Journal kept by Hudson during voyage around the world. The author left from London in 1881 Jan. Entries contain vivid descriptions of scenery, events, and observations aboard ship and at each stop. On the HELENSLEA, Hudson described weather encountered, the crew, marine life observed, fishing, the sighting of a lunar rainbow, and the discovery of stowaways. While in Australia and New Zealand, he wrote of the Blue Mountains, the "zig-zag railroad," and the price of cattle. He mentioned the hunting of wallabies, ducks, and kangaroos, and coursing hares, and described Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, and Queensland. He wrote concerning land settlement issues (free selection vs. squatters), and described pioneer life near Toowoomba. In one entry, Hudson speculated concerning the aborigines being the "missing link, the children of Cain," and referred to them as being shot "like dingos." The author described Java and China, where, in Hong Kong, he described a theatrical performance, a mission school, and women with bound feet. In Canton, he wrote critically of Catholic missionaries, and expressed the opinion that the British misunderstood or misrepresented opium usage and trade and Chinese government's efforts to suppress it. Entries written in Japan include descriptions of temples, the mikado's former residence, dancing girls, and tea houses. He commented about the lack of success of English missionaries to Japan, and criticized them. In the United States, he visited San Francisco (describing cable cars, lifts, and the Seventh Day Adventists), the Yosemite Valley and the redwood forest, Salt Lake City, Chicago (where he wrote about fire prevention efforts in the wake of the fire and of a visit to a slaughterhouse), and New York City, where he heard Henry Ward Beecher speak. In Nov., he arrived in Liverpool. Journal concludes with entry regarding the subsequent sinking of the HELENSLEA.
