September 24 Tuesday – In Sydney, Australia Sam wrote a paragraph of thanks to journalist and author Louis Becke for his inscribed gift copy of By Reef and Palm. Sam declared that the book “stands the test of a third reading, whereas few are the books that can do that” [MTP]. Shillingsburg writes that the columnist “Asmodeus” from the Truth, claimed to have “strolled around to interview the man” on this day [At Home 37].

Sam also wrote a letter of thanks to Ethel Sybil Turner, saying he was going to enjoy her book, Seven Little Australians (1984) [MTP; Gribben 719]. Note: Turner, then 22, would become a prolific writer of children’s books.

In the evening Sam gave the fourth performance of the “first program” (No. 1) “Mark Twain at Home” at a filled Protestant Hall, on Castlereagh St. This performance was attended by a “fashionable company” from Government House, “immediately in front of the platform,” including the Lt. Gov. and Lady Darley.

Reviews published Sept. 25: Sydney Morning Herald, the Daily Telegraph, the Australian Star, and the Sydney Evening News [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 9-10].

The Morning Herald of Sept 24 reported:

He doesn’t travel over the same ground; in fact, he doesn’t travel over any ground. He mounts a balloon and throws out anecdotes, story, incident, scraps of dialogue, short readings from his books, and spontaneous (at any rate they seem spontaneous) observation [Shillingsburg, At Home 47].