106 Dr Barry's Ascent to the Summit of Mont Blanc. 



Rhine must in that time have carried down materials sufficient 

 to form a stratum of stone of a yard thick, extending over an 

 area more than thirty -six miles square. How much farther back 

 we may legitimately carry our calculations, I leave it to those 

 to fix, who consider that there are any data to enable us even to 

 guess at what epoch the Rhine was different from what it now is, 

 either in respect of the volume or the velocity of the stream, in 

 that part of its course at least to which the present paper refers. 



Ascent to the Summit of' Mont Blanc, IGlh-l^th ()f dth Month, 

 {September J 1834. By Martin Baukv, M. D. With two 

 Plates. Communicated by the Author. 



On reaching the Col de Balme, on the 15th, in passing from 

 Martigny to the Priory of Charaonix, ?.Iont Blanc presented it- 

 self for the first time. It came suddenl y and magnificently into 

 view in its whole extent. Though inferior to Chimbora^o in its 

 elevation above the sea, Mont Blanc is to be considered as the 

 higher mountain of the two; as it rises 12,300 feet above the 

 valley of Chamonix ; Chimbora^o not more than 11,600 above 

 the plain of Quito. There is another important feature in Mont 

 Blanc ; its line of perpetual snow is nearly 7000 feet below the 

 summit ; that of Chimbora9o only 2400, according to Humboldt. 



On my arrival at the Priory in the evening, guides were 

 consulted as to the probable practicability of an ascent. It was 

 objected, in the first place, that the season was too far advanced, 

 and secondly, that some snow had recently fallen, which had not 

 had time to harden : as a consequence of the first obstacle, that 

 the days were too short, and that the fissures had probably 

 widened ; of the second, that the way would be rendered not 

 only more difficult, but more dangerous also, from the recent 

 snow lightly covering the smaller crevices. On the other hand, 

 the weather had never perhaps presented a more favourable op- 

 portunity, the moon was nearly full, I was in excellent " train- 

 ino-," from having lately climbed some of the heights in Switzer- 

 land ; and additional interest was given to the undertaking, from 

 the lapse of four years since the last ascent : which, according to 

 a list seen at the Priory, was made by my countryman Capt. 

 E. B. Wilbraham, in 1830. 



Taking all circumstances into consideration, I concluded to 



