Item consists of an overszed black leather-bound diary. The diary has the following gold-tooled title: "SANDFORD FLEMING HALIFAX CANADA 1868" on front cover, with an interior title as follows: "The Canadian Pocket Diary for 1868. Toronto: Published by Brown Bros. 66 King Street East."
Diary contains pockets to place miscellaneous items.
Diary has a number of loose items, such as plant matter found by Friday, May 15, 1868 and Tuesday June 2, 1868 as well as some newspaper clippings.
Diary contains brief handwritten entries for throughout the year. There are names of various important people at the very end of the diary. On January 1, 1868 he notes he is in Halifax. From February 14, 1868 to end of March, 1868, Fleming is away from Halifax. He travels by boat From Halifax to New York, visits New York, then travels by train back to Canada and then to Ottawa, where is stays for a couple of weeks. On Feb. 26, 1868, Ash Wednesday, he noted "Offices not open today in Public Buildings...called upon Lady MacDonald." On March 1, Fleming says "I think it is just two years today since I placed my poor little dear baby boy Paul in his last home, his little spirit had passed away 2 or 3 days before..I feel very homesick today." On March 3, Fleming notes in his diary: "Writing letter (confidential) to Sir John A. MacDonald in reply to him on route of Intercolonial Railway."
In late May to late July, 1868, diary entries record trip to England and Scotland, as well as Paris, France. From Late August to mid September, Fleming spends time in Ottawa, where he awaits appointment for continuation as chief engineer of the Intercolonial Railway.
Newspaper cilpping from Sept. 12, 1868 indicates tenders were being "invited for the execution of certain portions of the Intercolonial Railway between Riviere Du Loup and Rimouski in the Province of Quebec, between Truro and Amherst in the Province of Nova Scotia, and between Dalhousie and Bathurst in the Province of New Brunswick." The various plans and specifications would be made available by the Intercolonial Railway Office."
