In Alexander Pushkin, the Russians were destined to find their greatest poet. His first work, _Rouslan and Lioudmilla_, was a tale of half-mythical times, in which the influence of Byron was clearly visible, but the author had never allowed himself to become a mere copyist. The same may be said of _The Prisoner of the Caucasus_, in which Pushkin had an opportunity of describing the romantic scenery of that wild country, which was then entirely new ground. In the _Fountain of Bakchiserai_ he chose an episode in the history of the Khans of the Crimea, which he has handled very poetically. The _Gipsies_ is a wild oriental tale of passion and vengeance. The poet, who had been spending some time amid the Steppes of Bessarabia, has left us wonderful pictures of the wandering tribes and their savage life. Many Russians consider the _Evgenie Oniegin_ of Pushkin to be his best effort. It is a powerfully written love-story, full of sketches of modern life, interspersed with satire and pathos. A criticism of Pushkin would necessarily be imperfect, which left out of all consideration his drama on the subject of _Boris Godunov_. Here he has used Shakespeare as his model. Up to this time the traditions of the Russian stage--such as they were--were wholly French. The piece is undoubtedly very clever, and conceived with true dramatic power. Since Pushkin's attempt, the historical drama based upon the English, has been very successfully cultivated. A fine trilogy has been composed by Count A. Tolstoi (whose premature death all Russia deplored), on the three subjects, _The Death of Ivan the Terrible_ (1866), _The Tsar Feodor_ (1868) and the _Tsar Boris_ (1869). The Russian fabulists, whose name is legion, demand some mention; Khemnitzer, Dmitriev, Ivanov and others, have attempted this style of poetry; but the most celebrated of all is Ivan Krilov (1768-1844). Many of his short sentences have become proverbs among the Russian people, like the couplets of Lafontaine among the French, and Butler's _Hudibras_ among ourselves. His pictures of life and manners are most thoroughly national. In Koltzov the true voice of the people, which had before only expressed itself in the national ballads was heard. The life of this sensitive and warm-hearted man of genius was clouded by poverty and suffering.