More rain. The season is not propitious. I had some visits as usual. The principal are Mr Dana from China, whom I saw yesterday at Richmond. Much time spent in my accounts. I am attempting a trial balance for the first time since my departure from home. The result considering the period of pancé incident to the war is better than I feared it would be. Afterwards I went out to make some purchases. Stopped into see Holman Hunt’s picture of the finding of the Saviour in the Temple. This new style has its peculiarities which are startling and at first repulsive, but there is a great deal of merit145 to redeem it. Of the skill in manipulation of details there is no doubt. There is likewise though and force much above the commonplace of the day. The figure of the boy is admirable, and the face just misses being of the highest class. The only thing it wants is that spark of expression indicating the consciousness of a higher nature than mere mortality. I do not like either the face or the position of the Mother. It is awkward and makes her look stunted and drawfish. All the rest of the chief figures are good. Some of the accessories are superfluous. On the whole however he picture is suggestive and worthy of study. I have no met with a modern one that has impressed itself so much on my memory. This si the new school of art called the pre-raphaelite, which affects the real in contradistinction to the ideal of the Italian school. I doubt its power to efface the old impressions, but I certainly prefer it to the merely pamly modern school of servile imitators f the great masters. Mr R C Winthrop Jr dined with us, and our evening was quiet.