The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-09-01

Pref. Balfour Perishes While Ascending
Mont Blanc.

G.. W. s. in Ne,o York Tribune, dug 12.
There are not many young men Of
twenty mine who have done - much In the
world ~ F. N. Balfour, or whose death
would cut short careers Of such promise as
his. Promise, indeed, 10 not the word to
use. He had already won such distinction
and done such service In science ~ men Of
ripe age and great name would be proud Of.
He was Fellow Of the Royal Society, .
member Of its council, and The winner Of
one VI the society medals for investigations
In emaryology and comparative anatony.
'In the front rank of original workers In
those branches of science" says the award.
The Professonhip Of Animal AorphsioGy st
Cambridge wss created for Mr.. Balfour, aid
he was elected unanimously only Lost Nay
TO be the 6rst Professor. His researches and
influences had previously given MARKED i'm
pulse to scientific study In the university
where had graduated only nine yssrs sgo IN
The frs. class Of the Natural Science Tripos
Academical honors VI al sorts we're show
cred upon hin, and he was known to .he
world Of science upon the Contiueps almost
- we'll = TO thas In England. Perhaps
may mention that have heard the Host
eminent Of living men Of science In Mr..
Balfours own branch speak Of his attain.
nents and capacities with singular snthusi-
asm-a man not given 70 enthusiasm In
judging bis fellow-men. ma a ait 4
Mr.. Balfour met bis death on the italian
slope Of Mont Blanc, guide perishiug with
him. How the catastrophe occurred We
shall probably never know. l. appears no
Others were Of the party. The accent of
Mont Blanc from Chamouuix has long since
ceased 10 be reckoned hazardous. The road
Is - well known = the road up Brooklyn
Heights. tis purely and sinply question
Of endurance and fatigue and Of good
weather. On fosgy day nobody would 60
up, but man may BE- caught In the fog Or
snow or anything elss whom oncs on the
n,onnfain side, and then the r,sk is always
great. Idon' know whether The Italian
slope has dangers of IL own, but an car
tain Balfour would have done the most dif.
6cut thing he could nnd TO do. Two years
ago met him and one VI his brothers 70
third brother ID the we'll Gnown member Of
Parliament) at Zermatt. II was their fss
season In the Alpe. They had never climbed
snow mountain anywhere before, but they
had already done Monte Rosa, the Weiss
horn, the Roshorn, the Natterhorn, and
every other formidable peak in the zermait
district, tho Dent Blanche excepted, and
that they were about to attemps, and be-
lieve shortly after did ascend. Work Of this
sort j seldom undertaken by novicss, and
zermatt, which u for the most part . REM
desvoux Of ths Alpine Club, VS. much az
cited about these younx fellows sxploits.
Yet anybody who nst then could Sc they
he'd not set about the business In . foolhardy
spirit. Ths7 he'd plenty Of ssrsngth, were
excellent walkers and wsss very rapidly
acquiring The mountaineering experience
wi.hoat which No Aipiss climbing = pessi-
BIZ. and which y sspplseA With gnidss n
wanting - the anssssr. Very col heads
thsy both plainly vsss. o. their courage
anA their rssolstioa, whas tAsy hsd dene |
was abundank proof rsnsnber - sfsr-
noon ssroli - ~ Swarss 30 savtns viii
h two BalS0ars nd ~ two friends ~ik /
whoa Iwas ssavsliag.. Fron ens o. ~
Iwo broihers, - sory cansos rscollees
which, Il sot sn account of thsir clinhiag--
eoi Il BY diat Of questions ssoasly, aimee
talAing about their own exploits was clearly
no much . their taats. Hut - sssFy was
very lacidlY ard uo4estly told d--sons nstimes
with ~ outward sign of ~ enlhueissn
which burned Within. The falalisy whirh
has since osertak~n oas u tAen + Il every
sensc TO b. lancnted. But neither NJ that, !
nor for otber fatalities thai hsd zone h<Soss, |
b the existsncs Of ths spirit ef darinx
adventure - sconsaen anone young Eng
lishmsn to - lHmena<d.
o-x4~A-a