to
consumption.

In autumn 1826, Pushkin re-entered the government service in his
original department, viz., that of the foreign affairs; and in 1827 he
printed, besides the third canto of "Evgenii Oniegin," the "Gypsies," a
new poem of inferior merit entitled the "Robber-Brothers," and a comic
tale, also in verse, which, though slight in construction, is a
masterpiece of graceful and elegant satire. It is entitled "Count
Nulin," and describes the signal discomfiture of certain designs
meditated by the count (a most delightful specimen of a young Russian
coxcomb) against the virtue of his hostess, a fair chatelaine, at whose
country-house the said count passes a night in consequence of a disabled
travelling-carriage.

To this period, too, must be assigned the composition of "Poltava," a
work, the proper title of which would be "Mazepa," but which received
its name in order that the public might not confound it with Byron's
tale, the hero of both being the same historical personage. It is almost
unnecessary to state that there is no resemblance whatever between these
two remarkable works. While the production of Byron is rather an
admirable development of certain incidents, either entirely invented by
the poet, or only slightly suggested by passages of the old Kazak
Hetman's biography, the _Mazepa_ of Pushkin is a most spirited and
faithful version of the real history of the romantic life of the hero;
the actual events adopted by the Russian poet as the groundwork of his
tale, being certainly not inferior in strangeness, novelty, and romantic
incident, to the short fiery tale, dawning rosily in mutual love, and
finishing with the wild gallop on the desert steed, which thrills us so
deeply in the pages of Byron.

In 1829 was given to the world an edition of Pushkin's collected works,
arranged in chronological order; and the author had another opportunity
of visiting the East--those climes whence he had drawn, and was to draw
again, so much of his inspiration. He once more crossed the Caucasus,
and leaving in his rear his beloved Georgia, he followed the movements
of the Russian army in its campaign, and accompanied it as far as
Arzeram, receiving, during this journey, the most flattering attentions
from Marshal Paskevitch, the commander-in-chief of the expedition. We
may judge of the delight with which he seized this opportunity of
indulging his taste for travelling, and of the vast store of
recollections and images