36 



NA TURE 



[May 10, 1888 



to be crossed by ladders, and very steep banks of snow 

 must be struggled through. They arrived at the Grand- 

 Plateau at 7 o'clock, and stopped there for refreshment 

 and repose. At the Tournette rock, one of the bearers 

 was forced to stop from fatigue, and to give his load 

 to one of the more robust, and about 3 o'clock in the 

 afternoon they arrived at the summit. All the guides 

 but two deposited their burdens on the snow, and imme- 

 diately took their departure. When ascending the last 

 hill, MM. Vallot and Richard were attacked by mountain- 

 sickness, and for some hours did not recover. M. Richard 

 compares the shape of the mountain-top to a pear cut in 

 two and resting on a plate, the stalk of the fruit well 

 representing the narrow ridge by which one ascends. 

 Between this ridge and the dome, which measures scarcely 

 more than 20 metres in diameter, is a small indentation, 

 in which they fixed their tent. Having driven the stakes 

 into the snow, they secured the tent by a long rope. None 

 of them had at that time the strength or courage to 



arrange the baggage. They were compelled to take 

 shelter from the wind, and having refreshed themselves 

 with a little soup, made with melted snow and preserved 

 bouillon, they stretched themselves on the ground, with 

 their heads on the boxes of instruments and the cooking- 

 utensils. 



Overcome by his efforts in erecting the tent, M. Richard 

 fell asleep ; but during part of the night M. Vallot made, 

 gallant efforts to fix his instruments, but he was at length 

 compelled by the snow to return. After some hours of 

 sleep, the cold woke M. Richard, and, fearing the effects of 

 the carbonic acid gas engendered by the breathing of four 

 persons, with the consent of the others he allowed some 

 air to enter, and, lighting a lantern, placed it on the 

 ground, believing it would be extinguished before there 

 would be any danger of suffocation. However, the wind 

 which raged outside kept the tent well ventilated, and 

 froze them to the marrow. About 4 o'clock they all went 

 out of the tent and watched the sun rise — a sight which, 



Fig. 2. 



M. Richard says, was worth all the pains and fatigues 

 they had endured. The thermometer, when placed on 

 the snow, stood at 19 C. below zero. The sun rose, and it 

 was a most marvellous sight. As the day-star shone out, 

 rosy clouds enveloped the snow-clad tops of the surround- 

 ing mountains ; little by little, the shadows in which the 

 rocky peaks emerging from the snow were clothed dis- 

 appeared, leaving the peaks covered with the richest 

 tints. The clouds below sometimes appeared like a rough 

 sea, with its waves dashing against a rocky shore, and 

 sometimes like a thick veil thrown over valleys by the 

 night. Then these clouds dissolved into air under the 

 influence of the sun's rays, seeming to disappear as if by 

 magic, leaving no other trace of their existence than a 

 light mist clinging to the sides of the mountains. 



They now began to put their instruments into position. 

 The large actinometer, made by M. Violle, was placed on 

 a small table ; and the others — the actinometers of Arago 



and M. Violle, the thermometers, and the Fontin barometer 

 — being fixed (Fig. 2), M. Vallot at once commenced his 

 observations. Then they made their tent more comfort- 

 able with a floor of double-tarred cloth, and, above this, a 

 mattress, hard, no doubt, but to them a very welcome 

 addition. The tent was 4 metres square, and 1 '50 metre 

 high. The health of the party was not very good : M. 

 Richard and one of the guides suffered from severe head- 

 aches, with feverish symptoms. The least effort, even 

 ordinary movement, caused such fatigue th3t they were 

 compelled to lie down during a great part of the day. 

 They had a visitor the first day, in the person of Baron 

 Munch, coming from Courmayeur, in Italy, into Chamou- 

 nix, who was amazed to find sojourners on the iop of 

 Mont Blanc. The second night was not so trying as the 

 first : they had pillows, which were softer than the pots 

 and pans, and they thus had a most refreshing sleep. 

 The tent was very picturesque. M. Vallot had brought 



