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Sunday Morning Gifford and I breakfasted together and then took the 9.10 train for Pokeepsie where we were invited by Major Wilkinson to meet Gertrude, May Gifford and Weir. It was a grey winter day and the effects along the river were very beautiful & tender. It rained last night and today is very mild. Gertrude went home, Gifford and May went to Hudson and Weir and I came to N.Y. where he lunched with me and then went home to New Haven. Found a letter from Lambdin which leads me to believe that he will be offered to me in the Academy Constitutional Amendments. He evidently wants to see what his party has to say. Read a nice letter from Alice Sawyer.

Tuesday Feb. 8. Went to the Council last night where we finally disposed of Perrys insane scheme for schools only to have it turn up in the meeting on Wednesday evening where I am resolved to go to fight it with all my might. If there is a greater nuisance on earth than this Perry I dont want to come in contact with it. Called at the Platts this evening to see Mrs. Goodman who was out. Spent the evening with the Platts. Moody and Sankey have begun their operations here in the 4" Avenue Covent Garden. I passed there and they seemed to be drawing like all the other well advertised shows that have been held there. I dare say some good comes out of it but it wasn't invented for "the likes o' me."

Wednesday 9. There was a great fire down Broadway last night. I walked down to see the ruins this morning but the police allowed no one to go near. Three firemen were killed by a falling wall. Called on Jas Beard and talked Academy. I was glad to hear him talk as sensibly as he did. Called on Gray. He is a little morbid but I cheered him up. Lambdin came in to see me. 

Friday 11. Have been painting a small winter a recollection of what I saw on my trip to Pokeepsie. The river full of floating ice and the opposite shore in a soft blue gray atmosphere. The meeting at the Academy on Wednesday was of no practical importance except as it showed Perry that he was fast losing his influence by his everlasting meddling. He did not even mention his scheme which I understood he had ready to press upon the meeting. There were too many hostile faces there to give him much encouragement. Eastman Johnson set him down most effectually when he proposed that a collection of the drawings of the students should be sent to the Centennial because the Cooper Institute was going to do so. The utter contempt with which Johnson met this proposition completely extinguished him. Lambdin and I dined at Johnsons that day and went from there to the Academy. Yesterday Julie Vaux called bringing Mrs. Laurence and her