Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-09-10

AIps-Three English Travellers and Their
Guide Lost Over IA Precipice.
On Wednesday, the 18th day of August
last, three English travellers, viz; Mr. J. NJ.
Rochester and Mr.. r. Vavassour both of
Cardiff, and Mr.. B. Fuller, of London, left
the Montanrert near Chamouni, at five
o'clock in the morning, with the intention
ofcrossing the Col du Geant for Oormayeur,
attended by three guides of whom Frederic
Tairraz, was the chief; a porter carrying
their knapsacks The weather seemed favor
able. Some time, however, before they
reached the summit a thick fog came on, ac-
companied by 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 urge them to
turn back. They, however, refused to COM
ply with this advice, alleging that they were
too tired to return, and preferred proceeding.
At about four o'clock in the afternoon they
reached the summit. The travellers had been
tied together by new rope, of sufficient
strength, at intervals of ten feet two guides
held the ends of the rope twisted round their
hands, one preceding the party, the other
following, while Taifraz walked with the
travellers, grasping the rope from time to
time. E0. s1.t
In this manner they descended for con-
siderable distance without any accident, the
guides continually urging the travellers to
plant their heels firmly ia the snow, and to
walk as steadily as they were able. About
six o'clock they reached place where it is
necessary to traverse steep projecting ridge
by a muddy and slippery path, the descent
(which was, however, gradual. This path
was then covered by fresh and sloppy snow
to the depth of about foot. The tired trav-
elers were advancing on this path with I'M
steady 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 ends
of the rope made every effort in their power
to arrest their progress, but in vain; and see
ing that they were all upon the point of
being lanched over the precipice, they let
60 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 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 eight o'clock.
MncRulay's Tribute TO Ben franklin.
A better sketch of our own immortal Ben
Franklin than this from the pen of Macau-
lay, we do not remember to have seen:
The new Embassadorwas Benjamin Frank
lin, one of the foremost citizens of the young
Republic, and one of the foremost citizens Of
the older republic Of science. He was of
humble origin. Both in Boston, the place of
his birth, and in Philadelphia, the place of
| his adoption, he had worked as printer nor
had he failed to derive great mental advan-
tages from that art ''preservative Of all arts,
and of which the followers, like ships that
bear spices and odors from the East, retain
something of those precious cargoes which
| they are employed to distribute.
The clearness of his intellectual percep-
| tions. was equaled by the elearness of his
| moral perceptions. Under the name OF
"Poor Richard" he spread abfoad through
| the humble medium Of an almanac, system
| of homely ethics in which the virtues Of fru-
| gality, industry, and temperance, were ex-
tolled in aphorisms of ingenious terseness
His growing fame soon obtained for him
| offices of trust, from the Colonies and the
Crown; and when, owing partly to criminal
| interference and partly to criminal neglect
difficulties arose between the Colonies and
| the Crown, he exerted himself, first to pre-
vent, and then to remove such differences.
| But the hour of reconciliation passed away.
| He then stood up for war with the same
serene courage with which he had stood Que
| for peace. He was one of the Committe I
that drafted the "Great Declaration" He
| was now sent to represent the good cause at
the Court of France, and at the bar of Euro
| pean opinion. An extraordinary reception
awaited him. He was justly and widely
| known as an eminent man of science; and as
the Columbus of electrical discovery.
The French nation is fond, beyond all
other nations, of striking effect and pictur-
esque contrast And nought could be more
striking or picturesque than the spectacle
now presented. A Quaker diplomatist was
to appear at the most artificial of Courts--a
new Archimedes was to come from the land
| of the Mohawk and the Natchez-a Solon
from a Republic of yesterday was to recall
by his wisdom and appearance, the sages OF
the ancient Republics. Naughty eourters
| bent with emotion before him. Brilliant
beauties struggled for the privilege of kiss
Painters and sculptors spread broadcast over
the land their copies of his august features
u The Academy rang with applause wheI
Turgots adulatory Latin announced that the
distinguished guest had wrested "the light
ming from heaven and the sceptre from ty
rants" and, at a later day, a ship of war wa!
fitted out at French port, under the com
mand of Paul Jones, bearing with pardon
able inconsistency, the name of Poor Rich
ard I'
The chief glory of Franklin is that he il
the greatest of the pupils of Bacon; and hi
was indeed such pupil as Bacon would havt
delighted to honor. To both master ant
| pupil, philosophy was not the mystic divinity
of Plato, nor the impracticable vixen of thu
schoolmen. But she was an angel of bene
ficience and minister of mercy-an Eliza
beth Fry or Florence Nightingale. He
mission was to relieve human suffering, anC
to advance the good of mans estate. o
these principles, Franklin's long career wa
triumphant application. No sooner haC
the electric spark slid down the kite-strinl
than the lightning-rod was invented for it
innocuous descent. The maxims of Poo
Richard were meant not only for the Quake
tradesman and his neighbors, brt for thl
government of empires and the intercours
of nations. Even the barren tactics o
chess were made to furnish precepts for tn,
higher warfare of life.
The EFFEoT OF FEMALE BEAUTY ON Gov
ERNMENT.-The Government, finding it ne