OLD "HENRY CLAY." 6 1 



thoroughbred Arabian, and that, through the dams, Henry Clay was 

 superior in blood to imported Messenger, and as an individual horse 

 was of far greater merit, I am certain the reader will approve the sub- 

 ject as happily introduced. 



As my long-looked for " Clay History," with between seventy and 

 eighty sketches of sons and daughters and grandsons and grand- 

 daughters (by the lamented Herbert S. Kittredge), will at some time 

 appear, it would be out of place were I to make this souvenir to Gen- 

 eral U. S. Grant, a place for controversy as to the merit or demerit of 

 the Clay family of horses. 



The Arabians Leopard and Linden, were sketched in 18S0, as illus- 

 trative of Arabian blood influence, for my contemplated " Clay History ;" 

 and for that purpose the drawings were then secured by copyright, 

 little dreaming they would become objects of special interest to the 

 public through the untimely taking away of the people's idol, General 

 U. S. Grant. 



As Herbert S. Kittredge progressed with his sketches for my " Clay 

 History," he was mostly among old men who knew Henry Clay and 

 had bred to him. In their telling him of the horse, and often pointing 

 out striking resemblance in some son or daughter, Kittredge grew to 

 know Henry Clay without having seen him. 



Now, the mind of Kittredge was peculiar. He rarely would talk, 

 but would absorb the mind and thoughts of such as talked interestingly 

 to him. I often felt that the object in the minds of others was so photo- 

 graphed upon his own, that with his pencil he could reproduce the sub- 

 ject a la Nasi. Numerous instances of this gift occurred during his 

 three years' residence with me, which I noted down. He was what 

 might be termed a mind-reader in art. One case of many, where he 

 was put to a test, I will cite as interesting. 



Early in December, 1880, Mr. Orrin Hickok sent me from San 

 Francisco, California,, a very large lithograph of Saint Julian. It was 

 badly out of proportion, not looking like the horse. I hung it in Kit- 

 tredge's studio in my house, pointing out to him where it was wrong, 

 and how he could make a good likeness of Saint Julian from it. When 

 he went to New York City that winter, I told him to take the picture, 

 hang it in his room, and get Mr. Goldsmith to come and criticise it. I 

 met Mr. Goldsmith there, and through our criticism a perfect sketch 

 was made for me, which to-day is unequalled as a likeness of the horse. 



During the next season, when Saint Julian was in the circuit and 

 had reached Buffalo, Kittredge went from my residence to that city and 



