REVEL, or KOLYVAN, a sea-port town of Russia, and the capital of Esthonia, is situated on the Baltic, on a small bay in the Gulf of Finland. The town is divided into three parts. The streets are in some places regular, and in others the reverse, and very narrow, and the houses are generally built of brick. Revel contains thirteen churches, six of which belong to the Russian Church, and the rest to the Lutherans. The other buildings and establishments are a military academy, an arsenal, a public library, with schools, hospitals, and almshouses. The town is surrounded with high walls, which are strengthened by bastions and a deep ditch. It is also fortified by a castle, placed upon a rock, and adorned with several towers.
The harbour, which is large and spacious, usually ac commodates a part of the Russian fleet. It is secure against all winds, and protected by some fortified islands at its mouth Front 100 to 120 vessels enter it every year. The principal exports from Revel are tim ber, corn, and hemp; and it imports sugar, coffee, bay salt, and articles of British Manufacture. The follow
ing- were the value of tilt exports and imports, from 1780 to 1795 :— This great increase in the imports arises from some difficulties at Riga. The rise in value of the exports in late years is from 5 to 600,000 rubles ; and of the im ports, from 150 to 200,000. The articles of commerce at Revel are the same as those which we have men tioned under Riga. It has small manufactories for glass, woollen stockings, pins, hair-powder, leather, and soap. There is also here a foundry for cannon.
As Revel was founded by the Danes in 1218, and re ceived several of its privileges from Danish sovereigns, the arms of Denmark, with inscriptions in Danish, still exist in the churches and some of the public offices. Population about 13,000. East long. 26° 39' 9" ; North lat. 59° 26' 33".