pose at night, and then departed. When we arrived half-way to the place where we had to enter upon the glaciers, I obtained possession of the sack of Pierre Favret, whose lot it was to carry the lantern, so that I enabled him to proceed more speedily, and inspired my guides with a confidence in my strength, which encouraged them to their greatest exertions.

We had now to ascend the steepest heights of the mountain, and were soon upon a narrow path, strewed with loose stones, and winding along the side of a precipitous declivity, which shelved down, upon our right, in one plane of smooth rock, to the depth of 1,000 or 1,500 feet. At halfpast three in the morning, we arrived near the base of the Aiguille du Midi, and were as near the glacier de Bossons as our safety permitted. I now returned the sack to Favret, and we all lay down near a large fragment of rock, which shielded us from the masses of ice, stone, or snow, which might accidentally have rolled from the cliffs above. The guides soon fell asleep; but I watched the slow advance of twilight, disclosing the strange pros pect.

At four, the guides were summoned to depart; and as we had now to enter on the glaciers, I wore my spiked shoes, and the guides tied on their crampons. They had left behind the ladder, which was usually brought for crossing the crevasses, having been informed that the glaciers were unusually favourable to our passage. For some distance we travelled along the foot of the Aiguille, from which frequently roll masses of snow, ice, and rock; a danger which was now little to

be feared, as the frost, which always occurs at these heights, had not yet been resolved by the heat of the day.

We now arrived upon a long plain of ice, intersected with crevasses, which ran in parallel directions, and at right angles with the straight line of ascent. These chasms were seldom more than ten feet wide: but varied considerably in their depths, which are generally proportioned to those of the ice; the depths of the ice varying as the irregularity of the surface over which it runs. The crevasses are supposed to be, in some places, several hundred feet deep; and their sides generally assumed the light blue tints of the sky. From the glaciers which we now traversed, two other glaciers, called Bossons and Tacconay, descend in. two distinct channels into the valley, but being thawed by the heat of the earth, and the warmth of the lower strata of air, they are dissolved generally in proportion to their advance. The width of that part of the vast field of ice, which was seen from our line of ascent, is perhaps half a mile; the whole length of the field is about two miles; and where it approaches the line of perpetual congelation, or separates into the channels running into the valley, the masses of ice are worked into the most strange and irregular forms.

Fronting us, rose the summit of Mont Blanc, more than 7,000 feet above the height upon which we stood; while on our left, a range of numerous Aiguilles soared above us more than 4,000 feet, stretching eastward from below the summit, with outlines mellowed into aerial softness. Sometimes they presented fissured de

clivities, clothed with glittering mantles of ice; and sometimes clusters of sun-gilt spires, pinnacled on roofs sparkling with snow. On our right, and of about the same height with the Aiguilles, rose the white Dôme du Gouté, which derives its name from its form, and is joined to the western shoulder of the summit by a rising narrow ridge. Nearly in the midst of the snowy vale, between the Dôme and the Aiguilles, was seen a line of rocks, called the Grands Mûlets; the nearest and highest of which is elevated about 300 feet above its surrounding glaciers. This vale rose at an angle of 30°, and was crossed by three successive plateaus, elevated one above the other, at right angles with our line of ascent: the highest, which is also the largest, is called the Grand Plateau ; from which abruptly rises the summit of Mont Blanc to an elevation of about 3,000 feet; appearing, at a distance, inaccessible.

We were now advancing to the rocks of the Grands Mûlets. Our progress was obstructed by crevasses; so that in general we had either to wind along their sides till we came to one of their extremities, or to leap their narrowest widths. The most terrific manner of passing them was by a descent into the chasm, some feet below the brink of the opening; then by landing upon a narrow ridge in its middle, whence we had to climb the opposite side; which each of us effected without ropes or assistance. As we approached the line of congelation, we passed through labyrinths of most irregular masses. Our path was here seldom seen more than a few yards before us, and sometimes appeared to be

suddenly lost; leaving us locked up, as it were, in chambers of ice and congealed snow. One or two of the guides, mounting the most elevated pinnacles, explored the direction of our road; while the rest of the party awaited their call. The most perilous office of the guides is, to make these surveys; it requires men of the greatest expertness and intrepidity; and Marie Coutet was possessed, in these respects, of marked preeminence.

On our arrival near the Grands Mûlets, we found it necessary to climb almost their whole height; as the irregular masses of snow and ice, on our right, were impassable. These rocks are very precipitous, and, in climbing them, we had generally to tread on loose stones. As soon as we approached their summit, we had to cut in the ice a path, leading horizontally along their sides to the distance of about thirty paces. A smooth broad sheet of ice covered the whole of the declivity (which was at an angle of 45°); while far below us, at its foot, were huge masses of ice and snow, worked into the most capricious and terrific forms.

At half-past seven, we arrived at the usual place of rest, without having required the use of ropes or other assistance; a circumstance which inspired us with confidence in our ultimate success. We now sat down to partake of a hearty breakfast, when we beheld several avalanches, some near us, and some in the distance, falling like cataracts down the rugged rocks of the mountain. The thermometer in the sun was at 70o, and the state of the weather excited the liveliest hopes of success. At nine, the guides arranged for our departure: we all put on our veils, as a protection from the heat and light; at the same time taking as plentiful a supply of water from the rocks, as our means afforded. We had now to traverse the regions of eternal snow, and as this part of our journey was more dangerous than crossing the glaciers, we were secured, in pairs, by ropes; eight or nine feet of rope being left between each forming the pair; and I chose for my fellow the guide, that appeared the strongest. Though we had to pass but few visible crevasses, yet many were concealed by the snows, and we therefore followed in the steps imprinted by the leading guide.

We travelled in the straightest possible line of ascent; our path leading sometimes among rude piles of snow, many of which we scaled, though at an angle of 50°. The crevasses, we here saw, were often of greater width than those of the glaciers; some of them opening twenty feet wide, though they were seldom of great depth. Their sides appeared of a light blue tint, and were sometimes hung with pendant and dripping icicles; presenting the most splendid spectacle.

As the day advanced, we heard many avalanches fall from the rocks; the heat was oppressive; our thirst rapidly increased; and our stock of water was exhausted. I therefore proposed bottling the snow; expecting it to thaw by the sun or the heat of the body, an expedient which afforded us many a hearty draught. Some of the guides mixed wine, and some vinegar, with snow; the latter being a cooling and agreeable beverage; others found great relief from dissolving loaf sugar in

their mouth; but, with regard to myself, I generally used lemons, and partook abundantly of raisins, which proved a good substitute for other food. Our thirst now became excessive; and if we had not satisfied it, effects might have been experienced worse than those occasioned by taking the snow. Our faces suffered from the heat of the sun, as well as the powerful reflection of light; but to relieve us from these unpleasant effects, I had provided myself with a preparation of cold cream, of which the guides gladly partook. Soon after we left the Grands Mûlets, my fellow guide detached himself from me, on account of his great exhaustion. I was, therefore, secured between two others, and was surprised that I felt so little fatigue; but the cold surface we trod prevented those inflammatory effects in the legs, which are experienced when walking upon common ground. Another guide, from exhaustion, soon fell into the rear; and as we approached the Grand Plateau, all, except Favret and myself, were severely affected with lassitude and difficulty of breathing, which they ascribed to the rarity of the air. Rest was their only means of relief; and this soon restored them. We reached the Grand Plateau at two o'clock.

From the heights of the mountain, which precipitately rise above this Plateau, immense avalanches often descend; and we had to effect a passage directly under the summit, whose sides threatened to roll down the impending masses, with which they were burthened. A rapid progress is here the best means of safety.

Being now released from the ropes, since there were no more crevasses to intercept our route, we rested a short time; some of the party reclining among the scattered ruins of former avalanches; while near us, entombed in a crevasse, slept the three brave guides who perished in the year

1820.*

The thermometer in the sun was still at 70°. After a short repose, we commenced our last stage. All my guides had arrived except one; and he was lying down at a considerable distance, in a state of exhaustion. Our cheers, however, soon roused him; he advanced a few paces, and then fell; so that it was expected he would be obliged to return to the Grands Mûlets. Having crossed the plateau, we followed a serpentine course towards Mont Maudit, the eastern shoulder of Mont Blanc. The surface of the snow was of so firm a consistence, that steps were cut with the axe for many hundred yards a most laborious employment, in which the guides relieved each other every ten minutes. The whole party now preserved uninterrupted silence; here was our greatest danger a false step might have swept us below into an immense

crevasse.

While detained by the cutting of steps, I felt a strong inclination to sleep, and feared lest I should drop down; but, by maintaining a watchful position, and exciting my thoughts, the inclination gradually subsided. After some hundred feet of ascent, we found ourselves opposed by a parapet of congealed snow, about eight feet high, and of the hardness of ice. This we scaled, by

See Annual Register, Vol.

LXIII, page 662.

means of steps, cut as before, and in the vicinity found a dead bee.

We had been so much retarded by difficulties, and waiting for wearied guides, since we left the Grand Plateau, that it was nearly six o'clock before we came in view of the Rocher Rouge, a rock on the eastern side of Mont Blanc, about 800 feet below its summit, and facing the valley of Chamouni. As Marie Coutet requested leave for some of the guides to return to the rocks near the Grands Mûlets, it is probable they felt a little alarmed at the idea of sleeping so near the summit. Our path leading to the eastern shoulder, now became far less dangerous than that we had just travelled; the Rocher Rouge was surveyed; and the guides, who were before inclined to return, now selected this as our place of abode for the night. We arrived here three hours later than we had expected; and it being half-past six, it was considered too late now to venture to the summit, since we could not have reached it till after dusk. Continuing a little to the right, and then to the left, in order to gain an eminence for witnessing sunset, we came to a plateau behind the Rocher Rouge, in view of Chamouni; and now mounting my handkerchief upon a pole, a soft breath of wind spread its folds, and floated it gently in the air, as the signal of our happy triumph.

My anxiety to gain the summit this evening having increased, I walked on till I approached a rock, called by the guides the Petit Mûlet, about 700 feet below the summit, and upon the south side of its eastern shoulder. Here I

proposed to Marie Coutet, that he should now go with me to the

summit; to which he immediately assented; but, together with his brother David, represented the dangers which would arise from the increasing cold, as well as from the approaching darkness: the sun being now near his setting, and there being no moon. These arguments induced me to remain in our present situation; but as there were neither avalanches nor crevasses to be feared, I should instantly have proceeded to the summit, had I not prede termined to abide by whatever advice the guides might seriously give.

We now retraced our steps to the Rocher Rouge, which, I was soon convinced, had, only by necessity, been selected as our place of abode for the night. This rock is seated upon the verge of a precipitous eminence, and runs back into an embankment of drifted snow, so as to have a small area adjacent to its western side. This area is so detached from the rock, as to leave a crevasse running along its base; the lower part of the embankment is also so detached, as to form a covered passage, winding over this end of the crevasse, and under the embankment. We found a semicircular cavity, which, opening into the crevasse, upon its near side and close to its brink, appeared to have been occasioned by the sinking of the snows underneath. Into this cavity the poles were thrust down, to ascertain whether it was undermined by a continuation of the chasm, and we judged it was not. The cavity was only about twenty feet from the verge of the eminence, which consisted chiefly of indurated snow, that frequently rolled down in avalanches; but we all contented

ourselves with this situation, being too much in need of rest to be troubled with any idea of danger.

Every guide had by this time arrived, so that we immediately set about guarding the cavity, upon that side which opened into the crevasse, by means of cross poles fastened into the snows; we then strewed its floor with the few pieces of wood brought from old Favret, and spreading over them a blanket, we all crowded together into this little cell. The guides now partook of a moderate supper; but I had no appetite, and my mouth and throat suffered from the snow and lemons I had eaten. Wine was too strong for me, and our expedient of thawing the snow had failed, since our departure from the Grand Plateau; so that I neither ate nor drank. I now changed my shoes; putting' on the pair with which I had ascended to the glaciers. I changed also my stockings, and dressed in an extra pair of hose, and a spencer. Before we started, I understood that charcoal would be provided; but none now appeared, and I was resolved not to complain. The guides used for pillows, and for enclosing their feet, the sacks which had contained our provisions, -an accommodation they offered to me, which I declined; as I had brought extra clothing, and was resolved to share in their hardships. A travelling fur cap de fended my head, which being reclined on the snow, I had only to open my eyes to behold above me a firmament of stars.

The thermometer was at 26°; and we were extremely cold being sheltered only with a linen cloth. It was eight o'clock before we became settled. In the night arose light gusts of wind, drifting the snow