308 M. Humboldt on Uvo Attempts to ascend Chimborazo. 



Boussingault, on the 16th of December 1831, with his Eng- 

 lish friend Colonel Hall, — who was soon afterwai'ds assassinat- 

 ed in Quito, — made a new attempt to reach the summit of Chim- 

 borazo, first from Mocha and ChillapuUu, then from Arenal, 

 thus by a different way from that trodden by Bonpland, Don 

 Carlos Montufar, and myself. He was obliged to give up the 

 ascent, when his barometer indicated 13 inches 8^ lines, with 

 an atmospheric temperature of -f 7''.8 (-)- 46''.04 F,). He 

 thus saw the uncorrected column of mercury almost three lines 

 lower, and reached a point 64 toises higher than I did, viz. 3080 

 toises. Let us have the words of this well-known traveller of 

 the Andes, who was the first to carry a chemical apparatus to, 

 and into, the craters of volcanoes. " The way," says Boussin- 

 gault, " which we opened for ourselves through the snow, in 

 the latter part of our expedition, permitted of our advancing 

 but very slowly. On the right we were enabled to grasp hold 

 of a rock, on the left, the abyss was fearful. We were already 

 sensible of the effect of the attenuated air, and were obliged, 

 every two or three steps, to sit down. As soon, however, as we 

 were seated, we again stood up, for our sufferings lasted only 

 while we moved. The snow we were obliged to tread was soft, 

 and lay three or four inches deep, on a very smooth and hard 

 covering of ice. We were obliged to hew out steps. A Negro 

 went before, to perform this work, by which his powers were 

 soon exhausted. As I was endeavouring to pass him, for the 

 purpose of relieving him, I slipped, and happily was held back by 

 Colonel Hall and my Negro. We were (adds M. Boussingault) 

 for a moment all three in the greatest danger. Further on, the 

 snow became more favourable, and at three quarters past three 

 ©""clock we stood upon the long-looked for ridge of rock, which 

 was only a few feet broad, and surrounded by immeasurable 

 depths. Here we became convinced that to advance farther was 

 impossible. We found ourselves at the foot of a prism of rock, 

 whose upper surface, covered with a cap of snow, forms the pro- 

 per summit of Chimborazo. To have a true figure of the topo- 

 graphy of the whole mountain, one must imagine an enormous 

 snow-covered mass of rock, which from all sides appears as if 

 supported by buttresses. The latter are the ridges, which, ad- 



