| Show A ready witted painter sir john watson gordon who ultimately became president of the royal scottish academy used to tell this story of lord palmerston I had exhibited for years but without any particular success one year however the year before I painted the corsicans corsicana Corsi cans lord palmerston t took ook a sudden banc fanc fancy y to my PIC picture t U re called summer in the lowlands and bought it at a high figure his lordship at the the same time made inquiries after the artist and invited me to call upon him I waited upon his lordship accordingly he complimented upon the picture but there was one thing about it he be could not understand what is that my lord I asked 11 that there should be no long grass 91 r rass in ill a field where there are eo so many sheep eaid said his lordship with a merry c r twinkle of the eye it was a decided d decide madr hit bit that and having havi ng bought the tile picture and paid for it he was entitled to his joke how do you account for it ho he went on smiling and looking first at the picture then at tit me those sheep my lord I replied were only turned into the field the night bea before ore I finished the picture sir his lordship laughed heartily and said bravo V I at in my r reply ply and bor gave me a commission for two more pictures and I 11 have ave cashed since then some very notable checks ot of his dear boy |
