MONT BLANC 201 



to the sound conclusion that Mont Blanc was less accessible from 

 this quarter than by its Chamonix face. Early in September 

 Paccard was again in the field wandering under the cliffs of the 

 Aiguille du Gouter and reconnoitring their ridges and gullies, 

 without, however, pushing any further attack. 



It was at the end of August 1784, between these two expedi- 

 tions, that the first meeting of Paccard and de Saussure took place. 

 It is recorded in de Saussure 's hitherto unpublished diary for that 

 year. Madame Couteran's inn being full, de Saussure found 

 lodging in the house of a member of the Paccard family, where he 

 met the doctor. He describes him as ' a fine fellow (joli gar$on), 

 full, as it seemed, of intelligence, fond of botany, creating a garden 

 of Alpine plants, wanting to climb Mont Blanc, or at least to 

 attempt it.' A week later he met Paccard again, and invited him 

 to supper, but ' he had an air of being offended, and appeared to 

 take it as a reproach to him for not having asked me first. We 

 parted, however, with offers of mutual service which had a strong 

 air of sincerity.' Paccard, probably, was somewhat sensitive as 

 to his social position, and did not want to be treated on the same 

 footing with the Chamoniards who served as guides. 



The persevering Bourrit had let the best of the summer slip 

 away, but news having reached him that two hunters had succeeded 

 in climbing the Aiguille du Gouter and reaching the upper snows, 

 he set out from Geneva on September llth as usual, a month 

 too late and on the 16th and 17th made a serious attempt with 

 six guides to scale the mountain by this route. His powers 

 as de Saussure had predicted proved unequal to the task set 

 them, and he broke down on the first rocks at the foot of the 

 Aiguille. Two of his guides, however, persevered, climbed the 

 Aiguille, crossed the Dome, and reached the rocks below the Bosses, 

 where M. Vallot's observatory now stands (14,312 feet). 



This was a very remarkable advance. The outer defences of 

 Mont Blanc were overcome, and only the last citadel, the final 

 1360 feet, remained to be stormed. De Saussure recognised the 

 importance of the ground gained, and determined to return to 

 the attack next year on the first opportunity. Unfortunately, 

 however, the summer of 1785 was wet (the eighties of the eigh- 

 teenth century seem to have been a period of abnormal precipita- 

 tion), and again the start was put off to the shortening days of 



