author a stamp of approval which
suffices to make him known and respected (at least as regards talent) in
all quarters of the globe. As was the late, so is the present, manager
fully conscious of his power, and feels as independent with regard to
his authors as does the director of the Theatre Francais toward his. A
short time since the most famous of those literary Frenchmen who are not
novelists, and a man who rarely writes for periodical publications, sent
an important contribution to the _Revue_, but neither the name of the
author nor the fact that the contribution was of a character to attract
great attention among the public induced M. Buloz to print what seemed
to him, from a literary point of view, unworthy of a place in the
columns of this journal. The pecuniary rewards of writing for the latter
are but slight: a writer receives nothing at all for his first article,
and afterward the prices vary--not in proportion to the merit of the
production, but in relation to the reputation of the author. Henri
Greville, for instance, obtained for her _L'Expiation de Saveli_--a
novel which, I am inclined to think, will not only always remain her
masterpiece, but will ever be considered a most perfect work of art--but
one hundred and fifty dollars; and the ordinary price for articles upon
historical or philosophical or art topics is but one dollar to two
dollars per page. It is odd, too, considering the artistic eye and touch
possessed by Frenchmen, and their sensitiveness in regard to such
matters, that the _Revue_, in spite of its large circulation and high
subscription-price, is the worst printed magazine in the world. To
American readers, who have doubtless noticed with pleasure the attention
paid of late years by the _Revue_ to American literature, it will
perhaps be interesting to learn that "Thomas Bentzon," who has
discovered for the French public so many of our authors, is a Madame
Blanc. She was described to me as a woman of great intelligence and the
highest character, the daughter of an old but poor noble family, and
early married to a wealthy banker. This person not proving to be a model
husband, his wife sought a separation; and the fault being obviously on
his side, he was ordered by the court to make Madame Blanc a handsome
allowance. She, however, refused to take the money of a man whom she
could not respect, and having consented to accept only the small annual
sum necessary for their child's education, set b