The Pre-Raffaellites. We have received the following remarks upon our criticism on the pictures exhibited at the Royal' Academy by Messrs. Millais and Hunt, from MUr. Ruskin, the author of many well-known works on, art:- "Bir,-YourusualUiberaUtywiU, Itrust, giveaplaceinyour columt to this expression of my regret that the tone of the critique which appeared in The Times of Wednesday last on- the works of Mr. Millais and Mr. Hunt, now in the Royal Academy, should have been scornful as well as severe. "I regret it, first, because the mere labour bestowed on those works, and their fidelity to a certain order of truth (labour and fidelity which are altogether indisputable) ought at once to have placed them above the level of mere con- tempt; and, secondly, because I believe these young artis:s. to be at a most critical period of their career-at a turning point, from which they may either sink into nothingness or rise to very real greatness; and I believe also, that whether they choose the upward or downward path may in no smal1 degree depend upon the character of the criticism which their works ha-se to sustain. I do not wish in any way to dispute or invalidate the general truth of your critique on the Royal Academy; nor am I surprised at the estimate which the writer formed of the pictures in question when rapidly compared with works of totaUy different style and aim; nay, when I first saw the chief picture by Millais inthe Exhibition of last year I had nearly come to the same con- clusions myself. But I ask your permission, in justice to artists who have at least given much time and toil to their pictures, to institute some more serious inquiry into their merits and faults than your general notice of the Academy could possibly have admitted. " Let me state, in the first place, that I have no acquaint. ance with any of these artists, and very imperfect sympathy with them. No one who has met with any of my writings- will suspect me of desiring to encourage them in their ao- manist and Traetarian tendencies. I am glad to see that Mr. Millais's lady in blue is heartily tired of her painted win- dow and idolatrous toilet-table, and I have no particular- respect for Mr. Collins' lady in white, because her sympa- thies are limited by a dead wall, or divided between some gold fish and a tadpole (the latter Mr. Collins may, perhaps, permit me to suggest en pawsan, as he is already half a fro_, is rather too small for his age). But I happen to have a special acquaintance with the water plant, AlisrnaPlantago, among which the said gold fish are swimming; and, as I never saw it so thoroughly or so well drawn, I must take leave to remonstrate with you when you say sweepingly, that these men ' sacrifice truth as well as feelng to eccentricity.' Fer as a mere botanical study of the water lily ndAliuw;a, as' well as of the common lily and several other garden flowers, this picture would be invaluable to me, and I heartily wish it were mine. " But, before entering into such particulars, let me correct an impression which your article is likely to induce in most minds, and which is altogether false. These pre-Baphaelitee (I cannot compliment them on common sense in choice of a nomnde guerre) do not desire nor pretend in any way to imitate antique painting, as such. They know little of ancient paint- ings who suppose the works ef these young artists to resem- ble them. As far as I can judge of their aim-for, as I said, I do not know the men themselves-the pre-Raphaelitee intend to surrender no advantage which the knowledge or inventions of the present time can afford to their art. They intend to return to early days in this one point only-that, as far as in them lies, they will draw either what they see, or what they suppose might have been the actual facts of thc scene they desire to represent, irrespective of any conven- tional rules of picture making; and they have chosen their unfortunate though not inaccurate name because all artists did this before Raphael's time, and after Raphael's time did not this, but sought to paint fair pictures rather than repre- sent stern facts, of which the consequence has been that frora Raphael's time to this day historical art has been in acknow. ledged decadence. " Now, Sir, presupposing that the intention of these men was to return to archaic art instead of to archaic hoiestlr, your critic borrows Fuseli's expression respecting ancient draperies-' snapped' instead of folded,' and asserts that in these pictures there is a ' sevile imitation of fja.rc perspective.' To which I have just this to answer:- " That there is not one single error in perspective in foar out of the five pictures in question, and that in Millais' ' Mariana' there is but this one-that the top of the green curtain in the distant window has too low avanishing point; and that I will undertake, if need be, to point out and prove a dozen worse errors in perspective in any 12 pictures con. taining architecture, taken at random from among the works of the most popular painters of the day. "Secondly: that, putting aside the smallMulready and the works of Thorburn and Sir .W. Ross, and perhaps some others of those in the miniature room which I have not ex- amined, there is not a single study of drapery in the wbole Academy, be it in large works or small, which for perfect truth, power, and finish, could be compared for an instant with the black sleeve of the Julia, or with the velvet on the breast and the chain mall of the Valentine of Mr. Hunt's picture; or with the white draperies on the table in Mr. Milais' ' Marianna,' and of the right hand figure in the same painter's ' Dove returning to the Ark,' " And further: that as studies both of drapery and of every minor detail, there has been nothing in art so earnest or so complete as these pictures since the days of Albert Durer. This I asert generally and fearlessly, On the other hand, [lam lam perfectly readv to d mit that Mr. rHunt's 'Silvia' is mot a person whom Proteus or anyone else would bave been lkely to have fillen in love with at firet sight; and that one pnot feel any very sincere doligbt that Mr. Millais' .Wives of the Sons of Noah' should have escaped the Deluge; with many other faults besides on which I wil ot enlarge at present, because r have already occupied too n ch of your valuable space, and I hope to be permitted to ustr into rnore special critcidpm in a future hetter, I have the bonour to be, 8ir your obedient servant, " THE AUJPROR OF ' iODERN PAINrERS.' DeDmnark.hil, May 9." THY PRB-1AFFABLLlTES.