POLTAVA, the capital of the above government, stands on a hill near the confluence of the rivers Poltavka and Vorskla, 445 miles S.S.W. of Moscow. It is walled, and defended by a castle in the centre occupying the summit of the hill. The streets are broad and straight, and the houses are for the most part of wood, though some of them are of stone or brick. Near the middle is the fine Alexander Square, with a granite monument to Peter the Great, commemorative of his victory at Poltava in 1709. Among the public institutions of the town are a cathedral and numerous other churches, a convent, several schools, a museum of industry, a lunatic asylum, and other benevolent establishments. In the vicinity there are large saltpetre works and extensive plantations of cherry trees. There are here also tanneries and distilleries. Some trade is carried on in the produce of the country with Turkey and Germany. The town was besieged by Charles XII. in 1709; but Peter the Great, advancing to raise the siege, totally defeated the Swedish monarch in the vicinity. This decisive battle forced Charles to take refuge in Turkey, and securely established the power of Russia. An obelisk has been erected on the field of battle, near which high mass is annually performed. Pop. (1851) 20,071.