NIJNI-NOVGOROD, the capital of the above government, stands at the confluence of the Oka with the Volga, on the right bank of the latter river, 259 miles W. by N. of Moscow. It consists of three parts: the upper city, which stands on a hill between the two rivers; the lower city, which extends along the bank of the Volga; and a suburb, stretching along that of the Oka. The highest part of the upper city, which immediately overhangs the river, is occupied by the kremlin or citadel, which is surrounded by a lofty wall flanked with towers, and contains the principal buildings of the town. These consist of two cathedrals; the governor's palace, a modern building, commanding an extensive view; a Protestant church; and other public edifices. The town itself is pretty well built, though for the most part only of wood. There is an irregular public Place in the upper town. Nijni-Novgorod has 42 churches, 3 convents, a seminary for schoolmasters, and several schools. Manufactures of malt, beer, leather, cloth, soap, candles, copper and iron ware, &c., are carried on; but the chief importance of the place is derived from the great fair which is held here annually, and lasts from the latter half of July to the end of August. The place of these fairs is a low tract of ground, of a triangular shape, lying between the Volga and the Oka, and separated from the town by the latter river. At all other times of the year this place is quite deserted, and sometimes overflowed by the rivers; but as the fair is held at the dry season, it is then in no danger of this, and always presents a very busy and animated scene. It is laid out in broad and regular streets, crossing each other at right angles, and having in general covered arcades of iron along the sides in front of the shops. It is drained by a system of underground sewers, made of hewn stone, at a great cost. Access is gained to them at several points by means of staircases; and water is con-
veyed through them from the rivers several times a-day. The only communication with the town is by means of a bridge of boats across the Oka. The governor of the province resides during the continuance of the fair in a handsome building in the centre; and there is a Russian church and a Mohammedan mosque within the precincts of the fair. This part of the market is entirely built of stone, and contains 2521 shops, forming 60 blocks of buildings. This forms the inner market, and it is separated from the outer by a canal, which is crossed by four bridges. The outer market is built of wood, and contains upwards of 2000 booths, built in a very substantial manner. In the inner market are to be found chiefly the more valuable articles of manufacture; such as cloth from Moscow, silk from Persia, furs from Siberia, Astrachan, Buchara, and other places; tea from China; and other goods. Here also there are not such great crowds collected as in the outer market, but the most extensive business transactions are carried on. The outer market, which has more the character of a fair, is generally much crowded with people from all parts of the world, and contains most of the raw material and articles of small value. The rivers during the continuance of the market are crowded with vessels of all sorts and sizes, busily engaged in loading and unloading their cargoes; and a great number of people live entirely on the water. The whole number who attend the market, from first to last, is estimated at 200,000; those collected together at any one time being not more than 20,000. The amount of articles bought and sold is immense. The quantity of iron collected here in 1843 was about 60,000 tons; of copper, 800 tons, valued at more than L.200,000; besides which there were 39,000 chests of tea, and many other articles. Pop. of the town (1849) 30,710.