Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-20
HEALY ON sITTERs.
HIS RecOlIections of Jackson and
ClaY-What Clay said of Jackson.
Boston Journal Parss Letter.

-SOstOfs SOIsfdtCtt GuftS LSSteT.
"John Quincy Adams, said Mr..
Healy, twas one of the three best talk
ers who ever sat to be painted by me.
Louis Philippe was the second, and DIR.
0. A. Brownson third of this trio. !
ought, perhaps, to have made it a quar-
tette, and to have taken in Bismarck, for
he is magnificent talker l was also
agreeably surprised in the conversational
faculties of Andrew jackson; his man
ners, too, were entirely different from
what had supposed. | had in some
manner unfortunately gathered the i'm.
preston that he was a coarse, bullying
sort of a man; and was, indeed, sur
prised to find that his manners were
more like those of the late Duke OF
Sutherland than like those of frontier
politician.
'He was extremely courteous, and NAV
be classed as a splendid sitter. After ]
had finished painting his portrait at the
Hermitage, near Nashville, the family
asked me to make a copy of it when /
returned to Paris. but l said: "A copy
is always copy So l asked the old man
to let me paint him again from the life.
He consented, and passed many pleas
ant and profitable hours in his society.
| remember well the intense vehemence
of manner with which, after l had re-
lated circumstance about myself and
the necessity of telling an un-
pleasant untruth on one occasion, he
said, shaking his head with great vio-
lence: Always tell the truth, Mr..
Healyp As was ready to leave Nash
vile learned that Henry Clay, whom /
had commission to paint, was grounded
on steamer near Louisville, and that
he would be unavoidably detained for
several days. l remained in Nashville,
therefore, longer than l intended, and
shall never forget my interview with
Old Hickory.
"The impression made on me by
Henry Clay was very powerful. 1t
might he said of Henry Clay and John
G. Calhoun, that the former made up
his mind that he would create a brilliant
impression, and of the latter that he
could not help creating it. MIR. Clay en-
tertained me with great courtesy at his
elegant home near Lexington. | remem-
Der that one evening, after he had had a
numerous company to dinner, he gave
us a novel entertainment in his parlor,
it being nothing else than songs by a
company of negro Ministries, who were,
l believe, the originators of the per-
formances which have become so popu-
lar throughout the country. One day,
after the picture was done, Mr.. Clay said
to me; "You have never asked to see
my stock"
apologized for this omission, and he
took me, with all the enthusiasm of q
country farmer, through his superb
barns and stables, showing me his
blooded stock and entering into the
smallest details concerning their origin.
l remained in Lexington two months.
One day, after we had engaged in a
rather more intimate conversation than
usual and had spoken several times
with deep feeling of Mr.. Jackson, Mr..
Clay, with a peculiar look at me, as if he
was determined to get my sincere
opinion, asked me If | did not think
Andrew Jackson's expressions of religi
Gus faith were all shams. l could make
but one answer to this, and said that !
had never seen more truly religious
man than Andrew Jackson. A shadow
passed over Mr.. Clays face, and a
moment after he shook his finger at me
and said: "Ah! see 1T is with you as
with all who ever approached that man
he has made you his partisan"