374 Capt, UndreWs Account of an [May, 



of what seemed to me strongly to indicate the contrary. The 

 result justified his assumption. 



In these regions there is no barometer equal to the local expe- 

 rience of the inhabitants, which may almost invariably be rehed 

 on. From auguring differently of appearances on quitting 

 Geneva, 1 had, as stated before, postponed, in idea, the attempt 

 till next year, and was thus imperfectly provided with instru- 

 ments wnich cannot be got at Chamouny. Old Dr. Paccard 

 supplied me with all he had, but I could not procure any good 

 -barometers, which I most wanted. 



In addition to Couttet, I engaged five other guides,* who had 



all accompanied two American gentlemen a short time before, 



and left the Prieure about five, a.m. on the 10th. We soon 



jeached the base of the mountain, and after ascending, about 



an hour and a half, through a wood of firs and larches to the 



east of the Glacier^des Bossons, reached a little cottage, the 



Jiighest habitation, where we breakfasted. At half-past six, we 



departed, the thermometer being then 43° f; the sun shining bright 



upon the Dome du Goute, and the western heights of the valley 



of Chamouny, which first receive his rays in consequence of the 



direction of the mountains. At twenty minutes past seven, we 



stopped at a large stone called Pierre Pointue, from whence the 



path to the " derjiier gazon'' is steep, winding, and difficult, 



-having to the right the deep ravine by the side of the Bossons, 



which name is now applied to the whole extent of the glaciers 



towards the Aiguille du Midi and the Montague de la Cote, 



including indeed a portion of what is properly that of Taconay. 



, It was half-past eight before we reached the last land,J when 



•^^ we took a ladder, which is constantly kept there for these excur- 



ifiions, and, crossing a ravine covered with loose stones and 



,Jiuge fragments of rock, ascended the Bossons, over which coa- 



;vgealedmass, the mere lofty adjoining glacier, and the snows above 



them, our future path lay. Our shoes were fitted with the cram- 



.pons used on such expeditions, without which it would have been 



.ampossible to have held footing; and we had also long staves 



• These were Pierre Carrier, Alexis Du Yaussoiix, Mathieu Balmaty, Eugene 



^ Couttet, cousin, and David Couttet, brother of the principal leader. I give their own 



■ method of spelling their names. All of these seem to have attended Dr. Du Hamel and 



khis party; and the first, an excellent man, with two others, who had never before 



attempted the ascent, perished. The Doctor must be mistaken in asserting that poor 



Carrier had been 1 1 times at the top of JMont Blanc. He has confounded the unsuc- 



*<e»8ful efForts with those that succeeded, which are only about one in four. I should 



wadd that besides the above guides, there was a hardy youth of 18 who accompanied us, 



in order to become acquainted with the road. 



f In taking the different temperatures, Reaumur's thermometer was used ; in con- 

 verting the degrees of which to those of Fahrenheit's scale, the fractional parts of a 

 d^pree are omitted. 



t In ascending, we saw several chamois at no great distance above us, leaping from 



lock to rock, with inconceivable agility. Their appearance quite agitated my guides. 



-"Thtir passion for following this poor animal is scarcely credible, and derives additional 



excitement from the dangers attending it. The animation of a fox-hunter is mere still- 



Jiif^mpaied with the/cmr of delight which pervades the chaser of the chamois. 



