The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 23, 1860.

P ÜBIACA_TION S.

Now ready at all the Libraries, in 3 vols.,
NIG lI.T AND DAY,
By the Hon. C. STUART SAVILE.
"A capital novel. The style of the book is full of anima-
tion, and we do not know when we have read a more amus-
ing novel."—John Bull.
Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street,

Now ready, in 2 vols., with Illustrations, 30s. bouna,
A RESIDENCE at the COURT of MEtii
ALI MOORAD, with. Wild Sports in the. Valley of
the Indus. By Capt. LANGLEY, late Madras Cavalry.
" A valuable work, containing much useful information,
pleasantly told."—Lit. G az.
" There is an abundance of cheerful and entertaining gossip
in these volumes, which arc unaffectedly writtea."—Athe-
nwum*.

Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, 13, Great Marlborough.
street.

NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF " THE SEMI.
DETACHED HOUSE."
Just ready, in 2 vols., 215.,
THE SEMI-ATTACHED COUPLE,
By the Author of "The Semi-Detached House."
London : Richard Bentley, New Burlington-street.

(4.OVERNMENT upon FIRST PRINCIPLES.
k_A Illustrated Aynalogically, Statistically, and Morally.
B N GROSMITH.
This work embodiesJOH a wide field for informationmot only
upon Social and Moral subjects, but upon a great variety of
questions which are essentially incorporated with the politi-
cal discussions of the day, in connection with the Commerce,
Trade, and Taxation of the country. Statesmen and lovers
of intelligent progress will find in it a compilation of facts
well worthy their attention.
London : Piper and Co., Paternoster-row.

Just published, price 2s.,Tree by post, 2s. 4d.,
ON SPERM A-11-0 It R. .T.1,47F, A.
ily P. 11. COURTENAY, M.R.C.S.E.,
And formerly Sur eon to the Metropolitan Infirmary for the
Cure of Strictures of the prethra:

" The aim of the author is to present a common-sense view
of the Causes, Nature, Consequences, and Treatment of this
Disease, as also to free these questions from the Professional
Fallacies, the Popular Delusions, and the exaggerations of
Quackery by which they have hitherto been surrounded, to the
destruction of the health mid happiness of thousands. Thess
objects are discussed in a common-sense and highly practical
manner."—Medical Circular.

FATAL ACCIDAYT IN 2'llE ALPS.

On Wednesday, the 15th of August inst., three
English travellers—viz., Mr. J. M. Rochester and
Mr. F, Vavassouri both of Cardiff, and Mr. B. Fuller,
of London, left the Montanvert, near Chamouny,
at 5 o'clock in the. morning, with the intention of
crossing the Col du Geant for Cormayeur, attended
by three guides, of whom Frederic Tairraz, the
brother of the well-known Jean Tairraiz, who keeps
the Hotel de Mont Blanc at Aosta, was the chief;
a porter carrying their knapsacks. The weather
seemed favourable. Some time, however, before
they reached the summit a thick fog came on, ac-
companied by a storm of hail and rain.
The travellers were -extremely fatigued by the
long ascent, rendered more difficult by a recent fall
of snow, into which they sank up to their knees.
This, and the state of the weather, caused the
guides to large them to turn back. They, how-
ever, refused to comply with this advice, alleging
that they were too tired to return, and preferred
proceeding. At about four o'clock in the after-
noon they reached the summit. The travellers had
been tied together by a new rope, of sufficient
strength, at intervals of 10 feet ; two guides held
the ends of the rope twisted round their hands,
one preceding the party, the other following,
while Tairraz walked with the travellers, grasping
the rope from time to time. In this manner
they descended for a, considerable distance with-
out any accident, the guides continually urging
the travellers to plant their heels firmly in the
snow, and to walk as steadily as they were able.
About six o'clock they rrached a place where it is
n_ecessaryto traversc,a. stpp projecting ridge -by a
mouwdodvyera,ri gd-rdsali pupael
. ryllis path wasthen
path, the descent of
coveredwhich was,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 compapions, with the
three guides, over a steep and long slope of snow. The
two guides at the ends of the rope made every effort
in their power to arrest their progress, but in vain ;
and seeing that they were all 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 com-
panions were immediately plunged. They made
their way to the foot of the precipice, where they
found three bodies in such a sad condition as to
leave no doubt of the fate of the fourth, and then
hastened down to Cormayeur, where they arrived
soon after 8 o'clock.

The foregoing is the account given by M. Curie,
the Vaudois pasteur of this place, and almost in his
own words. The only point that seems to call for ex-
planation is the fact of the travellers being tied to-
gether by a rope, for which there is no need on this
side of the Col; but, as Tairraz was a most expe-
rienced guide, we must believe that he saw good
reason for using it in this case. The result was
most disastrous. The weather, no doubt, had been

bad for many days, and much snow had fallen; but
this did not prevent other parties passing the Col
in safety by the very 'same route ; and on the morn-
ing of the day on which this lamentable accident
occurred a party of six (including two ladies), of
whom the M. Curie mentioned above was one,
ascended the Col from Cormayeur and returned here
uninjured.

On the following morning the Judge of the dis-
trict, with other officials and a staff of guides, M.
Curie (who kas been most indefatigable in his exer-
tions to investigate every particular of this most
melancholy occurrence), the Rev. J. F. Day, act-
ing-chaplain to the English residents, with several
others, ascended the mounthin for the purpose of
recovering the bodies and instituting a formal in-
quiry into the circumstances, In the evening the
remains were brought down, those of the English
being deposited in the Vaudois Chapel. Yesterday
they were interred in one grave in the Protestant
Cemetery, followed by all the English in Cor-
mayeur, to the number of 30, and a large crowd of
syev. J. F. Day
inhabitants, the R.
The guide Tairraz
was buried in the Roman Catholic portion of the
readingmpa t h tzhien gßu inr
cemetery, as close as possible to his unfortunate
companions.