a sea-port and fortified town of European Tur- key, Bulgaria, at the head of a bay of the Black Sea, 47 miles E. of Schumla. It stands on a low ridge of sand-hills stretching along the side of the bay, and it is enclosed by high and strong walls and by a deep moat. There are several well constructed batteries, but they are all commanded either from the sea or from the surrounding heights. The town consists of an irregular assemblage of red-tiled wooden houses, very ill built, and has a general appearance of decay about it, the only public buildings being a few mosques. There is good anchorage in the bay, which is sheltered to the N. and N.E., but exposed in other directions; and there are three small wooden piers near the principal gate. To the west of the town is a lake about 12 miles long by 2 broad, which, if connected by a canal with the bay, as has been recently proposed, would form an excellent harbour, and enable Varna to rival Odessa as a place of trade. Even as it is, the commerce of the town is considerable; the exports of corn, tallow, eggs, and other rural produce, amounting in value to about L600,000. At Varna the Hungarians were defeated by the Turks in 1444, and in 1828 the town was taken by the Russians after a siege of three months. In the summer of 1854, the British and French troops were encamped at Varna previous to the invasion of the Crimea, for which they set sail September 7, 1854. Pop. 16,000.