[172] Mr. Ruskin had recently changed the hour of his lectures from two till twelve, and the latter hour clashing with other lectures, some complaints had been made. This "protest" was then issued on the morning of October 29 and reprinted in the _Globe_ of the same day. [173] Instead of in the drawing schools at the Taylor Gallery. [From "The Standard," August 28, 1877. Reprinted in the "Notes and Correspondence" to "Fors Clavigera," Letter 81, September, 1877, p. 268.] _MR. RUSKIN AND MR. LOWE._ _To the Editor of "The Standard."_ SIR: My attention has been directed to an article in your columns of the 22d inst., referring to a supposed correspondence between Mr. Lowe and me.[174] Permit me to state that the letter in question is not Mr. Lowe's. The general value of your article as a review of my work and methods of writing will, I trust, rather be enhanced than diminished by the correction, due to Mr. Lowe, of this original error; and the more, that your critic in the course of his review expresses his not unjustifiable conviction that no correspondence between Mr. Lowe and me is possible on any intellectual subject whatever. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, JOHN RUSKIN. BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, _August_ 24. FOOTNOTES: [174] The article in question stated that a number of "Fors Clavigera" had been sent to Mr. Lowe, and commented on by him in a letter to Mr. Ruskin. The last words of the article, alluded to above, were as follows: "The world will be made no wiser by any controversy between Mr. Ruskin and Mr. Lowe, for it would be impossible to reduce their figures or facts to a common denominator." [From the List of "Mr. Shepherd's Publications" printed at the end of his "The Bibliography of Dickens," 1880.] _THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RUSKIN._ I. BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, _Sept._ 30, 1878. DEAR SIR: So far from being distasteful to me, your perfect reckoning up of me not only flatters my vanity extremely, but will be in the highest degree useful to myself. But you know so much more about me than I now remember about anything, that I can't find a single thing to correct or add--glancing through at least. I will not say that you have wasted your time; but I may at least regret the quantity of trouble the book must have given you, and am, therefore, somewhat ashamedly, but very gratefully yours, J. RUSKIN. R. H. SHEPHERD, Esq. II. BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, _Oct._ 23, 1878. DEAR MR. SHEPHERD: I am very deeply grateful to you, as I am in all duty bound, for this very curious record of myself. It will be of extreme value to me in filling up what gaps I can in this patched coverlid of my life before it is draped over my coffin--if it may be.