or NISHNI-NOVGOROD, commonly contracted to Nijegorod, a government of Russia, between N. Lat. 54° 30' and 57° 5', E. Long. 41° 45' and 46° 15'. It is bounded on the N. by Kostroma and Viatka, E. by Kazan and Simbirsk, S. by Penza and Tambov, and W. by Vladimir. Its length is 185 miles; greatest breadth, 136; area, 18,680 square miles. The surface is generally flat, but diversified in some places by undulating heights, which nowhere rise above 500 feet from the sea. The prevailing geological formation is limestone, and iron is the only metal found here. A sandy soil, much mixed with vegetable mould, forms the greater part of the surface, which is very fertile, and produces plentiful crops of Nijini-Novgorod, so as to serve as the granary of Russia. The principal river is the Volga, which traverses the government from W. to E., making a bend towards the S. It receives in the government the Oka, Kulma, Kirsenez, Sara, Verluga, and Alatyr. In 1849 there were 4,689,798 acres of arable land, 729,384 of meadow land, 5,105,469 of wood, and 1,248,109 of waste land. Farming is carried on here in a much superior style to what prevails in most parts of Russia, and the farmers are distinguished alike by their skill and industry. Besides corn, the principal crops raised are hemp, flax, hops, peas, and beans; and considerable care is bestowed on the cultivation of fruit,—apples and cherries especially being remarkable alike in quantity and quality. The forests of this country are a great source of wealth, on account of the abundance of excellent timber which they contain, of which oak, lime, pine, beech, and alder are the principal kinds. The breeding of cattle is also carried on, though not to such an extent as agriculture; and there were in 1849 in Nijini-Novgorod 326,425 horses; 273,863 horned cattle; 475,801 sheep; 121,803 swine; and 1128 goats. The horses are the best that are bred in Russia; and the horned cattle are also of good breed. Although there are but few large manufactories in the government, it is inferior to none in the extent to which the people are engaged in the pursuits of manufacture; for most of the villages are filled with artisans, who produce on a small scale a great variety of articles. Spinning, weaving, and pottery, are chiefly carried on in these small establishments; and among the more extensive productions leather, cloth, cordage, soap, candles, iron, steel, &c., are the principal. There is an active trade in the exportation of corn, flour, hemp, flax, horses, and manufactured articles; and the importation of iron, salt, brandy, wine, &c. The commerce of the country is greatly facilitated by the large navigable rivers by which it is traversed. Pop. (1849) 1,124,251.

NISHNI-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. Nijini-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 L200,000; besides which there were 39,000 chests of tea, and many other articles. Pop. of the town (1849) 30,710.