Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-22
AN ANECDoTE OF MADISON.
A Visit TO Him by Livingston in Jack.
sons BehsIf-Aid Cheerfully Given.

sons Behalf-Aid Cheerfully Given.
From tho Neao York Herald.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16.-A letter pub
lished in the Washington Post to-day
gives an interesting account OF a journey
made by Andrew Jackson's Secretary of
State from Washington to James Madi-
sons estate Of Montpelier" near Or
ange Court House, Va. After an uncom-
Portable day and night ride in an old
fashioned Virginia stage coach over heavy
roads, Mr.. Livingston arrived at Mont
pelier at l O'Clock in the morning. Mr.
Madison was aroused and the Secretary
Of State was shown to his chamber. The
letter says:
He found the venerable father OF the
constitution wan and wasted old man,
whose hair was blanched and whose form
was wasted by blasts of more than 80
Winters-c He had arisen from an antique
poster and curtained bed, and was sitting
before wood fire, and by his side stood a
small and simple table, on which there
burned single tallOw candle. The
venerable Statesman was himself cur
tainedJ and almost concealed by nirht
gown that reached to his feet. But Mr..
Livingston said that as soon as he had
opened up the contents OF his solitary EN-
bassy to the old seer he showed. like
Moses, that s'his eye was not dim, neither
was his natural force abated" He re-
quested Mr.. Livingston to read the procla-
nation to, him (meantime ordering an
other camille tobe lighted; Mr.. Livingston
holding The paper close to and between
the two dim lights and during the read
ing Mr.. Madison gave austere audience,
sometimes suggesting modification, an
interlineatiOn or a slight paraphrase,
but this mentally and subjectiYely. When
Mr. dvingst0n had finished, Mr.. Madison,
after some quiet reflection, requested to
have the paper reread. Again Mr.. Living
stem slowly and deliberately read, again
the great and grave constitutiOnalist from
beneath his night-cap muttered mental
modification. Finally he asked that he
might read the document and note upon 1t
the changes or comments which Gen.
Jackson bad requested. This he did, and
his inteTlneatiOns were as terse and
beautiful and pithy as the pages of The
Federditst
And now the gray of the dawn was steal
ing through the curtains. Mr.. Madison
remarked that he had had Mr.. Living
stOn's carriage sent back, and that he
would drive with the Secretary in his own
carriage to the court house to catch the
stage for fredericksburg, and that they
would walk down to breakfast whilst the
carriage was being prepared. IL so fell
from some miscalculation that when they
reached Orange Court House they found
the stage had already some time
gone. Mr.. Madison at once in
sisted that Mr.. Livingston should
use his carriage to Fredericksburg, writ
ing and giving to the coachman a note to
the landlord Of tavern midway between
the stages, or nearly 80, instructing him
to furnish fresh team thence to Freder-
icksburg and return. When within some
ten miles Of Fredericksburg the stage Was
overtaken and passed, and Mr.. Livingston
was thus enabled to anticipate his closest
calculations. When he reached the White
Honse the following day and submitted
the revised draft TO the President il was
formulated and promulgated in the form
and phrase of the revision.