City of Rome
City of Rome, 24 May 1888
MY DEAR PARENTS AND BROTHERS,
I begin writing this letter on board with the intention of finishing it on land when I shall already be installed at London.
We left New York on 16 instant on the second largest ship in the world, the largest being the Great Eastern, which is not in operation. So that you may have an idea of the size of this monster, I’ll tell you that it has three chimneys, consumes three tons of coal daily. It is more than 200 varas long and 18 varas wide, and has 12,000 horse-power for which it has 63 boilers. The promenade deck alone is 140 varas long. A newspaper is published on board once during the voyage for the benefit of the passengers. The officers and crewmen are 276; we the passengers are 604. We have had a bad trip, very rough sea, excessive wind, much seasickness, for which reason we spent eight days and hours on the trip. Tonight we arrive at Liverpool; from there I shall go to London. On board we used to have concerts for which there were a piano and an organ for the Sunday religious services.
I expect letters from you to London.
I sent you before some poems written in Germany.
Please send me a copy as soon as possible.
(The ship’s dining room is 24 varas long and 18 varas wide.)
On the ship I made some friends among Americans an Englishmen and many families. One hears almost all languages spoken. There are two travelers who talk only with me: A Japanese and a Spaniard who know only their respective languages. The Spaniard is a young man who went as a boy to Mexico and is returning with hard-earned money; he is a young man… [illegible]
[The rest of the letter is missing]
03-294 [Reformists]