XI. L’HOTEL DU MONT BLANC 455

never saw it so lovely; drew afterwards near the source, piny sketch, well begun. After tea walked up nearly to my beloved old place on the Breven, and saw a solemn sunset, yet not very bright; the granulated rosy crags of La Côte¹ especially. Thank God for permitting me to sit on that slope once more thus strong in health and limb.

“CHAMOUNI, day 13th, Monday, June 25th.-Up rather late this morning, and lost time before breakfast over camera-lucida; drove to Argentière with my mother, who enjoyed her drive exceedingly; back at one o’clock to my usual place (Les Tines²) till four; out after dinner, rambling about Breven with sketch-book in search of a view of Aiguille du Plan; didn’t find one, but found some wild strawberries, which were a consolation. The day has been fine, with scattered clouds; in the evening a most curious case of floating cap cloud, hooding the Mont Blanc summit without touching it, like gossamer blown upwards from a field; an awning of slender threads waving like weeds in the blue sky,” (as weeds in a brook current, I meant,) “and drawn out like floss silk as fine as snow. This cloud, that does not touch the snow, but hovers over it at a certain height following the convexity of the mountain, has always seemed most unaccountable to me.

224. “CHAMOUNI, day 14th, Tuesday, June 26th.-Heavy, rounded, somewhat dirty clouds on the Pavillon (half-past six); but summit bright and clear, and all very promising.

“Get following books if possible-Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d’Histoire Naturelle de Genève (t. iv., p. 209), on the valley of Val Orsine, by M. Necker; Actes de la Société Helvétique des Sc. Nat., 1837, p. 28, 1839, p. 47, on Nagelflue pebbles.

“Evening. After one of the most heavenly walks

¹ [See Plate 36 in Modern Painters, vol. iv. (Vol. VI. p. 260).]

² [See the frontispiece to Vol. IV.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]