a government of European Russia, bounded on the south-east by the Caspian Sea, north-east by Ortenburg, north by Saratov, west by the country of the Don Cossacks, and south-east by the Caucasus. It lies between Lat. 44. 50. and 49. 50. N. and between Long. 43. 30. and 51. 0. E. It has an area of about 50,000 square miles, divided into two nearly equal parts by the Volga, and consists chiefly of sandy deserts, interspersed with saline lakes; but in the delta and on the banks of the rivers, grapes and other fruits of southern climates are raised. The population in 1846 was estimated at 284,400, comprising Russians, Tartars, Georgians, Armenians, Persians, Hindus, &c., who engage in the rearing of horses, cattle, and sheep, and also in the fishing of sturgeon, which forms the principal source of wealth to the government. The annual revenue derived from this source is estimated at from two to three million of rubles. The vicissitudes of climate are great: with a mean annual temperature of 48° Fahr., the summer averages 70°, and the winter 13° Fahr.

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 Kremlia 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 Lobodeo 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 convents, 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 Astrology, 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 Iwan 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.