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of inferior magnitude to ‘come to Made- 
moiseile Claircn,* the dowager ot the 
French theatre, and in whose person [ 
seem to behold all the queens of the 
French tragedies united. She still pre- 
serves in her own house that grave and 
majestic tone she formerly exhibited vn 
the theatre ; and it 1s comical enough to 
hear her command her domestics, as if 
she were still a sovereign of Carthage. 
She speaks admirably, perhaps too weil 
for conversation. Accustomed to reign 
over the stage, she has been spvilea by 
the applauses of the public, and the 
compliments of her adorers ; it is no won- 
der.theretore, that she does not love con- 
tradiction. She read a work to us, com- 
posed by herself; the subject 1s “ decla- 
mation ;:” and in itshe traces not only the 
accomplishments but the studies which 
an actor or actress out to pursve, if am- 
bition, and the desire to excel, be the 
ruling passion. 
Towards the conclusion she points out, 
with a masterly hand, the difference be- 
tween the characters of Monimia, Pau- 
lina, and Roxana; there is a passage 
truly eloquent relative to Electra, She 
recites with such exquisite truth, that I 
thought I beheld the princess embracing 
the urn of Orestes; the tears: instantly 
rushed into my eyes. She says that the 
actress who performs the part of Phe- 
dra ought to assume the air and man- 
ner of a sleep-walker; and, im truth, this 
is the idea excited by the following 
~ charmiug line :-— 
€ Ah! que ne suis-je assise a lombre des 
forets !” 
** In general, I find this work superior 
to that written on the same subject by 
ngel; there is less depth, indeed, but 
it is far better titted tor practice. 
“1 have been thrice present at the 
sittings of the French Academy. The 
apartments in the Louvre are sinall, and 
the situation 1s infenor to that of Berlis. 
The walls are ornamented with the busts 
_ of all the great men who were formerly 
members; and it may be traly said, that 
the dead are superior to the living. Se- 
veral of those whe have chairs_there at 
present, are indebted solely to their in- 
trigues. During the life-time of Vol- 
taire, it was necessary to obtaina brevet 
of irreligion, prior to that of an acade- 
mecian; aud since that period, the caa- 
didate found it necessary to bow #e- 
fore the literary despotism which D’Alem- 
* This famens actress is since dead. 
Retrospect of French Literature—Miscellanies. 
i 
bert exercised during the latter part of 
his life, ida 
‘* The-last day I was present, M. Ni-+ 
colai, president of the chamber of Ac- 
counts, was admitted. ‘The benches 
were occupied by two o’clock, and two 
‘thirds of the assembly consisted of ladies. 
At four, the academicians entered ina 
body, with the new member at their 
head. I saw Le Sedaine, the herald of 
the comic opera; Gaillard, the histori- 
an of Charlemagne, who has neither 
inherited the pen of Livy nor of Ta- 
citus. He dared publicly to compliment 
the debaucheries of Richelieu, under the 
name of chivalrous gallantry. I also~ 
saw the fantastical Le Mierre, whose 
verses resemble the funereal screeches of 
the bird of night. 
“« After these appeared the ornaments 
of the academy, ‘Target and Seguier, two 
advocates who have consecrated their 
talents to the defence of justice; Bailly, 
whose fruitful imagination has created a 
hyperborean people, and who has decked 
up an ingenious paradox with the charms 
of elocution; Boutilers, the favourite of 
the Muses; Saint-Lambert, the chanter 
of the Seasons, and with whom the spring 
and summer smack alittle of the frost of 
winter; Florian, an agreeable imitator 
but not the rival of Gesner. 
“<M. Nicolai read a discourse, ia which 
he was pleased to term M. de la Harpe 
the French Sophocles. In the custo- 
mary but ridiculous eulogium on Louis 
XIV. and Cardimal Richelieu, he spoke 
of the latter as ‘ a powerful genius, who 
had subjugated Europe, France, and even 
his own sovereign.’ M. de Rhuliers, a 
man of yreat knowledze and talents, and 
who contributed not a little to the new 
Jaw in favour of the Protestants, by 
meansof his Remarks on the Revocation 
of the Edict of Nantz, and his connexion 
with the Baron de Breteuil, made the re- 
ply. He afterwards delivered an eulogy 
on the Marquis de Chattellux, to whom _ 
tie new academician sueceeded, and he 
justly praised that humanity which had 
dictated his charming work “ On public 
Happiness.” This treatise, in which the 
thor endeavours to establish, that litera- 
ture and the sciences are necessary to 
the welfare of states, gave rise to the 
‘ Phocion’ of the Abbé Mably, who fol- 
lowing the principles of the ancient legi- 
slators, refutes this opmion, and attributes 
every thing to morals. The abbé is not 
eloquent, but energetic; and his two 
posthumous works, ‘ Les Observations 
sur l’ilistoire de France,’ and * Le 'Traité 
des 
