B E R 



BERUS, in Gfography, a town of France, jn the dc- 

 partmcnt of the Moftlle, and chief place of a canton, in 

 the diftrj(ft of Sar-Louis, 4 miles S.S..W. of Sar-Louis. 



BeRUS, in Zoology. Col:iler lenis is tlie common Euro- 

 pean viper. Linna:us, who, in dcfcribiiig the amphibia fa-- 

 pinta, conceived .it quite fnfRcient to dillinguifc all the ipe- 

 cits of the fevtrnl genera included in that order, by the num- 

 ber of abdominal fcuta, or plates on the belly, and the fcales 

 on the tail, Hates them at 146 — 39. Fu. Succ. Amoen. 

 Acad. &c. The opinion entertained in this refpeft by that 

 eminent naturalill, we perceive from later obfervations on 

 the fpecies he defcribes, was not perfeftly correft. This is 

 exemplified for inllance in the common viper, ki which both 

 the abdominal plates and caudal fcales are liable to vary in 

 point of number ; one writer fpeaks of the viper havinjr 148 



42, Weigel, &c. ; another (Scopoli) mentions 177 — 68, 



&c. Notwithllanding therefore the example of Linnaeus to 

 the contrary, we cannot but approve of characters taken ra- 

 ther from the various marks, fpotfl, and other fti iking par- 

 ticulars in the general appearance of the fpecies in this order, 

 as LinntEushas done himfelfin the reptile tribe. Dr. Shaw 

 f'-ems alfo to prefer the latter, confidering the number of 

 plates on the belly, and fealts on the tail, in a fecondary 

 point of view. He thus defcribes the common viper : Co- 

 luber cinereus, maculis capitis biloba, vitta dorfali atra den- 

 tato repanda. Cinereous viper, with a bilobatc fpot, and a 

 black flexuous zigzag bend down the back. 



Gmelin, in the Syftcma Naturs, has four varieties of co- 

 luber berus ; namely, (/3.) a native of India, in which the 

 fpots along the back are roundith and confluent, fo as to 

 form almoft one continued ftripe ; thofe fpots near the tail 

 are difpofed tranfverfely. In the ifland of St. Eui^ace, ano- 

 ther variety (y.) is alfo found, of a fubrufous colour, with 

 the head variegated, and the neck (lender. (J.) This inha- 

 bits India, and is diftinguilhed by having the arch of the 

 occiput, or hind head, intercepting a white fpot. The 

 fourth fort (e.) has an aggregated fpot of many parts on 

 the head; and is a native of the Celebes. Figures of all thefe 

 varieties of coluber lerus are to be found in the magnificent 

 work of Scba. 



The common viper of Europe and northern Afia \i the 

 fame as that found in this country. With us, the viper fcl- 

 dom exceeds the length of eighteen inches or two feet. 

 Pennant tells us, he once faw a female viper almoll three 

 feet in length, obferving at the fame time, that the females 

 are ufuallv one third larger than the males. The colour, 

 generally fpeaking, is of a filvery greyifti, or tawny brown, 

 paler or more vivid in different individuals, and fomelimcs 

 blackifh all over ; but in all thefe varieties the fpots are 

 pretty nearly the fame, the back being marked with a 

 chain or feries of rhomboidal fpnts connefted with each 

 other, and forming one continued indented ftripe from the 

 liead to the extremity of the tail. A feries of dark or dufl<y 

 fpots extends likewife along each fide of the body ; other 

 fpots appear again on the belly, which in mod fpecimens is 

 atmod entirely black, and finely gloffed with purple. The 

 fituation of the fangs proves the viper to be one of the poi- 

 fonous kinds of ferpents; they are fituated on each fide of 

 the fore-part of the upper jaw, and are commonly two in 

 number, with a few finuller ones near them. Petiver de- 

 fcribes a black viper, vipera ylnglica nigrans, which is thought 

 to be nothing more than a dark variety of the common 

 kind, berus. This, however, is not certain, and we lliould 

 heQtate in admitting it as a variety only, fince Linnxus con- 

 Adered it, from the defcription whicii Petiver has given, as 

 the coluler pnjler of his Fauna Sutcica. For a further ac* 

 count of cohtber berus, fee Viper, 



B E R 



BERWICK, North, in Geography, a royal borougli of 

 Eaft Lothian, in the county of Haddington, in Scotland. 

 This town is of very remote antiquity, and has been a fcene of 

 confiderable manufafture and commerce, but is now reduced 

 to poverty, its harbour being in rujns, and a lew cargoes of 

 grain are the only exports from its quay. Its original char- 

 ter was loit or dettroyed, and James VI. granted it a new 

 one, under whicli it lias fince been governed. The parilh ex- 

 tends about three miles along the fca-coaft, and confilts wholly 

 of arable land, except a fine conical hill called North Bervjick 

 Law. This riles immediately above the town, and forms a 

 confpicuous landmark to the i^ilors who navigate the frith of 

 Forth. The ancient caftle of Tamtallan ftands about two 

 miles from this town, and is elevated on a high rock, three 

 of whofe fides are laved by the furge of the fea, and the 

 fourth guarded by a deep foffc and drawbridge. See Bass. 

 N. lat. 56=* 40'. W. long. 2°. _ 



Berwick, commonly called Berw'ichvpon-T'weed, is a 

 large refpedlable town, fituated between England and Scot- 

 land. From its having been a frontier garrifon town, long 

 before the glorious xra of the union, and from its fituation 

 on the fiiore of the ocean and on the bank of an unforda- 

 fjle river, it was confidered, when in pofftfTion of the Eng- 

 lifh, as a key to England, and when in pofTcfiion of the 

 Scots, as a key to their own country. Tliis peculiarity of 

 fituation rendered it a fcene of repeated fiege and devaiiation. 

 Berwick is pleafantly fituated on the northern bank of the 

 river Tweed, within half a mile of the German ocean ; 336 

 miles north-weft from London; and 54 miles fouth-eaft from 

 Edinburgh. N.lat.55°48'. W. long. 1° 45'. The ground, 

 on which the town itands, rifes gently from the river, and 

 from its fouthern afpcft, is rendered cheerful by the fun. 

 Its circumference, within the prefent walls, is about one mile 

 and three quarters, but the circumference of the old walls 

 extended two miles two hundred and eighty-two yards. The 

 town of Berwick is mentioned as a place of ftrength in the 

 reign of Olbert, one of the lail kings of Northumberland, who 

 died in the beginningof the ninth century. It was fuccefiively 

 conquered and poffelTed by the Saxons and Danes, until the 

 Scottidi king Gregory, who was cotemporary with Al- 

 fred the Great, took it by afiault. It continued part of the 

 Scotch dominions till about the year 1098, when it was. 

 given by Edgar to the fee of Durham, but was again reftoreJ 

 to the Scots. During the repeated wars between England 

 and Scotland, this town and its caftle were frequently taken 

 and retaken by the armies of each kingdom, and in each- 

 direful conflift fufFercd materially. In one of thefe, between 

 Alexander of Scotland and John of England, the greater 

 part was dcftroyed by the latter, who made it a practice 

 to confume the houfe every morning in which he had lodged 

 the preceding night. On the 2d of Auguft 1291, the ilates 

 of England and Scotland, with Edward I., aflembled at 

 Berwick, to fettle the claims of Robert Bruce and John Ba«- 

 liol to the Scottifti crown, when the latter was appointed on 

 the 1 7th of the following November. During thefe reigns 

 Berwick was bcfieged and conquered by Edward I. ; and the 

 conflict was fo great, that Matthew of Weftminfter ftate& 

 the lofs of the Scots to amount to 60,000 perfons. An 

 Enghlh parliament was fummoned here in 1296, when the 

 Scotch nobility paid homage to king Edward. In the fol- 

 lowing reign, Robert Bruce coUetted an army of 30,000. 

 combatants, with which he entirely routed and difcomfited 

 Edward II. and his army near Stirling caftle. This battle» 

 commencing on Midi'ummer day, 13 14, continued feveraL 

 days, and it is acknowledged by moil authors, that the 

 Englilh futfered more in this conteft than in any other fince 

 tfie time of William the conqueror. It was in this battle 



that 



