December 9 Tuesday – In the evening, Sam gave his “Roughing It on the Silver Frontier” lecture at the Queen’s Concert Rooms, London [MTPO]. Afterward, Sam wrote Livy that he’d “never enjoyed delivering a lecture” more than he had that night.
December 8 Monday – Sam sent a short note to an unidentified member of the London Morayshire Club who had sent him tickets to a club dinner that evening.
December 7 Sunday – Sam wrote another short note from London to Livy. He’d rehearsed his “Roughing It” lecture and thought he’d enjoy it. He asked if she got his telegram from Queenstown, and said that Bliss needed to “hurry up the book” if he was to copyright it in England [MTL 5: 495].
December 6 Saturday – In the afternoon, Sam gave his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Queen’s Concert Rooms, London [MTPO]. Afterward, Sam wrote a short note to Livy.
“There was a mighty fine house there this afternoon, & I went through all right, but I am getting unspeakably sick of the Sandwich Islands as a topic to lecture on. I shall get tired of the new one in a week I expect” [MTL 5: 494].
December 5 Friday – Sam gave his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Queen’s Concert Rooms, London [MTPO]. These lectures were given to full and enthusiastic houses and were consistently successful. Stoddard wrote that after his lectures Sam “always felt amiable, and met the people who came to shake hands…and cheerfully gave autographs.” Stoddard observed that “Lecturing excited him and got him started and he would talk for hours.” Stoddard also saw a melancholy side of Sam
December 4 Thursday – Sam gave his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Queen’s Concert Rooms, London [MTPO].
December 3 Wednesday – Sam gave his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Queen’s Concert Rooms, London [MTPO]. Sam wrote a short note from London to Livy:
December 2 Tuesday – Sam gave his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Queen’s Concert Rooms, London [MTPO].
December 1 Monday – Sam gave his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Queen’s Concert Rooms, Hanover Square, London. George Dolby arranged his English lecture tour. After the first night’s lecture, Sam gave his ten-minute speech, “The Ladies” for the Scottish Corporation, commemorating their 209th anniversary. The group provided assistance for needy Scots in London [See Sam’s speech: Fatout, MT Speaking 78-80].
December – In an Atlantic Monthly article, comparisons were made between recent California writers, including Sam Clemens, Bret Harte, Charles Warren Stoddard, Prentice Mulford (1834-1891), and Charles Webb.
“The greatest and most original of these is Twain, whose tone of “perpetual personal companionship” is the chief characteristic of the pure humorist.”