The French Academy has elected the Due d'Aumale to a
seat by 27 to 1. The majority was probably the result of political feel- ing, but the Duke's " History of the House of Conde " and his pam- phlets justify the selection. On the other hand, E. About has been rejected, partly as Bonapartist and partly as author of the " Question Romaine ;" while M. Littre, formerly rejected, has been accepted, he having recanted most of his socialist opinions. On the other hand, he remains a strong materialist, and Mgr. Dupanloup, the Bishop of Orleans, whose opinions are at least as strong in the opposite direction, has resigned his seat. Considering that the good Bishop holds that his mission is to convert infidels, and that he endured for years the presence of Sainte-Beuve, who was as materialistic as M. Littre and much more Voltairiau in expression, this secession is a little ridiculous. Perhaps, however, it was only intended as a manifesto, the Bishop knowing that the Forty would refuse, as they have refused, to receive his resignation.
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