September 22 Sunday – In Sydney, Australia, several interviews were published:
“A Chat With Mark Twain” in the Sunday Times; “Our Telephone,” also in Sunday Times (possibly a fabrication), and “Our American Cousin,” Sunday Truth. The Sunday Times also reviewed “Mark Twain at Home” lecture [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 9].
September 23 Monday – In Sydney, Australia the Clemens family were again guests of Admiral Cyprian A. Bridge and the officers of the H.M.S. Orlando. Livy and Clara stayed on the ship for the six o’clock dance with the band of the H.M.S. Oriana. They met the wife and daughters of Lt. Gov. Darley, Lt. Gov. Madden’s wife and daughter of Victoria Province; Mr. & Mrs. S. McCulloch and others.
September 24 Tuesday – In Sydney, Australia Sam wrote a paragraph of thanks to journalist and author Louis Becke for his inscribed gift copy of By Reef and Palm. Sam declared that the book “stands the test of a third reading, whereas few are the books that can do that” [MTP]. Shillingsburg writes that the columnist “Asmodeus” from the Truth, claimed to have “strolled around to interview the man” on this day [At Home 37].
September 25 Wednesday – In Sydney, Australia the Clemens family spent the day packing for a trip to Melbourne. Sam was trying to “stave off an attack by a new carbuncle on his calf” [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 10; At Home 52].
September 26 Thursday – At 5 a.m. in Albury, Australia, the Clemens party switched trains to a different track gauge train for the remainder of the trip to Melbourne. On a “bitterly cold night,” Livy had an attack of rheumatism.
September 27 Friday – In Melbourne Sam gave his “Mark Twain At Home” No.1 lecture at the Bijou Theatre on Bourke St. Livy and Clara were in the audience. The lecture was attended by Edward FitzGibbon, Hon. James Service, Sir James Patterson (all former premiers); Hon. C.J., Mrs. and Misses Ham; Mr., Mrs., Miss Aitkin. Sam’s program was listed in his NB 35.
September 28 Saturday – Sam gave his second Melbourne performance of “Mark Twain At Home” No.1 lecture at the Bijou Theatre on Bourke St. After the lecture Sam attended the Yorick Club supper at Cathedral Hotel with 85 members — from the medical, legal, journalism, academia, military, public service, and dramatic arts professions were there. Sam met Harry Foster, Minister of Mines. Toasts were given by E.G. FitzGibbon, Mr. Deakin, Theodore Fink, Judge Molesworth, Prof.
September 29 Sunday – The Clemens party rested at the Menzies Hotel in Melbourne.
September 3 Tuesday – Sept. 3. In 9° 50’ north latitude, at breakfast. Approaching the equator on a long slant. Those of us who have never seen the equator are a good deal excited. I think I would rather see it than any other thing in the world. We entered the “doldrums” last night — variable winds, bursts of rain, intervals of calm, with chopping seas and a wobbly and drunken motion to the ship — a condition of things findable in other regions sometimes, but present in the doldrums always.
September 30 Monday – Sam gave a Melbourne performance of “Mark Twain At Home” (No.2) lecture at the Bijou Theatre on Bourke St. Harry Foster sat on stage due to an overflow crowd. Sam included his “Australian Poem.”
Reviews of the lecture published on Oct. 1: Age; Argus; Melbourne Evening News; and Melbourne Herald; On Oct. 5 by Advocate [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 11-12].
September 4 Wednesday – On the R.M.S. Warrimoo. Sept. 4. Total eclipse of the moon last night. At 7.30 it began to go off. A total — or about that — it was like a rich rosy cloud with a tumbled surface framed in the circle and projecting from it — a bulge of strawberry-ice, so to speak. At half-eclipse the moon was like a gilded acorn in its cup [FE Ch. IV p.65].
The N.Y. World, p.8 ran “Twain Very Ill,” an interview datelined Vancouver, B.C, Aug. 28 [Scharnhorst, Interviews 192-6].
September 5 Thursday – Sept. 5. Closing in on the equator this noon. A sailor explained to a young girl that the ship’s speed is poor because we are climbing up the bulge toward the center of the globe; but that when we should once get over, at the equator, and start down-hill, we should fly. …
Afternoon. Crossed the equator. In the distance it looked like a blue ribbon stretched across the ocean. Several passengers kodak’d it. We had no fool ceremonies, no fantastics, no horseplay [FE Ch. IV p.65-6].
September 6 Friday – On the R.M.S. Warrimoo, Sam’s notebook records scores from a “First Championship” of deck shuffleboard, with daughter Clara’s 109 score the winner [NB 35 TS 45].
September 7 Saturday – On the R.M.S. Warrimoo, Sam’s notebook records scores from a “Sept. 7” of deck shuffleboard, this time with Sam winning’s score of 111. “There were others. The winners being reduced to 2 — Thomas & me, we played it off & he won” [NB 35 TS 45].
Shillingsburg writes,
September 8 Sunday – Sam’s notebook on the R.M.S. Warrimoo:
Sept. 8. To-day’s Sunday & tomorrow’s Tuesday. It is said that Monday is dropt out because the sailors don’t like to lose their Sunday holiday — as if they couldn’t have it just as well as an ostensible Sunday as on a real one [NB 35 TS 46]
September 9 Monday – FE Ch. IV p.75 denotes this day skipped for crossing the international date line.
Yesterday afternoon [Sept. 9] we passed two islands of the Horne Group — Alofa & Fortuna. On the large one are two rival native kings. There is no harbor, & the islands are not hogged by any European power. All the natives are Catholics — several French missionaries [NB 35 TS 48].