operty.NIKOLAI ALEXIEVICH, a voluminous Russian author, was born at Irkutsk in Siberia in 1796. His first notoriety was gained in the character of an infant prodigy. Learning seemed to come to him by instinct. At the age of six, he picked up a knowledge of reading from an elder sister. Although sent to work soon afterwards in his father's brandy distillery and pottery, he busied his little head with nothing else but literature. The composition of newspapers and dramas became the amusement of his leisure hours. No book fell in his way which his mind did not eagerly devour, and his memory did not easily retain. Thus by the time that he had reached the age of fifteen he was a practised author, had read a thousand volumes, and could repeat long scraps of his readings off by heart. Equally remarkable for its enthusiasm was the manhood of Polevoy. Adopting the literary profession at Moscow in 1825, he entered upon a career of almost unexampled activity. The Moscow Telegraph was conducted, and its best material supplied, by his own hand. Plays and romances followed in rapid succession from his pen. An elaborate History of Russia at the same time advanced till it had reached the twelfth volume. Still more intense did his ardour become when he had removed to St Petersburg. Not content with editing several journals, his prolific mind threw off tragedies, comedies, farces, tales, essays, and translations from Shakespeare. He soon, in fact, outran both his readers and critics, and produced books which were doomed to neglect. The result was, that his fame began to decline, and his health at the same time began to give way. He died in 1846, with a body which had been worn out by incessant exertion, and with a reputation which had not fulfilled its early promise. Among the most important works of Poli are Sketches of Russian Literature, in 2 vols. 8vo, St Petersburg, 1839; Dramatic Works and Translations, in 4 vols., St Petersburg, 1842-43; and Life of Peter the Great, in 4 vols., 1843. (See Knight's English Cyclopaedia of Biography.)