January 13 Monday – From FE ch XXXVII, p.336:

January 13. Unspeakably hot. The equator is arriving again. We are within eight degrees of it. Ceylon present. Dear me, it is beautiful! And most sumptuously tropical, as to character of foliage and opulence of it. “What though the spicy breezes blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle” — an eloquent line, an incomparable line; it says little, but conveys whole libraries of sentiment, and Oriental charm and mystery, and tropic deliciousness….Colombo, the capital. An Oriental town, most manifestly; and fascinating…In this palatial ship the passengers dress for dinner. The ladies’ toilettes make a fine display of color….There has been a deal of cricket-playing on board; it seems a queer game for a ship, but they enclose the promenade deck with nettings and keep the ball from flying overboard, and the sport goes very well, and is properly violent and exciting….We must part from this vessel here.

The S.S. Oceana arrived in Colombo, Ceylon. The Clemens party took rooms in the Hotel Bristol for a one-night stay. In her Jan. 17 letter to Susan Crane, Livy called Colombo “the most fascinating, picturesque place that I have ever seen. Oh, the moving, changing pictures was something marvelous. Sam’s cold prevented him from lecturing in Colombo — or was it the early sailing of the Rosetta? [Ahluwalia 9]. Note: this source gives both reasons, citing local newspaper articles, and Sam’s Feb. 8 to Rogers.