Fix your minds, and Mr. Barber's,1 on this one point-the grip of the land. If you can't give us that, send us in your accounts, and let us be done with the matter. If you can, on the document as it stands, write it out on the rubbish your modern stationers call parchment, and do what you will with it, so.

20. I am really ashamed to give any farther account, just now, of the delays in our land work, or of little crosses and worries blocking my first attempt at practice. One of the men whom I thought I had ready for this Worcestershire land, being ordered, for trial, to do a little bit of rough work in Yorkshire that I might not torment Mr. Baker with his freshmanship, threw up the task at once, writing me a long letter of which one sentence was enough for me,-that "he would do his share, but no more." These infernal notions of Equality and Independence are so rooted, now, even in the best men's minds, that they don't so much as know even what Obedience or Fellowship means! Fancy one of Nelson's or Lord Cochrane's 2 men retreating from his gun, with the avowed resolu tion to "do no more than his share"! However, I know there's good in this man, and I doubt not he will repent, and break down no more; but I shall not try him again for a year. And I must be forgiven my St. George's accounts this month. I really can't let the orchises and hyacinths go out of flower while I'm trying to cast sums; and I've been two whole days at work on the purple marsh orchis alone, which my botanical readers will please observe is in St. George's schools to be called "Porphyria veris," "Spring Purplet." It is, I believe, Ophelia's "long purple." There are a quantity of new names to be invented for the whole tribe, their present ones being not by St. George endurable.

21. The subjoined letter gives me great pleasure: it is from a son of my earliest Oxford friend: who, as his father helped me in educating myself, is now helping me in the education of others. I print it entire; it may give some of my readers an idea of the minor hindrances which meet one at every step, and take as much time to conquer as large ones. The work to be done is to place a series of the simple chemical elements as "Imps" in a pretty row of poetical Bottles at Sheffield."

"MY DEAR MR. RUSKIN,-I knocked in vain at your 'oak' last night when I came to Corpus to report progress, and also to ask you two questions, which must be put to you by letter, as there is not much time to lose if you wish to have the alkaline earths ready by the time you go to Sheffield. Firstly, do you wish me to see about getting the metals of the alkalies, and if so which of them do you

1 [The draftsman: see above, p. 376.]

[For another reference to Lord Cochrane (afterwards Earl of Dundonald), see Vol. XXVII. p. 153.]

3

[Hamlet, Act iv. sc. 7. The drawing was engraved for Proserpina: see Vol. XXV. p. 341, and Plate XXIII. Ultimately Ruskin called it "Contorta Pur

purea, ""Purple Wreath-wort."]

4 [This, however, was not done.]

want? Some of them are extremely expensive, calcium, for instance, being 2d. a grain; but then, as it is very light, a very small quantity would be required as a specimen. The other questions were about the amount of the oxides, and about the shape of the bottles to hold them. I have in your absence chosen some long sample bottles which are very beautiful of their kind, and even if they do not meet your approval they can easily be changed when you return to Oxford. I am progressing fairly well with the earths-Magnesia is ready; Alumina and Baryta partly made, but not yet pure, for it is not more easy in chemistry to get a perfect thing than in any other matter with which man has anything to do, and to-day I have been extremely unfortunate with the Baryta, having tried two methods of making it, broken four crucibles, and, worst of all, failed to make it in a state of purity: however, I shall have one more try to-morrow, and no doubt shall succeed. If there is any chance of your being in Oxford before Easter, I will not make the Silica, since the process is very beautiful, and one which no doubt you would like to see. Please excuse the length of my letter, and believe me, "Affectionately yours, "THEODORE D. ACLAND."

22. (II.) Affairs of the Master.

I am aghast at the columnar aspect of any account given in satisfactory detail; and will only gradually, as I have space, illustrate my own expenditure and its course. That unexplained hundred of last month,1 diminished

itself, I find, thus:

Pocket

Klein (final account on dismissal to Rotterdam, paying his
passage, and a shilling or two over)

Downs, for my London quarterly pensioners

Morley (Oxford bookbinding).

Easter presents

Leaving a balance of.

25 00 3 1 6

500

73 1 6

£26 18 6

to be added to the £200 of personal expenses in this month's accounts. About a hundred and twenty of this has gone in a fortnight's posting, with Mr. and Mrs. Severn, from London to Coniston, stopping to see St. Albans, Peterborough, Croyland, Stamford and Burleigh, Grantham, Newark, Lincoln, our new ground at Sheffield, Pomfret, Knaresborough, Ripon, Fountain's, Richmond, Mortham Tower, and Brougham Castle.2 A pleasant life, you think? Yes, if I led an unpleasant one, however dutiful, I could not write any of my books; least of all, Fors. But I am glad, if you honestly think it a pleasant life; why, if so, my richer readers, do you drive only round the parks, every day, instead of from place to place through England, learning a thing or two on the road? Of the rest of the "self" money, I leave further account till next month; it is not all gone yet. I give, however, for a typical example, one of Downs's weekly bills, reaching the symmetrical total of £7, 7s. 7d., or a guinea and a penny a day, which I think is about the average. Of the persons named therein as receiving weekly wage, Hersey is our old under-gardener, now rheumatic, and as little able to earn his dinner as I am myself; Rusch, my old lapidary, who

1 [See above, p. 608.]

[For an account of Ruskin's driving tours at this time, see Vol. XXIV. pp. xxvii.-xxxi.]

cuts in the course of the week what pebbles he can for me; Best, an old coachman, who used to come to us from livery-stable on occasion, and now can't drive any more; Christy, an old woman who used to work for my mother.

After thus much of miniature illustration, I have only to explain of the broad effects in the account below, that my Oxford secretary, who has £200 a year, does such work for me connected with my Professorship as

[The "Oxford Secretary" was the Rev. St. John Tyrwhitt, for whom see Vol. XV. pp. xxx., 6. The " younger secretary" was Laurence Hilliard.]

only a trained scholar could do, leaving me free here to study hyacinths. I wish I could give him the Professorship itself, but must do as I am bid by Oxford. My younger secretary, who has £100 a year, is this year put into office, for St. George's correspondence; and I must beg my good friends-now, I am thankful to say, gathering a little to St. George's work,not to think themselves slighted in being answered by his hand, for mine is weary.

"MY DEAR RUSKIN,-I enclose two extracts, cut from the same day's paper, which contain so grimly humorous a parallel between the ways in which the 'Protestant Church' and 'the world' are engaged in 'obliterating all traces of the Virgin Mary,' that I thought you might possibly use them in Fors or elsewhere. "Yours affectionately, "C. PATMORE."

(The following are the two extracts. Before giving them, I must reply to my greatly honoured and loved friend, that both the Bristol destroyers of images and New York destroyers of humanity, are simply-Lost Sheep

[Raffaelle Carloforti, the artist: see above, p. 583.]

2 [This letter is reprinted by Mr. Basil Champneys in his Memoirs and Correspondence of Coventry Patmore, 1900, vol. ii. p. 290, where also (p. 291) the following note in reply from Ruskin is given :—

"BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE.

"DEAR PATMORE,-Yes, those are two notable paragraphs. I've sent them to the printer with your letter,-keeping 'brickmakers' for another time. Ever affectionately yours,

"J. R."

At about the same time Patmore must have written the letter about "brickmakers," which Ruskin afterwards printed in Letter 80, § 7 (Vol. XXIX. p. 177).]

of the great Catholic Church; account of whom will be required at her hand.1)

"ICONOCLASM AT BRISTOL.-Our Bristol correspondent writes: The removal of the imagery' from the north porch of Bristol Cathedral has created considerable excitement in the city and in Clifton. As a member of the capitular body who is known to strongly object to the figures was seen near the Cathedral late on Wednesday night, the clerk of the works employed 'watchers,' his intention being to refuse admission to other than his own workmen. On Thursday morning he had occasion to leave the works to go to the quarries at Corsham, and while he was absent a gang of men, under the orders of the chapter clerk, entered the gates, and before the clerk of the works, who was telegraphed for, could return, hauled down the four statues and obliterated all traces of the Virgin Mary, doing much damage to other carving in the process of removal. The last has by no means been heard of this affair. The statues cost over £100 each, but the money value of the imagery' is not considered by the Restoration Committee. Their contention is that, until the work was completed and handed over to the Cathedral body, it belonged to the Restoration Committee; and it is believed that the right of the Chapter to act as they have done will be tested in a court of law. Feeling is so strong against the action of the Dean and Chapter that plenty of money would be forthcoming to prosecute such an inquiry.”—Pall Mall Gazette, April 1876.

"One of the latest 'sensations' in New York has been a 'female boxing match,' aptly described by the New York Times as a 'novel and nonsensical exhibition.' The combatants-or lady contestants,' as they are called in the report of the proceedings were two ballet-girls, of the kind known as 'variety dancers.' One, Miss Saunders, wore a white bodice, purple knee-breeches, which she had borrowed from an Ethiopian serenader, red stockings, and shoes. The other, Miss Harland, was attired in blue trunks and white tights. Both appeared nervous, were very pale, tried to blush, and partially succeeded.' When the fighting began, Miss Harland did not know what to do with her hands.' Miss Saunders, however, had her fists more at command, and, after some preliminary sparring, succeeded in striking her opponent square in the face.' Miss Harland, on her side, by a vicious blow from the shoulder,' managed to disarrange Miss Saunders's back hair. Both ladies then smiled. In the end Miss Harland lost the match, owing to her confirmed habit of swinging her hands around in the air.' Miss Saunders was declared the winner, and carried off a prize of 200 dols. and a piece of silver plate; Miss Harland received a ten-dollar bill from an amateur who thought she deserved consolation; and the two 'lady contestants' left the stage arm-in-arm.”—Pall Mall Gazette, April 7, 1876.

24. (IV.) In last Fors, though I thought I knew my Old Mortality well enough, I carelessly wrote "Elspeth," for "Elizabeth" (meaning Bessie Maclure 2); and the misprint "Arannah" for "Araunah" "` escaped my eyes three times over. The most grotesque one of "changes" for "charges," in p. 168, line 25,4 was, I suppose, appointed by Fors to chastise me for incurable flirtation. I wish I knew who these two schoolgirls are, whom I've got to finish my letter to if I can, this time.5

My dears, will you please, for I can't rewrite what I've said so often, read, when you have opportunity, the letter to a young lady in Fors 34,

[In a later letter to Patmore (July 7, 1876) Ruskin asks, "Why don't you answer my snap at you in Fors?"]

2 [See Letter 65, § 17 n. (p. 602).]

• [In 8 11 (p. 597, line" 2)

[In the original edition: see now § 26, line 2 (p. 611).]

5 [For its beginning, see Letter 65, § 24 (p. 608).]