The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-20 00:00:00

THE JUNGFRAU CONQUERED BT 4N ENGLISH

LIDY.

The following interesting letter, signed "W. E.
Utterson," and dated "Sion, August 17," appears in the
Tina :—" It may be interesting to some of your readers to
learn that the ' Queer of the Benicia Alps,' considered by
the natives of the country one of the most difficult ascents is
Switzerland, has, by the intrepidity of Mrs. Stephen Wink-
worth, been lately proved accessible to woman u well u to
man. Lest Thursday, about 12.55 p.m., Mts. Winkworth,
accompanied by her husband, myself, and the following three
guides—J. Beres, CA Lex ; J. Baptiste Cron, of Chamounix ;
and Fritz, of the Eggisc.horn, started from the Hotel de le
Janina to sleep at the Faulberg, where there is a cave
with two separate recesses, m some of the large rocks which
overhang the great Aletech glacier. This trysting place we
reached at 5 oclock the same day and left again by candle
light at L 25 the following morning. I may here mention a
very simple expedient adopted uy the guides in lieu of tee.
terns. Having knocked the bottoms out of three ordinary Irina
' bottles, they inserted • candle into each one, fixing them
into the necks of the bottles, by these means the flame of •
candle may be effectually protec.ed against the wind. We
were safely piloted by Beau over the crevasses and broken
ice which lay in our way for about an hour after
starting. The ascent of the Aletsch glacier is very
gradual, and somewhat tedious for • considerable du.
tenet) above the Fanlberg, but as the snow was generally
in a very good state, we were enabled to reach the top of
the steep toe slope leading to the Col du Soththal at
about 5.50. Here we breakfasted, and deposited oar
impedimenta in the form of remaining provisions, hr.,npon
the snow, in order to leave our guides as uoiocombered as
possible for the latter part of the asceA. At 7.10 we com-
menced to climb the last ice slope, which. although not yet
entirely denuded of show, is rapidly becoming so, and every
week this dry season continues would render the purge
of it more difficult and dangerous. The step cutting
was excellent, Benen and Fritz being generally in
advance. This last ice slope culminates in a short
and very narrow ridge of soft snow, which until
trampled down had little more than the breadth of the
human foot. Along this mite Yes. Winkworth walked
upright with the aseistance of the guides. The rest of es
did the same in turn. The little black flag was still gal.
lantly holding its own at the summit. That it could eon.
tinue to do so long, however, appeared to us very doubtful.
On comparing oar watches we found our ascent bad taken
us seven hours ad • half, including 35 minutes occupied in
breakfasting—sot bad walking for a lady. The weather,
which about daybreak had presented a rather threatening
aspect, in the form of large clouds, was now, about 9 •m.,
very fine, although unfavourable to a very distant view. From
no other point have I seen the Finsteraarborn appear to the
same advantage u from the top of the Jungfmu. In place
of the ppx narrow-looking peak, eclipsed by the Manch,
f ir,okhoen and others, seen from the rnese side of the
Alps, we bad before us a commanding mountain of majestic
proportions, evidently the grandest of the chain. After
looking around for • few minutes upon vast muses
of spotless snow, black and barren rock, destitute of ani-
mal existence, the eye was glad to drop its regard into
the green valleys of the Oberland, on the smiling village of
17nterseen, and the lovely lake of Than. But the summit
of the Jangf ran is by no moms a comfortable resting-plats,
so after 10 minutes spent there we again roped, and with
Fritz is advance and Semen behind, the latter ever on the
qui rive as to our movements, and exclaiming from tints to
time 'doss Ist yanz guf,' we effected oar descent to the
bottom of the elope in about an hour and • quarter. Not-
withstanding the difficulty and danger of this pert of the
day's work, Mrs. Winkworth, who, as I understand, had
slightly sprained her knee two days before on the diets.
chorm, demanded hardly more assistance from the guides
than many men, SI little accustomed to ice-work as herself,
might have been excused for doing. We found the snow
already in a very soft state on oar descent from the Roth-
the] ; but we got down without mishap, puled the Feld-
berg at 210, and returned to the Euischorn at 610, having
been out about 17 hours."

ANC/lIIER FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—The Heather.
bell, • yacht of about 25 tone, is at the present time
Iviag at Gourook Bay. Hugh Burnett, aged 25, belonging to
Greenock, war steward, and Daniel Mooney, also belonging
to Greenock, is one of the seamen. M•rgt. Crawford, Bar•
nett's wife, west to Gourock on Saturday night, taking down
her husband's week's change of clothing nod some provisiona
They @Word all night in Gourock, Mooney being in
charge of the yacht. It fell to Burnett to relieve
Mooney at eight o'clock on Sunday (freeing, as Mooney
had to go to Greenock to see • child of his which ie un-
well. On Mooney coming ashore in the small boat
betwixt eight and nine o'clock on Sunday evening, Barnett
proceeded on board, taking his wife with him, and they
prevailed on Mooney to go out with them to the yacht
and pass an hoar or two before going borne. The three went
on board of the yacht. and about 11.30, it being then very
dark, with • curl in the bay, the three went into the =AM
boat to proceed to the shore to land Mooney. Burnett and
his wife were seated io the small boat, and Mooney, who was
standing in it, proceeded to unloose the painter, and having
done so, he caught the yacht and give the boat an im-
pulse so PA to get away from the yacht shorewards.
This had the effect of capsizing the boat, which thus
went from under them, and all three were thrown into
the water. Mooney got bold of Mrs. Burnett, and kept
her up for • little, but getting exhausted. he was obliged to
let her go. She was then caught hold of by her husband ;
and in the meantime Mooney struck oat, and in a very ex-
hausted condition was picked up clinging to the buoy of the
yacht Harriet, which was at anchor not far off. The
swamped boat was also picked up by men from the Harriet.
but Burnett and his wife were seen no more, and Mooney's
supposition is that they sank in each other's arms, the hue.
teed perishing in trying to save his wife. The *creams of
the drowning couple were heard by people along the shore,
and the fatal event was soon known in Goarock. The
bodies have not been found.—North British Mail.
A MAN POISONED BY EATING MUSSELS—The
inhabitants of the quiet little village of S. Saropeons, other-
wise Golant, were startled on Sunday evening by • report
that a man had accidentally poisoned himself. There are
Many navvies at present working at or near the place on
the Lostwithiel and Fowey railroad, and one of them,
whose Dame is unknown for the moment, after sting
heartily of musels for his tea, having consumed, it is
a quart immediately after they were cooked, retired to bd
at his lodgings. He soon after came down stairs and said
he should take a walk, u he felt poorly. On returning
shortly after he complained that he was poisoned, and
that he should die. A messenger at once proceeded
to the house of Mr. E. S. White, surgeon, Fowey, who
forthwith rode to Golant, but the poor man was deed before
his arrival, having died in leas than an hour after being
taken ill. There is • vest bed of mussels in the Fowey river,
on the banks of which Golant is situate, and scores of
people partake of them at this season of the year with
impunity. A few cases of poisoning have ere now oc-
curred here, but without any permanent bad effects result.
big. Scientific men are not agreed upon the cause to which
these deleterious effects are to be am:gibed, but they are
generally attnbuted to a peculiar poison generated in the
flab, under unknown circumstances. In the present ease •
port mortnn examination will take place.— Western Morning
News.

SAD ACCIDENT ON A LAKE. —The Lausanne
Gazette gives an account of a deplorable accident which oc-
curred last week on the Lake of Biennia near the village of
Vigoeule. A young man of the village, named Gutmann.
who had been for some time in service as butler in England.
came over to stay a month with his mother and sister. On
the day before his proposed departure for England, he in-
vited eleven young men and women to join him in a party
of pleasure to the Isle of Si. Pierre, in the lake.
They crossed over in a boat, and. after amusing
themselves till evening, again embarked to return home.
When about midway to the shore, the boat, owing to her
seams baying been opened by the intense beat of the sun,
began to leak, and the water entered rather rapidly. le
their alarm the young women all rose at once, and by so
doing meet the frail craft. The cries of distress ware heard
on shore, and a boat was put off to their assistance. Sin
persons were rescued, but the other sin, among whom was
Outman, were drowned, and their bodies were not recovered
till the following der.
A. RAILWAY TILAIN ON FIE& —As a railway
train conveying both passengers and goods was three
days ago proceeding from Rheims to Leon (Aisne),
one of the goods waggons caught fire. twobehlY
from a spark from the engine falling on the tar-
paulin, mod two others were also soon in flames. The
pessengers in some of the esrrisres were the first to
perceive the disaster, and putting their heads out of the
windows they cried loudly to the eoglne-driver to stop.
Their voices were not at first heard, sod by the time the train
was stopped the flames had made rapid progress, and the log-
gage van which stood between the burning waggons and
the
passenger carriages hail caught. The guard of the
train unfastened the van from the carriages, and ordering
the engioeolriver to go on, the passengers were speedily out
of danger. Ooe gentleman iu his alarm bad jumped out
before the train had completely stopped. and fell with vio-
lence on the ground, but fortunately escaped with only
some bruises. The burning waggons were afterwards iso-
lated, but all attempts to save them from destruction were
unavailing for want of water. Otte of them was tilled with
hags of sugar, another with wool, and a third with cotton.
The loss is coosiderable.—Calignani.
NAVIGATION Or THE 111881sNIPPL—Telltellky the
following communication was re-sieved at Lloyd's —.` Foreigo-
°thee, August 1`9,186:. Str.--I am directed by Earl Rumeff
to transmit to you. for the information of the committee for
managing the affairs at Lloyd'it, an extract from the Notoosa/
!Weill veneer (American newspaper), which has bees mot to
this ogles by her Majesty's minister at Washiub,-too, and
which purports to be a copy of an order issued by Rear-
Admiral Porter, providing for ootivoyiog trading, vessels
dime the Mississippi. —I have the honour to be. sir, to,,
A. W. Layard. To Capt. Halstead. R N Sec." Extract :
" Steamers destined for New Orleans with merchandise,
shipped and permitted according to Leer, will he convoysel
all the way through to Vicksburg, front which plata a suf-
ficient fume will be ready to start every Moeday morning
to give protection to the coawnys. No vessel will be per-
mitted to go down the river without a °Davey for the we
sent, and Mamma will be obliged to lay over a weak if they
do not arrive on or before the day of the week on which the
convoy starts. Armed vessels, however, going between
times will also eve convoy, but no regularity must be ea-
pected, as they have to stop on the way. This arrange.
meet will commence cm the 10th of .tugust neat."