HINTS of OCCURRENCES, &c.

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My impatience to proceed, having given me a better opinion of my condition than it deferved; we took leave ofGeneva, and diredted our march towards Laufanne: but Mont Blanc attradled my eye at a great diftance, and thoughnot lying immediately in my route, was too interefting an objedt for an artift or philofopher to be fatisfied with adiftant view of it. Inftead therefore of purfuing the road to Laufanne, we took that which led to Chamony, apretty village fituated near the extremity of a trad! of ice, that projedts from the foot of Mont Blanc. This moun-tain, which appears to be an entire mafs of ice, is by far the higheft in Europe ; its elevation, according to the ba-rometrical meafurement of Monfieur de Luc, being 2391 French toifes, or 15303 feet perpendicular above the furfaceof the fea. It rifes majeftically amidft huge pyramids, and valleys of ice, which feem formed by nature to preclude allaccefs to it; and I was aflured at Chamony, horn whence travellers frequently make excurfions towards this tremen-dous mountain, that no perfon had ever taken a nearer view of it than from the fummits of the lelfer mountains fur-rounding it. But I have lately learnt, that Monf. Saussure has found means to furmount thefe difficulties, and is nowoccupied in exploring its defolate and inhofpitable regions. I ardently hope, that in addition to the glory ofaccompliffiing what other adventurers have found impradticable, he will efcape the perils of the expedition; and havethe honor of enriching natural hiltory with the communication of his difcoveries and obfervations.

In the neighbourhood of this place I was reminded of a circumftance which occurred to me in the Peak of Derby-ffiire. In travelling through a wild but cultivated part of that country at the latter end of Odtober, I obferved anextenfive piece of green oats, which the owner was furveying with much feeming fatisfadtion. My curiofity led me toenquire the caufe of their extreme backwardnefs; he faid “ They waited for thefrojl to ripen them” Imagining the far-mer meant to be jocular, I thanked him for his information; and wiffiing him a good harveft, left him without feekingto be further edified, But I am now inclined to think there might be more truth than jocularity in the farmer’s reply :for I here faw fields of corn which promifed abundant crops, interfered, and fome indeed almoft furrounded by tradlsof ice, which remain the whole fummer, and from many parts of them, entirely exclude the rays of the fun; yet thecorn in thofe places was not lefs luxuriant than that, which growing more diftant from the (hade, and chilling refledtionof the ice, received the full benefit of the fun; and I was very confidently aflured, that it ripened as early, and pro-duced as plentifully in thofe parts as in any other. The ffiade of woods, hills, or even of fingle trees, are univerfallyknown to give an abortive appearance to all vegetable produdtions; it may therefore be imagined, without much ex-travagance, that ice poflefles properties friendly to vegetation, which are not commonly imputed to it. And if it beallowable to prefume from thefe premifes, that the influence of ice conduces to the maturation of wheat in Switzer-land, there can be no reafon to doubt the efficacy of froft in ripening oats in the Peak of Derbyffiire.

Leaving Chamony, we proceeded by ffiort ftages through a great part of Switzerland, taking {ketches of the moftromantic and pidlurefque views in our way: but as thefe {ketches will probably furniffi fubjedts for a future publication,

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