KHERSON, a government of European Russia, on the borders of the Black Sea, and conterminous with Bessarabia, Podolia, Kieft', Eheaterinoslaff, and Taurida. The area is estimated at 27,455 square miles. Especially in the south the general aspect of the country is that of an open steppe, and almost the whole government is destitute of forest. The Dniester marks the western and the territory. Along the shore lie a number of extensive lagoons. Chalk, saltpetre, salt, sandstone, and a limestone conglomerate largely used for building are the principal minerals. Besides the ordinary cereals, maize, hemp, flax, tobacco, and mustard are pretty commonly grown; the fruit trees of general cultivation include the cherry, the plum, the peach, and the mulberry ; and gardening receives a large amount of attention. The agricultural condition of the government has been greatly improved by the presence of numerous German colonies. Cattle-breeding, horse-breeding, and sheep farming are pursued on a large scale. Some of the sheep farmers have as many as 30,000 or 40,000 merinos, and only a very small proportion of the 2,500,000 sheep in the government are of unimproved varieties. The value of the total industrial production has been estimated at upwards of £2,500,000, - the more important departments being the manufacture of wool, hemp, leather, and flour. The ports of Kherson, Otchakoff, Nikolaieff, and more especially Odessa are among the great outlets of Russian commerce ; and Berislaff, Alexandriya, Elizabethgrad, Voznesensk, Olviopol, and Tiraspol play an important part in the inland traffic. In 1871 the total population of the government was 1,661,892; and besides Great and Little Russians it comprised Roumanians, Servians, Poles, Greeks, Germans, Gipsies, while no fewer than 44,107 were returned as Roman Catholics, 48,902 as Protestants, 3183 as Armenians, and 128,312 as Jews. There are six administrative districts - Alexandriya, Ananieff, Elizabethgrad, Klierson, Odessa, and Tiraspol. The towns with more than 5000 inhabitants are Odessa (184,820 in 1873), Nikolaieff (82,800), Elizabethgrad (35,200), Tiraspol (16,700), Ananieff (16,000), Alexandriya (10,520), Novo-Georgievsk or Kruiloff (10,225), Voznesensk (9450), Berislaff (8080), Bobrinetz (7150), Gregoriopol, Dubosarui, Novo-Mirgorod, Olviopol, and Otchakoff.

Kill:MON, the chief town of the above government, is situated on the right bank of the Dnieper, about 19 miles from its mouth. Founded by Prince Potemkin in 1778 as a naval station and seaport, it had become by 1786 a place of 10,000 inhabitants, and, although its progress was checked by the rise of Odessa and the removal (in 1794) of the naval establishments to Nicolaieff, it has still a population of more than 46,000. The Dnieper at this point breaks up into several arms, forming islands overgrown with reeds and bushes ; it is difficult to maintain a deep navigable channel, and vessels of burden must anchor at Stanislayskoe Selo, a good way clown the stream, Of the traffic on the river the largest share is due to the timber trade, and wool-dressing is the only extensive local industry. Kherson is a substantial and regular town. The cathedral is interesting as the burial-place of Potemkin, and near the church of the Assumption lie the remains of John Howard, the English philanthropist. The fortifications have fallen into decay. The name Kherson was given to the town from the supposition that the site had formerly been that of Chersonesus Heracleotica, the famous Greek city founded by the Dorians of Heraclea.