Visited Liverpool museum in the morning and saw the Pacific collection and had a talk with the Curator.

Sent my luggage down to the Quay from Lime Street Station and walked down. The "Hildebrand" (148) was not yet alongside, but came in at about 3 p.m.

Boarded a little before the arrival of the crowd coming by via the charter train from London. Found my cabin No. 54 on main deck had been changed for a much better one No. 39 on the upper deck. Excellent, roomy cabin for two all to myself.

We cast off at 4 p.m. exactly, with gramophone blaring away making an awful din.

Exiting the River Mersey past the lighthouse and little Fort at Perch Rock the ship proceeded along the North Wales coast and after passing the Skerry Light we put into Holyhead just to drop the pilot.

Weather dead calm but slightly foggy.

Fog horn going during night and into the morning but fog lifted later. Oily sea with no breeze.

Ship rather empty with only about 13 going on Amazon cruise. Scilly Islands. sighted after lunch.

Wolf Lighthouse on beam about 2.45pm.

The Bay of Biscay very calm, the ship has a light following wind, weather cloudy but mostly fine.

Off Finisterre, ship rolling a bit but weather fine. light abeam at 9.45p.m.

Arrived at Leixões in Portugal at about 9 a.m.

Went ashore with a party of passengers and motored to Oporto. Some of the private and public gardens are very attractive with fine displays of hydrangeas, hibiscus etc. Many bullock-carts on the roads with wheels and axles revolving together carts have huge elaborately carved yokes of rectangular form.

Visited the fruit and fish market, where Baracutas and Octopus were largely for sale. Went inside a now derelict and disused church the whole interior of which is elaborately carved with gilt woodwork and a 'Tree of Jesse' in complete relief. It is rapidly falling to bits.

Then we drove over a bridge (454) spanning the gorge of the Douro; with double roadway (high and low levels) quite spectacular.

Fine view of Oporto from the other side of the bridge (Villa Nova side) (452) and good view of the river far below (455).

Visited over a Port wine factory of Hunt, Ruope and Co, saw the Port stored in huge vats and barrels. The cooperage and the barrel making process was interesting, sampled various dark and white ports.

Lunched at the "Crystal Palace", where the gardens contain a few animals (leopards, wolf, red deer and various breeds of dogs).

Motored back to Leixoes. The roads are awful and very dusty.

We sailed at about 6 p.m, very foggy at first and quite calm. The fog cleared at night.

Arrived at Lisbon (154) (450) about 7.30 a.m.

The ship anchored in the Tagus (442) near where it widens out into a wide lagoon.

Went ashore and joined a motor excursion to a very pretentious villa in a fine garden with horrible sham grottoes etc it was a medley of misspent money and bad taste.

Then on to Cintra and the Palacio Real (440) (449), 14th-15th century. Interior interesting though not very specially so.

Next up to the Castello da Pena on top of a fine granite ridge. Very fine view and some interesting architectural features.

Back to Lisbon via the Estoril, "Portuguese Riviera".

Went on board at 4 pm. Weighed anchor about 6 pm.

Absolutely calm again and foggy at first.

At sea its fine, warm but with cool breeze, very little motion from the ship. Very little signs of anything in the vast expanse of ocean.

Anchored off Funchal in Madeira at 7.30 am (459).

Went ashore with Bryant, Gutteridge and Stewart by launch to Reid's Hotel landing (462) and up the cliff in a shaky lift to the hotel. Garden is very nice with an abundance of flowering hibiscus, bougainvillea etc .

At Reid’s we took a car to top of a low hill for a fine view all round (137).

Back to Reids and I had a walk round the hotel (456) (457) until lunch at 12.30. Lunch quite good. Gardens all round pretty luxuriant with lots of colour. Vines coming on very well. Jacarandus plumbago, bougainvilleas, geraniums flourishing.

After lunch we drove to the town (461), visited the fruit and fish markets. Parrots, macaws and other birds for sale in the markets. 'Espadas' seem the chief fish sold; long, ugly, black and slimy fish, but not bad to eat; with thin bodies tapering from a large head with goggle eyes to an almost finless tail. Thin black skin is scraped off, leaving them pure white. Barracuta also for sale (striped like pike), wrasse, Grey mullet and other scale-fishes, octopus etc.

We called on 'Maria', a red macaw of great age and then spent some time in the small public garden. Frangipani in flower; many palm varieties, tree-ferns; pandanus and pomegranates in fruit; hibiscus, strelitzia etc. in flower.

Went on board about 2.30 pm and sailed at 3pm. Gulls followed the ship. Hot night.

Calm; cool breeze from S.E. Very hot below. No life seen except two very white birds and flying fish. 

Equator crossed about midnight. Hot night in cabin.

Wadia 'The ship moved not an inch from dead centre for nine days continuously. The tedium of this long landless voyage of twenty two hundred miles would have assuredly told on our spirits and possibly our tempers as well, had not the bathing-pool (263) and cool trade-winds, the deck-games (330) (695) and the evening entertainments (303) come to our assistance and helped kill time.'

Picked up pilot off Salinas about 3 a.m. (418) 

Raining.

Entered the Pará Estuary long before breakfast.

Both banks visible though distant; heavily jungled. Picturesque fishing boats (542) with coloured sails. Urubus (vultures) visible in quantities flying about the shores. A few dolphins. Dense jungle everywhere broken by clearings and near Pará, by groups of residences. Slight mirage effects.

Arrived at Pará at about 10.30 a.m. and tied up to a wharf.

Did not go ashore till 3.30pm, to escape the heat which was considerable. Then I went with Bryant, Gutteridge and Stewart for a motor drive (548) (380) (381) to the Bosqué (376) (377) (378) (379) (a preserved area of natural jungle) that lay some way beyond along a partly made road.

Passed a garden with some large egrets, a very fine heron, a smaller dark mottled heron (or bittern), some toucans and troupials (yellow+black) etc. In the gardens and parks, many varieties of palms, pawpaws, breadfruit trees and mangoes, silk-cotton trees (sucuruma) with great buttressed stems. Erythrina (?) in flower, white and red frangipani in flower, cycads, hibiscus, cacao, hevea braziliensis etc. 

We returned to the Grand Hotel for a drink, and I went back there to dine with Mrs. Kingdon and Miss Randall. Not very good. 

After dinner I went with them, Mrs Lloyd and Mrs Pollock, to the adjacent theatre (619), where a very poor musical comedy was played. Voices execrable and acting mostly poor. We stood two acts and then left, went back to the ship.

Very sultry night in cabin, awfully stuffy, with mosquito screens over port hole and door.

A group of us went to the little English church, ( 207) (632) where is a gunmetal tablet to Bates, Wallace etc.

A Booth Line employee remarks about the church. One day Bishop Evans of the Falkand Islands arrived to inspect the English church which was run by Padre Moss. The latter was an old time resident who earned a little extra selling paintings of moths and butterflies to tourists on the "Hildebrand and the Hilary".

Later in the morning we went to the Zoo which is quite good, though small; all the beasts (604) and birds (605) seeming very healthy and in excellent state. All local except a chimpanzee (600).

In the afternoon I went back to the Zoo (121) (396) (397) (398) (410) and Goeldi Museum (639) + spent some time there by myself.

Dined at the Grand Hotel.

Dense jungle on both sides, but very varied with palms and trees, climbing and parasitic or epiphytic plants. Hills of the Serra Jutahy seen for a long while on N. bank of Amazon. Mostly flat-topped and seeming remains of an eroded plateau. 

The ship anchored at 7 a.m. close to the S. Shore, and the body of the violin of the orchestra, who had died at 5 a.m., was lowered into a boat and rowed to the bank, for burial in the muddy bank in the jungle edge. The first officer accompanied the boat, which was not gone long. 

In the afternoon, after passing the Jutahy range, the character of the jungle changed. It was thinner + palms became scarcer. Many ‘Kapok’ trees without leaves but with large red pods, some bursting and shedding the ‘silk-cotton’ seeds which were wafted down wind in quantities. Extensive clearings and swamp areas covered with long grass. Lagoons of still water behind the camarana-grass covered banks.

It rained late in afternoon. Millions of soft-bodied flies came on board at night and covered the decks, filling the scuppers.

Pitch dark night, no stars.

Passed Santarem about 12.30 a.m. Did not turn out to see it as only lights could be seen at a distance.

On deck by 6 a.m. just before sunrise. We had passed Obidos at about 5.15.

 Low red cliffs on left bank, then jungle with open spaces + lagoons. Had an excellent view of an alligator (jacaré) floating high in the water.

Saw many Indians in small canoes shooting fish with bow and arrow (516). The arrows are long with detachable heads and retrieving lines. 

At about 12.30 we passed the boundary between Pará and Amazonas states. Wide reaches free from floating masses of camarana grass, which till then had been very abundant. The jungle is lower than further down the river. 

In afternoon large clearings turned into grazing land with good herds of cattle (mixed European + Indian humped breeds). Saw a Jacana fly from a floating camarana patch. Heavy rain.

Fine, partly overcast. Banks more inhabited and cultivated with some large cattle-grazing areas. Palms few but more than yesterday. Bombax (silk cotton) abundant and in pod. Many banana plantations. 

Natives fishing with bows (517). Jungle rather open. 

Passed a small, primitive light house at 11.30 am (656). 

We crossed the sharp line where the ‘black’ water of the Rio Negro join the yellow Solimoês Amazon without mingling, at noon. 

Passed the Leper Hospital on a low red cliff soon after; and reached Manáos (614) at about 12.30. Not very attractive looking from the river (Rio Negro) (526) (630). We tied up to a huge pontoon, forming a detached quay. Numbers of urubus flying overhead; swallows large yellow-billed Terns. 

Went ashore at 3pm with the Varsity contingent to be received by the Governor of Para (+acting President of the State of Amazonas), Señor A. Monteiro de Souza, at the Palace. Genial old boy, speaking mixed French and English. Drinks and coffee served round and then he showed us his collection of live animals (a Capybara, agouti, 2 kinds of jungle deer, horned + hornless – 2 Trumpeters, Curassows, Shelducks, a pheasant of some kind with red wattle, 2 Thickknees, etc)

The Governor then took us in 3 or 4 Government motor cars round Manaus to see the town (544) (358) (613) buildings, schools etc. I drove with him. We finished up at the brewery, a very large, prosperous looking building, where we were entertained with excellent beer by the Manager. Although there are few breweries in Manaus, this is one the most popular. It is owned by Miranda Correia & Cia and produces three main types of beer, Cerveja Amazonense, Cerveja Sublime & Cerveja XPTO.

Back to the ship at 6.30 for dinner.

It rained in the evening with much lightening.

The Governor of Manáos (acting President of the State of Amazonas), A. Monteiro de Souza, claimed the University contingent for the day, and he turned up in his launch unexpectedly at 6 a.m., accompanied by the Chief of Police (R. Gomes Nogueira), the Mayor of Manáos, Dr. J. Ribeiro and his wife and daughter and some other people. 

We, of course, were not ready for so early a start [I was in my bath and  others were not even up]. But we got together by 7 a.m. and went to the launch with profuse apologies to the Governor, who however was not much upset by the delay. 

He took us in the launch down the Rio Negro and turned into and across the Solimões (Amazon) and up some of the paranás (channels forming islands), passed some cultivated areas and grazing lands with wooden or palm-leaf houses built on piles (as it is within the flood area). We saw some small huts built upon rafts, moored so as to rise and fall with the water, these are lived in by petty traders, who use them as bases from which to trade in canoes. Many tucuxi and other fresh-water dolphins were seen, especially in a small bay near the mouth of the Rio Negro (right bank). 

We transferred to small boats at one place (247) to visit a lagoon (514) (515), to see the Victoria Regia lilies, which are abundant in the still lagoons (616) (527) (628) (468). These were not at their best, it not being the season, but there were plenty of the floating leaves, 3 to 4 feet across, with upturned edges, and some very prickly buds, though no open flowers. A very beautiful lagoon, surrounded by jungle. (470) 

We next went to Dr. Jeronymo Ribeiro’s bungalow (179) (332), "Somé", at Cambixe, on a small paraná, where an elaborate lunch had been prepared, under a dense clump of bamboos on the bank of the paraná. 

While there, I was presented by Miss Ribeiro with a magnificent macaw (arára, Ara macao), which a girl friend of hers had on her wrist (249). A somewhat embarrassing gift but a very beautiful example, and quite tame. 

We went round part of Dr Ribeiro’s property and looked at his crops of bananas, cacao etc. and stayed some time after lunch smoking, talking and photographing (238) (246) (247) (365) (374) (484) (498) (573) (593) (594). 

We returned to Manáos by the same route, slightly modified. The dolphins were still fishing in the little bay near the Rio Negro mouth. 

We passed some tugs towing 30 or 40 montarias (170) (189) (small boats or canoes) apiece, on their return down river from trading.

After a splendid, sunny day, we got back to the jetty at Manáos at about 5.30 pm. I took the macaw on my wrist + marched to the ‘Hildebrand’, making a somewhat sensational entrée on board. 

I deposited the bird with the butcher.

The ‘Hildebrand’ dropped from the pontoon to the main jetty early in the morning. 

At 6 a.m. I went off to the fish and fruit market (222), which is in full swing early in the morning. Many varieties of fish were for sale – pirarucuperanha, some varieties of armour-plated fish, etc. etc. 

There were hundreds of urubús hanging round the outskirts of the market and scavenging. 

When I got back it was to a busy scene on board and on the jetty (206). Many people came on board to say goodbye – including Taylor, his son and Miss Rolfe (who was going far up the Madeira in a stern-wheeler, for a two-years job) (536).

The Governor’s military attaché also came and I said goodbye to him and sent messages to the Governor, on behalf of the University contingent. 

Amid much waving, the ‘Hildebrand’ cast off at 10 a.m. and started the homeward voyage. 

Fine, hot, sunny day.

 We passed Obidos, a cheerful looking collection of houses and stores on a high bank (left, or N. bank). Oposite, near the other bank of the Amazon there was a group of 16 or 17 canoes, each with an indian fishing with bow and arrow (or harpoon-arrow). 

Hardly any floating vegetation (camarana etc.) seen on the broad reaches hereabouts, such as one sees so abundantly lower down the Amazon. 

Very fine sunset +, at night, a great deal of lightning, with rather more than a half moon, giving a very fine effect of colour.

Up at 6 a.m. We were in the "Narrows" (615), which link the Amazon proper with the Pará Estuary, which is mainly an extension of the Tocantins.

Brevés was passed at 12.30 p.m. and the "Narrows" were left soon after lunch. Coolish breeze in the evening, but it was still exceedingly hot in the cabins and saloon. 

We passed Mosqueiro, on the S. shore of the Pará estuary, at about 11.15 pm. and anchored at 1 a.m. some 4 or 5 miles East of Pará.

I went at 9 a,m. with others in a large, three-decked river steamer down the Pará Estuary to Mosqueiro (114) (118) (198) (199), a small sea-side resort, reached in about 2 hours.

We landed on a pier and transferred to two exceedingly primitive trams (200) (588), each drawn by two mules, and went along a vilely laid track (107) through jungle to (493) (625) Chapéo Virádo (474), a smaller village picturesquely situated along a shore with fine sandy stretches. 

Some of us bathed (187) (188) (162) (185), while I had a stroll along the coast.

Few birds were to be seen, but I saw some palisade fish-traps, erected along the shore between tide-marks.

We returned to Mosqueiro the same way in the trams. 

At a siding our tram’s front wheels jolted right off the lines and let us down with a crash . Giving us a good shake up. The car was eventually lifted back onto the lines and we passed on, but stopped to see how the other tram would fare and whether it would follow suit. It did, first the front wheels and then the back jumped off the track and crashed onto the sleepers. It, too, was lifted back onto the track and we managed to get to Mosquiero with only one more accident, to the vilely-driven second tram. The mules while pulling wide in trying to round a sharp curve, fouled an iron post, smashing the traces and detaching the mules. We walked from there to the pier! 

Great numbers of Urubús were scavenging along the shore. 

We lunched on board the river-steamer (539) (663), and got back to the ‘Hildebrand’ by about 3.30. 

I went ashore at 6.30 pm. with several others and dined at the Grand Hotel and came back by the 10pm. launch. 

It rained heavily for a time from 9.30, but cleared afterwards.

We weighed anchor at 10 a.m. Fine, sunny day. The Booth Line tender, after casting off with the people returning to the shore, tried to turn in too narrow a space and rammed the ‘Hildebrand’ hard, crashing into her starboard quarter.

Passed Booth Lines Stephen which had arrived in Para overnight.

No special damage was done, luckily. 

We passed close to Mosqueiro. 

Our pilot was dropped off Salinas (a long way out) at 5.30 p.m.

We reached Leixões at about 10 a.m. and anchored in the harbour. Rather foggy. There was a great crowd at the landing beach for fishing-boats, where the boats were arriving with their catches. Some of the local small boats have very high sterns and are rather striking.

I went ashore with Dr. Atock, Stewart and Mrs Pollock, we were shown round Leixões by a guide, who was interesting. We saw the quaint and rather tawdry church. There was not very much time as the ship was sailing fairly soon, we returned on board after about 1 1/2 hours.Passing the northern lights of Spain at 10.30 pm. Rather cold.