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September 14, 1878 Saturday
Sam was awakened at 3 AM by a braying jackass in front of the hotel. The party left Geneva for Italy, stopping at Chambéry, France for a break. More from his notebook:
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September 15, 1878 Sunday
September 15 Sunday Sam’s notebook:
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September 16, 1878 Monday
The Clemens family left Chambéry for Turin by the fast express train, which Sam noted “makes 4 miles an hour—the other trains make only 3 1/4 . By 11 we were out of sight of Chambery.” Three hours from Turin, the train barely won a race with a team of oxen, Sam wrote [MTNJ 2:185]. It took eight more hours to arrive in Turin, at about 7 PM. They took rooms in the Hotel d’Europe, which Sam noted had “wonderful rooms” [186]. They went to supper and drank Barolo wine.
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September 17, 1878 Tuesday
The family spent the day in Turin, shopping and enjoying the sights [MTLE 3: 101].
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September 18, 1878 Wednesday
The family left Turin at 9:15 AM and arrived at Milan at 1:30 PM [MTNJ 2: 188]. Sam’s notebook is full of things they saw in Milan, and observations on a host of items and situations.
Some favorites:
I think the arcade system is borrowed from Turin.
Saw a starchy suit of clothes marked $9—doorway full of dummies dressed—stepped in to order one like the $9—nothing inside! The old man hauled in the dummy, stripped him & I ordered the clothes sent to the hotel.
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September 19, 1878 Thursday
The Clemens party spent the day looking around Milan. They would spend five days in the city.
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September 20, 1878 Friday
Sam (and probably the ladies) went to see Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” in the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. “If there is anything worse than the original, it is the 15 or 20 copies in oil & water” [MTNJ 2: 190]. They also visited the “great picture gallery” (Brera).
“There are artists in Arkansas to-day who would not have had to paint signs for a living if they had had the luck to live in the time of the old masters” [191].
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September 21, 1878 Saturday
Sam’s notebook:
The Italians all seem to go to work before daylight—& all in couples, singing tenor & bass or alto duet—all got strong voices & many good ones—don’t sing simple airs but starchy opera stuff—they wake you up and keep you awake.
The Milan clocks are not useful. This morning one struck 2, another 3, another 1, another 2, two others 3—all this occupied 10 minutes—so I got up & looked at my watch—correct time 4.15. 15 minutes later, the procession of striking began again.
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September 24, 1878 Tuesday
The Clemens party left Milan and traveled north to Bellagio on Lake Como [MTNJ 2: 156]. They stayed at the Grand Bretagne Hotel. Sam’s notebook:
“Rainy, sour, cold, dreary. Removed a screen in our room & discovered a regular fire-place—for wood. Right away we had the first wood fire we had seen since we left our own house. This made the day cheery” [2: 193].
Also noted was praise for Karl Baedeker’s (1801-1859) Italy, Handbook for Travellers: “curious & useful details” about Lake Como [2: 193]
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September 25, 1878 Wednesday
The Clemens party left Bellagio at 10 AM. They met G.K. Mayer and wife [MTNJ 2: 159n6] who helped them take the lake boat down to Lecco, Italy, where they boarded the train. They suffered another ten-hour trip and arrived at Venice at 7:30 PM. [Rodney 112; MTNJ 2: 194]. The family had looked forward to Venice as a “relaxing interlude in their long journey.” Livy’s itinerary called for a three-week stay [Rodney 112].
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September 26, 1878 Thursday
Sam’s notebook this day in Venice.
These Italian thieves have charged me $8 duty on $4 worth (100) of cigars & $1 worth of tobacco–
I must stop smoking, for no right Christian can smoke an Italian cigar. Only the wrappers are grown—the insides are of stubs collected on the pavements by the younger sons of the nobility—stubs from Switzerland —bad enough.
The charming singing of the men at night in Venice.
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September 27, 1878 Friday
Sam wrote from Venice, Italy to William Dean Howells. Since his tirade letter about Bret Harte, Sam had not heard from Howells, who had recommended to President Hayes that Harte be given a chance. Wisely, Howells had not told Sam of his recommendation or answered Sam’s venom, and Sam had noticed.
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September 29, 1878 Sunday
Livy wrote from Venice to her mother about the city:
“It is so fascinating, so thoroughly charming—I sit now before a window that opens on to a little piazza; where I can look right on to the Grand Canal…We have the morning sun in our rooms and the weather for three days has been perfect” [MTNJ 2: 157].
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September 30, 1878 Monday
William Gedney Bunce (1840-1916) visited again. From Livy’s pen: “…calls again last night [Monday] until nearly eleven” [Salsbury 85].
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October 1878
October – A notation in Sam’s notebook listed The Bible for Young People, translated by Wicksteed in six volumes [MTNJ 2: 209]. Evidently this was a reminder to send these books to Orion upon returning home, as Orion was writing a biblical refutation. Orion had recently been excommunicated from the First Westminster Presbyterian Church of Keokuk [209n95].
Sam read William Wetmore Story’s (1819-1895) 2 volume Roba di Roma (1863) and entered in his notebook:
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October 1, 1878 Tuesday
In his letter of Nov. 20 to Twichell, Sam wrote that he had “discharged George [Burk] at Venice—the worthless idiot—& have developed into a pretty fair sort of courier myself since then” [MTLE 3: 101]. Sam fired Burk on Oct. 1 [MTNJ 2: 197] Note: George Burk had been the portier at the Schloss Hotel in Heidelberg when Sam hired him. Sam gave Burk 100 franks extra and let him go.
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October 4, 1878 Friday
Sam’s notebook:
Great Council Chamber, Ducal Palace. Immediately at right of the door as you enter, in the big picture over the book shelves, is a fisherman in the foreground in a green dress holding one basket of fish against his body & resting another basket of fish on a woman’s head. This Fisherman has but one leg—but that is not the singularity, but the fact that it is the port leg, attached to the starboard side of his body [MTNJ 2: 199- 200]. Note: Sam evaluated several other paintings in like manner.
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October 8, 1878 Tuesday
Sam’s notebook: “Began with Dittura [Agostino] Oct 8 by the day at 5 f a day & 50 pour-boir—we have to have him day & evening both” [MTNJ 2: 205] Agostino was the second gondolier employed by the Clemens family [205n89].
George Burk wrote from Venice, Italy asking for additional severance pay of 175 francs and sending his address [MTP; MTNJ 2: 208].
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October 9, 1878 Wednesday
Sam wrote from Venice, Italy to J. Langdon & Co. Only the envelope survives [MTLE 3: 93].
Sam included descriptions of a “swell big gondola” and a funeral procession in his notebook [MTNJ 2: 204].
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October 10, 1878 Thursday
From Sam’s notebook:
Today received an impudent letter from George Burk asking for 175 francs more—but it furnishes me with his address, which I want.Afternoon—3 of the very worst & most dismal solo singers in the world have been on the masonry platform ½ hour apart—never heard anything worse in the opera [MTNJ 2: 208].
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October 12, 1878 Saturday
D. & C. Mac Iver wrote from Liverpool to advise “by the request of Mr. George C. Wild we write to say that we shall be glad to receive any articles, personal effects or otherwise & store & ship them as you may instruct us” [MTP].
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October 13, 1878 Sunday
From Sam’s notebook:
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October 14, 1878 Monday
Sam wrote from Venice, Italy to Chatto & Windus, asking them to send copies of Innocents Abroad and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to William Mayer, care of G.K. Mayer, Vienna Austria [MTLE 3: 94]. Following the establishment of a Linotype factory in 1890 in England, the publisher William Mayer and his son Jacques traveled to Germany in 1894 to find business partners there.
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October 15, 1878 Tuesday
The Clemenses visited Padre Giacomo Issaverdenz, a friend of Howells, on the island of San Lazzaro, two miles southeast of Venice. At the Armenian monastery the Padre gave them preserved rose-leaves to eat, showed them photographs and talked about the Howellses [MTHL 1: 241].
Sam’s notebook:
“Very magnificent sunset & lamp effects (Piazza) coming from San Lazzaro… Dittura—Boom! (finger to temple.) –Morte—Signor Bismark—to-day–(laying head in palm of hand)” [MTNJ 2: 222-3]. (See Oct. 16 entry for explanation.)