| Description | Letter to Alexander Macdonald of Kepplestone from Dr. John Brown, 23, Rutland Street, Edinburgh, hoping that Mrs. Macdonald is better, business of Barclay and a memorial tablet to his mother, possibly in Auchterless, Hutchison the sculptor is to do it as Barclay had heard that Macdonald only did granite and the tablet is to be in marble and red sandstone, urging maidens to dance regardless of their mother's strictness, he does not know Tom Graham's pictures, their friend [Reid?] should paint a better portrait of the Peterhead Provost than Sir John Watson Gordon did of a previous Provost, suggested improvements to Macdonald's own portrait, reference to Boyd the chairmaker, approves of Punch's comments on the Whistler-Ruskin business, Ruskin 'must be an impudent puppy', meeting with John Blackwood who is much better, he told Brown that 'Fred' was by a German who has also contributed to Blackwood's Magazine on Bismarck, an article which caused the German Chancellor to give him a post in Berlin, the mother of Marchioness of Sligo made the articles into good English, good wishes to the Taylors, he has had his Turner picture of an Irish setter hung, wishes he and Macdonald lived closer together, thanks for the Free Press which he has sent to Ruskin, asking after Ogston [probably either Alexander or Francis Ogston], reference to death of a friend, 4 December 1878 |