December 1 Sunday – In Napier, N.Z. at Frank Moeller’s Masonic Hotel, Sam rested his carbuncles. Shillingburg gathers from the following Dec. 1 notebook entry that Sam may have been treated by a Dr. John Brown [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 28].
Dr. John Brown—“Somebody you are acquainted with?” “No, dog, I’m not acquainted with” [NB 34 TS 45] Note: more likely Sam recalled his late friend the Scot Dr. John Brown.
December 10 Tuesday – In Wellington, N.Z. a reporter from the Evening Post called on Sam at Moeller’s Occidental Hotel. Sam related the nine-hour train trip from Wanganui, the “continual stoppages at little stations, where apparently nothing was done” and the jolting ride.
Livy was reported as saying that she hoped they would,
December 11 Wednesday – In Wellington N.Z. Sam gave his “At Home” performance at the Opera House. Lord David and Countess Glasgow and party, the Governor of N.Z. were in the audience.
Reviews published: Dec. 11: New Zealand Times; Dec. 12 and Dec. 19: New Zealand Mail.
December 12 Thursday – The last full day in Wellington, and N.Z., Sam and Carlyle G. Smythe took a short train ride to the suburb of Hutt, where they enjoyed the gardens of Mrs. Ross, played billiards, and in the evening went to a concert. Livy and Clara likely went along.
December 13 Friday – At 3:15 p.m. the Clemens party (including Carlyle G. Smythe) left Wellington, N.Z. on the Union Co.’s Mararoa. “Summer seas and a good ship — life has nothing better” [FE ch. XXXVI 324]. On board was the “damdest menagerie of mannerless children I have ever gone to sea with” [NB 36 TS 2] who raised Sam’s ire — in his notebook he hoped for a heavy storm. Also on board was the manager of the Greenwood Theatrical Co.
December – In New Zealand Sam entered in his notebook:
At great intervals they have much snow & very hard winters in the Middle Island; Lady Barker tells of one [Gribben 47; NB 36 TS 3]. Note: Mary Anne Barker’s (Lady Broome) Station Life in New Zealand (1870).
December 2 Monday – The Clemens party left Napier for Palmerston North (pop.12,000). FE:
December 3 Tuesday – Sam called the four-hour train ride to Wanganui (pop. 14,000) “a pleasant trip.” Sam wrote of the area:
Much horseback riding, in and around this town; many comely girls in cool and pretty summer gowns; much Salvation Army; lots of Maoris; the faces and bodies of some of the old ones very tastefully frescoed. Maori Council House over the river — large, strong, carpeted from end to end with matting, and decorated with elaborate wood carvings, artistically executed. The Maoris were very polite [FE ch XXXV 318].
December 4 Wednesday – In Wanganui, Sam wrote of a crazed intruder, who burst into his rooms and warned that the Jesuits were going to poison him in his food, or kill him on the stage that night.
This lunatic has no delicacy. But he was not uninteresting. He told me a lot of things. He said he had “saved so many lecturers in twenty years, that they put him in the asylum.” I think he has less refinement than any lunatic I have met [FE Ch XXXV 320-1].
December 5 Thursday – Sam and Carlyle Smythe left the ladies in Wanganui at 8 a.m. for lecture engagements in Hawera (pop. 2,000) and New Plymouth (pop. 3,800). Sam gave his “At Home” lecture in Hawera’s Drill Hall to a standing room only crowd. The Hawera Star ran a review on Dec. 5 and 6 [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 28; At Home 171].
Livy finished her Dec. 2 letter to Susy:
December 6 Friday – Sam traveled from Hawera to New Plymouth, some 48 miles in four hours, “12 m per hour” riding through the garden region. “From Stratford to N.P. it was difficult to stay in your seat, so tremendously rough was the road” [NB 34 TS 48]. He’d been advertised for two weeks by The Budget to speak in Alexandra Hall, which held a thousand people. The hall was packed and included some Maoris: Shillingsburg quotes newspapers and writes,
December 7 Saturday – Sam and Carlyle Smythe traveled from New Plymouth back to Wanganui, a ten-hour trip by train. They stopped at Hawera an hour and a half where they ate lunch at the hotel. Advertisements advised people in Wellington that Sam’s performance had been changed from Monday to Tuesday, Dec. 10.
December 8 Sunday – In Wanganui, a small earthquake took place, a usual occurrence for this area. Since no trains ran in Australia or N.Z., Sundays were usually one of rest, or sightseeing. Sam wrote of this day in FE:
December 9 Monday – The Clemens party left Wanganui at 1 p.m. bound for Wellington (pop. 37,000) some 100 miles to the south; the train took nine hours, arriving at 10 p.m., too late to make his lecture appearance. Seats sold for this night were made valid for the next evening, Dec. 10, and Tuesday’s scheduled performance moved to Wednesday. Shillingsburg writes Sam had misread the express train schedule, missing the fine print that the express only ran on Tuesdays and Fridays.
After visits to Maryborough and some other Australian towns, we presently took passage for New Zeala
November 10 Sunday – In Timaru Sam was driven around the town and down to the beach, where he viewed the Elginshire, shipwrecked on May 9, 1892. He wrote, “big flowering mills; wonderful opaline clouds…a pretty town & cosy pretty homes all around it. Plenty of greenery & flowers…broom & gorse.” About the botanical gardens he wrote, “Why haven’t we have these?” [Shillingsburg, At Home; NB 34 TS 37]
November 11 Monday – Sam backtracked from Timaru to Oamaru by train, arriving in the early afternoon, and was driven around Claremont by a local, W. Evans. He got a look at the steamer Flora, in which he would sail from Christchurch to Wellington a week later.
November 12 Tuesday – Four miles outside of Oamaru, Sam lunched with John F. Miles, probably on his sheep ranch. Afterward Sam and Carlyle G. Smythe traveled the 150 miles to Christchurch, N.Z., “the city of the plains.” He was met by President of the Savage Club and Savages; and by Joseph J. Kinsey and family, and Mr. A.J. Peacock.
November 13 Wednesday – In Christchurch, N.Z, at the Theatre Royal, the audience sang “For he’s a jolly good fellow” while waiting for Sam to come on stage. He arrived to cheers, stomps, and loud applause for several minutes. After the enthusiasm subsided he gave his No. 1 program of “At Home.”
November 14 Thursday – In Christchurch’s Theatre Royal, Sam gave his No. 2 program of “At Home,” which contained his “Morals Sermon” with the watermelon story, the Jumping Frog, the Nevada duel, and Huck, Tom and Jim discussing the Crusades. His second talk was well received. After the intermission he told the Mrs. McWilliams lightning story “with a good deal of graphic force” [Shillingsburg, At Home 148]. Reviews published Nov. 15: Lyttelton Times; The Press; Star [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 24].
November 15 Friday – In Christchurch, N.Z. this may have been the day Sam visited the Canterbury Museum:
In the museum we saw many curious and interesting things; among others a fine native house of the olden time…and the totem-posts were there, ancestor above ancestor, with tongues protruded and hands clasped comfortably over bellies containing other people’s ancestors — grotesque and ugly devils, every one, but lovingly carved, and ably; and the stuffed natives were present…looking as natural as life….
November 16 Saturday – In Christchurch, N.Z., Sam lunched with the Canterbury Club. Joseph Kinsey and daughter May went with the Clemens party to Lyttelton, 12 miles on the train. The Clemenses carried 35 gifts including Maori artifacts. Kinsey also gave Sam a stuffed platypus (ornithorhyncus). Kinsey took photographs in Christchurch and would send them to the Clemenses in Wellington. At midnight they sailed in the Union Company’s Flora for Wellington.
November 17 Sunday – At about 5 p.m. in Wellington, N.Z. the Clemens party changed to a smaller ship, the Union Co.’s Mahinapua, captained by W.J. Newton [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 25]. It sailed at 8 p.m. From FE:
November 18 Monday – At about 4:30 a.m. the Mahinapua was grounded for a half hour on a sandbar in French Pass. From FE:
November 19 Tuesday – The Clemens party arrived in New Plymouth, N.Z. where they stayed “all day” sailing again on the Mahinapua at 10 p.m. for Auckland. On board ship they met Archbishop Redmond and a priest. No record is given for the group’s activities in New Plymouth.