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other in the mod fingutar and flrikhig vicifliludc. Tlicli; 

 glaciers, wliith lie chiitly in the lioUows of the inoinitaiiis, 

 and are fome leagues in length, unite at the foot of Mont 

 Blanc. 



Of the various attempts that have been made to reach the 

 fummit of Mont Blanc, the iirll was that of M. Coutcran, 

 and three guides of Ciiamouny, Michael Paccard, Viftor 

 Taflay, and Maria Coutct. On the 13th of July 177C, 

 they fet off from the priory, about 1 1 in the evening ; pafled 

 between the glaciers of Boffon and Tacona ; and after fpend- 

 ing above 14 hours in mounting rugged and dangerous al- 

 cents, and in crofTmg fevcral vallies of ice, and large plains 

 of fnow, found ihemi'elves on the top next to Mont Blanc. 

 But though at firft fight it appeared to be fcarecly a 

 league dillant, they foon perceived that it feemed, on account 

 of the clearnefs of the air, the whitenefs of the fnow, and its 

 great height, to be much nearer than it really was, and that 

 it would require at lead four hours more to reach the fummit, 

 even if it were praflicable. As the day was far advanced, and 

 the vapours near the fummit of the mountain began to gather 

 into clouds, they relinquifhed their enterprize ; and returned 

 to Chamouny, not v\ilhout perfonal danger in leaping over 

 chafms of ice, after a journey of 22 hours, with this fatislac- 

 tion, that they had approached nearer to Mont Blanc than 

 any former adventurers. The fumm.it which they had at- 

 tained, is, according to fir George Shuckburgh, more than 

 13,000 feet above the Mediterranean. Aft«r fome fubfe- 

 quent but unfuccefsful attempts, M. Bourrit, accompanied 

 by fix guides, departed from Bionafay, and began to " fcale 

 (as he terms it) the rampart" of Mont Blanc, when he fud- 

 denly found himfelf fo exceedingly affefted by the intenfe 

 cold, that he was unable to proceed. Maria Coutet, and 

 Francis Guidet, two of his guides, proceeded to the dome 

 of Goute, which is about 9400 feet in an horizontal direc- 

 tion from the fummit ; but the approach of night obliged 

 them to return. On the 4th of September 1785, Maria 

 Coutet and James Bahr.at advanced beyond the dome of 

 Goute towards the fummit, but a violent llorm of hail and 

 wind compelled them to abandon the enterprize. On the 

 13th of this month Mcffrs. SaufTure and Bourrit, attended 

 by twelve guides, well provided with barometers, thermo- 

 meters, and other nccelTary inllruments, left Bionafay, and 

 arrived at a hut which was conllrufted by their orders at 

 " Pierre Ronde," 7808 feet above the level of the fea ; and 

 on the next morning they purfued their journey to the dome 

 of Goute ; but a heavy fall of fnow prevented their progrefs. 

 Sauffure fays, that the mercuiy in the barometer funk l8j 

 inches, and that he reached an elevation of 8256 Englifh 

 ftet. In July 1786, James Balmat, one of fix guides of 

 Chamouny, being feparated from his companions, who failed 

 in another attempt, palled the night on a fpot above the 

 " Dome of Goute," elevated more than 12,000 feet above 

 the level of the fea. On his return, however, to Chamouny, 

 he was feized with a very fevere indifpofition, the effeft of 

 extreme fatigue, and of the intenfe cold ; but being at- 

 tended by Dr. Paccard, a phyfician of the place, he offered, 

 as an exprtflion of gratitude for his attendance, to conduft 

 him to the fummit of Mont Blanc. Accordingly, on the 

 7th of Augutt, thefe two daring adventurers fallied forth 

 from Chamouny, and reached the mountain of " La Ce'ite," 

 which overhangs the upper part of the glacier of Boffon. 

 Here they paffcd the night, and at three on the next morn- 

 ing they purfued thtrir route over the ice, afcended the 

 •' Dome of Goute," paffed under the " Middle Dome," and 

 turning to thecail at the lall pyramid of rock, continued along 

 the ridge which is feen from Geneva, and which hes on the 

 left of the fummit. Here cold and fatigue difcouraged Dr. 

 Paccard ; but being animated by his companion, he deter- 



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mined to advance, ftruggling with a very violent and pierc 

 ing wind, till at length they attained the fummit which no 

 one had vifited before. Here they remained about halt an 

 hour, when they found the cold fo intenfe, that their pro- 

 villon was frozen in their pockets, the ink congealed in their 

 inkhorns, and the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer funk 

 toiSi degrees. They fpeiit 15 hours in afcending; but found 

 great difficulty in their defcent, their fight being much de- 

 bilitated by the reflcftiun of the fnow. On their return to 

 Chamouny at eight in the morning, their faces were exco- 

 riated, their lips much fwclled, and Dr. Paccard was al- 

 moff blind. Thefe adventurers prepared the way for the 

 oblervations and difcoveries of future naturaliffs, and parti- 

 cularly of LSauffnre, whofe indefatigable zeal would not 

 allow him to reft, till he had reached the top of Mont Blanc, 

 and made tliofe cxperinienls, which have fcrved in a very 

 confiderable degree to elucidate the theory of the atmof- 

 phere. 



Having arrived at Chamouny, a village at the bafe of the 

 mountain, M. de Sauffure was detained by continual rains for 

 four weeks ; after which, he fet out on the iff of Augull 

 1787, accompanied by a fervant and 18 guides, who carried 

 the philofophical inftruments and the tents, and other ap- 

 paratus neceffaiy for the intended experiments. Although 

 the dillance from the priory of Chamouny to the fummit of 

 the mountain is little more than two leagues, or about 6J 

 miles, in a llraight line, it requires neverthelefs 18 hours to 

 gain the fummit, on account of the difficulties of the road, 

 as well as the neceffary circuits. In the evening, they ar- 

 rived at a hut conltrufted for them on the top of the moun- 

 tain of " La Cote," about a mile perpendicularly above the 

 village. Their fecond day's journey was attended with 

 many difficulties, owing to the wide, deep, and irregular 

 chafms interfering the ice-valley on the tide of the hill, 

 which can only be croffed by means of bridges naturally 

 formed of fnow, and often very (lender ; extended, as it were, 

 over an abyls. In this perilous valley, they were obliged to 

 purfue a winding road, fo that they were three hours in 

 croffmg it, though in a ftraight line its breadth is not above 

 three-quarters of a mile. At length, however, they reached 

 the chain of rocks that border on the perpetual fnows 

 v.hich cover Mont Blanc, and then mounted, in a ferpentine 

 direftion, to a valley filled with fnow, and running from 

 north to fouth, to the foot of the higheil pinnacle. The 

 furface of the fnow in this valley has numerous fiffures ; 

 penetrating to a great depth, and coniiderably broad ; pre- 

 fcnting to view, by their broken fides, tb.e fucceffive hori- 

 zontal layers of fnow, which are annually formed. In this 

 fituation the guides wilhed to pafs the niglit ; but Sauffure, 

 obferving that the loftieft of thefe rocks is atlealt 1400 yards 

 perpendicularly lower than the fummit of the mountain, 

 vviflitd to proceed, and at length prevailed with the guides 

 to accompany him. At four in the afternoon, they arrived 

 at the fecond of the three plains of fnow, which they had to 

 pafs ; but as the day was far advanced, and they were appre- 

 henfive of expoinig tliemfelves to the "Avalanches," which 

 are frequently tumbling from the fummit of the mountain, 

 they determined to proceed no farther. Here they encamped 

 at the height of 93 i 2 feet above the priory of Chamouny, 

 or I 2,762 feet above the level of the fea. For this purpofe, 

 they dug a deep hole in the fnow, of fufficient width to con- 

 tain the whole company, and covered its top with the tent- 

 cloth. In this fituation the barometer had fallen to 17 inches, 

 10 lines ^T ; and they ail felt the eiTeds of the rarefied air. 

 Seven or eight hours' walk, which they had juft performed, 

 had not in the leaft affefted thefe robuit and hardy men ; but 

 they had fcarcely raifed five or fix ftiovels of fnow, in forming 

 their intended habitation, before they were under a aecelTity 



of 



