to come from the Lake N'yanza, how is the lake itself fed? May it not be, after all, but a kind of intermediate reservoir; and may there not be rivers flowing into it, which, if traced to other accumulations of water, would more truly be the original sources of the Nile? It was felt, in many quarters, that a more complete inspection of the Lake Victoria N'yanza, than Captains Speke and Grant were enabled to make, was requisite; as also a more uninterrupted tracing of the upper course of the Nile, than it was possible for them to attempt. Dr. Barth, however, accepted what they had done as virtually a solution of the greatest geographical problem of history.

Sir Roderick Murchison, writing under date of the 24th September, to the Athenæum, says "Sir, I beg to state, through your medium, that my geographical friends and myself have resolved to bring about the erection of a suitable monument, to commemorate the exploits of the man who, of all Europeans, first crossed central equatorial Africa, from south to north, with his companion Grant; and who (setting aside all disputes respecting the source of the Nile) unquestionably determined the existence and the position of the great water-basin whence the Nile flows. Yesterday, in company with the gallant Captain Grant, who had travelled from the north of Scotland, and Dr. Livingstone, I followed the remains of my lamented friend to the family burying-place of the Spekes, in the church of Dowlish Wake; and now that he has been cut off in the zenith of his intrepid and brilliant career, I feel confident that this appeal will meet with a generous response."

One form of geographical enterprise, that of scaling the hitherto untrodden peaks and passes of the Alps, was in great favour with Englishmen at this time. An Alpine Club had been formed expressly for the purpose; and, by their enterprise and daring, won great renown. Some terrible accidents, however, happened. One of them, which occurred in July, 1865, and which sent a thrill of horror all through Europe, is thus described by Mr. Edward Whymper, president of the Alpine Club :-"On Wednesday morning, the 12th of July, Lord Francis Douglas and myself crossed the Col Theodule, to seek guides at Zermatt. After quitting the snow on the northern side, we rounded the foot of the glacier, crossed the Furgge glacier, and left my tent, ropes, and other matters in the little chapel at the Lac Noir. We then descended to Zermatt, engaged Peter Taugwalder, and gave him permission to choose another guide. In the course of the evening, the Rev. Charles Hudson came into our hotel with a friend, Mr. Hadow; and they, in answer to some inquiries, announced their intention of starting to attack the Matterhörn on the following morning. Lord Francis Douglas agreed with me it was undesirable that two independent parties should be on the mountain at the same time, with the same object. Mr. Hudson was, therefore, invited to join us; and he accepted our proposal. Before admitting Mr. Hadow, I took the precaution to inquire what he had done in the Alps; and, as well as I remember, Mr. Hudson's reply was Mr. Hadow has done Mont Blanc in less time than most men.' He then mentioned several other excursions that were unknown to me; and added, in answer to a further question-'I consider he is a sufficiently good man to go with

us.'

This was an excellent certificate, given to us as it was by a first-rate mountaineer; and Mr. Hadow was admitted without any further questions. We then went into the matter of guides. Michael Croz was with Messrs. Hadow and Hudson; and the latter thought, if Peter Taugwalder went as well, that there would not be occasion for any one else. The question was referred to the men themselves, and they made no objection.

"We left Zermatt at 5.35 on Thursday morning, taking the two young Tangwalders, as porters, by the desire of their father. They carried provisions amply sufficient for the whole party for three days, in case the ascent should prove more difficult than we anticipated. No rope was taken from Zermatt, because there was already more than enough in the chapel at Lac Noir. It has been repeatedly asked, Why was not the wire-rope taken, which Mr. Hudson brought to Zermatt?"

6

I do not know; it was not mentioned by Mr. Hudson; and, at that time, I had not even seen it. My rope alone was used during the expedition: and there was, first, about 200 feet of Alpine Club rope; secondly, about 150 feet of a kind I believe to be stronger than the first; thirdly, more than 200 feet of a lighter and weaker rope than the first, of a kind used by myself until the club rope was produced.

"It was our intention, on leaving Zermatt, to attack the mountain seriouslynot, as it had been frequently stated, to explore or examine it; and we were provided with everything that long experience has shown to be necessary for the most difficult mountains. On the first day, however, we did not intend to ascend to any great height, but to stop when we found a good position for placing the tent. We mounted, accordingly, very leisurely; left the Lac Noir at 8.20, and passed along the ridge connecting the Hörnli with the actual peak, at the foot of which we arrived at 11.20, having frequently halted on the way. We then quitted the ridge, went to the left, and ascended by the north-eastern face of the mountain. Before twelve o'clock we had found a good position for the tent, at a height of 11,000 feet; but Croz, and the elder of Taugwalder's sons, went on to look what was above, in order to save time on the following morning. The remainder constructed the platform on which the tent was to be placed; and by the time this was finished the two men returned, reported joyfully that, as far as they had gone, they had seen nothing but that which was good; and asserted positively that, had we gone on with them on that day, we could have ascended the mountain, and have returned to the tent with facility. We passed the remaining hours of daylight-some basking in the sunshine, some sketching or collecting; and, when the sun went down, giving, as it departed, a glorious promise for the morrow, we returned to the tent to arrange for the night. Hudson made tea, myself coffee; and we then retired each one to his blanket bag-the Taugwalders, Lord Francis Douglas, and myself occupying the tent; the others remaining, by preference, outside. But, long after dusk, the cliffs above echoed with our laughter, and with the songs of the guides; for we were happy that night in camp, and did not dream of calamity.

"We were astir long before daybreak on the morning of the 14th, and started directly it was possible to move, leaving the youngest of Taugwalder's sons behind. At 6.20 we had attained a height of 12,800 feet, and halted for half-an-hour; then continued the ascent without a break until 9.55, when we stopped for about fifty minutes, at a height, probably, of about 14,000 feet. Thus far we had ascended by the north-eastern face of the mountain, and had not met with a single difficulty. For the greater part of the way there was, indeed, no occasion for the rope; and sometimes Hudson led, and sometimes myself. We had now arrived at the foot of that part which, from Zermatt, seems perpendicular, or overhanging, and we could no longer continue on the same side. By common consent, therefore, we ascended for some distance by the aréte--that is, by the ridge descending towards Zermatt-and then turned over to the right, or to the north-western face. Before doing so, we made a change in the order of ascent; Croz now went first; I followed; Hudson came third; Hadow and old Taugwalder were last. The change was made because the work became difficult for a time, and required caution. In some places there was but little to hold, and it was therefore desirable that those should be in front who were least likely to slip. The general slope of the mountain at this part was less than 40°, and snow had consequently accumulated, and filled up the irregularities of the rock face, leaving only occasional fragments projecting here and there. These were, at times, coated with a thin glaze of ice, from the snow above having melted and frozen again during the night. Still, it was a place over which any fair mountaineer might pass in safety. We found, however, that Mr. Hadow was not accustomed to this kind of work, and required continual assistance; but no one suggested that he should stop, and he was taken to the top. It is only fair to say that the difficulty experienced by Mr. Hadow at this part, arose, not from fatigue, or lack of courage,

but simply and entirely from want of experience. Mr. Hudson, who followed me, passed over this part, and, as far as I know, ascended the entire mountain without having the slightest assistance rendered to him on any occasion. Sometimes, after I had taken a hand from Croz, or received a pull, I turned to give the same to Hudson; but he invariably declined, saying it was not necessary. This solitary and difficult part was of no great extent-certainly not more than 300 feet high; and after it was passed the angles became less and less as we approached the summit; at last the slope was so moderate that Croz and myself detached ourselves from the others, and ran on to the top. We arrived there at 1.40 P.M.; the others about ten minutes after us.

"I have been requested to describe particularly the state of the party on the summit. No one showed any signs of fatigue, neither did I hear anything to lead me to suppose that any one was at all tired. I remember Croz laughing at me when I asked him the question. We had, indeed, been moving less than ten hours, and during that time had halted for nearly two. The only remark which I heard suggestive of danger was made by Croz; but it was quite casual, and probably meant nothing. He said, after I had remarked that we had come up very slowly, "Yes, I would rather go down with you and another guide alone, than with those who are going.' As to ourselves, we were arranging what we should do that night on our return to Zermatt.

"We remained on the summit for one hour; and during the time, Hudson and I consulted, as we had done all the day, as to the best and safest arrangement of the party. We agreed that it would be best for Croz to go first, as he was the most powerful, and Hadow second; Hudson, who was equal to a guide in sureness of foot, wished to be third; Lord F. Douglas was placed next, and old Taugwalder, the strongest of the remainder, behind him. I suggested to Hudson that we should attach a rope to the rocks on our arrival at the difficult bit, and hold it as we descended, as an additional protection. He approved of the idea, but it was not definitely settled that it should be done. The party was being arranged in the above order while I was making a sketch of the summit, and they were waiting for me to be tied in my place, when some one remembered that we had not left our names in a bottle; they requested me to write them, and moved off while it was being done. A few minutes afterwards I tied myself to young Taugwalder, and followed, catching them just as they were commencing the descent of the difficult part described above. The greatest care was being taken-only one man was moving at a time; when he was firmly planted the next one advanced, and so on. The average distance between each was probably twenty feet. They had not, however, attached an additional rope to rocks, and nothing was said about it. The suggestion was made entirely on account of Mr. Hadow, and I am not sure it even occurred to me again.

"I was, as I have explained, detached from the others, and following them; but after about a quarter of an hour Lord F. Douglas asked me to tie on to old Taugwalder, as he feared, he said, if there was a slip Taugwalder would not be able to hold him. This was done hardly ten minutes before the accident, and undoubtedly saved Taugwalder's life.

"As far as I know, at the moment of the accident, no one was actually moving. I cannot speak with certainty, neither can the Taugwalders, because the two leading men were partially hidden from our sight by an intervening mass of rock. Poor Croz had laid aside his axe; and in order to give Mr. Hadow greater security, was absolutely taking hold of his legs, and putting his feet, one by one, into their proper positions. From the movements of their shoulders, it is my belief that Croz, having done as I have said, was in the act of turning round to go down a step or two himself; at this moment Mr. Hadow slipped, fell on him, and knocked him over. I heard one startled exclamation from Croz, then saw him and Mr. Hadow flying downwards; in another moment Hudson was dragged from his steps, and Lord F. Douglas immediately after him. All this was the work of a moment; but imme

diately we heard Croz's exclamation, Taugwalder and myself planted ourselves as firmly as the rock would permit; the rope was tight between us, and the shock came on us both as on one man. We held; but the rope broke midway between Taugwalder and Lord F. Douglas. For two or three seconds we saw our unfortunate companions sliding downwards on their backs, and spreading out their hands. endeavouring to save themselves; they then disappeared one by one, and fell from precipice to precipice on to the Matterhörn glacier below, a distance of nearly 4,000 feet in height. From the moment the rope broke it was impossible to help them.

"For the space of half-an-hour we remained on the spot without moving a single step. The two men, paralysed by terror, cried like infants, and trembled in such a manner as to threaten us with the fate of the others. Immediately we had descended to a safe place I asked for the rope that had broken, and to my surprise -indeed, to my horror-found that it was the weakest of the three ropes. As the first five men had been tied while I was sketching, I had not noticed the rope they employed; and now I could only conclude that they had seen fit to use this in preference to the others. It has been stated that the rope broke in consequence of its fraying over a rock: this is not the case; it broke in mid-air, and the end does not show any trace of previous injury.

"For more than two hours afterwards, I thought every moment that the next would be my last; for the Taugwalders, utterly unnerved, were not only incapable of giving assistance, but were in such a state that a slip might have been expected from one or the other at any moment. I do the younger man, moreover, no injustice when I say, that immediately we got to the easy part of the descent, he was able to laugh, smoke, and eat as if nothing had happened. There is no occasion to say more of the descent. I looked frequently, but in vain, for traces of my unfortunate companions, and we were in consequence surprised by the night when still at a height of 13,000 feet. We arrived at Zermatt at 10.30 on Saturday morning.

"Immediately on my arrival I sent to the president of the commune, and requested him to send as many men as possible to ascend heights whence the spot could be commanded where I knew the four must have fallen. A number went, and returned after six hours, reporting they had seen them, but that they could not reach them that day. They proposed starting on Sunday evening, so as to reach the bodies at daybreak on Monday; but, unwilling to lose the slightest chance, the Rev. J. M'Cormick and myself resolved to start on Sunday morning. The guides of Zermatt, being threatened with excommunication if they did not attend the early mass, were unable to accompany us. To several, at least, I am sure this was a severe trial; for they assured me, with tears, that nothing but that which I have stated would have prevented them from going. The Rev. J. Robertson, and Mr. J. Philpotts, of Rugby, however, not only lent us their guide, Franz Ardermatten, but also accompanied us themselves. Mr. Puller lent us the brothers Lochmatter; F. Payot and J. Tiarraz, of Chamouni, also volunteered. We started with these at 2 A.M. on Sunday, and followed the route we had taken on Thursday morning until we had passed the Hörnli, when we went down to the right of the ridge, and mounted through the seracs of the Matterhörn glacier. By 8.30 we had got on to the plateau at the top, and within sight of the corner in which we knew my companions must be. As we saw one weather-beaten man after another raise the telescope, turn deadly pale, and pass it on without a word to the next, we knew that all hope was gone. We approached; they had fallen below as they had fallen above-Croz a little in advance, Hadow near him, and Hudson some distance behind; but of Lord F. Douglas we could see nothing. To my astonishment I saw that all of the three had been tied with the club, or with the second and equally strong rope, and consequently there was only one link-that between Taugwalder and Lord F. Douglas-in which the weaker rope had been used.

"The letters of the Rev. J. M'Cormick have already informed you respecting

the subsequent proceedings. The orders from the government of the Valais to bring the bodies down were so positive, that four days after the events I have just related, twenty-one guides accomplished that sad task. The thanks of all Englishmen are due to these brave men, for it was a work of no little difficulty, and of great danger. Of the body of Lord F. Douglas they, too, saw nothing; it is probably arrested in the rocks above. No one can mourn his loss more deeply or more sincerely than myself; for, although young, he was a most accomplished mountaineer, hardly ever required the slightest assistance, and did not make a single slip throughout the day. He had, only a few days before we met, made the ascent of the Gabelhörn, a summit far more difficult, I believe, to reach than the Matterhörn itself.

"I was detained in Zermatt until the 22nd of July, to await the inquiry instituted by the government. I was examined first; and, at the close, I handed in to the court a number of questions which I desired should be put to the elder Taugwalder; doing so because that which I had found out respecting the ropes was by no means satisfactory to me. The questions, I was told, were put and answered before I left Zermatt; but I was not allowed to be present at the inquiry; and the answers, although promised, have not yet reached me.

"This, sir, is the end of this sad story. A single slip, or a single false step, has been the sole cause of this frightful calamity, and has brought about misery never to be forgotten. I have only one observation to offer upon it. If the rope had not broken you would not have received this letter, for we could not possibly have held the four men, falling as they did all at the same time, and with a severe jerk. But, at the same time, it is my belief that no accident would have happened had the rope between those who fell been as tight, or nearly as tight, as it was between Taugwalder and myself. The rope, when used properly, is a great safeguard; but whether on rocks, or whether on snow or glacier, if two men approach each other so that the rope falls in a loop, the whole party is involved in danger; for should one slip or fall, he may acquire, before he is stopped, a momentum that may drag down one man after another, and bring destruction on all; but if the rope is tight this is all but impossible."

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE LAST OF LORD PALMERSTON AS PREMIER.

IN the course of our narrative we have now reached the summer of 1865, when the general election was held, and when it was to be seen how far his lordship had deserved well of his country. To remain at peace with all the world-to develop the industry of the nation to render the country secure by means of its army and navy, particularly the latter-were the main particulars of the Palmerston programme.

Let us glance first at the state of the navy. England has always held that her navy is her great source of security and power. In a letter to Lord North, in 1773, George III. writes "I cannot conclude without expressing my approbation of Lord Sandwich's plan for having the guard-ships always ready for immediate service that will, I am persuaded, prevent many wars; for by that means we have over twenty large ships ready before the enemy can equip one; consequently about the start of three months, which is an immense advantage in all military operations." Similar feeling has been, more or less, cherished by all our statesmen; even by such men of peace as Mr. Cobden, who was quite ready to admit that we