YOUTH AND EARLY TRAVELS 87 



d'Aosta, possibly by the Col d'Iseran, but gave this up for the tour 

 of Mont Blanc. De Saussure was already ambitious to enlarge 

 his article on glaciers and to make it the foundation of a work 

 that might supplement or supersede Griiner's Eisgebirge, which 

 touched but slightly on the glaciers of Savoy. But though he and 

 his friend Lord Stanhope, then residing at Geneva, were both hard 

 at work learning German, he could not yet read it easily. So he 

 wrote to Haller in May 1767 to inquire if Griiner's treatment of 

 his subject was adequate from the local and scientific points of 

 view, and to ask for a German dictionary. In August he further 

 inquired if good German would be of any use where ' the Swiss 

 idiom ' prevailed ! The reply encouraged him to carry out both 

 his projected tour and his literary undertaking. 



In the middle of July he flew to the mountains, and left behind 

 him the troubles and quarrels of Genevese politicians. It was his 

 fourth visit to Chamonix. His programme is set out in a letter 

 to Haller : 



' I shall make experiments on heat and cold, on the weight of the 

 atmosphere, on electricity, on the magnet, and on the modes of repro- 

 duction of animals, besides giving my greatest attention to natural 

 history. I should like to bring back something to give you pleasure.' 



He was still eager to collect and add to the alpine flora. But 

 geology was now his main object. He writes to Haller : ' I am 

 going to work for you and myself.' 



De Saussure had not long to wait to study electric phenomena. 

 The tour began with an ascent de Saussure's third of the 

 Brevent. He writes to Haller from the chalets of Planpra, well 

 known to modern tourists : ' It is with singular pleasure I give 

 you news of a journey undertaken under your auspices.' He 

 goes on to relate how, while on the top of the BreVent with his 

 friends, his ' guides and domestics,' Pictet, on lifting a finger to 

 point out one of the opposite peaks, heard a very lively whistling 

 like that of an electric conductor (aigrette). 



* We all, and then our guides and domestics, who thought it great 

 fun, did the same, with a like result, hearing from time to time the 

 crackle of little sparks which slightly pricked our fingers. M. Jalabert, 

 who had a hat trimmed with gold lace, heard all round its edge a 

 very distinct and almost alarming noise.' 



