Sunday 6th July 1834

Did not rise till near 8 o’clock – A- [Anne] had a long packing of our things, some of which we left at Chamouni – on our Mules & off about  . [gap] for the mountains, very tired, & got off to rest before 

we got to the top of     –      –      –      sat down & cried, got a little Noyau – then mounted & went to the top – as we were descending, saw guide who accompanied Baron Muller, who told our Guides – when he had got part of the way en route he said to him, he had lost   .  francs, the Guide proposed turning back to look for them, he said it was such a reflection & disgrace upon him, Baron M- would not allow this but proposed borrowing money, which the people lent at  .  [gap] not to him, but to the guide, when he got to Martigny he said he should go to Turin where he gave the Guide the slip, & left him with 5 francs in his pocket – he had left his carriage at Chamouni, which the people sold seized for sale, he had bought it at Geneva, without paying for it, so that the Maker came over to Chamouni to buy it again for what he could.  crossed the Vosa [Voza] down to Contamine [Contamines], arrived at 5 – dined, had Vin d’Asti, went to bed – Up [gap]

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/13 & WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/14

[up at] 5 1/2

[to bed at] 9 5/..

half hour with her and good long kiss last night – Adney very sick in the night – packing and dressing till breakfast at 8 – left all behind us we could – even my journal book – had not even a change of night things and flannels, but took 5 chemises – Adney had a gown, but not I – put on my pelisse and black stuff petticoat and light man’s straw hat I bought at Geneva – and threw of[f] my underpetticoat took one napkin and paper – wore shoes and gaiters, and spun silk tops and cotton socks – great coat and tartan cloak, and Adney had her old Outram cloak – Fahrenheit 64° at 8 a.m. Our 2 guides, and 3 mules (one for the baggage and for George to ride) and ourselves off from Chamouni at 10 1/2 – rode 1/4 hour, then walked to les Ouches /Les Houches/ (there at 12 1/2) Adney walked with me the last 1/2 hour – nice little church and village – a little beyond it, turn (left) up the mountain de Vauzaz /Voza/ – narrow fenced off path partly thro’ corn fields, and wood – pass 2 or 3 chalets – at 1 50/.., about 1/2 hour from the top, Adney sickish, and could ride no farther – to crown our malheur, we had a few drops of rain (had had a little shower or 2 before after leaving les Ouches) and were afraid of the weather – however luckily the rain held off and the afternoon and evening were fine – Adney sat down on the grass for 35 minutes and this and a little noyau recruited her and we set off again – David had proposed going to the Pavillon de Bellevue on the Prarion mountain rising from the Vauzas on our left – but I determined to try for Contamine, 2 hours nearer than Nantbourant which we had hoped to reach – At 3, we reached the top of the Vauzaz (one chalet there – very swampy in places) a sort of col as called hereabouts or hollow ridge between the higher mountains Parion and Forclaz? – that we had no sooner reached the top than we began the descent – at least we had not much level ground – crossed the valley not far from the foot of the glacier of Bionnassei /Bionnassay/, leaving the village of that name at a distance (left) on the other side – very fine view down the valley of Bionnassei and thence into the valley of Montjoie down towards St. Gervais and up to Tresse, the good church and village of St. Nicolas de Verosse /Véroce/ being en face – Adney better and we got down pretty well (walked down the steep parts) to Contamine at 5 10/.. just after beginning the descent Michel hailed Auguste Coutet baron de Müller’s guide who had borrowed money for him (300 francs) and then been sent off with 5/. at Novara (not far from Turin) to wait for the baron somewhere for a few hours in which time my gentleman got off leaving Auguste to pawn his saddle and get home as he could – the 1st time any traveller had ever played such a swindling trick to any guide of Chamouni – the baron was to have gone to the top of Mont Blanc – had agreed with Joseph Coutet for 1200 francs – had left 3000 francs of debt at Geneva – David and I would fain persuade ourselves it could not be, but that Monsieur the baron would return – he told Auguste he had lost his purse with 350 francs in it in the mountains – the Auberge du glacier à trois têtes at Contamine (a good little Alpine town, with good church) quite a village auberge, but we were very tolerably comfortable – no curtains – no dressing room – no foot pails – not more than a pint of water each and small brown pie-dish like basins to wash in – sat over dinner from 6 1/2 to 7 3/4 – good roast veal and chicken etc. and vin d’Asti blanc 1st time of our tasting it – sweetish, and moussu, and like cider, but so good we drank 2 bottles – fine day till a few drops of rain soon soon after leaving Ouches and little bits of showers at intervals till after 3 – then fine till about 6 p.m. and afterwards rain – Fahrenheit 64° 1/2 at 8 1/4 p.m. Adney went to bed at 7 3/4 – found her fast asleep on the bed – helped her to get her things off and put her to bed she was literally tipsy

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale, SH:7/ML/E/17/0051 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0052