Although the population, commerce, and wealth of Rostock have all declined since its palmy days as a flourishing Hanse town in the Middle Ages, it has still a very considerable trade, and no Baltic port possesses so large a merchant fleet. In 1882 314 ships, with a total burden of 97,447 tons, were registered as belonging to Rostock; and in 1832 730 ships, with a total burden of 80,578 tons entered, and 724 ships, with a total burden of 82,537 tons, cleared, the port. Ships of more than 200 tons burden must discharge part of their cargo at AVarnemiinde, at the mouth of the Warnow, the port of Rostock, a fishing village and watering place with 1766 inhabitants, who are distinguished by a peculiar dialect and costume. By far the most important export of Rostock is grain, which goes almost entirely to British ports; but wool, flax, and cattle are also shipped. The chief imports are coal from Great Britain, herrings from Sweden, petroleum from America, timber, wine, and colonial goods. Rostock has an important fair at Whitsuntide, lasting for fourteen days, and also a frequented wool and cattle market. The industries of the town are very varied. One of the chief ^is shipbuilding, which, however, has declined of late years. Cotton, straw hats, tobacco, carpets, soap, cards, chocolate, and dye-stuffs are among the manufactures of the town, which also contains distilleries, saw-mills, oil-mills, tanneries, and breweries.

Local historians assert that a village existed on the site of Rostock as early as 329 A.υ., but no certain proofs have been traced of any earlier community than that founded here by Pribislaw IL in the 12th century, which is said to have received town rights in 1218. The earliest signs of commercial prosperity date from about 1260. For a time Rostock was under the dominion of the kings of Denmark. Soon after returning into the protection of Mecklenburg in 1317, it joined the Hanseatic League; and in fact was one of the original members of the powerful and prosperous AVendish Hansa, in which it exercised an influence second only to that of Lübeck. The most prosperous epoch of its commercial history began in the latter half of tho 15th century, precisely at the period when its political power began to wane. Rostock, however, never entirely lost the independence which it enjoyed as a Hanse town; and in 1788, as the result of long contentions with the rulers of SIecklenburg, it secured for itself a peculiar and liberal municipal constitution, administered by three burgomasters and three chambers. In 1880 this constitution was somewhat modified, and the city became less like a state within a state. The badge of Rostock is the figure’7; and a local rhyme explains that there are 7 doors to St Mary’s church, 7 streets from the market place, 7 gates on the landward side and 7 wharves on the seaward side of the town, 7 turrets on the town-house, which has 7 bells, and 7 linden trees in the park.

The Don, which here has a breadth of no more than 230 to 250 yards, with a hardly perceptible current, offers an excellent roadstead. The navigation, however, is considerably impeded by the shallowness of the branches of the river, which are thirty in number at its entrance to the sea, but of which only three (Mertvyi Donetfe, Kolontcha, and the Don proper) are navigable. During the east winds, however, there is only 4 feet depth of water on the bars of the delta; and ships formerly were often compelled to stay outside for several weeks, waiting for a south-west wind. Recent dredging operations have but partially remedied this evil, and the goods have to be carried on lighters to Taganrog and Mariupol, where they are shipped. In 1882 only forty-one ships of small size coming from foreign countries under the Russian and Turkish flags entered the port, but no fewer than 3175 vessels (349,500 tons), engaged in cabotage or lighter traffic, left the roadstead. The export of corn, oil-seeds, wool, tallow, butter, iron, hides, ropes, coarse linen, pitch, &c., from 12,311,000 roubles in 1865, had risen to 41,634,252 roubles in 1882, while the imports were valued at only 886,120 roubles. The agricultural produce thus exported is drawn from the entire basin of the Don in central Russia, while ores and metals are brought from the Urals. The commercial importance of

Rostoff is further increased by its position on the great highway from Kharkolf and Voronezh to Caucasus, on which traffic has greatly increased since Rostoif became connected by rail with Kharkoff and Voronezh on the one side and A r Iadikavkaz on the other. Two fairs, one of which has considerable importance for the whole of south-eastern Russia, are yearly held here, with an estimated turnover of about 5,000,000 roubles. Rostoff has also excellent fisheries, and in summer it becomes the gathering place of many thousands of labourers on their way to assist in harvesting operations in the provinces of the Don and in northern Caucasia. The population then exceeds 100,000. The administrative position of Rostoff is quite unique. Along with a territory of 2520 square miles it belongs to the government of Ekaterinoslalf, of which it is a district town; but this territory is quite separated from the government, being enclosed by the territory of the Don Cossacks.

ROSTOFF on Lake Nero, a district town of Russia, in the government of Yaroslavl, and 35 miles by rail southwest of Yaroslavl, is probably the oldest town of northeastern Russia. Its present importance is due to its fair, which rapidly developed towards the close of last century, and still remains a market where prices of cotton wares are established preliminary to the great fair of Nijni-Nov-gorod, and where a brisk exchange in various kinds of raw materials and unmanufactured articles is carried on. The specialty of Rostoff is the production of a variety of kitchen-garden produce and apothecary’s herbs. Chicory and dried sweet peas are the principal objects of trade; in 1880 350,000 cwts., chiefly of kitchen-garden produce, were exported. Another industry formerly developed in consequence of the great influx of pilgrims—that of painting sacred pictures on a kind of enamel—still continues to flourish. The saddlery and linen manufactures, and the fishing, may likewise be mentioned. The population of Eostoff in 1883 was 12,500.

Rostoff was founded by the Slavonians in territory formerly occupied by the (Finnish) Meres, and it played so prominent a part in the history of that part of Russia that it used to be known as Rostoff the Great. From the beginning of the Ilth century to the 13th it was the chief town of the great Rostoff territory, which included large parts of the present governments of Yaroslavl, Vladimir, and Novgorod, and seems to have been a populous city. After the Mongolian invasion it rapidly declined, and in 1474 it was purchased by Ivan III. and annexed to the growing Moscow principality. It was repeatedly plundered by Tartars, Lithuanians, and Poles in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Its cathedral, built in 1231, still stands, notwithstanding numerous conflagrations; some of the relics it contains are more than eight centuries old. Another church is of still older date, having been built in 1216. Each of its five monasteries has venerated relics of renowned Christian missionaries or Russian princes.