Jose Rizal's Diary: Marseille to Hong Kong, 1891

12. Marseille to Hong Kong *

Sunday, 18 October 1891

Well! We close the last page of the book of Europe. Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, England, goodbye! We depart from Marseille at half past five in the afternoon. An immense crowd accompanied us; all the vehicles were full. Twelve missionaries, Italian and French, are going to Tonkin. With them was a bishop called Volenteri. He is small, dry, and has a goatee with mustache like a Chinese.

The wife and children of Mr. Daniel, the lieutenant governor of Saigon, are also with us. She puts on airs. . . . The oldest son is friendly to me. With us is a teacher who seems to know very little.

A handsome woman, well painted with the look of an actress, Madame de Block (?) is attracting attention for her beauty. They say that she is traveling for a scientific mission. We shall see.

A Japanese man who has lived ten years in Europe whose name is Matsui is returning to his country.

In addition, with us are two Egyptians; the young one is insolent and takes liberties. At the table he thought he could win against me in chess and the game of draughts but I gave him a tremendous beating.

When we left Marseille it was a beautiful afternoon. The sun hid among scarlet and gold clouds. A few moments afterwards the moon, like a sphere, round and pure, rose from the sea. The sea is beautiful and, if the whole voyage continues like this, we shall have a lovely voyage.

19 October –

The dawn ushered in a very beautiful day at 6:30, at our left, the coasts of Corsica are outlined in beautiful and harmonious curves formed by the mountains divided into gray, diaphanous layers. The sea is calm; the breeze is gentle and cool. In the sky, towards the east, silver clouds.

The day was fair; we played. The night was lovely, the sea delightful, the temperature most pleasant. The black clouds were lined with silver, projecting over the sea a long wake marking the border of the horizon.

The lady was dressed in white this morning. They bet on how many dresses she has. She travels gratis for a scientific mission and she stops at Colombo.

The Franciscan friars played with a game of pastas. [01]

By noon we have traveled 257 miles and we are at N. lat. 41^o 13’, E. long. 7^o 19’.

In the evening I was introduced to Bishop Volenteri, the old man with a Chinese face, and he surprised me greatly talking about the Philippines. He had lived in the Islands before for 23 years. He had visited Laguna, an estate of the Dominicans, Iloilo, Cebú, Negros, and Bohol. He had met many Dominicans, among them Fathers Rivas, Fonseca, and Treserra. He spoke of the last one as a man of great piety. He also knew Father Agustín Mendoza whom he considered an extraordinary man, and Father Mariano Gómez, and others. He was well informed of the wealth of the convents and regretted that so much gold was ill used. He had also known Father Payo, and talking about archbishops, he asked me if the present one was also a Dominican.

“Because the Dominicans have much influence on the Government,” he replied to a remark of the Franciscans.

Afterwards he drew a very beautiful picture of the Philippines which he called the Earthly Paradise. He spoke of the abundance of her riches in such eloquent and enthusiastic terms that I listened to him amazed, hearing the sonorous Italian phrases. He regretted the bad government, etc. which made me very thoughtful and put me in a bad humor.

The night was very lovely; I slept on deck until 2:00 o’clock and afterwards the following day. . . .

20 October –

At dawn the sea is calm and gleaming as a mirror. At 8:30 we pass in front of the island of Lipari at our right; some mountains rise from the sea shaped like bonnets. The Stromboli is one of them. At 10:25 we pass near Stromboli at the left at about two kilometers from it; we enter the Lipari archipelago; we pass very close to a bare island, almost a rock. The sea continues to be calm. There is a raffle of a reproduction of the Melbourne at two francs each number.

The lady has changed her toilette and wears a lace collar. It is believed that the Russian admiral has brought her. Two women were talking ill of him, saying that he had left his wife and daughter in order to travel with her. It was obvious that she was painted the first day.

The lady in question has Greek features: straight nose, narrow and low forehead, big eyes. The mouth is too big.

By 12:00 we have traveled 309 miles and we are at 38^o 25’ N. latitude and 12^o 59’ E. longitude. At 1:00 we discern the mountains along the Strait of Messina. The Strait of Messina is very lively; numerous towns on both sides; white and gray houses. The narrowest part is the Capo di Faro and Bagnara. In front of Messina is Reggio. The sea is beginning to ruffle. Various birds are seen flying from one side to the other; there are birds on the water. We pass near the coasts of Italy and we do not lose sight of her picturesque shores enlivened by white houses; the mountains are, however, denuded of vegetation. Some red tissue is seen. We have lost sight of the coast of Sicily. The sea is beginning to be calm again. It seems that the roughness we observed in leaving the strait is due to the strait itself. The mountains turn blue the further away they are.

21 October.

The day starts beautifully as always; the sea is hardly rippled like a wrinkled skin; the boat does not rock.

By 12:00 we were at N. latitude 35^o 46’; E. longitude 18^o 13’; distance traveled 303 miles. The sea is even calmer than the day before. The clouds project long shadows on land. The lady is wearing a new dress; she embroiders on canvas, and continues flirting with the Russian. She is not as pretty as the day she embarked; she looks very much older.

No other novelty except a very beautiful sunset: violet clouds separated from the horizon by an orange stripe jutting out of the brilliant gold of the sky. Between the violet clouds appear golden reflections, and the whole sea is converted into a lake of fire, calm, less rippled than in the morning. The sun, as it goes down, becomes more and redder, the orange turns more brilliant. The sea loses the reflections; it is desolate, completely desolate, not one fish or one ship, only a bird flies here and there. The orange turns more and more brilliant and finally the sun disappears.

The night cools.

22 October –

The day continues to be fair. We are told that we will arrive at Alexandria at midnight but we cannot go down until 7:00 o’clock in the morning.

From Alexandria to Cairo they tell me is two hours by railroad and costs five pesos. There is no train from Alexandria to Port Said; there is from Port Said to Jerusalem.

By 12:00 o’clock we have traveled 308 miles; we are at N. latitude 33^o 08’; E. longitude 23^o 33’. We write letters for Europe. All letters cost 25 cents.

23 October –

At the break of dawn we arrive at Alexandria and we cast anchor at a distance. The lighthouse shines in the distance and the dawn lights the city behind it.

At 6:00 o’clock we enter the port and soon a mob of boatmen and guides invade the ship offering us their services. These are men with an evil look, dark men, vociferous, bawlers, vulgar, nothing noble in their countenance, nothing honest about them. They have come to cheat.

With these forethoughts I went down in the company of the Consul of Emuy and his wife, a Madrilenian. We made a contract with a guide to take us through the city, to look for the Spanish consul, to show us what was most important to see, and to return us to the ship. But we lost more than an hour looking for the consul and after all we did not find him until 8:30, after we had taken breakfast at a café on the plaza Mohammed Ali. I had only enough time left to buy a pair of antique scarabs which cost me five francs each. From there I went back to the Consulate to look for my companions who introduced me to the consul.

The boatmen should not be paid more than one franc for the round trip. They always ask for 1:25, that is one shilling. The carriage costs two francs an hour for four persons. Never pay before but after the trip. The Arabs usually demand five francs on the return trip; otherwise they will make one miss the ship. The best way is to carry a good weapon or, as an Egyptian advises, promise them what they demand and once in the ship do not pay them. One must be very cautious.

The things that are worthwhile to see are the Khedive’s garden, his palace, the Arab bazaar, the column of Pompey, and the plaza Mohammed Ali. Do not trust the dragoman [An Arabic or Turkish interpreter, translator and official guide - rly]. In entering and going out one goes through a kind of customs-house in which there is an Egyptian official. Egyptian antiques are found in the jewelers’ shop, scarabs and little idols, the genuine ones costing four to five or more francs. The imitations can be easily detected by their coarseness and poor finish. The ship needs a harbor pilot in going in and coming out. The houses in Alexandria in the center of the city are big and beautiful with large projecting balconies. The pavement is good and made of broad rectangular stones. It is clean enough except in the poor districts. Arabic, Italian, French, German, and English are spoken. Spanish is little understood.

From Alexandria to Port Said is 160 miles, a distance which is traveled in 12 or 13 hours. The shop navigates fairly away from the shore; however at night, the different lighthouses marking the mouths of the Nile are always visible. Afterward one can see the revolving beacon of Port Said which changes every two seconds. A long line of lights marks the downtown section of the city. Another pilot is needed. The ship stops not far from the shore and the landing costs fifty cents. The large photographs of the sights of Egypt can be had from 40 to 50 cents each in the stores. Do not pay more. At the cafés where there is music, they charge high. For a glass of beer or lemonade the cost is 75 cents. Besides one has to give something to the musicians each time they finish playing a piece. Five cents is the most that is given. With regard to the traders who go to the ship, it is advisable to believe them little and bargain much.

At 6:00 o’clock in the morning of the 24^th we left Port Said and sailed slowly through the Canal. We had to stop at various stations to let pass some ships. Most of those we met were English. The Canal is being widened every time and it seems that the work continues. Near the bank the water is not deep. We meet caravans coming from Asia with their camels and their jars. Generally the men are dressed in white with black tinges. There are few women. One of these caravans was encamped in the middle of the desert and the other was about to embark on a raft to cross to the other bank. Life in the ship is becoming monotonous. The warm weather is starting.

It seems that the dresses of the lady in question are becoming fewer.

Some fine long grasses like a kind of dry and somber balanguet [02] grow on the banks of the Canal.

At 4:20 o’clock we arrive in the lake of Ismailia. At the right are large light buildings of wood with colonnades, probably a station. Farther away is the city, gray buildings with terraces in the midst of dark green trees similar to coppice, all amidst yellow sand. The lake is calm.

The orange-colored reflections of the afternoon mirror the Suez Canal.

25 October—

We are in the Red Sea. The sea is somewhat rough. One both sides can be seen leveling mountains but not of volcanic shape. The bishop is planning to say Mass at eleven o’clock on board. They have brought up the piano and are fixing a sort of altar on the left side. The Italian coat of arms between bands of red and white forms the background. The heart has decreased somewhat.

Mount Sinai (1,480 feet) is seen at the left with its peak almost at a right angle, behind a chain of mountains. It is almost at the extreme end of the chain draped in coats of snow. The sea is dark blue like indigo; patches of foam dapple its surface. At the right the mountains on the Egyptian side are higher. The Akrab is 10,000 feet.

The Mass was said under the American flag, in front of the Italian, on one side the French and the Portuguese, and on the other side the English. There were enough people; all the Catholics and some Russians. The friars remained kneeling throughout the Mass.

I had a long discussion with the bishop at night about religions. Much faith, much faith like true missionaries, but intolerance, always intolerance. I still remember the Boustead family. [03] At midnight a storm broke loose; lightning lit the sky with a continuous flame that vibrated and was blinding; thunder resounded a few times, but the lightning continued mute though incessant.

Never have I seen a storm like this: the wind hardly blew and it rained. I had to go down to the cabin. The lightning lasted for quite awhile, perhaps one hour. The thunder, as it produced few echoes, was dry and short. N. latitude: 28^o 18’; E. longitude: 30^o 54’. 106 miles.

26 October –

The day begins fair but it is too warm. We have traveled by 12:00 o’clock 316 miles. We are at North latitude, 23^o 58’ and longitude 34^o 09’. The heat continues. We saw a pole floating. They played the piano and sang on the bridge. It has been so hot that all, except the ladies, sleep on the bridge.

I have learned from one of the officials that the years of military service are counted as service in the Company, for it is the government which pays the retirement gratuity. The service lasts 25 years. At 50 years one is retired even if he has not yet served 25.

I played draughts with the bishop.

There is one part of Borneo inhabited by Englishmen which is independent of England. The queen has a counsel there. It has the status of a protectorate. Labuan now belongs to her.

27 October –

The sea appears very calm but the heat is more intense than ever.

The French employees in Cochin-China enjoy a vacation every three years.

We have traveled 321 miles. We are at North latitude 19^o 23’, East Longitude 36^o 56’.

The lady in question, it is said, is going to India to collect data and the documents about the French generals before Dupleix; [04] that is, before the loss of the French colonies.

Now, they have just told me that she is going to study the women of India, that she speaks six languages, very learned, and correspondent of many scientific societies.

One couple is in the boat, Dutch consuls in the Philippines.

Three sparrows are accompanying us.

A hypnotism session was held at night. The lady hypnotized a woman and the Austrian, his wife. I spoke with the lady who impressed me as very amiable. She practices medicine and is engaged in the study of various diseases. For this reason she is going to India.

We slept on deck; it was windy. At dawn the boat had to stop on account of engine trouble and we lost about two hours.

28 October –

The day is cooler than the day before. The sun is as hot as before but a cool wind blows on the side of the prow. The boat is rocking; the se is rougher; the rough-blue surface of the sea is speckled with white foam.

By 12:00 o’clock we have traveled 279 miles; loss of three hours. We are at North Latitude 15^o 30’ and East Longitude 39^o 25’.

We see islands at 2:30 o’clock. We left behind us in a short time the English shop Bohemia. The islands are called Zebayer, completely uninhabited, of volcanic formation. In the distance can be seen white patches between the curves of the furrows. There is scanty vegetation, with rickety plants, and not a tree, or bush. The islands are 12 and they are called Twelve Parcels.

At night a gay band of musicians preceded by a lantern on which is written Les Vermiphones went around the ship. They carried worm-shaped instruments (ver), a large drum, a timbrel and others. They were disguised as firemen and gendarmes, and their leader had an enormous belly. His look cheered the passengers very much. They sang and played some pieces which were applauded. There was a little dancing to the music of the piano.

Many persons, including married women and young ladies, slept on the deck.

29 October –

This morning at 4:00 we pass trough the Strait of Bab-el-el-Maudeb. Because of so many people sleeping on the bridge, the cleaning was delayed until late in the morning. They say we will arrive at Aden at noon.

When one looks from afar at the islands which are found in the middle of the sea, it seems that their extremities rise from the surface in the shape of a Chinese roof. To what is this due?

A ship, seen from afar when the sun rays interpose, seems cut in three pieces, the poles planted directly in the sea.

We have seen fish – a multitude – following our ship and playing around us. Seagulls float on the surface. We are beginning to see the largest ones here. The traveling German official is of the cavalry and it seems that he is going to India. From the Strait onward the coasts are always visible. It seems from afar that there is some grass. We visit Aden in the company of the Jesuits: We are eight. The round trip on the ferryboat is one franc, which is a half-rupee one way and another half for the return. In the money-exchange, for twenty francs they give eleven rupees and for one pound sterling 14. The rupee is worth 18 annas.

We visited the most notable places in Aden by coach: the cisterns (Tanqui the guides of Aden call them), the tunnels, and the arsenal from afar. The tour lasts an hour and a half. We pay five rupees for three or four persons. In the police stations are the schedules of prices. The post office is some distance away.

I have found Aden very much improved. The garden of the cisterns has more plants than before; not it is a real garden. There are more houses, more buildings. We visit the Capuchin Convent in the Arabic city and we found one Capuchin fixing a harmonium. He was dressed in white and had a knotted beard. Another, likewise dressed in white, received us in a very modest dining room located on the ground floor. The beams of the ceiling are exposed. The Capuchin was a good man who talked well; he knew how to converse; he talked about his mission, and of how unconvertible were the Muslims. The language spoken by the Negroes of Aden is Galla. The Somalis are tall, handsome, and well-built. The Sudanese have a flat nose, and those of Zanzibar have thick lips as well. We visit the church which is roofed with a kind of bamboo. Between the weaves they put lime so that the heat will not penetrate. Teck wood, which is the strongest they use, becomes brittle with the heat and breaks. The church has a punkah [a large ceiling fan controlled by a servant – rly]. When it rains for a day many houses sink because the thatch falls. The shipment of slaves (boys and girls) fell into the hands of the English who distributed them among the different missionaries. The garrison of Aden at present is Irish and therefore Catholic. There is, besides, a garrison of Sepoys.

30 October –

The day is cooler and the sea somewhat more rippled, although it does not cause the ship to rock. The Franciscans and the Lombards this morning are disagreeing on everything. I made them furious when I pose the question, who is the greatest saint? One says it is God; another, who works best according to God. I ask them who the first to get to heaven was. Abel says one. – Abel went to the limbo, says another. – Dimas [the traditional name given the unnamed “good thief” at the crucifixion of Jesus – rly], I say. Here a discussion flares up. Then I ask them what the souls are doing in the limbo when Christ goes there and the souls of the dead or resurrected. I make them furious. Father Fuchs then comes with his Divine Comedy in German. Another discussion begins. If it is translated, it must be bad; Dante cannot be translated; the Italian original, etc. etc.

We have traveled 111 miles. – We are at North Latitude: 12^o 35’ and East Longitude: 44^o 32’.

Among those who are returning to the colonies rare are those who have a modest and humble look. They put on airs and they have an arrogance mingled with vulgarity, which is laughable. The colonies are the touchstone for the good sense of a European. If a European does not get swellheaded in the colonies, it is because he is solid and is not easy to inflate. In Europe they preserve their good sense as many objects preserve their shape while they are in their receptacles or are compressed, but as soon as they are in a country where they acquire a certain amount of freedom; they abuse it, become inflated, and lose their original shape.

Last night I was fishing with a fishhook and I caught two kinds of candole. [05] Afterward when I had no more lead and the meat I had used for bait had become bad, the fish at the bait leaving me the fishhook. The water shines with every movement of the fish, resembling rockets, kites on the water.

In the afternoon the rocking of the ship begins to increase.

At night thee was a little dancing.

The passengers of the second class had a little trouble. Two gentlemen resented that a servant of a first-class passenger should eat with them. They asked that he eat elsewhere separate from them. The friars and others protested, saying that inasmuch as he had paid for his fare he had the right to eat there, and it seems that they will appeal to the Commissary so that the servant can return.

31 October –

The day is quieter; the sea is calmer. They are placing the sockets for electric lamps on the beams of the deck in preparation for the fiesta.

At 10:00 o’clock we meet two ships with two poles. We discern in the distance the islands of Babd el hari [06] and Socotra. We pass Cape Guardafui without seeing it.

At 12:00 o’clock we are at North Latitude 11^o 57’ and East Longitude 49^o 32’. We have traveled 307 miles. We shall likely arrive at Colombo on the evening of the 5^th of November.

The Brothers Islands are two similar islands which are seen at the left.

1^st November – Sunday.

The day is cool and the sea is fair. Clouds embroider the sky; small waves ruffle the broad surface of the sea.

Last night I had a conversation with a Russian naturalist about the political condition of my country. He asked me if I am a patriot. Not much, I said. He asked if my country is unfortunate and I answered him by asking what constitutes the misfortune of a country, if his own was unfortunate. He said: “The Russian is unfortunate for lack of education; he does cultivate his land well for that very lack of education.” We talked about the socialism of Leo Tolstoy. [07] I asked him what end he pursues and he said to me that it seems that he oscillates, that he is a man of vast talent but he has no direction as yet. Speaking about the difference in the character of the Europeans in the colonies and those in Europe, he said to me: Of course, for they (Europeans in the colonies) think only of filling their pockets.” He said that socialism has ideas but the others none. I told him that I would prefer to attack the defects of a government to those of a race.

By 12:00 we have traveled 301 miles; we are at North Latitude 11^o 19’ and East Longitude 54^o 38’.

Monta la sabbia al Lido

L’alga nel fondo appare;

Alla sua Donna il mare

E fatto infido. [08]

After the Gospel the bishop preached with much faith and much unction comparing human life with a ship. We, passengers in this ship, are passengers in this life; it is necessary that we are not distracted, that we always think of the end for which God has created us. It is necessary that we should not be detained by the things on the road but think of the purpose of our voyage. He compared the Church to the ship. His language was simple, clear, sincere, and came from the heart. Nothing oratorical, no flourishes, no fuss. We who listened to him were moved.

2 November –

The day is beautiful; we have put out sails. At 7:30 o’clock we meet two ships, one with three poles and the other with two chimneys. The first one greeted us; it was of the P. and O. [09] The second, with white chimneys, probably Dutch, passed by without saluting. It had two sails on.

Last night I had a delightful time, listening to the lady play the piano and sing. I learned Grossi’s poem La Rondinella. I slept on deck and had a hateful dream.

On board are seven Jesuits, five Franciscans, three Lombard priests, and one bishop.

The Consul of Emuy and his wife.

The Consul of Manila and his wife.

Mme. Block.

One bald Englishman and his wife, one very thin young woman with a very fat son, taken care of by a thin and yellow Indian.

There is another tall Englishman with his tall wife who is older than he. She is charming.

There is a Frenchwoman who is a bunch of nerves: she talks screaming and knitting her eyebrows, and with her mouth full. She wears a hat that looks like a tub. Nevertheless, she is charming.

There is the wife of the governor of Saigon, a Portuguese, who is slightly pretentious. She has a son who is lively and somewhat mischievous, with his tutor, and one maid for her daughters.

One passenger is an old man, crazy, hypochondriac, and ill-bred, with a stomach ailment. He continually complains and finds the food bad. He lacks many teeth, especially the upper incisors, so that when he laughs he looks like an elephant or a hippopotamus, exposing his bare gums and a black hole. He is going to Yokohama.

There is also a baldheaded woman who is unhappy and in low spirits who is going to India.

There are also two half-breed Javanese girls who have been educated in Europe and are returning with an uncle who is a planter with a military air about him.

The passengers include a missionary couple who are named Bird. As an anecdote I recall that my friend, the Russian naturalist, told me. He met an American missionary in China when he asked if he loved the Chinese.

“Oh no! Never,” he replied, “but as religion. . . .”

The same is true of Catholic priests, he said.

There is an English doctor who shares my cabin. He is a good man who has been in China a long time. He is cheerful, simple and reasonable.

There is also the son of a Budapest banker who is traveling with his wife. He is the master of the courier who was the cause of the dispute in the second class.

Our passengers include a Russian admiral, Tirtoff, with two aides-de-camp, who are going to Yokohama to head the Russian squadron. One of the Russians is nicely educated. His feet are very small.

Mr. W. B. Pryer is traveling his wife, an Englishwoman of London. He is simple, manly, and baldheaded. He is of the type of Stanley. They are going to Elok Pura, Borneo.

We also have a German young woman with her mother. She is a delightful girl.

There is also a good German gentleman who is always contented, in good humor, stout, and who speaks Spanish.

We also have a German infantry officer.

Words of the hypochondriac: “Dirty boat! I embarked in good health, now I have lost my appetite; I perspire, the blowing wind pierces me. Dirty boat!”

By 12:00 o’clock we have traveled 321 miles; we are at a North Latitude of 10^o 07’ and East Longitude 59^o 42’. In the afternoon the ship ran fast thanks to a little wind and the sails we had put on.

The sea has become somewhat rough. I have been playing chess all afternoon.

At night at a card game various Englishmen had some petty quarrels.

3 November –

At dawn the sky is cloudy; the sea is quite rough; many are seasick.

At night they tested the lights and the passengers were delighted. The Englishman sang some romances, among them The Diver and In Cellar Cool, arranged from the German Im Kühlen Keller. He was heartily applauded. He was accompanied on the piano by the slender and tall Englishwoman who has such a sweet look.

4 November –

The day continues to be cloudy and the sea rougher still. They have put again the sails and on the tables appeared the cuerdas de violin [10] a bad sign of the weather, a confirmation of seasickness.

By 12:00 we have traveled 319 miles and we are at North Latitude 7^o 51’ and East Longitude 70^o 14’.

The weather has been bad the whole day, raining at times. A sour orange that I ate did me much good and I did not get seasick any more the whole afternoon. The fiesta was postponed on account of the bad weather. It is marvelous to see how iron objects get easily oxidized at sea.

Many slept on deck.

A portion of the moon can be seen in the horizon. The rest of it is illuminated faintly by the earth’s rotation. The lady has put on her suit which she was wearing when she embarked.

We have had a discussion about the will and hope. The Russian said that hope is weakness; the Japanese that hope is useless, that everything is done by the will; and I said that without hope there is no will. There is much superficiality in their judgments. There is no deep thinking and there is too much talk.

5 November –

The sea is calmer. There are big waves, broad but not high.

I had a long conversation with the lady in question bearing on medicine, peoples, women writers, artists, sentiment in literature. She is going to India to study women.

By 12:00 o’clock we have traveled 323 miles. We ate at North Latitude 7^o 21’ and East Longitude 75^o 41’.

In the afternoon I played chess with the best of the chess players; I won the game. I played with another and I lost.

We have met two steamers, German, according to many. One is painted white and has two chimneys. The sea is much calmer.

At 8:30 we arrive at Colombo whose lighthouse we discern in the distance appearing and disappearing every ten seconds like a slow winking of the Indian island. I have been talking with a delightful young German woman born in Calcutta – Miss Voigt. Her family is from Leipzig but is often in London. (The Peak of Adam is seen in the distance, about half an hour from Colombo.)

They live in London, at Hampstead Health Elshmeer Gardens. She is an adorable young woman, gracious and sweet. She spoke French, English, and German.

At 9:00 o’clock I went ashore. The boat fare is 25 cents; in terms of the rupee this is 2 reales, or 50. From the landing to the hotel there is not need to take a vehicle. It is so near.

A room in the hotel costs per person 2.50 rupees; for two in a room 2 rupees. Breakfast costs 50 cents (1 franc). The rooms are large; they each have two cane chairs, and a bed with a mosquito net.

6 November –

The crows which are croaking under my window woke me up early. I took tea with sweets and two bananas. The bananas of Colombo are very ordinary.

Afterwards I walked a little through the city. I was very much annoyed by two or three guides who were offering me their services. I rode in a jinrikisha (½ rupee per hour) and went to the bazaar to buy a fishing line (1 rupee). From there I went to buy post cards (5 cents). I went to the hotel to pay for my stay, breakfast, and service; 3.50 rupees.

I went back to the ship where I found very few people and many peddlers. They offer one their goods with much insistence. Mme. Block returned and I bade her goodbye.

I again went ashore in the company of the Russians and we took a walk. We visited the hospital under the care of French Franciscan nuns. It was very well taken care of. It consists of small houses standing in the garden, one story high, surrounded with balconies and flowers. No odor of sickness, no dirt, nothing that reminds one of illness. As the patient whom we visited said, just by entering it one felt half-cured. We drank coconut milk; two coconuts (25 cents). We went around Colombo, stopped in from of Galle Face to see how the waves beat the beach; we went to the Museum (which was closed on Friday). From there we went to see the temple of Buddha. I found the same image that I saw years before but this time with new painting and many things painted on the altars representing images and stories of Buddhist beliefs, hell, etc.

Ceylon made the same impression on me; warm air, brilliant light palms, wonderful vegetation, jackfruit, breadfruit, coles maluco, (11) hibiscus, some canes, small houses, shops groups of Indians in front of them, nude children, black and smiling, bungalows which are called villas with columns and bamboo shades in the midst of flowers and trees. Small cows, carriages for four sitting backwards; Malabars, including women, engaged in arduous labor. Those whose hair is short are Tamuls of low caste who had been caught in the act of stealing. With a little observation one can distinguish the Senegalese from the Tamuls and those from the Malayans. There are some rich men who ride in carriages; many still wear the sarong. Those who wear a thimble-shaped hat and those with a red fez are Mohammedans. The women of India wear a jewel in the nose. There are half-breed Portuguese who can be distinguished by their attire. The kids who follow the vehicles: one boy who picked up the umbrella case of my companion received nothing for we did not have a cent with us and he followed us for more than half an hour. There are Chinese.

There is a statue of Sir Edward Barnes. It now seems to me smaller than before.

Laundry in Colombo costs 2 rupees per dozen pieces.

We returned to the boat on time.

Mme. Bloch came in the company of the Russian admiral in a boat displaying the Russian flag. Later in Colombo were the countess of Verneville and Mr. Larrio who accompanies Mme. Lehwabach.

At 4:00 o'clock sharp we left Colombo. The ship rocks very much denoting we are badly loaded and with insufficient ballast. We see Colombo from afar with her houses amid trees and palms, like a green sash; in the distance the mountains and Adam's Peak. A ship is following us.

Until 10:00 o'clock at night we sail close to the coast trying to double Cape Galle. There is a void among the people. There are few passengers. I think and I sleep.

7 November

Many have been sick and the night before colic, vomiting, gastralgia, etc. The ailing include five officials, three ladies, and about five passengers among whom I count myself. My pains stopped after I had vomited.

Dyspepsia and great debility were left with me. This was the theme of all the conversations today.

By noon we have traveled 252 miles and we are North Latitude: 5º 43' and East Longitude 80º 57'.

The sea continued to be calm, nevertheless the ship moved much. All the passengers were bored.

At night the moon, in spite of being only a few days old, was splendid. The stars were shining in a transparent sky. The moon, however, has a nimbus which made me portend rain. A wandering star flashed through the space like a large rocket.

At night in fact the rain fell in torrents, compelling the passengers who were sleeping on deck to go down to the cabins. It was a torrential rain.

8 November --

The sea is calm as yesterday. A multitude of flying fish plough its surface. The ship is rocking. I have taken a purgative. There are only magnesium sulphate and sulphate of soda in the ship's drugstore.

By 12:00 we have traveled 303 miles and we are at North Latitude 5º 45' and East Longitude 85º 59'.

I passed the night on the prow discussing astronomy with a young priest naturalist accompanying the bishop.

Afterward the Franciscans came and we talked about the Franciscans in my country. If they are rich, then they are not Franciscans anymore, they said to me.

The moon is shining in the sky: the sea is calm, very calm. Large phosphorescent drops like tears of fire when jumping on the prow. The young naturalist said that they were jellyfish, but why are there so many?

Seated on ropes and sails we ponder on these things. We talked about the miracles of St. Francis, of the niche behind the gate, of the thorns converted into roses etc. He gave me one of the petals.

9 November --

The sea continues to be calm. At 10:00 o'clock we saw a fish -- marsonin -- near the helix.

By 12:00 o'clock we have traveled 324 miles and we are at North Latitude 5º 41' and East Longitude 91º 25'.

At 3:00 there was a squall. Suddenly the horizon was obscured; a black sash encircled the sea, the water lost its blue color and became leaden like the sky; the wind blew, rippling the surface of the sea; the rain fell in torrents; and nothing could be seen some meters away. The ship had to stop.

When it became clear, we saw Atchin Head in the distance and the islands which mark the entrance to Sumatra. Pulo, Brat, and farther away, but very far away, Pulo Way.

We enter between these two islands sailing around some bare rocks in the middle. We saw the barracks where lives the garrison in charge of the lighthouse which has a gay and attractive look.

A most beautiful sunset settles upon us with a very vivid, brilliant red like fire, without equal, putting in relief black clouds emerging from the sea like fantastic rocks.

9 November --

At dawn it is cloudy and it is very warm. The sea is calm.

One of the Dutch young women must be very naive as she said to me that she left her native country 19 years ago. Women do not generally tell their age.

By 12:00 o'clock we have traveled 335 miles and are at North Latitude 4º 30' and East Longitude 96º 32'. It is fairly warm.

10 November --

The morning is cloudy; the sea is slightly rippled -- Last night there was a squall. At the left, land can be seen.

Manufacture of champagne [12] -- The cities engaged in the manufacture of champagne are Reims and Epernay in an area of some ten leagues. It is a certain white grape which grows on some hills of chalky soil well exposed to the sun. The best brands are Moet et Chandun, Pommery, Ive Clicquot, etc. A good champagne can be distinguished from a bad one when the bubbles descend slowly, disappear little by little, is very clear, without any residue and the bottle has no defects, with neither bubbles nor joints.

This wine bubbles only during its fermentation, but it is improved with the addition of old champagne (20 to 30 years) which is converted into syrup due to much white sugar. For the English are put from 2 to 8 centiliters to each liter; for the Russians, 14 centiliters.

It is put in bottles which are stored upside down, slightly inclined so that the dirt of the wine would be deposited on the cork. Every short time they come to give it a little shake and to turn it around so that the dirt on the sides would settle on the cork. At the end of some months or one year when the bottle has turned around completely until it stands on its head almost vertically, always upside down, then men pound the bottles lightly with a hammer to finish the decantation, a very delicate operation, for when least expected the bottles crack. For this reason they are tied with wire. In some factories this is done by a machine. Then come the dégorgeurs who are skilled in removing the cover, making the bottom jump, and immediately put on a stopper of caoutchouc -- a process which lasts scarcely a second. They put it aside and it is then the syrup is added, and if much of the wine has come out, then they add some and a machine closes the bottle with cork (that costs 20 cents each) and it is tied with a piece of wire and packed.

The bottles which have been used once are not used again nor can they be returned. They have glass factories that make the bottles.

They extract the juice of the grapes with their feet; there are also extracting machines, but generally it is done with the feet.

The warehouses of Moet et Chandun with electric light are 22 kilometers long, located in cretaceous land. Mercier, 14 kilometers long. Mercier has a Decanville railroad in the warehouse like Moet et Chandun.

The vine-stocks must be changed often; they have supports and do not grow to a great height.

The entertainment of last night.

Many passengers were dressed in white with red sash (the Englishmen), some in black, and one in dress coat (an English gentleman who recited). The ship's deck was decorated with flags and chairs were placed along the sides. There were some easy chairs in the center. All the lights were on. The deck had a rather gay look; however, there was a noticeable coldness among the passengers, little gaiety, for lack of friendly intercourse between them. Neither the captain nor the commissary has taken the trouble of introducing the passengers to one another during the voyage or at the beginning of it.

The entertainment began with a funny cavalcade or caravan composed of an astronomer, a camel, two pelicans, Arabs, and a bear which aroused much laughter for having drunk beer through one eye. After this caravan, Mr. Tailhades sang, accompanied by a woman who is sickly, conceited, and chonga. [13] Afterward two sailors sang the Bouillabaise, another, dressed as Chinese, sang a French song and then Le Pere la Victoire which was greatly appreciated.

There was a collection: The governor's wife and that of the son of Mr. van Dedden collected for the widows of sailors. The public gave what they could. I gave five francs, others 20, some 2.

One of the Dutch young women played the piano. After the collection, which totaled 440 francs, it was announced that there was another collection for the sailors. Many were displeased because everyone thought that there would be only one collection and for this reason Les Vermiphones was very frigidly received. All were disappointed.

One young sailor sang El Picador; two sang the song of the Gendarmes and finally, Mr. Pollok recited in English. After the program ice cream and other refreshments were served. Tea was then served and they tried several times to dance, but only a few persons participated. There was no music. There was no pianist. The only ones who danced were one Englishwoman, one Dutch (Mrs. van Dedden) and one Frenchwoman. The other Dutch girls disappeared.

I have been talking about colonization with Mr. W. B. Pryer.

By 12:00 o'clock we have traveled 316 miles and we are at North Latitude 1º 28' and East Longitude 100º 45'.

At 4:00 o'clock we arrive at Singapore and we anchor. Through a Portuguese I learned that General Despujol, Frías, and a brother and a sister of Mr. Camus have left in the morning in a Spanish ship. It seems that the general was very well impressed at Singapore.

Many went ashore. With Mr. Berezowsky I went immediately to Hotel Europa to call on Mr. Camus. I found him talking with Mr. Prentice. Mr. Camus occupies room number 57. He is still quite young, his hair is slightly graying; he is trim; he is small and very lively. We talked about many things related to the Philippines. I met the captain of the Francisco Reyes, Don Antonio, who was the pilot of the Salvadora when I went to Europe in '82. A meal in Hotel Europa costs one peso without wine or beer. It is middling, very middling.

On our way back, finding the weather delightful, Mr. Berezowsky and I walked and saw all kinds of things, examining victuals, the fruits, the amusements, and other things of the Chinese. I found Singapore much altered with many jinrikshaws and with a steam streetcar. On the way I saw a man, and I don't know why it occurred to me that he must be Filipino. I asked him and he said yes. He was a sailor of the Francisco Reyes. We saw a Javanese or Malayan dance surrounded by Chinese who were helping play the music and I saw one Chinese taking part with much grace and agility. The music consisted of much drumming and was accompanied with songs. Drum beating, a violin, and a large drum. In two stores there were rich Chinese who were gambling. We walked following the street care line until we reached the docks. We spent a little less than an hour and a half, stopping at the stores and gewgaws shops.

In Singapore the Mexican peso is used divide into 100 cents as in Colombo the rupee is divided into 100 cents.

The ship departed at 3:30 o'clock.

11 November --

At dawn it is cloudy; the sea fairly calm, the boat is not rocking. There is a Chinese consul in the first class with his wives and children. There are Chinese in the second class. Other passengers are Germans and half-breeds. At 11:00 o'clock we can see Pulo Haor at the left.

I bought a Japanese cane with a snake and a skull. A Frenchman saw it and said to me, "That is made in Paris."

"Truly?" I asked.

“The Japanese make a snake and they will make everything except a snake.”

What a marvelous mixture of European ignorance and presumption!

By 12:00 o’clock we are at North Latitude 2º 28’ and East Longitude 102º 17’. We have traveled 100 miles.

This day went by monotonously and peacefully in the company of four cats and a rat. We did prestidigitation on board.

12 November –

Today is cloudy. They introduced me to the Chinese Consul. He is going to Canton.

We have traveled 301 miles and we are at North Latitude 7º and East Longitude 104º 01’.

We have had squalls and the weather is bad. It seems that we are caught in the tail of a typhoon. Many people got seasick and I myself almost got seasick.

I slept in the cabin. Many gentlemen did not take luncheon. The food was good.

Saturday 14 or 13 (?) [This particular Saturday in November of 1891 would have been the 14^th. – rly]

This morning we are on the way to Saigon rounding the Cape of St. Jacques at 6:00 o’clock. The river is quiet. They tell me that a tiger entered the telegraph station several years ago.

We meet the steamer Shamrock loaded with soldiers on which the governor is quarantined for having come from Tonkin and a case of cholera was found on board.

The banks of the river are level and growing on them are small plants which resemble the bakawan. [14]

The landscape resembles that of the Philippines: Red roofs on green background.

At 12 o’clock we went ashore and proceeded to the telegraph station to send a telegram to Hong Kong. Four words (2 dollars and 14 cents). Post cards at 2 cents. We went to the zoological and botanical garden. We saw cycas siamensis, [15] cycas (oliva), cordial latifola, [16] coles maluco, [17] theobroma cacao, Jatropha curcas (tuba). [18]
Averroa carambola (balimbing) bromeliad ananas, musa paradisica, jasminum sambak, areka Kateku, Diospinas (kaki), etc. We saw tigers, four large species, panthers, boas, cats, a small tiger, birds, very many beautiful wading birds ardea agretta diminuta (?) (tagak). We saw crocodiles, turtles, iguanas, small fawns from Mindoro, small birds, and one delightful cage of mayas, holding more than three hundred, singing and shouting, with nests of coconut shells around. The garden is beautiful, well cultivated, very pleasant, and the trees are beautifully arranged. The vehicle that brought us, like those of Singapore, costs 25 cents per hour; a fare from one point to another is 10 cents.

When the vehicle is drawn by two horses, the fare is 50 cents per hour. Most of these carriages are open. At the Café du Quai du Commerce I met a former traveling companion who came on the Djemnah. I found him rather anemic. We drank beer and a bottle costs us 50 cents.

We return at 2:00 o’clock and we went out again at 4:00 o’clock with the learned Russian naturalist. We bought photographic plates 13 x 18 (two pesos a dozen). Exchange: 20 francs = 4 pesetas 95 cents. Sampan fare is 5 cents a person. We went back to the boat to eat. We went out at night and went thorough the streets to look at the shops.

We found the city deserted, the people having gone to the theater. With us was Mr. Berezowsky, sent by the Geographic Society of St. Petersburg to collect specimens. We drank Normandy cider which cost us one peso and lemonade 50 cents. I bought lichee at 20 cents a pound. Everything, except carriages, is dear in Saigon.

I slept on board and it became cold towards morning. I took a bath. We went out early to visit again the botanical garden. We went in a sampan through the river and then we took a carriage. The sampan rowers here row like the gondoliers of Venice: In front and standing, they go around the curves with the paddle securely tied to a kind of wooden peg.

15 November –

There is a Spanish boat anchored near ours. Its name cannot be read because it is neither on the stern nor on the prow.

After lunch we went to Chelong, an Annamite city [Note: Annamite is one of the Kramer languages that is spoken in Vietnam – rly] a half-hour away. In the stores I saw sugar apples, sotanjun (mongo bean noodles), mike (flour noodles), pineapple, bananas, and ginger, just like in the stores of Manila. We took pictures of some tombs. The excursion costs us one peso round trip in a carriage drawn by one horse. The market reminded me of the palenque. [19]

We returned to the boat at 3:00 o’clock and the Russian took some pictures. He showed me his work in which he described various kinds of birds and a rifle of three shots made in Moscow. We went out afterward to hear the music in the garden near the government house. The band played in the center of a kind of circle; few, very few strollers around; most of the people were riding in carriages and driving slowly around. We bought Vaseline (50 cents) and benzene (40 cents) in a drugstore: Everything is expensive in Saigon. We returned to the boat to eat. We went out again at night to tour the environs and returned at nine o’clock while other passengers went out to hear La Traviata.

There are 300 Chinese deck passengers and the missionaries, including the bishop, fear there might be a riot among them. All speak to me admiringly of the Annamite seminarians and the missionaries. “They are angels,” said one poor Franciscan friar.

The Chinese passengers of the fourth class had to pay more than $6 from Saigon to Hong Kong whereas, because of competition, they pay only $3 from Singapore to Hong Kong. They bring along chairs, baskets, coverings and food.

16 November –

At dawn it is cloudy; the sea is fairly calm. We are sailing along the coasts of Cochin-China. Undulated mountains and sandy shores form under a cloudy sky. A multitude of dolphins have been following us at about 11:30 o’clock, playing near our ship, which gave us great joy.

We have traveled 149 miles, North Latitude 10º 49’ and East Longitude 106º 15’. We lack 766 miles.

The English doctor has been talking about many silly things.

At 12:30 o’clock we discern Cape Paradau.

17 November –

Bad weather. We traveled 197 miles. I spent the whole day in my cabin.

19 November—

The weather is improving a little. Nevertheless the sea is swollen and rough; the wind bellows; the ship rocks. It is believed that tonight we shall arrive in Hong Kong. I went up to the deck.

_______________

* The reader is encouraged to read Rizal’s letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt written on board the Melbourne written on 22 October 1891.

[01] That is, they played cards for money.

NOTE: The Filipino scientist, Dr. L. B. Uichanco, was of help with many of the scientific terms.

[02] Or balanggot, a species of small, soft rattan. (Cypheus molaccenis Lam.).

[03] He alludes to the Boustead family of Brussels. Miss Nelly Boustead was willing to marry Rizal provided he would turn Protestant. Rizal refused.

[04] Marquis Joseph François Dupleix (1697-1763), French colonial administrator in India.

[05] Or kanduli, the Manila sea catfish (Arius Manillenis Cuvier and Valenciennes).

[06] ‘Abd al Kuri.

[07] Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-19110), Russian novelist, philosopher, and mystic.

[08] Literally:

The sand rises to the shore

The seaweed of the deep appears;

To his mistress the sea

Is unfaithful

Rizal writes this in Italian in order not to forget it.

[09] Name of a British shipping line, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which began operations in 1837.

[10] Literally, “violin strings,” strips of wood fastened to the edge of tables when a ship expects stormy weather.

[11] A striking tree cultivated for ornamental purposes. It stands out in a group because of its light green leaves, which may be cooked as a vegetable when young.

[12] Inserted in his diary is this note on the manufacture of wine.

[13] In the Philippines, literally, female monkey; figuratively, a term of contempt.

[14] A species of mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata Lam.)

[15] A primitive plant related to our so-called “olivas” (Cyas revolute) and “pitogo” (Cycas rumphil).

[16] A wild tree related to the “anonang” which is common in the Philippines (Cordia dichotoma).

[17] A striking tree cultivated for ornamental purposes. It stands out in a group because of its light green leaves, which may be cooked as a vegetable when young.

[18] “Tuba,” a species of shrub and seeds yielding the croton oil of commerce. (Croton tiglium L.)

[19] In the Philippines a market is often called palenque or palenke.