trees Kldom attain to so 

 lai|^ a aize. Aromatio planta and herb*, many with mrdicinol qiiali- 

 tiei, grow io profniion. Wheat, barlej, and a little maize are cultivated, 

 thooj^ not enottgh for the oontumption of the inland. Olive-trees 

 f^row almost without culture ; little oil it made from thrir fruit, which 

 is f^nerally preserved for eating. Vines are plentiful, and produce 

 both white and red wine. Fruit is abundant: there are oranges, 

 lemoQs, pomegranates, figs, apples, pears, and almonds ; the melons 

 are of superior flaToor. Dsie-palms grow in sheltered spots, but yield 

 no fruit. Capen grow spontaneously in all parts of the island. Flax, 

 hemp, aaffion, and the cotton-tree thrive well, but are little attended 

 to. Vegetables are no leas abundant than fruit, and consist chiefly of 

 peas, btnua, onions, cauliflowers, broccoli, tomatoes, endive, cucumbero, 

 and gourds, all excellent in quality. The island is rich in cattlp, 

 sheep, goata, and pigs ; and also in game, aa partridges, quails, and 

 rabbits; woodcocks, snipes, and teal are plentiful in winter. Fish, 

 especially anchovies, with oysters, lobsters, and other Crustacea, 

 abiound on the coasts. Lizards swarm, and there are a few veuemous 

 reptiles, but no beasts of prey. 



The natives are engaged either in agriculture, fishing, or commerce. 

 The imports consist of com, oil, brandy, tobacco, coffee, sugar, spices, 

 hardware and cutieiy, linen and woollen goods, timber, cordage, tar, 

 and gunpowder. The exports are wines, wool, cheese, salt, lioney, 

 and wax. The possession of Henoroa by the English daring the last 

 oentury did much to promote its trade and commerce ; but since the 

 island has reverted to the Spaniards, trade and commerce have greatly 

 declined. 



Henoroa is divided into four terminoa, or districts — Ciudadela, 

 Mahon, Alhayor, and the united terminoa of Ferarias and Hercadal. 

 In each is a town of the same name, the capital of the district. 



Ciudadela, formerly the capital of Menorca, is situated on the north- 

 west coast, on a small port, shallow and difficult of entrance. The 

 city is fortified, and its walh are partly of Moorish, partly of more 

 recent oonstmction : ita population is above 4000. The streets are 

 narrow, crooked, and badly paved ; many of the houses are neat, and 

 some handsome. A cathedral, two parish cbarchea, convents (now 

 converted to civil and military purposea), an hospital, a barrack, with 

 a government-house, are the public buildmgs. 



Port Mohan, now the capital of Menorca, stands on the south-eastern 

 shore of the ishind, in 89° 52' N. lat., 4* 21' £. long., 24 miles from 

 Ciudadela, with which it communicatee by a carriage-road. Port 

 Mahon, the Portus Magonis of the Romans, is said to have been founded 

 by and called after Mago, a distinguished Carthaginian commander. 

 It is picturesquely sittutted near the bottom of a deep and narrow bay, 

 on rocks much elevated above the sea, and in many places undermined 

 by the vravea. Port Hahon was formerly surrounded with walls, the 

 only relic of which is a gateway of Moorish architecture. The streets 

 are steep, narrow, crooked, and budly pared ; the govemor'j house, 

 town-hall, hospital, barracks, and other public buildings, are scarcely 

 worthy of notice ; the private houses ore neat and clean, built with 

 ta»te, but often without regard to comfort, for, many being on the 

 English model, they are ill adapted to the sultry climate. Some of 

 their roofs are tiled, and some flat-terraced in the oriental style : the 

 population in 1845 was 13,102. The harbour of Port Mahon is one 

 of the best in the Mediterranean. A large fleet of line-of-batUe ships 

 may ride witliin it, in seven or eight fathoms water, perfectly sheltered 

 from ereiy wind. Port Hahon ^one made the possession of Menorca 

 an object of contention among the maritime nations of Europe during 

 the post oentury. In the harbour are four rooky islets : on one 

 stands an hospital ; on another a quarantine establishment ; on a third 

 a lazaretto ; and on the fourth an arsenal with naval storehouses — all 

 eraoted by the English. 



Tb* otner ports of Henoroa are — Pomdt, a well-oheltered bay, 

 eapable of holding a large fleet ; and Adaya, a small harbour, full of 

 rodu and shoals, and omj entered by fishing-craft. 



Itercodal, 13 mile* N. W. from Port Mahon, has a population of 4000. 

 Alhagqr and Ftraria$, the other districtroapitals, are little more than 

 TUlagaa. 



Menorca is not rich in antiquities. About two mile* from Alhayor 

 ia a rude pyramidical ruin of Druidical character, ascribed to the 

 Pb iwilrisns, the earliest colonists of the island ; but whether it be 

 tample, tomb, or watch-tower, is yet disputed. Punic, Gredc, Roman, 

 Oo«hio, and Arab coins have been found ; and also small statues of 

 *»"•»••. '»sea, lamp*, urns, Ac., chiefly of Roman origin. 



In ehaiacter and manners the inhabitants of Menorca resemble those 

 oT Mallorca. They are equally attached to their native soil, and to 

 tiMir eastoBU and religion. The same dress and language are 

 oocDmoa to Doto. 



A sketch of the history of the Balearic Islands haa been given in the 

 artiola Eaixauc Islaxds. 



(Damato and Mut, HMtrf of <*« BaUane Kingdom / Armstrong, 

 fftttcTf ^ Iht Idamd of Minorca ; Laborde, ttinirain De$criptif do 

 tStpamt; St SniTmir. TravtU tltrim^ tkt JiaUaric and Pithwuian 

 Idimaa ; TUAam, Dte d oH ar io OeogivpUeo d* Stpana.) 



MKMa llaftu.] 



MBBTZ. [lUmJ 



MEOK, EAST a^WEST. [HaiinHiBB.] 



MEQUINENZA. [Abaooh.] 



MEQUINEZ. [Maroooo.] 



MER. [Loir-rt-Cber.] 



MERCARA. [CooBO.] 



MERCIA. [Enolakd.] 



JIKUDKIGN'AC. [C*tb8DO-Norb.) 



MERE, AViltshire, a market-town, and the seat of a Poor-Law 

 Union, in the pariah of More, is situated in 61° 5' N. lat, 2° IS' 

 W. long., distant 22 milra W. by N. from Salisbury, and 102 milea 

 W.S.W. from London. The population of the pariah in 1851 was 

 2991. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry and diocese of 

 Salisbury. Mere Poor-Law Union contains 12 parishes and townships, 

 with an area of 80,919 acres, and a population in 1851 of 8431. The 

 manor of Mere belonged in the reign of Henry III. to the king's 

 brother, Richard, earl of Cornwall and king of the Romana, who 

 built a castle here, the site of which may stiU be traced. Mere con- 

 sists chiefly of one street on the London and Exeter road. The town 

 is lighted with gas. The church, which is on the south side of the 

 town, is a handsome building, chiefly of perpendicular character, 

 having a western tower, with battlements and pinnacles. Independents 

 and Primitive Methodists have chapels, and there are National and 

 British schools. An ancient market-cross stands in the centre of the 

 town. Flax-spinning, silk-throwing, and brick-making employ some 

 of the inhabitants. A little woollen cloth is made. The market 

 is on Thursday, -and there are large fairs on May 17th and Octo- 

 ber 10th. 



MERQUL [Tebassemm.] 



MEHIDA. [EsTBEXADvaA, Spanish.] 



MEIRIDEN, Warwickshire, a village, and the seat of a Foot^Law 

 Union, in the parish of Meriden, is situated in 52° 27' N. lat., 1° 88' 

 \V. long., distant 6 miles W. by N. from Coventry, and 97 miles N.W. 

 from Ix>ndon. The population of the parish of Meriden in 1851 waa 

 965. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Coventry and 

 diocese of Worcester. Meriden Poor-Law Union contains 18 parishes 

 and townships, with on area of 48,118 acres, and a population in 1851 

 of 11,275. Besides the parish church, there are in Meriden National 

 schools. 



MERIONETHSHIRE, a county of North Wales, bounded N. by 

 Caernarvonshire and Denbighshire, N.E. by Denbighshire, £. and S. 

 by Montgomeryshire, S. by Cardiganshire, and S.W. and W. by 

 Cardigan Bay, an iulet of the Irish Sea. It lies between 52° 31' and 

 53° 1' N. lat, and 3° 12' and 4° 8' W. long. The area of the county 

 is estimated at 602 square miles, or 385,291 statute acres. The 

 population iu 1851 was 38,843. 



Co<ut4ine. — The northern part of the coast is formed by the testuary 

 of which the Troeth Mawr and the Traeth Bach are portions. The 

 Traeth Mawr (of which a considerable portion, now the Vale of 

 Tremadoc, has beeu recovered from the sea by an extensive embank- 

 ment) forms the boundary between Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire. 

 The Traeth Bach belongs entirely to Merionethshire : it penetrates 

 several miles inland, and receives the rivers Fellurhyd, or Bychan, 

 and Dwyrhyd. It is dry at low water, eibept a narrow channel in 

 the centre. 



From the Traeth Bach the coast runs south about 6 milea paat 

 Harlech to the little headland on which stands the village of Moohraes, 

 or Mochraa. From the Traeth Bach to the town of Harlech the 

 immediate neighbourhood of the sea is low and marshy. Between 

 Harlech and Moohraes it rises into clifla. It is skirted by sands dry 

 at low water, and at some distance out to sea are three sandbanks, 

 the < Dutch Bank,' the < Pontigal Bank,' and the ' Sam-Badrig ' (St 

 Patrick's Causeway) or ' Sam-Badrhwyg ' (Ship-breaking Causeway), 

 wiiich runs from the immediate neighbourhood of the coast 22 miles 

 out to sea in a south-west direction. It is dry at the ebb in spring 

 tides, and in storms is marked by fearful breakers. From Mocbroes 

 the coast nins south-south-east 8 miles to the river Maw, at the 

 mouth of which stands the town of Barmouth. From the ilaw the 

 coast runs southward 14 miles to the wide aistuary of the Dovey, 

 taking a circuit convex to the sea, and rising into clifis midway 

 between the rivers. At the southern extremity of these clifiii the 

 river "Towy, or Disynwy, flows into the sea. The whole extent of the 

 Merionethshire coast is about 38 miles. 



Surface, Otology, Mineralogy. — Merionethshire is the most mountain- 

 ous of all the Welsh counties, and contains some of the loftiest peaks 

 iu North Walea ; there are however no peaks so high nor precipices 

 so abrupt as those of Caernarvonshire. The prinoipal mountain chain 

 traverses the county from north-east to south-west, skirting the valleys 

 of the Dee, the Wnion, and the Haw. The principal summits of this 

 chain are — Cader Berwyn,or Ferwyn, on the border of this county and 

 Hontgomeryshire, 7 miles south from Corwen, 2563 feet above the sea ; 

 Arran Mowddy, near the Wnion, above Dolgelley, 2955 feet; and Pen- 

 y-Oadair (summit of Cader Idris), 8 miles south-west from Dolgelley, 

 2914 feet. West of Bala, and near the centre of the county, is a group 

 of mountains, of which Arrenig Mawr, 2809 feet, is the highest point. 

 From this central group branches run westward to the sea iu the 

 neighbourhood of Harlech, and north-westward to join the group of 

 Snowdon. There are no plains. Of these mountains the most cele- 

 brated for its picturesque character is Coder Idris. It consists of an 

 jmmenao rocky maas, of rather difflcult ascent, on the summit of 



