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crdtTifting from labour, and of taking breath at very fhort 

 intervals. M. de SauflTure himfelf, though accuilomed to 

 the atmofphere of mountains, and finding himfelf, as he fays, 

 much better in it than in the air of plains, now felt exhaufted 

 with fatigue, only by obfcning his meteorological inllru- 

 nients. This uncomfortable fenfation was heightened by an 

 acute third, and water could not be procured, except by 

 melting fnow ; for the water which they had feen during 

 their afcent, would by this time be congealed ; and the 

 ftnall chaffing -didi which they had taken with them, very 

 flowly fupplied 20 people languifliing with thirft. From the 

 middle of this fuowy plain, not far below the top of Mont 

 Blanc, the fnow exhibited the moll dazzling brightnefs, and 

 formed a Angular contrail with the iky, which, in thefe ele- 

 vated regions, appears almoft black. No living creature was 

 feen here, nor the lead trace of vegetation. The moon flione 

 with the brightcit fplendour in the midll of a il^y as black as 

 ebony. Jupiter, rayed hke the fun, arofe from behind the 

 mountain in the eail ; and the light of thefe luminaries was 

 reflefted from the white plain, or rather bafon, in which 

 they were iltuatcd, and by their dazzling luilre, eclipfed 

 every ilar, except thofe of the firll and fecond magnitude. 

 Whilil they were compofing themfelves to Deep within their 

 tent, incommoded by heat and vitiated air, they were foon 

 alarmed by the noife of an immenfe mafs of fnow, or " Ava- 

 lanche," which fell from the top of the mountain, and 

 covered part of the flope over which they were to climb the 

 next day. The next morning they departed at feven for the 

 third and lail plain ; turning to the left in their way to the 

 higheil rock, which is on the eall part of the funimit, they 

 found the afcent in fome places fo lleep, that the guides 

 were obliged to hew out their footfteps with hatchets. 

 Their progrefs was flow, and it took them two hours to 

 climb a hill about 1590 feet high. Having arrived at this 

 laft rock, they turned to the weft, and climbed the lall afcent, 

 about 900 feet high, and inclining about 28 or 29 degrees. 

 Here the air was fo rarefied, that Sauifure could not take 

 15 or 16 ileps without ftopping for breath ; and at inter- 

 vals he found himfelf faint, fo that he was under the neceffity 

 of fitting down, until, with the return of relpiration, his 

 ftrength was revived. On his arrival to the fummit, at 

 1 1 o'clock, a flight vapour, fufpended in the inferior regions 

 of the air, prevented him from beholding the lower and 

 more dillant objefts ; fuch as the plains of France and Lom- 

 bardy ; but he had the lefs reafun for regretting this lofs, 

 as he was agreeably furprifed by a moll di Hindi and compre- 

 henfive view of all thefe elevated fummits, with the organi- 

 zation of which he had fo long dcfired to be acquainted. 

 He thought himfelf dreaming, when he faw beneath his feet 

 many majeitic peaks, efpecially " Aiguilles," " Le Midi," 

 •' I'Argentiere," and " Le Geant," the bafes of which he 

 had found it fn difficult to afcend. He feized in his mind 

 their mutual proportion and connection, tiieir form and 

 llrufturc ; and a fingle glance removed doubts, and afforded 

 information much more fatisfai5''orily, than whole years of 

 previous lludy. During this time, his guides pitched his 

 tent, and made preparations for his experiments ; but in at- 

 tempting to dilpofe his inllrumeuts for this pui-pofe, he was 

 cbhged, almoil at every inilant, to dcfiil, and whoUv to oc- 

 cupy himlclf about the means of relpiration. Confideriug 

 that the barometer ilood at only 16 inches, 1 line, or 1".I4J 

 inches EngUlli, and that the air, confequently, polfclTtd 

 little more than half the denhty of that on the plains, it is 

 manifell that the deficiency was to be fupplied by more fre- 

 quent inlpirations. This frequency, of courfe, accelerated 

 the circulation of the blood, -more efpecially as the arteries, 

 on the furface of the body, were no longer adluated from 

 without by the preflvire which they ufually experience. 



When M. de SauflTure remained perfeftly quiet, he only felt 

 rather uncomfortable, with a flight difpofition to be fick ; 

 but in any exertion, or when he fixed his attention for a few 

 fucceffive moments, and particularly when, by {looping, he 

 comprefled his cheft, the neceflity recurred of reiling himfelf, 

 and refpiring for two or three minutes. His guides alfo 

 experienced fimilar fenfations. They felt no appetite, and 

 had no inclination to take wine or brandy, having found that 

 llrong liquors increafed the above indifpofition ; without 

 doubt, by quickening the circulation of the blood. No- 

 thing but frefh water was coveted and relilhed, and yet both 

 time and exertion were required to light the fire, without 

 which it was impoffible to obtain any. In this fituation, 

 Sauffure and his companions continued 4! hours, and in their 

 defcent they found fewer difficulties than they expeAed. 

 They arrived the next morning at the valley of Chamouny, 

 without the leafl accident ; and as they had taken the pre- 

 caution to wear veils of crape, their faces were not excoriated, 

 nor their fight debilitated. 



M.de Sauffure has given an ample detail of his obfcrvations 

 on the fummit of Mont Blanc, in the 4th volume of his 

 " Voyages dans les Alpes ;" and a tranflation of this account 

 by profeffor Martyn of Cambridge, forms an appendix to his 

 flvetch of a tour through Swifferland. We (hall here frlecl a 

 few particulars. We learn from this narrative, that the fummit 

 of the mountain is a ridge, nearly horizontal, lying eafl and 

 weft ; the flope at each extremity inclining from 28 to 30 de- 

 grees, the foLithfide between 15 and 20, and the north about 

 45 or 50. Tliis ridge is fo naiTow, as fcarcely to allow two 

 people to walk abreaft, efpecially at the weft end, where it re- 

 fembles the roof of a houfe ; it is wholly covered with fnow ; 

 nor is any bare rock to be feen within 150 yards of the top. 

 The furface of the fnow is fcaly, and in fome places covered 

 with an icy cruft, under which the fnow is dully, and without 

 confidence. The higheft rocks are all granites ; thofe on the 

 eall fide are mixed with fteatites ; thofe on the fouth and 

 well contain a large quantity of fchoerl, and a little lapis 

 corneus. Some of them, efpecially thofe on the eaft, which 

 are about 150 yards below the fnmmit, feem to have been 

 lately ihivered with lightning. M. de Sauffure faw no ani- 

 mal on the mountain, except two flies, a grey phalaena, and 

 a " Myrtillus," which he fuppofes mud have been driven 

 there by the wind. At the elevation of 11,393 feet above 

 the fea, he obferved the " Silene Acaulis," or niofs-campion, 

 in flower ; and dill higher, on the mod elevated rocks, the 

 " Lichen Sulphureus," and " Lichen Rupedris" of Hoff- 

 man. He has given us the height of the barometer on the 

 top of the mountain : viz. Aug. 3. at noon, 16 inches o line, 

 and -j-lj of a line, French meafnre, i. e. 16. 181 Englilh; 

 and Reaumur's thermometer was 2.3 below thefreezingpoint, 

 or 27 of Fahrenheit. M. Sennebicr, at the fame time, ob- 

 ferved, at Geneva, the barometer 27 inches 2 -{— ^^ lines, or 

 29.020 inches Lnglilh, and the thermometer 22.6 above 

 freezing, or 82 of Fahrenheit. From thefe data he makes 

 the heigiit of Mont Blanc 2218 toifes, or 14,180 Engliih 

 feet, according to M. de Luc's rule, and 2272 toifes, or 

 14,525 Eughlli feet, according to M. Trembler's. To 

 thefe heights 13 toifes, or 83 feet, the height of M. Senne., 

 bier's room above the lake of Geneva, mull be added, to 

 give the height of the mountain above the level of the lake 

 14,263 fcct, according to M. de Luc, and 14,608 feet, ac- 

 cording to M. Trembley. S;r George Shuckburgh made 

 the height of Mont Blanc, by trigonometrical raeafurc- 

 meut, 14,429 feet above the lake, which is almoft the mean 

 between the other two. Tlie refult of the obfervaticni 

 made at Chamouny, co-temporary with thofe on Mont 

 Bhnc, agrees ftill moie nearly with fir George's nieafure- 

 ment. The general mean refak makes the fummit of Mont 

 3 Z 2 Blanc 



