July 7 Friday – In London, England on letterhead with “Chelsea Embankment,” Sam wrote to Douglas B. Sladen that he wouldn’t see London before “autumn or the edge of winter,” and thanked the Authors Club for “the honor” which they offered him, and which he regretted he could not take advantage of. “In haste—for I am leaving for the continent” [MTP]. Note: Chelsea Embankment is a segment of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the Thames River in mid-London, where the Clemens family likely boarded a ship bound for Sweden. Sam often wrote last minute notes and letters when traveling.

The Clemens family left London by ship and traveled to Götenburg, Sweden, likely an overnight trip. The family’s accommodations in Gotenburg are not known. They were on their way to Sanna, Sweden, where Dr. Kellgren ran a summer sanitarium for his osteopathic treatment. Jean Clemens would undergo osteopathy for what would later be diagnosed as epilepsy. Clara Clemens remained in London and would rejoin the family in Sanna later in the month.

The New York Times, July 8, p.7 noted a London, July 7 dateline of the Clemens family’s departure from London for Sweden, reporting it was Sam who would “take the Swedish cure.”