ues Balmat, surnamed Mont Blanc, from his having
been the first to discover the way to the summit, safely conducted
thither fifteen of the inhabitants of Chamouny, one of whom was a
_woman_.

About this time also he returned with two of his companions, and
placed on the top an obelisk of wood, twelve feet in height, (which
they had brought up in pieces) to serve in the trigonometrical survey,
that was then making of the country.

In 1812, M. Rodasse, a banker of Hamburgh, undertook and accomplished
the same journey, without any accident.

The 16th of September, 1816, the Comte de Lucy, a Frenchman,
succeeded, notwithstanding the severity of the cold he experienced, in
attaining a rock only 600 feet lower than the summit of Mont Blanc. He
was there, however, so entirely overcome with cold and fatigue, that
he was unable to proceed this short distance, and compelled, with much
reluctance, to return. On reaching the valley he was unable to walk,
but was carried by his guides to the inn, where his feet proved to be
so much frozen, that on drawing his boot, the skin peeled off and
remained in it. Two of his guides were also severely frozen.

Count Malzeski, a Pole, left Chamouny the 5th of August, 1818, for
Mont Blanc, accompanied by eleven guides, reached the summit the
following day, and returned, in safety, the third, without suffering
much more inconvenience than having his nose frozen.

During our visit to Chamouny, in the beginning of this month, my
friend Dr. Van Rensselaer and myself, in our various excursions to the
glaciers, and other scenes of the valley, had frequently opportunities
of conversing with the guides, who had participated in these journeys,
and among them with old Balmat, the Columbus of Mont Blanc. The result
was, that our curiosity was strongly excited, and being induced by
their representations of the almost certainty of succeeding in the
present favourable weather, we finally determined, after much
deliberation, to make the attempt. We therefore engaged _Marie
Coutet_, an experienced guide, who had been three times on the summit,
as leader, and eight other guides to accompany us. They refused to
undertake the journey with a smaller party, on account of the number
of articles which it was necessary to take with us, as a ladder,
cords, provisions, charcoal to melt the snow for drinking, and a
number of other things, which were indispensable, and which formed a
sufficient quantity to load each