New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-24

C,..,n";.,e sesps tina. Bonpl.od could not prepare
his herbaI owing TO the continual Torment OF toe mus
kstcee, invited him to enter 'ns,. OVEN v;nio..
;,to boh thsy crept horizontally through very 10"
o,sn,g When they had On Yen away the iasson oy
Of Ere Of we; ths1 cossS X. Opening OF the
80 THE absence Of the mu .ketoes was purchased
dearly enough by the excessive hest OF inc Geguss
ar and The smoke of torch OF copsl winch hgu 20
the oven during their stay IN IL b'nPs' 80
cnu,sge and patience well worthy OF praise, dfioa
Sundrs5s Of paute shut up in these ovens Of the In
dams.
But the erea. event of the South American eSpe-
d;ton was the accent of tho ChimbOrazo, OF which
we have the following very readable account
IN the sd Of June, the birthdsy OF his brother,
unmholdt commenced his accent Of Chimborazo, &C
compapied BY Bobpland and Carlos do Montufa,
Young SpsLEh naturalist They started from the ah
Of Tapia q. an elevation Of over nine thousand isoI
This and tsbelaLd was near the vhage Of LosI inc
ancient residence Of the sovereigns OF Quito. FROM
Iicap 10 the summit Of ChimbOrazo was nearly hye
le.gues in straight line. They followed the plain,
leaving behind them groups OF Indians bound 70 the
market Of Lean aud slowly sscenaing hshss oa tae
the foot of Chnborszo. 1t rose before them stupen,
dousy In the light If the setting The foreground
was vailed in the vaporcus dmness that striped the
lower strata of the ar but as they cast tne eye 20
ward the summit it detached itself from the deep blue
sky. They saw above the region OF lgneous plaan
and alpine shrubs broad bel, Of grass like gilded
yellow carpet. Beyond this was region Of porPnyrac
locks, and beyond tbese rocks, eternal Joe and snow
As the earth below grew darker, the heaven above
seemed TO grow brighter; their sight vas dszzea wiz
the refulgent spleudor Of the snow.
Early the next morning their ILdAn guides awoke
them, and they began to climb the mouotain on the
south western side, travsrsng the great plains which
rose like terraces, one above another, until they
reached the plain Of Sisgun, twelve thousand four
hundred feet above the level Of the sea. Hero Hum,
boldt wished to make . trgnometrioal measurement
TO ascertain the hight Of the summit, bat 1t was
shrouded in thick clouds. From tune TO time they
caught momsntary glimpse Of it, through openings
in the clouds, but the sky was gradually da'keains
They continued to ascend until they reached the little
lake of Yana COcha, circular basin one hundred and
Thirty feet in diameter II the most elevated spot
yet reached by man on the ridge Of mountains, throe
thousand three hundred feet higher than the summit oil
Mont Blanc. Here they left their mules. The bar
ometer showed q hight Of fourteen thousand three
hundred and fifty feet. Crossing the yellow belt Of
grass which they had over night they came to
region of augite. Here rocks in columns fifty or
sixty feet high, and looked like the trunks OF trees.
Traversng the isles Of this enchanted forest Of stone,
ndge which led directly to the summit of ChimbOrs1o,
ard by which alone they might hope to reach 1t; tor
the snOw around too soft and yielding to DO vsn
tured upon. The path became sleeper and narrower,
and at last The guides refused to 90 any further.
When they we're sixteen thousand Eve hundred feet
high, all but one left them. Nothing dsunted how
ever the travellers welt on envelOped IN thick mist
The path which they were ascending was in many
places not more than eight ten inches broad: the
natives called it "knlfe-bade.' On one hand was
decjvity Of covered with CLASSY coating OF ice
on tho other chssm one thousand feet deep the bot
tom Of which covered with masses Of naked rocks
They inclined their bodies over this chasm, dangerous
az it was for they dared not trust themselves to the
snowy pitch the opposite eide. lad they stumbled
they would either have been buried in the mingled
snow ant ice, or would have rolled beadlong down the
steep. The character of the rock, which was brittle
ard crumbng, increased the difficulty OF the accent
Here and there they were Obliged to crawl on their
hands and feet the shHp edges of the rock wounded
them, and they left behind bloody trail. They
marched in spgle file, testing with their poles the
was veiy necessary, many Of the rocks were lying
loose on the brink of the precpce DESTROYS OF know
ing how much Of the Ountan reainedto be ascended
for the summit continually hidden from their sight,
Humboldt opened the barometer on POINT where the
pAh was broad epOue to allow two persons to sit side
by side the mercury indicated hight of 10 $50 feet
The ten psrsture Of the air was W aud that Oh the
earth lO10.
They proceeded Tor another hour and found the
rocky path less steep; the mist however WA thicker
than ever They now began TO suffer severely from
the extreme rarefaction Of air. They bresthed with
difficulty, and what was still more dissgreeabe, felt
like vomiting Their heads swan their lips and gums
bed profusely, and their eyeids ana eyeballs were
charged with blood.
From time to time great birds, probably condors
came swOopng down the terrible pass, sailing grandly
away; and little winged insects, resembling flies,
nu,tered gayy around. II was impossible to catch
them owing 10 the narrOwDess of the ledge; but Hum
boloi judged that they were Dipteras Bonpland saw
yellow butterflies little lower down. flying very near
the ground.
Finally the belts of cloud parted and they
the sudden, the vast dome of Chmborszo. 1t seemed
near them, so near that in few minutes they might
reach it, The lodges too, seemed 10 favor them by be
coming broader. They hurried onward for a short dis
al will hone Of Al
pinnacle. All at the path was stopped 10y a
chasm 400 feet deep, and GO feet broad. There was
no way by which they could cross il: the difficulty was
il surmountabe To tapteli9e them still farther, they
saw that the path went forward the other side Of
the ledge, evidently reaching the summit. III they
couid have but crossed that chasm.
Twas o'clock In the afternoon, and they were be-
uumbed with cold They were $4,000 feet above the
level If the sea.
The belt of clouds closed again, ana the peak WAS
lost The mist grew thicker and thicker, ana every
thing indicated a storm. There was nothing left the II
but to descend. Hating loug enough 10 collect te '
specimens of TIE rock they retraced the r
steps storm of hail overlook them, but as they
descended into lower atmosphere It changed igto
snow When they had reached the little lake of Yada
Ccchs, where they left their mules they foand the
ground covered with several inches deep. Be
fore dusk they reached the Indian village of Copi, Ard
were entertained tina, night by the priest.
So ended the attempt to scale the sumit OF Chin
bOIaZo.
The picture of Humbold.'s activity in Paris is
not without interest
II the reader TO imagine Humboldt q! this
time he would doubtless picture him man sb-
sorbed in his pursuits, and inatteptve to everything
ese his mind pre.occupied, his memory hardened,
bis days and nights devoted to thought. lie would
picture aim in his study, with quires of white psper
before him, q pen II his hand, and the floor strewa
with psges OF blotted manuscript. Or in the alcoves
of some great library, taking Down ponderous tolios
quaItos to settle some knotiy point. This we believe.
is the usuai bean ideal of scholar and many
il happens TO be the true one. Fox Humboldt il will
not answer. II s re that he read deeply IN the pub