RUSSIA. 



803 



and other churches, and the arsenal. At the French invasion in 1812, the city was set on 

 fire, and two thirds of it destroyed. It is now mostly rebuilt. The streets are, in gen- 

 eral, broad ; and some of them are paved ; others, particularly those in the suburbs, are 

 floored with trunks of trees, or boarded with planks. Wretched hovels are blended with 

 large palaces ; some parts of the city have the appearattce of a sequestered desert, and odiers 

 that of a populous town. One of the curiosities of this place is the great bell, which is said 

 to be the largest in the world ; its circumference is G4 feet, and its height 19 feet. In the 

 cathedral the Russian emperors are crowned. Moscow contains a university with a fine library, 

 and many literary institutions ; the anatomical museum liere comprises 50,000 preparations. It 

 is the residence of the oldest and wealthiest Russian I'ainilies, and the operations of its mer- 

 chants extend from London and Paris to the coast of North America and the capital of 

 China. Population, 250,000. 



liigci, on the Duna, near its mouth, is the capital of Livonia ; it is one of the principal for- 

 tresses of the empire, and ranks among the principal commercial cities of Europe. Here is a 

 bridge of boats over the Duna, remarkable for its length. The inhabitants are chiefly Cier- 

 mans, or of German origin. Population, 42,000. Dorpat^ 9,000, in the neighborhood, con- 

 tains a university, with a celebrated observatory. 



Tula is one of the principal manufacturing cities of the empire ; more than 7,000 woikmen 

 are employed in the manufacture of arms for the government, and philosophical instruments are 

 also made here. The vast arsenal contains upward of 100,000 stand of arms. I^opulation, 

 39,000. Kaluga, upon the Oka, has a great number of manufactories, and carries on an active 

 trade. It is a large, but meanly-built city, with 2G,000 inhabitants. Orel is a flourishing city, 

 and is the great mart of the corn-trade for the interior of Russia. Population, 30,000. Jaroslav, 

 pleasantly situated upon the Volga, is one of the great workshops of Russia ; table-linen, paper, 

 and silk are the chief productions of its industry. Here is a scientific scliool uilh a rich libra- 

 ry, and one of the most important theological seminaries of the empire. Population, 24,000. 



Jlrchangel, upon the Dwina, has a fine harbor, which, however, is closed 9 months in the 

 year by ice. Previously to the building of St. Petersburg, it was the chief commercial port 

 of Russia, and, although it has since declined, ils inhabitants still prosecute the fisheries with 

 activity, and carry on an extensive commerce. Population, 19,000. 



Tver, with 22,000 inhabitants, situated upon the Volga, at the junciion of one of the canals 

 connecting that river with the Neva, is the centre of the conuuercial relations betv> een Moscow 

 and St. Petersburg. It is one of the handsomest towns in Russia, containing a magnificent 

 imperial palace, a noble cathedral, town-house, &c., and adorned with superb quays along the 

 Volga. 



Smolensk, 11,000 inhabitants, and JVovogorod- Veliki, or Great Novogorod, 8,000, are 

 chiefly interesting for their historical importance. Smolensk once contained 200,000 inhabi- 

 tants, and Novogorod, formerly a member of the Hanseatic league, and the great mart of tho 

 commerce between Asia and the north of Europe, ruled over a great part of Russia, and is 

 said to have contained 400,000 inhabitants. " Who can stand against God and Novogorod ? " 

 became a proverb. JVishni-Jfovogorod, on the Volga, with 14,000 inhabitants, is celebrated 

 for its great fair, the largest in Europe ; it is attended by fioni 120,000 to 150,000 persons, 

 who transact business to the amount of above 20,000,000 dollars ; in its vast and beautiful ba- 

 zars meet the traders of the most distant parts of Europe and Asia. 



Kiev, pleasantly situated upon several hills on the Dnieper, is an ancient town, and was for- 

 merly one of the sacred cities of Russia. It contains a splendid cathedral, an imperial palace, 

 a celebrated university, and a famous monastery, in the catacombs of which are preserved, in a 

 dried state, the bodies of 110 martyrs ; thousands of pilgrims visit these relics yearly, and the 

 great fair of Kiev attracts annually 30,000 persons. Population, 56,000. Odessa, one of 

 the most flourishing cities of Europe, is the chief commercial mart upon the Black Sea, and 

 the outlet of the exports of Southern Russia. It is handsomely built, widi regular and spacious 

 streets, and handsome pubhc squares and walks, and contains many elegant buildings, public 

 and private. The dry and sterile soil of the neighborhood has been converted into a fertile 

 garden, by the increase of the city. Population, 40,000. Cherson, formerly the most impor- 

 tant town in this section, is unhealthy, and has declined since the transfer of its commerce to 

 Odessa, and the removal of its dock-yard. Population, 12,000. Other important places in 

 Southern Russia are Bender, 5,000 inhabitants, and Ismail, 13,000, in Bessarabia, distinguish- 

 ed for their fortifications, and Jlkerman, 13,000, in the same province, also a fortified town, 



