SEMI-PALATINSK, the capital of the above district, on the right bank of the Irtysh, 400 miles S.S.E. of Omsk. It is a fortified place, in the midst of a fertile plain covered with gardens; and derives its name, signifying "the seven palaces," from certain buildings which the Russians found there on the conquest of Siberia. Many of the inhabitants are employed in fishing; and a considerable trade is carried on. Pop. (1850) 7593.