322 Ascent of the Jungfrau in 1841. 
these are the Viescherhérner, the Oberaarhorn, the Schreck- 
hérner, the Berglistock, the Wetterhérner, and, in the centre, 
the Finsteraarhorn, the highest mountain in Switzerland. It 
alone rose above our level,* and its abrupt and rocky sides 
seemed to bid defiance to our ambition. Some weeks before we 
had been speaking about trying to ascend it ; but now when 
we had a near view of this immense ridge, we felt our zeal sen- 
sibly cool, and we could not but the more admire the energy 
of our guides, Jacob and Weehren, the only individuals who 
have reached the summit. 
On the southern side the view was intercepted by the clouds 
which had been collected for some hours on the chain of Mont- 
Rosa. But this disappointment was more than compensated 
by a very extraordinary phenomenon, which took place under 
our eyes and interested all of us extremely, but more particu- 
larly Mr Forbes, as a natural philosopher. Thick mists had 
accumulated on our left, in the direction of south-west. They 
always rose from the bottom of the Rottthal, and bégan to 
extend to the north upon the mountains which separate this 
valley from that of Lauterbrunnen. We were beginning to 
fear that they would envelope us a second time, when they 
suddenly stopped at some feet from us, no doubt from the ef- 
fect of some current of air from the plain which prevented 
their extending farther in this direction. Thanks to this cir! 
cumstance, we found ourselves all of a sudden in presence of 
a vertical wall of mist, the height of which was estimated at 
12,000 feet at least, for it penetrated to the bottom of the 
valley of Lauterbrunnen, and rose many thousand feet above 
our heads. As the temperature was below the freezing point, 
the minute drops of the mist were transformed into crystals 
of ice, which reflected in the sun all the colours of the rain- 
bow ; one would have said that it was a mist of gold which 
sparkled around us. It was a spectacle at once terrible and 
* The height of the Finsteraarhorn, according to Tralles, is about 13,428 
feet, that of the Jungfrau 12,870. M. Rudolph Meyer states that the Va- 
laisan guides who accompanied him in 1812, accomplished the ascent of the 
Finsteraarhorn ; this is an error, for it is impossible to go in three hours from 
the summit of the Oberaarhoru to the summit of the Finsteraarhorn, as M. 
Meyer alleges. 
