To John Scott

Denmark Hill, January 3rd, 1858.

Dear Mr. Scott,—I have been looking at the collier in the plate Mr. Mackay spoke of, and I do think her jib is too small,—but also this afternoon in Guesses at Truth I met with Coleridge's criticism on Chantrey's “Wordsworth”: “it's a great deal more like Wordsworth than Wordsworth himself.” So I think of this ship of Turner's. Tell Mr. Mackay “it's a great deal more like a ship than a ship is itself.”— Always truly yours,

J. Ruskin.

To J. H. Le Keux

[? 1858.]

Dear Le Keux,—The subjects of the next volume are Trees, Clouds, Waves, Buildings, Dragons, Moral Sentiments, and things in general. You shall engrave a dragon or a moral sentiment if you like: but something, please, for I shall be sadly short of my illustrations in this volume.—Yours always most truly,

J. Ruskin.

To F. J. Furnivall

[? 1858.]

Dear Furnivall,—I am investigating the coils of the Dragon of the Hesperides, and the awfulness of Squints and Casts in the eye as elements of the Sublime.

I can get myself into no other coils, nor squint at any other subject, at present. Your question, and Brown's letter, require a stout quarto volume with notes in answer, and I can't write it just now. The enclosed two scraps of paper contain verily all I can say, or mean to say. Let Brown speak for himself. There is much sense in his letter, and, if given as suggestions, many of the propositions may be useful.