Note 6 — Chapter I · 1822—1843

Prix Montyon: a series of prizes founded at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Baron de Montyon, a distinguished philanthropist, and conferred on literary works for their moral worth, and on individuals for acts of private virtue or self-sacrifice. The laureates are chosen every year by the Académie Française, and in this way many obscure heroes are deservedly rewarded, and many excellent books brought to public notice. [Trans.]