EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, FOR MAY 1793: DESCRIPTION OF MONT BLANC, NEEDLES, GLACIERS, &c. on FROM WATKINS'S TRAVELS IN SWISSERLAND, ITALY, &c. PRIEURE in the VALE of CHAMOUNIE, July 26, 1787. N Monday the 23d we left Geneva with a determined refolution of overcoming all difficulties the road, and I believe that neyer were two men better qualified for a Swifs tour. Having entered the territories of his Sardinian majefty, we foon came to the little town of Bonneville, built at the foot of a mountain called the Mole, which from its height, and fine floping peak, is an object of great beauty when feen from the lake of Geneva. Our road continued up a deep valley, through which the polluted Arve runs with great rapidity, and empties itfelf into the Rhone. The exact refemblance of the oppofite rocks, on the one fide concave, on the other convex; their correfpondent qualities, equal height, and little diftance between them, convince me, that this valley was formed by fome great convulfion of nature. We ftopped a fhort time on the road to admire two noble water-falls that ru.ed over a mountain, and formed two large ftreams below. They appear ed to the greatest advantage from the heavy rains that had lately fallen, Soon after we croffed the Arve, and arrived at Salenche, a place that has given me a most unfavourable idea of the Savoy towns. Our inn, though bad, is the beft habitation in it; the other houfes present an appearance miferable in the extreme, and the ftreets are fo dirty, that it was impoffible to walk out. However, the accommodations were better than we expected, and, fortunately for us, as the continued rain which fell the next day prevented our departure. On leaving Salenche, we continued our rout up the fame valley on the banks of the Arve, and under Mount Varens. Having travelled about five miles, we left our horfes, and were conducted by our guide to the waterfall of Cheyde, at a little distance from the road; we stood on the fide of a deep woody dingle, oppofite to a lofty rock overgrown with wild fhrubs, from which, about twenty Tt foet feet below the brow, rufhes a large by giving your fancy the most ample range. This attention, I think, due to every writer of Travels, from thofe who read him, as without it the most lively imagery would be flat and uninteresting. Conceive then this little village in a deep valley, fronted by the most vaft, moft fublime, and moft beautiful objects of favage nature. When looking up in an almoft perpendicular direction, I beheld a chain of rocks higher than I could poffibly have conceived from defcription, which, as their cragged and fpiry fides terminate in acute points, are called Les Aiguilles, or Needles. Amidit, but far above thefe, is Mont Blanc, the higheft mountain of the old world, and covered with eternal ice or frozen fnow. Its perpendicular height, as taken from the level of the Mediterrancan, meafures little fhort of three miles, that is, 15,663 feet. It was firft afcended in 1786 by Monfieur Paccard, a phyfician of Prieure, and this year three guides, after much labour and difficulty, effected the fame dangerous enterprife. They lay the first night on the ice, where, though prepared with warm cover ing, it was with extreme difficulty they withflood the cold; proceeding, however, the next morning, they gained the top, after a journey of twenty-one hours. The profeffors Bourrit and Sauffeur, of Geneva, are now here waiting for a ble opportunity to afcend, and, I think, I never longed fo much, as to be of their party; but our time will not admit of it. body of water, dafhing down a confiderable height in an irregular direction, the fpar of which, produced by the breaking of the current against the projecting parts of the rock, extends itfelf in a thick mift to the diftance of forty or fifty yards; and we, being fortunately there whilft the fun's rays were ftrongly reflected on it, beheld a most beautiful rainbow with all its variety and happy mixture of colours. On leaving this charming spot, we rode along the mountain d'Enterne, which was confiderably higher than it now is. In 1751 clouds of thick fmoke iffued out of it for fix weeks fucceflively, when all the upper part gave way with a most tremendous crash, and covered the fides and bottom with its ruins. Under it is the little hamlet of Cerve, in which a company of French miners is established near fome copper and lead mines of great value. These gentlemen permitted us to examine different pieces of the ore, which answered the defcription we had heard of it. They alfo fhewed us a very large model of the neighbouring country finely finished. This fhould be feen by all travellers who vifit the Alps of Savoy, as they are more naturally reprefented than they poffibly can be on a chart. The mountains of this country abound in Chamois, a quadruped of the goat fpecies, and very fimilar to that animal, but rounder in the head, and much lower in the shoulder than the hinder part. We faw two of them at Cerve quit tame. The further we proceeded, the worse we found the road, which had been fo broken up by the late rains, as to be almoft im paffable. However, we entered the vale of Chamounie, and arrived at a comfortable little inn, kept by one Taire, whom I have found to be an honest and attentive landlord. Before I fay any thing of our prefent fituation, I must intreat you to affift the poverty of my description, favoura The morning after our arrival, having hired a guide and mules, we croffed the vale of Chamounie, and afcended through groves of immenfe fir trees by a rugged path, a hill, much steeper than any of our mountains in Brecknockshire. I was fur prised to find the animals we rode fo falfe fure footed, as not to make one step.. When they had carried us more than half Defcription of Mont Blanc, Needles, Glaciers Sc. 331 half way up the mountain, we alighted, as it was impoffible for them to proceed any higher; and, after great fatigue, arrived at a little wooden hovel, which the English travellers, who have visited thefe icy regions, have dignified with the appellation of Blair's Caftle; probably in honour of the gentleman who built it. I here found the names of many of my friends carved on the caftle walls, particularly thofe of Lord Breadalbane, and his brother Mr Campbell. This hill is named Mont Anvert, and afcended for the purpofe of feeing to advantage what is called La Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, which is directly below it. From this place I beheld above us, at an immenfe height, the Aiguille de Charmeaux, which I thought, from its very fuperior elevation, would command a much fuller profpect of the object of our curiofity than Blair's Caftle. I therefore quitted my company, and after an hour and a half's walking, climbing, and creeping along a ridge of fharp rocks, arrived under the fecond point of this Aiguille de Charmeaux, which, I believe, no mortal ever touched before. Indeed I must acknowledge, now the danger is over, it was extremely young in me to have attempted it. From this pinnacle I looked down on one fide over the vale of Chamounie, and on the other over the Sea of Ice, which I perceived communicated with Mont Blanc by two broad channels, and then left it, but not without extreme difficulty. Having rejoined my companions, we defcended and walked half way acrofs this Mer de Glace with the affiftance of our guide, who had provided long poles with fpikes in the end to prevent our falling. It is almoft impoffible to give a perfon, who has never feen this extraordinary production of nature, an adequate idea of it. However, to make the attempt, I muft defire you to fuppofe a deep valley full of ice, little lefs than a mile in breadth, that Ocean itself no longer can refift We had the curiofity to look down many of these vait chafnis, where the ice had opened as deep as forty or fifty feet, but they were inconfiderable when compared to others, as our guide, who is an admirable pilot in thefe frozen tracts, affured us, that in many parts of them they meafured from two to three hundred. It is thought impoffible to form any right conjecture of the caufe of this phænomenon, as its prefent appearance leads but little to an investigation of it. One circumstance, however, might perhaps afford a clue, and that is, its being known to increafe and decrease by the immense mounds of earth that are forced up in its fwell. Whenever any of the projecting parts give way, and fall in, the noife is inferior only to that of thunder. We were fo full of admiration at this grand and horrid object, as to continue on it almoft an hour; after which, we were obliged to reclimb the Mont Anvert for the purpofe of defcending to the place where this fea of ice terminates in the valley below. We here found an arch feventy feet high, equally wide, and I should fuppofe not lefs than thirty deep, out of which rufhes a rapid ftream called the Arveron. We got to fome rocks in the channel that ftand before the center of it, from Ttz which which we gazed with delight and to quit our fituation, and return to Prieuré, where we arrived much tired, but not more tired than pleafed with all the wonders of the fcene. wonder on this beautiful grotto of clear and folid ice. However, as there was danger from the falling in of its parts, we thought it prudent IN ANECDOTES OF AN IRISHMAN. FROM THE SAME. N the year 1769 one Roffiter, a young Irishman, came to Leghorn in fearch of adventures, with no other recommendation than the deportment of a gentleman, added to a fine figure and countenance. Soon after his arrival, a lady, whofe perfonal property was confiderable, faw, and became violently enamoured of him; which was foon fucceeded by a direct propofal on her part (no uncommon thing in Italy) to live with her. As he had been previously informed of her circumftances, and was pleafed with her perfon, he immediately clofed with the offer; and they in confequence refided together in all the warmth of love and intimacy of marriage. Her paffion for him had at firft prompted her to difregard the common law of modefty; after cohabitation it grew to fuch excefs, as to trample on all prudence; for not fatisfied with having purchafed for him a lieutenancy in the Tufcan ármy, the anticipated his every wish, more than fupported his profufion: and on being obliged to vifit her reFations in a diftant part of Italy, intrusted him in her abfence with her jewels, her money, and, in fhort, every thing the owned. Can you fuppofe that a man fo cherished, and fo relied on, could betray a confidence of this nature? Should you wonder at it, how much greater will be your furprise, when I tell you that he not only robbed her of her property, but of her life. She returned to Leghorn fooner than fhẻ had intended, being pregnant by this moniter, who received her with every mark of unaltered affection, but that fame night murdered her in the very bedchamber that had fo' often been the guilty fcene of her weaknefs and affection, a place that should of all others have been inviolable. The deed was foon discovered, and Roffiter apprehended, judged, and condemned to the gallies for life. Previously to the execution of this fentence, he was led out before the troops of the garrifon, where his fword was broken over his head, his uniform ftripped from him for the coarfe habit of a galley flave; and thus, with a halter about his neck, was he delivered over to his punishment, under every mark of degradation and infamy. Yet even this wretch, thus ftigmatized, could create affection in the female fex, who took every opportunity of fupplying him with food; and one, a woman of condition, exerted all her interest to obtain his release for the purpose (as it is faid) of marrying him. But the good Leopold rejected the petition with horror, declaring that he fhould look upon that man as a difgrace to his court, who could intercede on fo wicked an occafion. How more than brutal was the affection that could attach itself to such a monster as Roffiter? ACCOUNT |