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MR. ALBERT SMITH’S ASCENT OF MONT BLANC.
WITH many of the particulars of Mr. Smith ‘a ascent of Merit Blanc, last
August, our readers are doubtless already acquainted, from his letter In the
journals, and his contribution to Blackwood. The personal narrative by the
tourist himself, however, was a thing to be desired, and had, indeed, been early
promised. To the fulfilment of that promise many have looked with eagerness,
particularly as it was accompanied by the assurance that Mr. William Beverley,
the companion of his tour, would paint some pictures worthily illustrative ot
the sublime scenes visited by the travellers. Expectation has not been dt5
appointed, now that the long-wished•(er exhibition has taken place. On Monday
evening, at tile Egyptian hail, Mr. Albert Smith amused his audience with lho
desidoratad personal narrative aforesaid ; and delighted them with l&r. tiavetley’s
pictorial illustrations. The room has been especially fitted up for the occasion—
the lecture-table and proscenium of the occasional stage being ornamented with
greenery and plants welt calculated to remind the spectator of Chamouni, and
assist his fancy its pursuing the thread of the discourse, and identifying the mere
salient features of the scenes to be successively displayed.
On Mr. Smith’s appearance lie was warmly applauded, and he began his lee-
tore under the moat favourable auspices. Nevertheless, he thought it courtesue
and befitting to bespeak indulgence for any possible mistake. owing to the new-
ness 01 material and machinery. Bt he soon plunged into the subject and we found him at Geneva, having migrated, with everybody else, at tlte
close of the season, from London. The picture of Geneva was such as to give
full assurance that the series would be excellent. The view, taken from the
Hotel des Bergttes, presented in the distance lbs Mole, Satdre, and
Mont Blanc. On his arrival at Chillon, Mr. Smith introduced us to
an American, and a literary lady—humourous sketches both—
though not quite equal to those that varied so effectively “ The Overland Mail,”
But the present subject obviously admits less of that kind of episode than the
former did. The confusion of the American’s mind relative to Lord Byron and
his heroes, identifying the Prisoner of Chillon and Mazeppa with the poet, was,
however, rich In comic eccentricity. Among the characters here introduced
was a hiro. Seymour, who had lost her black box, and. which seems always to
hays followed her to every place she visited about half an hour after her departure, and Itaty accordingly to be forwarded on and on and on—the lady every-
where inquiring alter the box, land giving important directions concerning it.
Mr. Smith, as usual, enlivened his narrative with some capital patter songs
those in tine first part were “ Tue Young England Traveller,” and “Galignaus’s
Messenger.” The pictorial portion represented Martigny, in the Valans; the
Convent of the Great St. Bernard, the well known Avalanche Dead-house, and
the Valley of Chamouni.
The second part commenced  with theVillage of Chamouni and the Cascade and
Chatlel de Pelerins; after which the celebrated ascent was proceeded wtth.
11000 it becomes Impossible to follow Mr. Smith in his lively atid graphic
descriptions of the early difficulties and dangers in making the Pierre Pointue,
Pierre is l’Eehetle, and the Glacier des ]Iessijns. The lecturer entered into a
deüflittou and typification of a glacier, to reatino it as much as possible to the
inaton of Ins auditors. Our Illustration gives one of these fearful
tceea,a—a dangerous crevice in the Glacier tin Tacconay (which we have
engraved upon the heat page), over which Cite tourists lied to pass by
means of a ladder—a crazy method of transition, where a single slip
of  the foot might betray the traveller into a fall thousands of feet in
depth. This scene is comparatively beautiful; but there are many others of
equal merit: its fact, the whole series of the Alpine ascents is splendidly
painted, exhibiting those stupendous scones in all their grandeur and terror.
We may just mention In proof those of the Grands Mulets rocks by sunset, the
Grand Plateau by Moonlight, and the hazardous ascent of line Mur de la Cote.
Mr.  Smith appears to have been Quite exhausted Just before he reached the
summit, and to have experienced some of the phenomena of sleep-waking. But
but he was well protected by his friends, and at length be stood on the top, in
triumph, without feeling It, for he was so overworn that he was unable to attend
to the view, and fell of immediately to sleep, during this part, Mr. Smith
treated the audience with a specimen of the hurdy-gurdy music of the guides,
and the manner in which they sing scraps of Savoyard songs. The lecture itself
concludes in a Parisian cafe, accompanied with a metrical description of an
Englishman’s way ut believing at a restaurant and at a tiseatie in Paris. The
whole was highly interesting, and thrown off iii a genial mood, characteristic,
and full of bonhomie, while the vivacity of tine speaker never wearied either
himself or his hearers. The performance must become highly popular.