Day By Day Dates

August 4 Sunday – Alta California printed Sam’s article “THE DOMES OF YOSEMITE,” dated June 2 [Schmidt]. Camfield lists this as “Letter from Mark Twain” No. 24 [bibliog.].

August 7 Wednesday – Sam and friends left Naples in the morning for two days on the island of Ischia. Sam wrote from Naples to Frank Fuller, the man who had acted as his agent to secure the Cooper Union hall in New York for Sam’s lecture. Sam declined to agree to anything in writing about a lecture circuit offer that Fuller had relayed from Edwin Lee Brown of the Young Men’s Library Association of Chicago [MTL 2: 75-6 n2].

August 9 Friday – Sam and friends returned to Naples in the morning. At midnight Sam, Jackson, Nesbit, Newell, and 4 others unidentified, left for Mt. Vesuvius. Sam wrote from Naples to his mother and family. Sam wrote to William Morris Stewart (1827-1909) accepting a secretary position:

August 10 Saturday – Sam and friends visited Capri by chartered steamer.

August 11 Sunday – QC left Naples at 8 AM. From Sam’s notebook:
7 PM, with the western horizon all golden from the sunken sun, & specked with distant ships, the bright full moon shining like a silver shield high over head, & the deep dark blue of the Mediterranean under foot & a strange sort of twilight affected by all these different lights & colors, all around us & about us, we sighted old Stromboli [MTNJ 1: 383].
Alta California printed Sam’s article “NEW YORK,” dated June 5 [Schmidt]. Camfield lists this as “Letter from Mark Twain” No. 25 [bibliog.].

August 12 Monday – From Sam’s notebook:
“Passed through Straits of Messina between Southern Italy & Sicily—2 miles wide in narrowest places. Passed close to city of Messina—mass of gas lights” [MTNJ 1: 384].

August 13 Tuesday – From Sam’s notebook:
“Been skirting along the Isles of Greece all day—western side—very mountainous—prevailing tints gray & brown approaching to red” [MTNJ 1: 385].

August 14 Wednesday – QC arrived at Piraeus, Greece at noon. The ship was quarantined again, but Sam, Dr. George Birch, William Denny, and Dr. Jackson snuck off the ship and visited Athens that night.

August 15 Thursday – QC departed Piraeus at noon. From Sam’s notebook: “Booming through the Grecian Archipelago with a splendid breeze. Many passengers sea-sick” [MTNJ 1: 391].

August 16 Friday – From Sam’s notebook:
“TROY. We are now (11AM., right abreast) the Plains of Troy & a little rock 200 yds long with a light on it (Asia Minor) was the anchorage of the Greek vessels….Diogenes going about with his lantern in the moonlight, did not tackle our party” [MTNJ 1: 322-3].

August 17 Saturday – QC arrived at Constantinople at dawn.

August 18 Sunday – Alta California printed Sam’s article “HARRY HILL’S,” which Sam had dated June 6 [Schmidt]. Camfield lists this as “Letter from Mark Twain” No. 26 [bibliog.].

August 19 Monday – QC departed Constantinople.

August 20 Tuesday – From Sam’s notebook:
New Palace on the Asiatic side of the beautiful Bosphorus (3 m. wide,) is built on spot where Constantine erected gold cross to commemorate his conversion. When Turks took the place & began to build, many thought he would declare himself Christian when finished, & waited to baptize their Children then. They are waiting yet. Dan & Jack Van Nostrand have remained behind in Constantinople [MTNJ 1: 402].
Sam’s unsigned article, “The Holy Land Excursionists” dated Aug. 1, ran in the New York Herald [Camfield, bibliog.].

August 21 Wednesday – QC arrived at Sevastopol at 5 AM and left again at 9 PM.

August 22 Thursday – QC arrived at Odessa at 4 PM. Sam’s article, continued, dated Aug. 2, “The Holy Land Excursionists,” ran in the New York Herald [Camfield, bibliog.].

August 23 Friday – From Sam’s notebook:
“Devil of a time getting the officials to let us go ashore. They have got all our passports. Fine town—broad, well paved streets—fine large houses, substantial, & good architecture—stone—fine stores—gas—pretty women—fashionably dressed—100,000 inhabitants” [MTNJ 1: 405].

August 24 Saturday – QC departed Odessa at 11AM.

August 25 Sunday – QC arrived at Yalta at noon.
Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number One” dated June 19 ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 3-10]. Note 2nd edition: McKeithan reported Mark Twain’s “Number One” letter from the Holy Land excursion as Aug. 2 (p. 10), but the newspaper has been examined online and the correct date is Aug. 25, 1867. Evidently McKeithan dropped the “5”.

August 26 Monday – QC passengers, including Sam, visited Czar Aleksandr II and family. We had spent the best part of half a day in the home of royalty, and had been as cheerful and comfortable all the time as we could have been in the ship. I would as soon have thought of being cheerful in Abraham’s bosom as in the palace of an Emperor. I supposed that Emperors were terrible people.

August 27 Tuesday – From Sam’s notebook:
Carpets were spread on the pier & the Governor General & family came on board the ship (we saluted with 9 guns,) & afterward: [list of dignitaries]. And a large number of army & navy officers & titled & untitled ladies & gentlemen. Shampagne blow out [MTNJ 1: 410-11].
Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number Two” dated Gibraltar, June 30 ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 18-25].

August 28 Wednesday – QC departed Yalta at 8 PM. From Sam’s notebook:
Sailed for Constantinople last night, saluting as we left—& fireworks. That beautiful little devil I danced with at the ball in that impossible Russian dance, still runs in my head. Ah me!—if I had only known how to talk Russian! However, she must have known I was saying something with all that absurd English which she couldn’t understand [MTNJ 1: 411].

August 29 Thursday – From Sam’s notebook:
“Passed through the beautiful Bosphorus just after daylight & anchored away up in the Golden Horn nearly to the lower bridge. Been on shore & found Dan [Slote], & Foster, Jack Van Nostrand & Col. Haldeman” [MTNJ 1: 411].

August 30 Friday – QC arrived back at Constantinople at dawn.

August 31 Saturday – Sam’s “Holy Land Excursion. Letter from Mark Twain Number Three” dated July 1 at “Tangier, Africa” ran in the Alta California [McKeithan 25-30].