ODESSA, an important seaport and commercial city of s. Russia, in the government of Kherson, stands on an acclivity sloping to the shore, on the n.w. coast of the Black sea, 32 m. n.e. of the mouth of the Dniester. Lat. 46° 29' n., long. 30° 44' east. The har bor is formed by two large moles defended by strong works, and is capable of contain ing 200 vessels. The bay is deep enough even close in shore to admit the approach of the largest men-of-war, and is frozen only in the severest winters, and then only for a short time. The promenade along the face of the cliff, descending to the shore by a broad stone stair of 204 steps, is the favorite_ walk of the inhabitants. Here also stands the monument of the due de Richelieu, .to whom imgreat part the town is indebted for its prosperity. Iia the Pedestal-of the moninnent is preserved the ballhy which he was shot during the bombardment of the town by the allied fleet in 1854. The university of Odessa, founded in 1865, had, in 1877, 43 professors and 252 students; and the library possessed over 150,000 volumes. The city contains many line edifices, as the cathedral of St. Nicholas, the admiralty, the custom-house, etc. Owing to the intensity of the heat in summer (rising occasionally to 120°), and the dryness of the soil, vegetation in the vicinity of Odessa is very poor. In the neighborhood are quarries of soft stone, which is used for building purposes in Odessa and in the surrounding towns. One of the great deficiencies of Odessa used to be its want of good water; but works for secur ing an ample supply from the Dniester were completed in 1873. Gas was first used in Odessa in 1861; and the theater, the hotels, and all the larger houses now use the handl e*, of the artificial lights. A railway, opened in 1872, has added enormously to the commercial success and importauce of Odessa, as it connects- it,- and of course Eller son, with the governments n. and e. of it in Russia. The estimated value of the varions quantities of grain, wool, hides, tallow, and other articles of export for the year 1871 was £7,110,000, of which amount, the value of goods shipped in British vessels was £2,872,000. In 1876 the total exports were valued at about £7,700,000, and the imports
at £7,350,000. The rapid strides Odessa has made in commerce within the last few years will be seen when these latter sums are compared with the corresponding ones of 1853 and 1860; the former year showing the sum of £670,000, and the latter exhibiting a fall down to £465,000. The pop. of Odessa in 1873 was 184,810.
In ancient times, Odessa (Gr. Odeesus) was inhabited by a Greek colony, and latet by Tartar tribes. In the beginning of the 15th c., the Turks constructed a fortress here, which was taken by the Russians in 1789. In 1793 a Russian fortress was built here, and became the nucleus of a town and port, which two years after received the name of Odessa. The duc de Richelieu, a French emigrant in the Russian service, was appointed governor here in 1803, and during the 11 years of his wise administration the town prospered rapidly. Since 1823 the city has formed part of the general governorship of s. Russia; is the seat of its administration, and is the residence of the gov.gen. and of :01 archbishop. The advantageous commercial position of the city, and the privileges granted to it by government, but chiefly the privileges of a free port between 1817 and 1853 (in place of which it now receives an annual subsidy) have developed this city from a mete Turkish fortress into the chief commercial town of the Russian empire after St. Petersburg and Riga. On the outbreak of the Crimean war, April 1854, the British steamer Farious went to Odessa for the purpose of bringing away the British consul. While under a flag of truce, she was fired upon by the batteries of the city. On the failure of a written message from the admirals in command of the fleet to obtain explana tions, 12 war-steamers invested Odessa, April 22, and in a few hours destroyed the forti fications, and took a number of Russian vessels.