Feb. 27, 1879] 



NATURE 



391 



They set out at 9 A.M. on the loth, and in spite of the 

 deep snow and fallen avalanches, the ascent was at first 

 not difficult. After equipping themselves for snow work 

 at some huts occupied only in summer, the ascent was 

 begun in earnest. The weather was grey and uncertain, 

 the temperature 0° Cent., with a thick mist that prevented 

 anything being seen beyond 300 metres. The snow be- 

 came deeper and deeper as they advanced, and one of 

 the guides went before to show the way, the others fol- 

 lowing the marks of his footsteps up the steep slope of 

 the mountain side. Sometimes they were buried to the 

 waist, and often they had to rest to recover breath. The 

 ascent was slow and difficult, but they were often 

 rewarded by the magnificent effects resulting from the 

 play of light upon the snowy landscape beneath, or of 

 the clouds advancing majestically into the midst of the 

 snows. After attaining an altitude of 6,000 feet, they had 

 got over the steepest part of the slope. But now the 

 weather changed, the wind rose, and mists more and 

 more obscured the sky. Squalls of snow were driven into 

 their faces, and seriously hindered their progress. Along- 

 side the track heaps of snow showed where avalanches 

 had recently fallen from the rocks above. The telegraph 

 posts, 7 metres high, were often buried ; five or six of 

 them were even broken by the violence of the recent 

 storms, and the wires were broken. The weather got 

 worse as they ascended, and M. Tissandier had all the 

 symptoms of mountain-sickness, '^which he had not ex- 

 perienced before, even when ascending Mont Blanc. At 

 last, however, the summit was reached, and, as might be 

 expected. General de Nansouty gave the party a warm 

 reception. A glorious fire and an excellent dinner soon 

 set M. Tissandier all right again. 



.' The establishment of the General is far from being 

 luxurious, M. Tissandier tells us ; although none of the 

 usual necessaries of life are wanting, one is struck with 

 the devotion which impels him, for the sole purpose of 

 advancing science to accept an existence so isolated, so 

 primitive, and that during eight months of the year. 



The observatory of the Pic du Midi is most picturesque. 

 We enter first a passage with glass doors at the sides, in 

 order to protect as much as possible from the violence of 

 the wind and the gusts of snow. The telegraphic office 

 is at the bottom. A respectable provision of wood fur- 

 nishes this passage ; a few hens inhabit it ; one of them 

 was slaughtered in M. Tissandier' s honour. A room 

 adorned with an immense fireplace is next presented to 

 the visitor's view ; it is the vestibule. The guides sleep 

 here on a camp bed, and have for messmates two dogs 

 and two cats, presided over by the intendant, the faithful 

 guardian of the observatory. All round this apartment, 

 carefully arranged as on shipboard, may be seen a variety 

 of provisions. The dining-room opens in this vestibule. 

 In summer a separate part of the building is arranged 

 for the reception of tourists, and a stable for horses is 

 placed below the principal structure. 



To the first storey there is no staircase, as there is no 

 room for it ; there is only a ladder with a knotted cord 

 as balustrade. On ascending this, a small vaulted room 

 is entered ; a stove ruddy with fire heats the whole floor, 

 and the cold of the outside is unkno\vn in these hospitable 

 chambers. The chief ornaments of this apartment con- 

 sist of two sets of beds, one near the floor, used by M. 

 Baylac, the second observer and devoted companion of 

 General de Nansouty, Above is another bed, or rather 

 shelf, to use the General' s expression ; this is for the use 

 of visitors. It is reached by a ladder, and the mattress 

 consists of an excellent sheepskin, on which, M. Tissan- 

 dier declares, he slept so soundly, 8,000 feet above the 

 sea, that he reluctantly left it on the morning after his 

 arrival. On this first floor the General has a workroom 

 in common with M. Baylac. This room is too small for 

 the work which has to be done in it. 



Everybody is up at daybreak ; this is the inexorable 



order. The General then begins the da/s observations. 

 It is necessary to go outside to examine the thermometers 

 and barometers, which are placed under a shelter con- 

 structed on a stone terrace. Every two hours, and 

 oftener when the atmospheric conditions require it, the 

 observations are renewed, precisely recorded, and pre- 

 served with care. Thus the whole day is passed, night 

 alone putting an end to the work, M. Tissandier bears 

 testimony to the energy and patience of the courageous 

 observer of the Pic du Midi in carrying on his work. 



Fig. I. — Ascent of the Pic du Midi, January lo, 1879. 



Happily the rather too primitive arrangement of the 

 General will soon be changed for the better, thanks to 

 the generous donations of those who love and desire to 

 advance science. 



During the small amount of leisure which can be found 

 between the hours of observation. General de Nansouty 

 directs his companion in a great variety of labours. A 

 very interesting herbarium of the flora of the high regions 

 of the Pic du Midi has thus been formed. M, Tissandier 

 admired some rare plants, such as Gentiana ^lacialis, 

 Daphne cnceorum, Salix herbaccea, &c. Mineralogical 



