OSTASHKOFF, a town of Tver, Russia, 163 miles by rail south-east from the capital of that government, on Lake Seliger, has a population of 12,500. The fisheries, which still employ a considerable number of the inhabitants, attracted settlers at an early date, but it is not till 1500 that the Ostashkoff villages are mentioned in Russian annals. The advantageous site, the proximity of the Smolenskiy Jitnyi monastery, a pilgrim-resort on an island of the lake, and the early development of certain petty trades, combined to bring prosperity to Ostashkoff; and its cathedral (1672-85) still contains rich offerings, as also do two other churches of the same century. About 200,000 pairs of boots are now manufactured annually; hatchets, scythes, shears, and similar implements are also made; and tanning is another important industry.