Beschreibung:

Anon. DIARY OF AROUND THE WORLD CRUISE. 1903, February 23rd, one Volume manuscript, "Fay, George and Myself start on our tour.....", approximately 300 pages closely written ink, unfortunately finishing in Toronto on July 18th. Included is a 'Candian Pacific Royal Mail Steamship Line Passenger List' for the voyage from Yokahama for Vancouver. Quarter leather bound, quite worn and chipped, but contents clean, with a 'Colombo Apothecaries' label on the front endpaper. They first travel to London for a couple of days where they leave "baby very well" with Mrs Wright, "an excellent nurse", who is relieved to see them go- apparently Fay had been very ill. The author shows some concern about leaving the baby for such a very long time, but soon shrugs the feeling off. They take the train from Victoria to Dover, then on to Calais and Paris, where they take a bus to the hotel with their hand lug-luggage having booked the heavy stuff through to Marseilles. An early morning train sees them in Marseilles that night in a noisy hotel. In the morning they go to P. and O. dock to board the SS Chin, under the command of Captain Angus, with 150 first class passengers, some headed for India via Aden, many for Cairo. March 3rd, they arrive at port Sais and remain for the night; the SS Isis pulls alongside in the morning to transfer post etc. They hear from respective Mothers, and "had a good account of baby", and they go ashore for some shopping. Next they pass through the Suez canal and dock at Aden on March 8th, where there are more mail transfers, and passengers for Bombay leave the ship. "Left Aden at 10.45. A lot of natives with ostrich feathers came on board who seemed to do a fair trade....Lady McKenzie Capt Beresford and about 30 people got off, she is going with him to Somaliland to shoot lions". Then we get a real sense of the cruise atmosphere, with much description of the weather, the distance travelled, various deck games and evening entertainments. March 14th they are in Colombo shopping; 17th on the train to Kandy, where they take a hotel and go sightseeing (and shopping). The 29th they are at sea again on the Coromandel, arriving on April 2nd at Penang, and the 4th at Singapore, where they take an excursion a "giniricksha"April 9th sees them arrive at Hong Kong (shopping). April 11th, "Spent most of the morning in the shop of Chang Woo Queen St. where we bought a set of 5 red lacquer tea tables, a roll of 20 yds crepe silk, green embroidered and ditto plain light blue silk, a box of ivory chess men, carved ivory balls with seven inside and a dozen grass cloth handkerchiefs. Table was 35$ the embroidered silk 40$ the plain 32$ ball 7.50$. Handkerchiefs 4$ & chess men 14$ for which we paid 126$ including packing, I think they are good value". "....afterwards went to the theatre a fine building inside and out and saw the Geisha by Pollards Lilliputian Opera Coy of Australia. Most of the actors are quite midgets they were certainly very fairly good but the singing which was rattled through at top speed and in squeaky voices however we enjoyed it but did not stay to the end". April 13th they sail on a "little screw steamer", reaching Canton at 6.00am the following morning, where they take a number of sightseeing excursions- Wuchow, Samisha, etc with few shopping opportunities! April 8th they are back in Hong Kong, pleased to get rooms at the Hong Kong Hotel. The 19th sees them rushing out shopping again, with only a minor distraction- "Had a telegram today to say Baby all well sent from Bath". April 21st is their last day in Hong Kong, so a quick bit of shopping, before settling up with their shippers, "roughly I think we have spent about 500$ here and at Canton or a little over 40£ and got some very nice things for it". the 22nd they join the CPR ship Empress of India, "every berth taken", and head shopping in Shanghai on the 25th. "April 27th. Reached Nagasaki..... there are three Russian men of war in the harbour which I should think