KISHINEFF, the Kishlanow of the Moldavians, a town of Russia, capital of the province of Bessarabia, on the right bank of the Byk, a tributary of the Dniester, situated on the railway between Odessa and Jassy in Roumania, 118 miles north-west from the former. At the beginning of this century it was but a poor village, and in 1812, when it was acquired by Russia from Moldavia, it had but 7000 inhabitants; twenty years later its population numbered 35,000, while in 1862 it had, with suburbs, 92,000 inhabitants, and now its population is more than 110,000, composed of the most varied nationalities—Moldavians, Wallachs, Russians, Jews, Bulgarians, Tartars, Germans, andTsigans. The town consists of two parts—the old or lower town, on the banks of the Byk, and the new or high town, situated on high crags, 450 to 500 feet above the level of the river. The wide suburbs are remarkable for their gardens, which occupy about 12,000 acres, and produce great quantities of fruits (especially plums, which are dried and exported), tobacco, and wine. The buildings of the town are, however, very plain, and the streets remain mostly unpaved. Kishineff is the seat of the archbishop of Bessarabia, and has an ecclesiastical seminary with 800 students, a college, and several secondary and primary schools. There are several tallow-melting houses, steam flour-mills, candle and soap works, distilleries, and tobacco factories. The trade is very active and yearly becomes more important, Kishineff being now a centre for the whole Bessarabian trade in grain, wine, tobacco, tallow, wool, and skins, exported to Austria and to Odessa. The fairs, which are held twice a week, are very animated, and their yearly return is estimated at £300,000. The town played an important part in the late war between ...