icz, _Critical Considerations of the Polish Works
of Dlugosz_ (Pol.; Cracow, 1874); Michael Bobrzynski and Stanislaw
Smolka, _Life of Dlugosz and his Position in Literature_ (Pol.;
Cracow, 1893). (R. N. B.)

DMITRIEV, IVAN IVANOVICH (1760-1837), Russian statesman and poet, was
born at his father's estate in the government of Simbirsk. In
consequence of the revolt of Pugachev the family had to flee to St
Petersburg, and there Ivan was entered at the school of the Semenov
Guards, and afterwards obtained a post in the military service. On the
accession of Paul to the imperial throne he quitted the army with the
title of colonel; and his appointment as procurator for the senate was
soon after renounced for the position of privy councillor. During the
four years from 1810 to 1814 he served as minister of justice under the
emperor Alexander; but at the close of this period he retired into
private life, and though he lived more than twenty years, he never again
took office, but occupied himself with his literary labours and the
collection of books and works of art. In the matter of language he sided
with Karamsin, and did good service by his own pen against the Old
Slavonic party. His poems include songs, odes, satires, tales, epistles,
&c., as well as the fables--partly original and partly translated from
Fontaine, Florian and Arnault--on which his fame chiefly rests. Several
of his lyrics have become thoroughly popular from the readiness with
which they can be sung; and a short dramatico-epic poem on Yermak, the
Cossack conqueror of Siberia, is well known.

His writings occupy three volumes in the first five editions; in the
6th (St Petersburg, 1823) there are only two. His memoirs, to which he
devoted the last years of his life, were published at Moscow in 1866.

DNIEPER, one of the most important rivers of Europe (the _Borysthenes_
of the Greeks, _Danapris_ of the Romans, _Uzi_ or _Uzu_ of the Turks,
Eksi of the Tatars, _Elice_ of Visconti's map (1381), _Lerene_ of
Contarini (1437), _Luosen_ of Baptista of Genoa (1514), and _Lussem_ in
the same century). It belongs entirely to Russia, and rises in the
government of Smolensk, in a swampy district (alt. 930 ft.) at the foot
of the Valdai Hills, not far from the sources of the Volga and the
Dvina, in 55 deg. 52' N. and 33 deg. 41' E. Its length is about 1410 m.
and it drains an area of 202,140 sq. m. In the first part of its course,
which may be