“ SEVASTOPOL, or Sebastopol, an important naval station of Russia on the Black Sea, on the S.W. coast of the Crimea, in 44° 37′ N. and 33° 31′ E., 956 m. from Moscow, with which it is connected by rail via Kharkov. Pop. (1882) 26,150; (1897) 50,710. The estuary, which is one of the best road steads in Europe and could accommodate the combined fleets of Europe, is a deep and thoroughly sheltered indentation among chalky cliffs, running east and west for nearly 4 m., with a width of three quarters of a mile, narrowing to 930 yds. ”

“ Subsequently the Slavs were cut off from relations with Taurida by the Mongols, and only made occasional raids, such as that of the Lithuanian prince Olgierd. In the 16th century a new influx of colonists, the Tatars, occupied Chersonesus and founded a settlement named Akhtyar. ”