The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-24 00:00:00

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MOH WALTZ AT LONDON MUM
TO DAT —Morels& 7tt. 7m Aikeumm, M. Um.
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LONDON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 24.

Tat irrepressible love of adventure, the impa-
tience of a mode of life which is felt to ask too
little of the powers, is a trait of the national cha-
racter which meets us at every turn, and is found
in all classes of society. Our soldiers at Malta
fret and chafe because they cannot get out and
join GAJUSALDI. Our seamen slip away if they
can from a service in which there is nothing to do ,
to join in the fray ; and at home we hear of gen-
tlemen leaving the luxuries of English life to
go and try a throw with despotism in
South Italy. But war is only a transitory
thing, and our restlessness is perennial.
And any school which teaches the discipline of
courage, caution, and perseverance, and trains
men to quench the rising flush of terror in the
necessity of action, will serve our turn. Of late
a large number of our countrymen have found
such a school in the Alps. Switzerland, which
for years had been overrun by mere guide-book
travellers, each following the beaten track, has
attracted crowds of our young athletes, who have
explored unknown districts, struck out new routes,
and, in the modest records of their exploits, made
the glories of the " horns " and "stocks" of the
Alps household words among our countrymen.
Within the last five years a considerable number of
peaks never before reached, including the highest
peak of Monte Rosa, have been scaled by our
countrymen. So powerful are the fascinations of I
dangers surmounted and difficulties vanquished
among the homes of the eagle and the chamois,
that they have sufficed to create sympathy
sarong enough to be a bond of voluntary ,
association, and the Alpine Club, an institu-
tion unique, we believe, and peculiar to this
country, numbers considerably more than a
hundred members of all professions, and pub-
lishes narratives of excursions which the public
shows itself eager to accept. The example of
these, the Vile of Alpine excursionists, is followed
at a respectful distance by hundreds leas experi-
enced for whom the Alps are a gymnasium to
brace the nerve and muscle. It is not
pretended that this enjoyment is without
its risks—these are of its essence. But ex-
perience is at hand to testify that the ordinary
dangers of Alpine adventure may be brought within
as narrow limits as those of other active pursuits
by the exercise of reasonable caution, and, as far
as most travellen are concerned, it is in that de-
velopment of mind and body which the effort
to overcome these effects that the beneficial end
of mountain climbing is attained.
The general satisfaction which has attended this
extended pursuit of Alpine travel by our country-
men is, however, suddenly marred by the report of
an accident in which three English gentlemen and
a native guile have lost their lives. The tra•
yellers, Mr. J. M. Roes err= and Mr. F. Vevesor.
of Cardiff, and Mr. B. Pumas, of London, left
Chamonix at five o'clock on the morning of last
Wednesday week, intending to cross the Col du
Ginn; belonging to the range of Mont Blanc, for
Cormayeur, on the Italian side. They were well
supplied with guides, there being one to each ex-
cursionist, and a porter besides to carry their
knapsacks. The weather, it is said, seemed
favourable ; but it is to be observed that it had
been bad for several days, and much snow had ,
fallen. The guides, however, appear to have'
made no objection to commencing the journey
grounded on that fact. While the travellers were
making the ascent, and some time before they
reached the summit of the pass, a thick fog came
on, accompanied with a storm of hail and rain.
This rendered the continuance of the expedition a
matter of great danger. According to the regula-
tions fur the conduct of the Chamonix guides, the
coming on of a fog or a storm is held to excuse the
guide who loses his way with travellers in his
charge. Under any other circumstances the guide
so fading in his duty is deprived of his privileges
and offices, and, if his losing his way has been the
cause of the ,traveller's death, he is for ever re- .
moved from the list of guides, and forfeits all the
rights acquired by long service. The three tra-
vellers, we are told, were exceedingly fatigued by
the long ascent, rendered more difficult by a re-
cent fall of snow, into which they sank up to
their knees. In these circumstances, the state
of the weather, and the difficulty of tra-
velling, the guides urged them to turn
back. With this request, however, they re-
fused to comply, alleging that they were too tired
to return, and they perished. On this point some
further explanation is desirable, in order that it
may be ascertained whether the guides did the
whole of their duty. For the regulations in
force at Chamonix, which have the sanction of
laws, expressly cast upon the guides the responsi-
bility of continuing the journey or ordering a re-
turn in circumstances such as the one we are ex-
amining. The words of the 38th article of those
regulations are :—" If during an ascent of Mont
" Blanc, or the passage of the Col du G4ant, bad
" weather conies on ur threatens to do so, or if
" any other obstacle makes the continuance of the
" journey manifestly dangerous, the traveller
" will always be at liberty to return and
" take back his guides ; but if the tra-
" tellers persist In wishing to continue
" the journey in spite of such circumstances,
" the question whether they are to pro-
" teed or not is to be deliberated on by the guides,

" and decided by the eaajeeity of velem ; in came,
" however, of equality of voices, the course host
" conducive to ad* Is to be " And, in
order to leave lie lied& unb. in his decision
rinira4reff,
by the fear of Teeing his iu giving up the
journey, it is provided in Article 40 that he
shall nevertheless be paid, according to the tariff.
The guides in this cane had authority to terminate
the expedition when they saw it was one of a dan-
gerous character, and that they could have done so
1 is unquestionable, since in that trackless waste of
ice and snow their company was indispensable to
I our countrymen. We may admit that they could
hardly have been actuated by other than credit-
able motives when they deferred to the wishes of
the travellers ; still, in the absence of further in-
formation, we cannot say that they did their duty
in permitting inexperience to overcome their
better knowledge.
The expedition went on, and at four o'clock in
the afternoon, after eleven hours' struggling up
through the snow, the Col du Giant was reached.
The longest part of the journey, which is also the
most dangerous, was now accomplished, and the
descent had to be made to Courmayeur. But in
moving down the snowy, muddy, slippery slope,
the travellers needed the vigour and nerve
which they had already expended. Their
strength and steadiness were gone, and the exlior-
tations of the guides were in vain. The cats-
strophe that was to be dreaded is thus related :
" About six o'clock they reached a place where it
" is necessary to traverse a steep projecting ridge
" by a muddy and slippery path, the descent of
" which was, however, gradual. This path was
" then covered by fresh and sloppy snow to the
" depth of about a foot. The tired travellers were
" advancing on this path with unsteady steps,
" when all at once, at the very angle of the ridge,
" one of them slipped, fell, and dragged with him
" his two companions, with the three guides, over
" a steep and long slope of snow. The two guides
" at the end of the rope made every effort in their
" power to arrest their progress, but in vain,
" and seeing that they were ail upon the point
"of being launched over the precipice, they let
" go the rope, forced their hands and feet into the
snow, and stopped themselves as by a miracle
" at the very verge of an abyss, into which their
" unfortunate companions were immediately
4 g plunged."

The writer who transmits these melancholy de-
tails from Cormayeur, mentions the tying of the
travellers together by a rope as calling for ex-
planation, expressing an opinion that there is no
need for it on the Italian aide of the Col. We
apprehend that that is because it is supposed there
is no likelihood of the slipping of one of
the party—an opinion which was not con-
firmed in this case. It is to be ex-
pected that an argument against the use
of the rope in dangerous descent. will be
drawn from this accident, and it ia, therefore,
desirable that our most experienced cragsmen
should give their opinion publicly with reference
to its use in this case. Hitherto the experience
of our most adventurous countrymen has been re-
corded in favour of the rope in dangerous descents.
In the popular collection of narratives, entitled
" Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers," Idr. Hsu., President
of the Alpine Club, writes " Against the risk of
" slipping upon steep slopes, the rope is usually
" a protection as effectual as it is in the yielding
" of a snow bridge over a crevasse. There may be
" positions in which the footing of each traveller is
" so precarious that if tied together, a slip on the
" part of any one of them would probably cause
" the destruction of all. Such positions are,
" however, very rare, if indeed they anywhere
" occur. There are few descents steeper than the
" ice wall of the Strahleck, yet Duos recounts
" • case in which three travellers all slipping at
" the same time were upheld and saved from
" falling into the abyss by a rope sustained
"on the arm of • single guide who came
" last in the descent." While this accident
should tend to a reconsideration of the present prac-
tice, the decision must turn upon the result of
general and not particular experience. There is
nothing in the history of this unfortunate occur-
rence to derogate from the statement with which we
set out, that with reasonable caution Alpine travel
may be made as sate as other active pursuit. ; and
while we pay the tribute of our respect to those
who lately went out a) elate, and now lie in the
Vaudois Cemetery at Cormayeur, we may express
a hope that no tourist will decline the invigorating
exercise of mountain excursions because of this

Their Royal Highneerea the Hereditary Grand
Duke end Grand Declares of Mecklenburgarelits and the
Prince Adolphus leave the Duchess of Cambridge's resi-
dence at Kew to-day for Germany. The departure of their
royal highnesses is hastened by the intelligence, received by
telegraph, of the aerials illness of the Grand Duke of Kea-
lenburg-Btrehts. In consequence of the news of the MY-
position of the Grand Duke the Duchess of Cambridge and
the Princess Mary have delayed their visit to lir. and Lady
Elisabeth Drummond, at Cullen'''.

The Duke and Duchess of Manchester are pro-
loworig their stay at the Pavilion Hotel, F..lkestone.
The Earl of sandwich has arrived at the Pavilion
Hotel, Folkestone.

the Hon. Colonel Lindsay, M.P., and Lady
Sarah Lasdasy haee left town for Scot Land.

Lord Carhale hae been enjoying the summery of
Wicklow, vemoned by the hospitality of the High Sheriff
of that romantic county. On Monday evening he accepted
the invitation of Yr. W. La Touche, High Sheriff for the
county Wicklow, to a fete and dklenner at Belview. Lord
Gough and ar G. Magee, Lard Maack, Lord ilarey, and
their ladies, and a &diminished party, were among the
—a.

The health of the Duke of Bedford is greatly
improved by his sojourn in Devonshire. His grace hes
nearly repined the strength he lost during his late aware

Prayers are offered up daily in the Lincoln
cathedral in behalf of the Venerable Archdeacon Bonney,
who sustained another fit of pandysis on Friday last.
Yesterday it was stated that the Archdeacon bad so far
rallied as to be considered out of danger.
The speech of Mr. Deasy upon the Irish educa-
tion debate has thrown the ultascomitanse into • fit of
downright frenzy. The whole of their press tribe is up in
arms against the learned gentleman.

M. Kossuth is now with hie family at Gale, in
the Witco of St. (ell, in Switzerlentl, for the benefit of
his health.

A letter from Cherbourg says :—" There is posi-
tively nothing, or next to nothing, doing in this great
stronghold. There are ne war preparatioza, nothing bet
daily reviews of the troops in the redoubts, or reviews of
the marines in the grounds of the long naval caterise, which
lies 'many a rood extending' behind the huge Napoleon
dock. Neither is the talk here of war. Every evening I
dine with a dozen Jovial, goodhumoured officers, who are
all ready to say a wool is favour of England, French
soldiers though they be, and the general theme of table
conversation over their Bordeaux and nuts is not as to
when the fleet will receive orders to assemble in the
Manche for a French campaign in Albion, but as to the
excellency of the music played the yesternight in the Place
d'Arrnes, in view of the forts and the great sea, for the
amusement of the good citizens and their English or Ger-
main guests."

Mgr. Garbed, Bishop of Perpignan, lately pub-
lished a pastoral letter, which differs, at least in form, from
all tlse episcopal documests hitherto written, as it loudly
condemns 83 heterodox, horetiad, culpable propositioes,
which contain ►U the principles al the democracy on which
I modern society is founded.