36 Dr. HameVs Account of [Jan» 



" Mr. Joseph Dornford, and Mr. Gilbert Henderson, two 

 English gentlemen, and both of the University of Oxford, were 

 anxious to join us ; the former of them had, when in England, 

 formed the project of ascending Mont Blanc. We set out on 

 Aug. 16, at three o'clock in the afternoon from Geneva for Cha- 

 mouny. We arrived the next day at le Prieure, reaching the 

 e^ccellent hotel de FUnion, kept by M. Charlet, at two o'clock. 



" We applied to Joseph-Marie Coutet et Mathieu, son of 

 Pierre Balmat, whom M. Pictet had recommended to us as 

 guides who were equally robust and trusty. They advised us to 

 take 12 guides, or three for each traveller. We referred the 

 choice to them ; and our obliging hostess undertook to prepare 

 all that was necessary for the journey. The next morning at a 

 quarter past five o'clock, we set out in the finest possible weather. 

 We went at first in the direction of the Glacier des Bossons, 

 but before we reached it, we turned to the left, and began the 

 ascent in a forest. At seven o'clock, we had got above the, 

 forest, and reached the chalet, inhabited by Pierre Francois ^ 

 Favret, formerly one of Saussure's guides, who had ascended, 

 and his son was with us. 



" Here one of our guides, JuHen Devouassou, son-in-law of 

 D. Paccard, was nearly poisoned. He supposed that he had 

 bought some syrup of vinegar at Chamouny ; and arriving at a- 

 stream, he tried the syrup before he mixed it with water : he 

 swallowed a little of it. It was concentrated sulphuric acid,, 

 which burned his stomach and mouth in a terrible manner. His 

 gufFerings were great, and he vomited much. Fortunately this- 

 accident happened near a chalet, where I found some wood 

 ashes, and these I made him swallow mixed with water; the 

 alkali neutralized the acid instantaneously, and the guide having 

 recovered, continued the journey with us. 



" From the chalet, the ascent is continued zig-zag in the 

 direction of the Aiguille du Midi ; at half-past eight, we rested 

 tt la Pierre-pointue, where the mountain projects between the 

 Glacier des feossons and the Glacier des Pelerins, but nearest 

 the former. From hence the summit of Mont Blanc is for 

 the first time visible, and le Prieure is still in sight. From 

 thence we turned a little to the right, and at nine o'clock we 

 crossed the torrent called I'eau noir, but which, instead of water, 

 was filled with enormous blocks of granite, rolled down from 

 above : the Aiguille de la Tour is on the left. A quarter of an 

 hour afterwards, we passed to Nant Blanc ; and at a quarter 

 before 10 o'clock we halted to breakfast round a great stone 

 between the Glacier des Bossons and Mount Basselache. The 

 guides call it " la pierre de rechcllc," because they usually 

 leave the ladder there which is used to cross the Glacier. At 

 10 minutes past 1 1 o'clock we recommenced our journey, and in 

 five minutes we reached the Glacier des Bossons, which must 

 be crossed obliquely in the direction of the Grand Mulct. At a 



