September 21 Wednesday – According to Sam’s Sept. 30 to Sue Crane, the family fell behind their earlier schedule outlined in his Sept. 18 to Sue, and were forced to spend two nights in Milan. This was the second day and night. It could have only been on this second evening that Sam spoke before the Literary Congress in Milan. As reported in the New York Times, October 16, 1892, p.20. William Henry Bishop, reported:
NICE, Sept. 26. — I have just left the International Literary and Artistic Congress of Milan. It concluded its proceedings on Saturday, the 24th inst., after a week of sessions full of value and interest, varied with pleasant excursions and other social gaieties, under the auspices of the Italian Authors’ Society and the City of Milan. The King of Italy, who had accepted an honorary Presidency on some former occasion…is a journalist as well….and it was he who interpreted the remarks of Mark Twain to the audience.
The official language of the convention was French;… Mark Twain, arriving by opportune accident en route with his family for, made the only one in English.