though perhaps, more dangerous than the ascent, on account of the greater risk of slipping. We passed under the place, where the avalanche threatened our heads, with even more caution, and more rapidly than before, as we found that a small piece had actually fallen, and covered our path since we had gone up. We arrived in about an hour at the Grand Plateau,' where we stopped to refresh ourselves, and gratify our returning appetites. We found the guide, whom we had left, quite relieved. Here the sun, reflected from the walls of snow which surrounded us on three sides, poured down on us with the most burning heat that I ever experienced from its rays, while our feet, cold from being immersed in the snow, prevented perspiration, and thus increased its power. Wherever its rays could penetrate, as between the cap and neckcloth; or even to the hands, it resembled the application of a heated iron. We were compelled in addition to the assistance of our veils, to keep our eyes half closed, and even then the light was too powerful for them.

We continued with ease and cheerfulness our descent, untill an unexpected difficulty occurred. Where in the morning we had cut our footsteps with an axe, we now found the snow so much softened by the sun that we sunk in it, every third or fourth step, to the middle of the body. R. and myself were more subject to this inconvenience than the guides, on account of the soles of our boots presenting a less surface to the snow, than those of their large shoes. After plunging on in this manner for some time, we began to despair of reaching our rock, which was yet four or five miles distant: but there was no alternative but to proceed. We therefore kept on, though with excessive fatigue. We frequently fell forward; and one limb being tightly engaged in the snow, was violently twisted, and constantly subject to be sprained; which in our situation would have been a serious misfortune. The crevices too, were, from their edges having become softened, more dangerous than before. Perseverance and caution,

however, triumphed over all these difficulties, and we reached the Grand Mulet,' half an hour after five, our boots, stockings and pantaloons completely soaked. These were immediately stretched on the rock to dry, which the heat of the sun soon effected. I had the disappointment to find, on examining my pockets, that the bottle which I had so carefully filled with the air of the summit, had been broken in one of my frequent falls, and of course my hopes of making with it someinteresting experiments were now destroyed. The thermometer was also broken.

Notwithstanding the Herculean labour of the day,and the fatigue we experienced at the time, we had not been long on our rock before we felt strong and invigorated, as if just risen from a comfortable night's repose. This effect of the mountain air has often been remarked. We had even sufficient strength and time, to enable us to continue our descent, with ease to Chamouny; but in the present softened state of the snow, it would have been madness to attempt to cross the glacier, which we found difficult and dangerous the preceding day, before the sun's rays had affected it. In fact, while two of the guides were looking down on our path over the glacier, they saw a bridge of snow which we all crossed the day before, suddenly sink into the chasm beneath.

Imprisoned thus by the glacier, which was now all that intervened betwixt us and terra firma, we quietly resolved to remain where we were, and made the same arrangements for passing the night, that we had done the evening before. We were however at present better off: I mentioned that we had been so fortunate as to find a sufficient supply of water in the neighbourhood of our rock, in consequence of which most of the charcoal, we had brought to melt the snow, remained. With this I made a small fire at our feet, and by blowing almost constantly, kept it up during the night. The cold was notwithstanding so great that whenever I fell asleep, I was awakened in a few minutes to shiver and chatter my

teeth. Our guides slept in the open air, huddled as close together as possible.

July, 13th. The, dawning of the day was truly welcome, as it promised a near termination to our toil and suffering; while the gratification of having accomplished a difficult and interesting object remained. We left our hard bed without reluctance, and were impatient, at the slowness with which the guides made their preparations for packing up their numerous articles. We began to descend as the sun illumined the white top of Mont-Blanc, but long before his beams penetrated below. Above our heads the sky was perfectly clear, while the vallies beneath, and all except a few of the highest of the surrounding mountains, were concealed by a sea of clouds. The appearance of the clouds, when seen from above is singular. They resemble immense floating masses of light cotton. We retraced our path of the first day, and took the same precaution as then of attaching ourselves together. When the sun's rays began to shine on the snow around us, I found that my eyes were so much inflamed, I could scarcely bear them sufficiently open to see the path; notwithstanding the gauze veil I had constantly used, my face was in a terrible condition: the outer skin had fallen, and permitted the moisture of the blood to ooze through; R's eyes were in a worse condition than mine, and his face nearly as bad.

At one part of the glacier where the snow had been so hard at our passing up, that our feet left no impression, we lost our path, which was a misfortune, as we had chosen a much better path in ascending, than we could have done in descending. We however fell in with the track of two chamois, which our guides followed with confidence, relying on the instinct, which they attribute to these animals, of finding a practicable path over the most difficult glaciers.

When we had at last entirely passed the glacier, our feet seemed to rejoice, at once more touching firm ground; and

we felt as if returning to the world from a distant voyage. The rest of our task offered no difficulty, being a constant descent down the rocky mountain side, except what was occasioned by our almost total blindness, and the pain we suffered in our eyes. It was however very fatiguing, as the descent from a mountain is generally more so than the ascent to it. We stopped at the same Chalet where two days before we had bid adieu to the world; and were regaled by the old man and his daughters with a delicious draught of milk and cream. We reached the village soon after 10 o'clock in the morning, having been absent fifty-three hours, during forty-five of which we were on the ice. We were received with many congratulations by the honest villagers, who had taken considerable interest in our success.

As soon as my companion and myself reached our inn, we buried ourselves in our chamber, to enjoy the luxury of a good bed, and of darkness which was necessary for our eyes. It was not until the sun had set, and the twilight was not too strong for them, that we ventured out to regale ourselves with a comfortable meal. Two English visiters, who watched with a glass our progress on the top of MontBlanc, had expressed a determination to follow our example; but our account of the difficulties we met with, and still more the view of the condition we were in, soon induced them to abandon the design. We walked out under the 'Needles,' and as we saw the clouds hang half way up these rocks which pierce the sky, and on whose clear heads the stars seemed to repose, we could scarcely realize the idea that they were the same we had seen only thirty hours before, far below our feet.

The next day after our return to Chamouny our eyes had become so much stronger, that we were enabled without much inconvenience to proceed to Geneva, where we have since remained to recover from our sufferings. Though now more than a week has elapsed, my face is yet much

inflamed; but my eyes have regained their usual strength. R. has suffered in the same manner, but on the whole rather less than myself. Wherever the sun's rays could penetrate, even behind the ears to the level of the neckcloth, the skin has fallen off, and I have exchanged the tawny hue of an Italian and Sicilian sun, for the fair complexion of a German or Englishman We have purchased perhaps too dearly the indulgence of our curiosity; but at present when the difficulties are passed and the gratification remains, I cannot regret it, especially if I succeed in making you partake of the one without suffering from the other.

ART. III.-On Imposts, translated from the late work of Count Chaptal, on the National Industry of France.

(Continued from p. 331.)

It might be observed, at once, that every manufacture constitutes some productive capital, and enriches the nation, more or less, by manual labour, and that under the double duty it may be more useful, than the receipt of fifteen or twenty per cent. in impost duties upon foreign productions, of the same nature: but let us examine the question in another point of view.

All the arts have their infancy, and have only attained their present state of perfection by slow degrees. Excellence in the arts, is the result of knowledge, and of the demand for their exercise, which have not always been the same in different countries; whence it follows that the progress of the arts should vary with the causes which influence their development, and their prosperity neither could, nor ought to be, every where equal.

It cannot be denied, that in modern times, we have seen some kinds of industry established and prosper in England, which have for many years rendered all other nations tributary for their productions: we have made every effort to appropriate these manufactures to ourselves; the spinning by