JASSY, Jasii, or Jaschi, formerly the capital of the principality of Moldavia, and now the chief town of a district in Roumania, is situated in the valley of the Bachlui (a tributary of the Pruth), in 47° 10' N. lat. and 27° 30' E. long., about 200 miles to the north of Bucharest. The surrounding country consists of hill and dale, and the town with its widely scattered houses intermingled with trees occupies two eminences, of which the one has a rapid and the other a very gradual ascent. The exterior aspect of the place is decidedly attractive and imposing; but the character and condition of the interior is disappointing. A large number of the houses are built of wood, the streets are irregular and dirty, and there is no satisfactory drainage. Since 1873, however, the principal streets have been paved with asphalte, <fcc.. by W. O. Callender of London, at a cost to the town of <£200,000. Jassy is the residence of a prefect, and the see of the archbishop of Moldavia; and it has a court of the first instance, a court of appeal, a number of synagogues, and about forty-seven Greek churches, including the cathedral and the church of the monastery of St Spiridion, a museum with a public library, a fine hall, and a theatre. Besides the university (which has three faculties—law, letters, and philosophy—and in 1876 numbered 22 professorsand 146 pupils),there are two gymnasia in the town, one academy, several national schools (both girls’ and boys’), and upwards of twenty private schools. The foundation of St Spiridion (due to the liberality of Gregorius Ghika in 1727, and available for the sick of all countries and creeds) has an income of nearly £50,000 per annum, and maintains hospitals in several towns of Moldavia. The main hospital in Jassy is a large building, ...and possesses a maternity institution, a midwifery school, and other auxiliaries. A society of physicians and naturalists has existed in Jassy since the early part of the century, and a number of periodicals are published in the town. In the vicinity are Belvedere Castle (the residence formerly of Stourza Citacnie), the mineral springs and convent of Galata, the water-cure establishment of Rapide, and the great ecclesiastical college of Socola. The industrial activity of Jassy is but slight,— a tobacco factory, a flour-mill, a brewery, and two or three small manufactories of aerated water making the total sum in 1878. The trade of the town is mainly in the hands of the Jews, who form a large and increasing proportion of its 90,000 inhabitants. By a branch line to Pascani, Jassy communicates with the Austrian railway system, and by a line to Unghani with that of Russia. The town is governed by a mayor and council. Its income is to a considerable extent derived from a tax on the wines.
The inscription by which the existence of a Jassiorum municipium in the time of the Roman empire is sought to be proved lies open to grave suspicion; but the town is mentioned as early as the 14th century, and probably does derive its name from the Jassians, or Jazygians, who accompanied the Cumanian invaders. About 1564 it was made the capital of Moldavia, instead of Suczava, by Alexander Lapusnenιι. It was reduced to ashes by Sultan Soliman in 1538, and by Sobieski in 1686. By the peace of Jassy the second Russo-Turkish war was brought to a close in 1792. A Greek insurrection under Ypsilanti in 1821 led to the storming of the town by the Turks in 1822. In 1844 there was a severe conflagration. For the loss caused to the town in 1861 by the removal of the seat of government to Bucharest the constituent assembly voted £148,150, to be paid in ten annual instalments, but no payment has been made.
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