ELISAVETGRAD  , a fortress and

town of Russia, in the government of Kherson, 296 m. by rail N.E. of Odessa on the Balta-Kremenchug railway, and on the Ingul river, in 48° 31' N. and 32° 10' E . The population increased from 23,725 in 186o to 66,182 in r9oo . The town is regularly built, with wide streets, some of them lined with trees, and is a wealthy town, which has become an industrial centre for the region especially on account of its steam flour-mills, in which it is second only to Odessa, its distilleries, mechanical workshops, tobacco and tallow factories and brickworks . It is an important centre for trade in cereals and flour for export, and in sheep, cattle, wool, leather and timber . Five fairs are held annually . It has a military school, a first-class meteorological station and a botanical garden . The town was founded in 1754 and named after the empress Elizabeth . The fortifications are now decayed .