The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-01 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—The day before yesterday the ascent of Mont
Blanc was accomplished by another Englishman and
myself, under unusually favourable circumstances and
without any accident, although nearly 50 persons were
engaged in the work. On the evening of September 20
I found that some gentlemen intended to go to the
Grands Mulets and to sleep in the little hut lately erected
there by the guides. The party consisted of Mr. Albert
Smith, Lord Killeen, Captain De Bathe, Mr. W. Rus-
sell, and Mr. Burrowes. Another gentleman, Mr.
Shuldham, had also arranged to commence the ascent to
the summit on the same day, and, through the kindness
of Mr. Albert Smith, I was permitted with Mr. Fan-
shawe, a fellow-traveller, to accompany them. Mr.
Albert Smith, whose popularity in Switzerland is almost
romantic, gave a breakfast on the opening to 34 guides
who were engaged for the occasion, and at 9 o'clock a.m.
of September 21 the long cavalcade left Chamounix.
The weather was magnificent, not a cloud being visible,
and after seven hours' walking we all reached the Grands
Mulets—a place already familiarized to all who have
seen Mr. Albert Smith's panorama in London. We
dined on cold meat and punch made with melted snow ;
and then, when the setting sun left the last peak of the
mountain, we made a hard struggle to find room for
about 50 persons in a hut constructed to hold 20 at the
most. Gentlemen and guides, lying head and foot to-
gether, completely covered the floor, and one traveller
occupied a board nine inches wide, which had served
for a table. Presently some forty pipes and cigars
were lighted, and the atmosphere of the little
cabin became rapidly " toba.cconized." It was, of
course, impossible for any one to sleep, but
the novelty of the situation and the incessant flow
of good humour made the night pass tolerably well.
On the preceding night I was unable to sleep from the
excitement which the prospect of such an undertaking
produces, and it is remarkable that several of the guides
were prevented from sleeping, from the same cause.
However, after two sleepless nights, we who were to go
on to the summit arose at 1 o'clock to continue the
ascent. Mr. Shuldham suffered from toothache and
was otherwise unwell, yet the indomitable perseverance
of an Englishman enabled him to proceed and to finish
the undertaking successfully. For myself, I felt perfectly
well, and had, therefore, much less difficulty in accom-
plishing the work. As our party left, the others, who
were to return next morning to Chamounix, the solitudes
of the snowy range were made to ring with three hearty
British cheers ; and by the light of the moon, which at
that altitude shines almost like the sun itself; our long
string of 23 guides and travellers slowly marched over
the snow. The cold had not been of sufficient intensity
to freeze the snow into the proper consistency for sup-
porting the feet. At each measured step, therefore, we
sank nearly to the knees, and after about three hours of
this tiring process we attained the grand plateau, where
the effects of a rarefied atmosphere begin to be felt by
the traveller. Two of the gentlemen, who had kindly
accompanied us during part of the night, now returned
to their companions, still jovially packed in the little hut,
and Mr. Shuldham and myself, with our guides, con-
tinued the march. The night was so perfectly clear,
and the moonlight so bright, as to make the aid of lan-
terns superfluous. A large number of stars became visi-
ble, which could not be seen under other circumstances,
and when, about four o'clock, the east became rosy with
the ray of a rising sun, the whole scene was at once
awful and beautiful. The passage of the Mur de la Cote
was somewhat tedious, as nearly every step had to be cut
by the axe in the ice. Here even the guides became over-
powered by the sleepy air of the great dome above us.
Out of thirteen persons only two did not succumb to this
potent influence. At ten o'clock I sat down on the very
summit, and soon afterwards Mr. Shuldham, whose un-
conquerable pluck had sustained him through all the
difficulties, attained the same height, though com-
pelled by indisposition immediately to return. The
Queen's health, and that of the King of Sardinia, were
duly pledged in champagne, drunk out of a leathern
drinking cup. We ate chocolate and prunes, the pro-
visions most acceptable in those lofty places, but sleep
rather than hunger seemed to prevail. The view was
magnificent beyond description. From Lyons to Con-
stance and Genoa all was clear. Beyond that a faint
horizon could be distinguished, bounded by unknown
mountains, but wholly unobscured by clouds, or even
fog. After spending nearly an hour on the summit,
eating the icicles, which, in the form of large cuttle-fish
shells, constitute the great dome of Mont Blanc, the
the
descent commenced. In five minutes, by sliding on as
soft snow, we attained the spot which from below w
an hour from the top, and thus passsng rapidlyeacolied the
over
the
ground, with the aid of our alpenstocks, we
Grands Mulets, and, finally, the valleybrelof .
34 The
bells rung a merry peal—we were Nos. 33
andof
those who had ascended Mont Blanc—thensented bou-
boomed, and the damsels of Chamounii
tipous an ascent, '
the cannon
quets. Seldom had there been soproyi
the whole
excellent dinner in the
party sat down next day antravellers
ellers then in Chamounix,
and, with Mr. Albert Smith as chairman,
open air, and with all the
t_ e
ver
gunsn lwoeoll'teedfiroedn,attoino
eocohes, and the
characteristic scene.
as admiring spectators of h
Tstaelrlive:bisr,itghee
guides
lugubrious songs.
%Evansgiiilsihummeinnatme illuminated, 1
si
peme
with a calm radiance, and an immense
live-ling effect. Thus ended
brightly, but
soup-tureen full of capital. punch was distributed
g the guests with an en
luora hascien
sufficient
the last ascent of the highest mountain in Europe, and I
cannot conclude this ac,:ount of the proceeding without
one
ed
w
the observation, that a repetition of the enjoyment is
goodwithin
guides,the reach
a
goodf eardy,
oeonder7tfillrer;
walk of 24 hours chiefly over deep snow, and without
sleep. Yours, &c.
JOHN MACGREGOR.

Chamounix, Sept. 24.

CUSTOM-HOUSE SALES.—At the show of goods sold
at the last Customhouse sale, a few days since, it was
found requisite to desire the services of some members of
the police to give attendance at the Queen's warehouse
in the Custom-house, while the articles were exposed to
public inspection. This is believed to be the first in-
stance of the police being used for the purpose, and
was in consequence of the influx of shipping and great
pressure of business requiring the services of the officers
of the Customs department usually employed for the
purpose.

°LIEU; Sept. 26.—This has been another field-
day—sham war on the grand scale—the siege of
the citadel of Olmiitz, including the application o
electricity on the most recently approved principles
to ignition and communication, and constituting
the most important manoeuvres of which Olmiitz
is the centre.

In order that your readers may understand my
description, it is requisite to remember that, as
Bohemia is the basin of the Upper Elbe *wing
northwards, Moravia is the basin of the Morava, or
March, flowing southwards, to join the Danube be-
tween Vienna and Presburg. On the western bank
of the main Morava, in the middle of the basin,
is Olmiitz, situated on an eminence. Down in the
fiat below are the extensive outworks, the fosses
being the branches of the Morava itself, so as to
form an island. To the east of this town is the
line of the branch railway from Prague to Vienna,
and beyond it the camp of the plain. Westwards
no troops are encamped, but here the land rises to
the plateau called Tafelberg (Table Mountain),
which is a strong fortress that commands Olmiitz,
and is considered the key of Moravia.
In order not to do any damage to the actual
works, long lines of defence were constructed at
some distance outside the fort of Tafelberg, and
approaches were created exactly as if they had been
carried forward in actual war, and the besiegers in
the middle of their operations. After this preli-
minary topographical explanation, I now proceed
historically with the events of the day.
The weather was stormy, the rain fell in torrents
as the two Emperors went all over the works, both
for attack and defence. Both were on foot, as well
as all their staff, and I had an opportunity of seeing
them more closely than yesterday. The Emperor
of Austria is full of activity, and the heavy, re-
pulsive features of his family, which were not so
perceptible some years ago, have now come out in
their full ill-favour. Instead of the brilliant uni-
form of yesterday, he wore the grey fatigue great-
coat, and was not recognisable in dress from
any subaltern officer. The Emperor Nicholas is
certainly a wonderful man; although considerably
past the middle age, he positively looks rather
under 40 than above A. He also wore undress,
with the white cuirassier topcoat hanging over his
shoulders. Prince Paskiewitsch, who is a short
thickset man, with very polite manners, also wore
the fatigue Austrian uniform.
The visit to the works was interesting, every-
thing showing as nearly as possibly how the ground
would be cut up when half-way through a siege ;
the men working in the trenches, the sandbags
standing, and baskets being filled. Field-Marshal
Lieutenant Cabogu, a distinguished engineer officer,
gave explanations of everything to the Emperor of
Russia, having become known to his Imperial
Majesty by a mission to St. Petersburg some years
ago.

-When the inspection was concluded, the two
lvairs
gibele Emperorsletters,toan
dtiiproceeded
which
tribune,
u in
inrwieab,
su
sf
significantlyrth obme
n heavy rain some dis-
tanceiwh
t s,l t
anhe i
and the
s tcshri ?.el3a
ee
d wasin
opera-
tions of the siege then commenced with a long roll
of grey smoke rising from the red mud trenches,
and presently the thunder of cannon, rapidly an-
swered by both the cannon and musketry of the
fort. All of a sudden, a long column of men was
visible in the midst of the smoke making a sortie,
when up sprung the Rifles and Infantry, crouched
down in front of us, behind the trenches, and, with
loud hurrahs, drove them back.
Mines and countermines had been carried under
the works, the first of which sprung was a mine
from the fortress carried under the advanced bat-
tery (the men had been all drawn back to prevent
accidents), and in a moment, with a prodigious
noise, up flew the heavy battering artillery in the
air, and immediately after there followed the spring-
ing of a mine of the besiegers, under the works of
the temporary fortress, the grandest thing I ever
saw of this nature, the earth rising en masse several
hundred feet in the air, intersected for an instant
with long fan disposed columns of fire, which even
in broad daylight must have been visible for miles ;
and after the explosion there fell all around the
tribune a thick shower or lumps of hard mud, some
of a hundredweight, so that the building was
shaken to its foundations ; but nothing penetrated
it, as a thick layer of branches of trees had, in
case of accidents, been placed above the solid beams.
I regret to say, that a soldier outside was killed on
the spot, and several others wounded.
The Imperial party then proceeded to see the re-
sults of the explosions, the Emperors clambering
over the earth where a cannon, thrown up in the
air, lay on the fiat of its back with the carriage
broken ; the huge crater, still reeking with burnt
gunpowder and wood, lay open.
This inspection lasted a good hour, and then a
series of works followed at an angle of 45 degrees
from the fortress against the besiegers ; but, to
prevent accidents, they were made into very weak
charges. Last of all was seen a line of electric
wire carried a thousand fathoms (a mile and a quar-
ter) to the north-east, and the Emperors, descend-
ing to the electric battery, examined it winutely.
The Emperor of Austria afterwards gave fhe signal
through his trumpeter, and the apparently simul-
taneous rise of smoke at the conclusion of the series
of wires, followed after an interval by a detonation,
showed that the ignition of a mine had been instan-
taneously performed.
In conclusion, this day (barring the accidents)
has been highly interesting, and has given great
satisfaction to the foreign military men present. I
can only regret that, after so many hours on the
ground, the post hour permits only a brief outline
of the proceedings.—Times Correspondent.