Mr F. ClissoldV successful Ascent of Mont Mane. ITl 
the evening at the Petit Mulet, a rock situated above the Rocher 
Rouge , the nearest to the top of all those that are seen from 
Chamouny. We had reached it at half past six. The Petit Mu- 
lct being higher, and to the left, is not visible from below. As 
we had not time to reach the summit before night, we descended 
again to the Roeher Rouge , near which we made a pit in the snow, 
four feet deep, five broad, and six long. We placed at the bot- 
tom some pieces of wood, on which we spread a rather thin co- 
vet ing, on which we all seven lay down, covered with a slight 
sheet, which was by no means sufficiently large for the purpose. 
Some blasts of wind, which now and then blew into our faces 
some of the light snow drifted from the surface, was a bad omen 
of the fate that awaited us if the wind had risen. We slept, how- 
ever, about four hours. We could not observe the thermometer 
for want of light ; but the night was cold enough to produce ice 
in a bottle of Hermitage wine, and thoroughly to freeze some 
lemons among our provisions. The right foot of one of my 
guides (David Coutet) was frozen, and also the extremities of my 
own fingers and toes. But these accidents were attended with no 
bad consequences. We left our cold couch at four o’clock in the 
morning. The day was beginning to break, and the first rays 
of the dawn gave a silver tinge to the summits, from which we 
were not far distant. In proportion as the sun approached the 
horizon, the tint changed, and became entirely golden when he 
rose. It formed the most striking contrast with the nearly black 
colour of the sky, from which it seemed to be detached. All the 
difficulties were now surmounted : we sunk but little in the snow, 
and now and then halted for a short time to take breath. We 
soon came to the Petit Mulet , which we had visited the day be- 
fore ; and at half past five we were on the summit. We began 
by making the signals agreed on with our friends in the plain, 
who easily distinguished them. 
“ This summit is not so limited as it seems to be at a distance. 
It forms a small plain, nearly horizontal *, which is in the shape 
of a triangle, the base of which is towards Chamouny ; one. side 
is towards the Allee Blanche , and the other towards the passage 
of Bon-liomme. It took me four minutes to walk along the per- 
pendicular drawn from the apex of the triangle to the base. 
* About 200 feet fall, (F. C.) 
