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CHAP. XC. Of the Countrey-Houses and other places that are to be seen about Tunis.
TWO days after our arrival, Don Philippo sent for us to shew us a Coun∣trey-House he had half a League from the Town. The Countrey about Tunis is full of these Countrey Houses, which are built like the Bastides about Marseilles. Don Philippo's is very pretty, it is built in form of a square Tower, and higher than any about it; from the Hall to the top of the Tower, there are an hundred and eleven steps up, and from thence there is an excellent Prospect, which discovers on all hands a lovely Plain reaching out of sight, full of Olive-Trees. In it there is a great Hall open above with covered Galleries round it, which have the Roof supported by several Pillars. In the middle of this open place, there is a great reservatory of Water, which serves for several Water-works. All this place is adorned with Marble, as also all the Halls and Chambers, which are beautified with Gold and Azure, and very pleasant Plaister-work, there being Fountains every where, that play when one pleases. One should also see the Bardes, which are three Houses built by the Bey for his three Sons, a League from Tunis. This Bey is as it were the Basha's Farmer, to whom he gives so much of the Revenue due to the Grand Signior in the Countrey, which he gathers, and the rest he keeps to himself. He was not at that time Bey, but Basha, and his eldest Son was Bey. In these Houses there are a great many Fountains with lovely Basons of one entire piece of Marble, brought from Genoa; and as in the House of Don Philippo, an open Hall, with a great reservatory in the mid∣dle, and walks all round it, roofed over, and supported by several Pillars; this, as also all the Rooms, are paved with black and white Marble, adorned with Gold and Azure, and that kind of Clay or Plaister-work. There are several fair appartments in all these Houses, which have lovely Gardens full of Orange and several other Fruit-Trees, planted in as good order as in Christendom, with many neat Beds and borders of Flowers at the ends of Walks, all made by Christian slaves. These Houses are called Bardes, from the Moresco word Berd, that signifies Cold, because there is a fresh Air about them. Near that place, there is an Aqueduct built by a Dey, which brings Water four or five miles off to Tunis. A few steps from that, there is ano∣ther Aqueduct somewhat older, yet still modern, which is parallel to the former, and carries Water also to Tunis. Another day I went to see the Cantre, which belongs to Schelebi, whom I mentioned, the Son of Hisouf Dey, and is four leagues from Tunis. As you go thither, you pass by the old Aqueducts of Carthage, which are about half way; they are at that place very entire still, raised high, and built of very great stones. From Tunis to the Cantre most of the way is over large Fields planted with Olive-Trees, some steps distant from one another, but in so streight a line, that they look like Walks, which would be very pleasant, were it not that these ways are always full of Rain-water and mire, as all the Countrey about Tunis is, because it lyes upon a level. We came then to the Cantre, so called from a Bridge, which Hisouf Dey, the Father of Schelebi, built over a River called Magerda, for Cantre in Moresco signifies Bridge. This River Magerda is neither very broad nor rapid, but enough to deserve the name of a fair River; it runs near to the House of Schelebi, and his Father built a stone Bridge to cross over it, the spaces betwixt the Pillars of the seven Arches, being built up from the bottom to the surface of the Water, with huge pieces of Free-stone; so that the water passing through the Arches, and finding it lower on the other side, makes at every arch a very pleasant Cascade two foot high, where the Water falls with a great noise. Upon that River there are several Iron-Mills,