Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-08-12
HeaIeY's ReooIIections Of Jackson
and Clay.


"JOhn Quincy Adams" said Mr..
Healey, "was one of the three best
takers who ever sat to be painted
by me. Louis Philippe was the Sec
ond, and DIR. o. A. Brownson third
of this trio. I / ought, perhaps, to
have made 1t a quartet, aud to have
taken in Bism a rex for he is mag
nificent talker. / was also agreea-
bly, surprised in the conversational
faculties of Andrew Jackson; his
manners, too, were entirely differ
ent from what L had supposed. /
had in some manner unfortunately
gathered the impression that he
was coarse, bullying sort OF a
man; and I was indeed surprised
to find that his manners were more
like those of the late Duke of Suth-
erland than those of frontier pol
itician.
"He was extremely courteous,
and may be classed as a splendid
sitter. After had flushed paint
ing his portrait at the Hermitage,
near Nashville, the family asked
me to make = copy Of 1t when 1 re-
turned to Paris, but 1 said: "a
copy is always a copy So asked
the old man to let me paint him
again from life. He consented, and
l pissed many pleasant and profit
able hours in his society. remem.
ber we'll the intense vehemence of
manner with which, after 1 had
related a circumstance about my
self and the necessity of telling an
unpleasant untruth ON one Occa.
sion, he said, shaking his head
with great violence: always tell
the truth, Mr.. Healey! AS 1 was
ready to leave Nashville 1 learned
that Henry Clay, whom I had a
commission to paint, was grounded
on steamer near Louisville, and
that he would be unRvoidably de-
tanned for some days. remained
in Nashville, therefore, longer than
I intended.
"The impression made on me by
Henry Clay was very powerful. 1t
might be said of Henry Clay and
John G. Calhoun that the former
made up his mind that he would
create q brilliant impression, and
Of the latter that he could not help
creating ii. Mr.. Clay entertained
me with great courtesy at his ele-
giant home near Lexington. Ire
member one evening, after he had
had q numerous company to din.
ner, he gave US novel entertain
ment in his parlor, 1t being moth
ing else than songs by company
Of negro .minstrels, who were, I
believe, the Originators of the per-
fOrmance, which have become so
popular throughout the country.
One day, after the picture was
done, Mr.. Clay said to me: you
have never asked to see my stock
II apologizsd for the omission,
and he took nae, with all the ell.
thusiasm of country farmer,
through his superb barns and sta
bles. showing me his blOoded
stock and. entering into the small
est details concerning their origin,
I remained in Lexington two
months. One day, after we had
engaged in a rather more intimate
conversation than usual, and 1 had
spoken several times with deep
feeling of Mr.. Jackson, Mr.. Clay,
with peculiar look at me, as If he
were determined to get my sincere
opinion, asked me il 1 did not
think Mr.. Jsckson's expressions of
religious faith were all shame. 1
could make but one answer to this,
and said that 1 had never seen a
more truly religious man than
Andrew jackson. A shadow
passed over Mr.. Clay's face, and a
moment afterward he shook his
finger at me, and said: 'Ah! 1 see
how it is with you as with all who
ever approached that man; lie has
made you his partisanW