April 4 Thursday – Sam went to New York and checked into the St. James Hotel. He was to give a dinner speech at the Bayard Taylor Farewell Dinner in New York City, but “…was so jaded & worn…that I found I could not remember 3 sentences of the speech I had memorized, & therefore got up & said so & excused myself from speaking” [MTLE 3: 43].

The dinner was to honor Taylor shortly before he sailed for Europe as the United States minister to Germany. William Cullen Bryant presided over a party of 200 gentlemen. Other speakers were Howells, Charles Dudley Warner, Mayor Smith Ely Jr. (1825-1911), Edwards Pierrepont (1817-1892) and W.W. Phelps (1839-1894) [Fatout, MT Speaking 116-18]. Taylor also sailed on the Holsatia with the Clemens family [MTLE 3: 25].