Dwight B. Denslow and his wife, Louise A. Denslow, kept this diary during travels by sea and land between November 9, 1861-July 1, 1862. They toured Europe, the Mediterranean, Egypt and the Holy Lands, sailing from Brooklyn, New York. Entries describe a visit to a salt merchant in Hyères; the comments of an Englishman on the Mason & Slidell affair (the Trent Affair); visits to Toulon and Marseilles (January 19, 1862); travels via steamer to Genoa, Leghorn, Naples, Messina, and Malta, where they took the ship "Hydaspe" (formerly the "Lusitania") to Alexandria (February 9, 1862); stopping at the same hotel as Mr. Bronson and his party; and a trip to the Pyramids. In addition, entries describe a visit to Mrs. Leider, wife of a Coptic missionary and one-time tutor to the children of Mohammed Ali; a journey up the Nile River beyond Thebes, where the Denslows visited numerous temples and ruins of Karnak and the Pyramids of Giza; their return to Cairo in the company of Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes; and ensuing travels to Alexandria, Joppa and Jerusalem, where they attended the English Church at the same time as the Prince of Wales (April 6, 1862). Later entries describe the Denslow's visit to the Mosque of Omar, the Jordan River, and the site of ancient Jericho (spending Easter Sunday in Jerusalem and going to Bethlehem). They also describe their journey homeward via Joppa, Beyrouth (where they met Dr. Barclay and Rev. Henry Jessup), Tripoli, Sicily, Smyrna, and Constantinople (May 11-14, 1862), where they changed ships for Marseille via Athens. From Athens they traveled by railroad through Lyon, Paris, Rouen, and Dieppe, crossing to New Haven, then to London (visiting the International Exhibition on June 9, 1862), Leeds (the home of travel friends Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes), Manchester, and Liverpool. They then sailed on the Cunard ship "Scotia," via Queenstown to Jersey City, arriving at their Williamsburgh home on July 1, 1862. The diary is illustrated with a few pen drawings, primarily maps. It also includes a few loose documents and letters in an envelope.
