The
Royal Academy has agreed to subscribe to a series of engravings of the finest pictures of the Spanish school;
Henry Thomson has resigned from the Keepership and will retire to the country, Lawrence thinks he will return to London life as he is so suited to it, except when labouring under "nervous depression"; he refers to the tranquility restored by Thomson to the Schools after the "glorious genius" though "dread authority" of [
Fuseli];
Mr. Hilton has been elected in Thomson's place,
Stothard was defeated, which was perhaps a blessing; he read some passages of Wilkie's letter at a dinner party thrown by
Mr. Rogers; he speaks well on the late style of [
Rubens]; mentions the differing opinions of
Callcott and
Jones over the works of
Mengs, "hero of ephemeral reputation", he provides his own opinion; he is glad Wilkie has found an old friend in
Washington Irving, they eagerly await his 'Columbus'.