MURAVIEF, an ancient holm- family, originally of Moscow, which in 1488 was presented by Ivan Vasilievitch 1. with large estates hi the province of Novgorod. Many members of this family took an important part in the military, literary, and political history of their country during the 18th and 19th centuries, The following are the most distinguished:—(1.) _Niko leroleievitch was rapt. in the engineer corps, and in 1752 published the first work on algebra in the Russian language. Under Catherine II. he had charge of the Russian topographical works, became lieutgen. and governor of Livonia, and died at Montpellier in 1770.—(2.) .25iciiitch (1757-1t07). At the age of 28, Catherine II. took him from the imperial guard to tutor her grandchildren, the grand dukes Alexander and Konstantin, for whom he composed works in prose and poetry distinguished for. pure style and noble sentiments. In 1796 he became curator of the university of I..oscow, in 1802 senator, and in 1804 councilor of state. His works were published in 1820 in three volumes.—(3.) Nasarovitch, privy councilor, secretary of state, and until 1832 director of the imperial private chancelry, was also known as a writer. His works are published in St. Petersburg in five °lames.— (4.) _Nikokei Niko/die/Itch (1768-1840). He studied at the university of Strasburg, and on his return to Russia became a lieut. in the marine service. In the battle of Rotseben saint lie was wounded and taken prisoner. Set at liberty by the peace of Verelfi, lie left the marine for the army, was appointed lieut.col., and founded near Moscow a private school for the officers of the general staff. Ile served in the campaigns of 1812-14 as col. and chief of staff tinder count Tolstdf, arranged with gem. Dumas for the capitula tion of Dresden, and shortly after took part in the siege of Hamburg. Bet4len returned with the rank of maj.gen. to his school, which in 1816 was declared to be imperial, and which he directed until 1S23. During the hist years of his life he became interested in agricultural pursuits and rural economy. He was one of the founders and most active members of the economic society of Moscow, and published a translation of Thaer's _Principles of Rational Agriculture. He left'five sons. all of whom became distill guished.—(5.) Alexander Nilcolaievitch (1792-1864), the eldest son of the preceding. In 1825 lie took part in the conspiracy which broke out at the accession of Nicholas I. In consideration of his father's services his life was spared, and lie was merely exiled to Siberia. Though lie was afterwards permitted to return, his services were not required until the Crimean war, When he became maj.gen. and in 1856 governor of Novgorod. He was interested in the emancipation of the serfs. At the time of his death he was lieut.gen. and member of the senate of Moscow.—(6.) Nikoldievitch (1793-1866). He entered the army in 1810, took part in all the campaigns of 1812-15, and won dis tinction for bravery at Borodino, Lutzen, Bautzen, Kulm, Leipsic, and under the walls of Paris. In 1817 he was attached to gen. Iermolof's staff, and served in the Caucasus. In 1822 he published his Travels in Turkomania and Kleiva, which was translated into German, English, and French. In 1827 lie became chief of staff under gen. Paskievitch, took part in all the principal battles of the war with Persia, was promoted to the rank of maj.gen., and won great distinction at Kars and Akludzik in the war of 1828. In 1830 the Polish rebellion broke out, and r?fluravief was recalled from an expedition against the Lesghians to take command of the Lithuanian grenadier brigade, with which he defeated the old Polish gen. SiCirayski, near Kazimierz. Promoted to the rank of heutgen., he commanded the •ig14 wing at the storming of Warsaw in 1831, and captured the fortifi cations of the end of the next year he was' sent to'Egypt with special Instructions to incite Mehemet Ali to revolt against the Turkish government. He then took charge of the Russian forces which landed on the shores of the Bosporus. In 1838 he fell into disgrace, and lived secluded for ten years, at the end of which he was called again into active service, and in 1854 was made commander of the expeditionary forces in the Caucasus. After a siege which lasted from the first of June till the last of November, he captured the important fortress of Kars. This victory, which partially redeemed the loss of Sevastopol, brought Muravief the title of prince and the appella. tion Karski. He was then made a state councilor, and put at the head of the Commis.
S1011 to investigate the abuses committed during the Crimean war. In 1861 he wa.f made chief of the regiment of grenadiers of Samogitia, one of the greatest honors which the czar can accord to generals not belonging to the imperial family.—(7.) ldievitch (1796-1866). At the age of 15 be was acting professor in the military school founded by his father. In 1813 he fought against the French, and at the conclusion of the campaign returned to his favorite study of mathematics, and translated into Russian Garnier's Geometric AnalytigA In 1823 he entered the army, and soon became col. In 1831 he advanced from =Igen. to the military governorship of Grodno, and showed great activity in repressing the troubles which broke out in his province after the Polish revolution. Lie afterwards became military governor of Kursk, and entered the civil administration as privy councilor and senator. He was elected president of the Russian' geographical society, and caused a great scientific expedition to be sent to Siberia. In 1857 he became minister of the crown lands and president of the council for the adminis tration of the appanages of the state. He devoted his energies to the fostering of agri culture, founded an agronomic academy near Petroosk, but was violently opposed to the liberation of the serfs. In the student riots of 1861 he used such cruel modes of repression as to win universal hatred, and was removed from his functions. The Polish insurrection, however, brought him to the fore, and in 1863 he was named governor general of Vilna with special honors. He acted with such energy that in a few mouths the insurrection was entirely put down. The czar, in recognition of his services, made him a count and placed him at the head of the commission to seek out and punish the accomplices of Karakasof, who attempted the assassination of Alexander II., in 1866. (8.) Arilco/al. Xilcolalenitch„ b. 1810; entered into the army, served in the Caucasus, and by his bravery won the rank of maj.gen. and commander•of the coasts of the Black sea. In 1817 he was named governor-general of eastern Siberia and made lieut.gen. He gained for Russia the entire territory of the Amur, and concluded the treaty of rligun, May 28, 1838, by which this country was definitely ceded by China. His services we're' rewarded by the title of count and the name Amurski. In the summer of 1859 he went with twelve ships to Yedo. and concluded a favorable treaty with Japan. He then returned to St. Petersburg by way of Siberia. lie resigned his governorship in 1861, and was named member of the imperial council.—(9.) Andrei Nikoldieviteh entered, at an early age, the civil administration; became councilor and kammerjunker, and about 1830 undertook a journey to Syria and Palestine. which he described in his Pilgrimage to the Holy Races. He subsequently traveled in his own country, in Italy, and in the east, and published the results of his observations in several volumes. He wrote also besides, many theological and dramatic works, a History of the Bible, History of the First Four Centuries of Christianity, History of Jerusalem, History of the Russian Church, Descrip tion of Georgia and Armenia, etc. He was a member of the holy synod.—.A. branch of the Muravief family, about 1730, married a daughter of .Apostol, the hetman of the Cossacks, whose name was added to his own.—(1.) lean Matirievitch Muravief-Apostol (1769-1831). Under the emperor Paul, Ivan was sent to the courts of Saxony and Madrid, and on his return became privy councilor and senator. He had a thorough knowledge of the ancient and modern languages, and translated into Russian Sheridan's School for Scandal, the Satires of Horace, and the Clouds of Aristophanes. In 1820 he traveled in the Taurid, and published the results of his arelmological investigations. His old age was saddened by the political ruin of his three sons, whom he survived for more than a quarter of a century.—(2.) Sergii Ieanoritcls was lieut.col. of the re.?iment of Tchernigof, a man of remarkable energy and learning, and the leading spirit in the Dekabrist conspiracy of 1825. Despite the news of the failure of the rising in St. Peters burg, he proclaimed the grand duke Konstantin emperor, and seized the town of Vasilkof. Troops were sent against him, and, after a gallant resistance, in which he was wounded and his brother 1ppolit was killed at his side, he was captured, taken to St. Petersburg, and hung in July, 1826. His other brother Matvei was also a Deka brist, and was sent to Siberia for twenty years.