ASTRAKAN, the capital of the government of the same name, is situated on a small island in the Volga, about 30 miles above the influx of that river into the Caspian. It consists of three parts, 1. the Kremlin or citadel, which stands on a hill, and contains the cathedral, a spacious brick edifice with the archbishop's palace and the convent of the Trinity; 2. the Belogorod or white town, containing the government buildings, bazaars, &c.; 3. the Llobodeo or suburbs, where the bulk of the population reside. In the last the streets are narrow, irregular, and mostly unpaved, and the houses are built of wood. It is the seat of a Greek and of an Armenian archbishop, also of an admiralty board; and it contains a number of Greek and Armenian churches and con-
vents, a catholic and a Lutheran church, a Hindu temple, several mosques, a botanic garden, three bazaars, a gymnasium, an ecclesiastical seminary, and several inferior schools. From its favourable position, it enjoys a very considerable trade both with the interior of Russia, and with India, Persia, &c. Besides its importance as a fishing station, it has considerable manufactures of cotton, silk, leather, &c. Lat. 46. 21. N. Long. 47. 55. E. Pop. in 1848 estimated at 50,000.
This city was anciently the capital of a kingdom belonging to the Tartars, who were expelled in 1554 by the Russian prince Ivan Basilowitz. In 1569 it was besieged by the Turks, but they were defeated with great slaughter by the Russians. In 1670 it was seized by the rebel Stenko Razin; but he was soon dispossessed of it by his uncle Jacolof, who remained faithful to the Czar. In 1702 and 1718 it suffered severely from conflagrations; and in 1830 the cholera swept away a great portion of its inhabitants.