M. Henri de Regnier, who has been chosen by the Cercle Francais to deliver this spring the third series of French lectures, sailed from Havre last Saturday. He is expected to arrive in this country on Saturday or Sunday, and will come to Cambridge about February 28. The first of his series of eight lectures on "Contemporary French Poetry" will be given in Sanders Theatre on March 1.

During his stay in this country, M. de Regnier will deliver lectures at Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, the Universities of Pennsylvania and Chicago and a number of smaller colleges.

M. de Regnier was born Dec. 8, 1864, at Honfleur, near Havre. His first poems, published in 1885 and 1886 were in two volumes, "Les Lendemains" and "Apaisement." These attracted little attention, but a collection of sonnets entitled "Sites," published in 1887, brought him great success. In addition to many short poems, which have been collected in three volumes, and published as "Premiers Poemes," "Poemes," and "Les Jeux Rustiques et Divius," he has written some prose in the form of short stories, and contributes regularly to the "Revue des Deux Mondes" and other periodicals.

He belongs to the new school of poets, following in the lead of Stephane Mallarine and Paul Verlaine, -- who are fighting against the figurative poetry of the latter part of the nineteenth century, and are setting forth new doctrines of individualism, idealism and symbolism which have earned for them the titles of "Symbolists" or "Decadents."

The French Academy this year awarded to him the Prix Vitet, and M. Gaston Boissier, secretary of the Academy, said in his official report: "M. de Regnier is one of the leaders of that new school which pretends to do no less a thing than modify the form and the spirit of French poetry. Everybody recognizes that M. de Regnier has very rare poetical gifts; abundance and richness in images; amplitude and harmony of the period, a grace both provoking and natural that makes him admired even by those whom his boldness displeases." M. de Regnier was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1897.

Mr. I. Babbit, of the French Department, will conduct a conference of the Cercle Francais, on the subject of M. de Regnier and his writings, in the Colonial Club, on Tuesday, February 27, at 7.30 p. m.