Clemens Family Relocates to Europe: Day By Day

June 14 Sunday – The Clemens family, accompanied by Susan Crane and Katy Leary, arrived in Le Havre, France and took rooms in the Hotel Frascati on the beach in Le Havre, outside of town [MTNJ 3: 622]. Note: the eight-day crossing was considerably shorter than prior trips.

June 14 Tuesday – In Bremen, Germany at 7:45 a.m., Sam wrote a goodbye note to daughter Jean, back in Bad Nauheim with her mother.

I am up & shaved & got my clean shirt on & feel mighty fine, & am going down to show off before I put on the rest of my clothes.

Perhaps mama & Mrs. Hague can persuade the Hauswirth to do right; but if he don’t you go down & kill his dog.

June 14 Wednesday – At the Villa Viviani, Florence, Sam and Livy wrote to Miss A. Hall, who had seen Susy off at the station the night before. Sam wrote:

June 15 Monday – The family’s plan was to travel to Paris and make a three-day stay there before continuing on to some “French village.” It’s likely they spent one night at Le Havre and left for Paris on this day, given that Sam wrote June 17 from Paris to Frederick J. Hall that they were leaving the city the next day. In Paris they stayed at the Grand Hotel Terminus [June 17 to Hall].

June 15 Wednesday – Sam was en route to New York City on the Havel. His two surviving letters from the trip praised the luxury of the liner and revealed he spent a lot of time on literary work [June 19 to unidentified “captain”; and to an unidentified “doctor”]. However, Sam did write Livy two letters sent from Southampton, England on the way, as referred to in her letter June 18 in Bad Nauheim. See entry.

June 15 Thursday – In Sam’s June 20 to Susan Crane Sam wrote they’d left the Villa on this day; but in his notebook he gave 6 p.m. Friday, June 17, even though Friday was June 16 [NB 33 TS 18].

June 16 Tuesday – The Clemens party of seven was in Paris at the Grand Hotel Terminus making plans for the next leg of their sojourn.

June 16 Thursday – Sam was en route to New York City on the Havel.

June 16 Friday – Sam reported on June 20 to Susan Crane that Livy “felt so miserable last Friday morning” and wished she was at Quarry Farm.

Sam’s notebook:

Left the Villa Viviani at 6 p.m. Friday. June 17 [Friday was June 16]. Dined & stayed at Dr. Wilberforce Baldwin’s, 1 Via Palestro [NB 33 TS 18].

Frederick J. Hall responded to Sam’s June 2, wanting out of business, with a five-page typed letter.

June 16 Saturday – In Paris, Sam responded to H.H. Rogers letter, writing about the Clemens family’s changed plans.

June 17 Wednesday – In Paris, France Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall.

A cablegram informs me that my type-setter sale has fallen through [to Mallory Brothers]. Therefore you will now have to modify your instalment system to meet the emergency of a constipated purse; for if you should need to borrow any more money I would not know how or where to raise it.

June 17 Friday – Sam was en route to New York City on the Havel.

June 17 Saturday – Sam’s notebook reveals the Clemenses travel:

Saturday, left at 2.30 p.m., went to Bologna in 3 hours. Stopped over Sunday in Hotel Brun, an old palace with beautiful ceilings & mosaic floors. Fearfully noisy all night. Leaning towers [NB 33 TS 18].

June 17 Sunday – William Walter Phelps, the ex-Minister to Germany and close friend of the Clemens family, died in Teaneck, N.J. only one year after returning to the US to take a judgeship. His funeral procession was lined with hundreds of people; the trees he had planted himself lined the path. At the time of his death, Phelps owned half of what is presently Teaneck.

June 18 Thursday – The Clemens party of seven was still in Paris at the Grand Hotel Terminus.

June 18 Saturday – Sam was en route to New York City on the Havel. Livy wrote from Bad Nauheim:

June 18 Sunday – The Clemens trio stayed in Bologna at the Hotel Brun, resting up for the next leg of their trip to Trient, Austria [NB 33 TS 18].

June 18 Monday – In Paris Sam responded to a note from Eben Alexander, US Minister to Greece, writing that his “kind favor of May 8th” (not extant) had just arrived.

I am very glad of the compliment of being translated into Greek, notwithstanding the lack of international copyright, & I am much obliged to you for trying to convey the result to my hands [MTP].

June – Bookman magazine (London) IV p.91 briefly reviewed The £1,000,000 Bank-Note and Other Stories:

There is one good thing in this volume [“The Enemy Conquered; Or, Love Triumphant”], and that apparently is not Mark Twain’s. What of the remainder is passable is Mark Twain’s commentary on the good thing. The rest of the book is disappointing [Tenney 21].

June – The final serial segment of Pudd’nhead Wilson ran in the Century, and was called “resplendent as ever in faultless typography and unsurpassed engravings” by the N.Y. Times, June 2, p.3 “New Publications”. Sam was anxious to get the book published.

Sam inscribed a photograph of himself to Mrs. Hapgood: To Mrs. Hapgood / With the kindest regards of / S.L. Clemens. / June 1894 [MTP].

June 19 Friday – In Paris, France Sam wrote to Richard Watson Gilder:

Mrs. Coover will send you a type-written story. It is her daughter’s work…I said my judgment would not be valuable, but that…I would write you…[MTP from Swann Galleries catalog, Jan. 28, 1993].

June 19 Sunday – En route to New York City on the Havel, Sam wrote to an unidentified “captain” on North German Lloyd letterhead, giving us a clue into his activities during the voyage:

My Dear Captain:

June 19 Monday– Sam’s notebook reveals the Clemenses next travel leg to Verona and Trient:

Monday, left at 10.30, got to Verona at 3.20. Visited tombs of the Scaligers; window in Monastery where Dante wrote part of the Divine Comedy; quaint & fine old staircase; passed house of the Capulets. At 4.40 very hot, no good hotel — went on to Trient, arriving at 8.05. Hotel Trient — excellent. Took an uninteresting drive [NB 33 TS 18]. Note: Dante is mentioned in the preface of PW.

June 19 Tuesday – In Paris, Sam wrote “only a line to say howdy” to Eleanor V. Hutton (Mrs. Laurence Hutton). Sam hoped they wouldn’t have left for Onteora, N.Y. before he arrived in New York July 6th. He told of the family’s plans; they were to leave day after tomorrow (June 21) for La Bourboule, where Sam would spend a week with them. Sam would then leave for N.Y.

June 2 Thursday – Sam’s notebook in transit from Cadenabbia to Lucerne.