SKETCHES ON THE CONTINENT, IN 1835. LETTER XII. Valley of Lauterbrunnen-The Jungfrau-The Staub-bach-Interlachen-English Chapel-Vicinity of Interlachen-Hofstetter's Pension-Awkward situation on the Aarderberg-Unterseen -The Jungfrau-Road to the Valley of Frutigen-ChaletsVillage of Frutigen- Kanderthal - Kandersteg― Advice of Guides. MY DEAR FRIEND:-On leaving Grindelwald, we returned to Zweilutschinen, a place so called from the two streams that here meet; the combined waters of which were on our left, on the road from Interlachen. One of these torrents accompanied us from the glaciers of Grindelwald, and is called the Schwartz-lutschin, or black torrent ;—the other, VOL. II. B the Weiss-lutschin, or white torrent, flows from the valley of Lauterbrunnen; the names of these streams being indicative of their difference of colour. The valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are separated by a chain of mountains; so that we retraced our steps, and having recrossed the rustic bridge, proceeded towards the latter narrow valley. We were now literally walled in, on both sides, by stupendous mountains; and before us reared its mighty head the colossal Jungfrau, which rises from this romantic valley to the amazing height of 10,400 feet; or 12,900 above the sea. This awful mass is more elevated than any of the mountains of Grindelwald; and is regarded as the most magnificent of all the Northern chain, or of the Helvetian Alps, the range which runs north of the Valais, commencing with Mount Sanetz, and reaching, in a north-easterly direction, to the St. Gothard; which is situated between the cantons of Uri and Ticino. In ascending the valley of Lauterbrunnen, the view of the Jungfrau is exceedingly grand. The extreme whiteness and brilliancy of the perpetual snows which cover its enormous sides, and its vast massy head,-and the towering pinnacles which seem to rise from numerous basins and gorges into some pure elemental region, far above all the dark abutments of the base, conveyed to the mind an impression of elevation greater than we had before received; and it was impossible not to feel astonishment, in the contemplation of this vast heap of Alps: with such majesty and solidity, do they appear piled up to the very heavens. The glaciers of this throne of eternal snows should be viewed, we understood, from the Steinberg, a neighbouring mountain; or from the side next the Valais as, from these positions, they are seen branching out to an immense extent; especially the glacier of Aletsch, which reaches upwards of twenty miles in length, and nearly to the Rhone. : The Jungfrau is such an assemblage of terrific rocks, and frightful precipices, that its summit was long supposed to be quite inaccessible. Some thirty years ago, an unfortunate individual who attempted the ascent, was never heard of more; and was believed to have fallen into some one of the yawning chasms on the side of the mountain, and to have perished, either by an instantaneous death, or by being carried down with an avalanche, so as to linger for a time in an abyss of eternal snow, conscious of the hopeless horror of his situation! Unintimidated by his unhappy fate, two brothers named Meyer, determined, in July 1811, to obtain the perilous honour of planting their feet, where no human being had ever been known to tread before. After they had spent one night on the ice, their attendants lost courage and returned; the brothers, however, persevered, though almost blinded by the dazzling brightness of the snow; and passed another night still higher in this frozen and hazardous region. On the following day, they proceeded in the ascent, wearing black veils to protect their eyes; and after intense and perilous labour, they at length gained the loftiest snows of the Jungfrau, in a heaven which they described as of a pure, deep, and cloudless azure. They raised a flag on this unearthly spot, and descended in safety. At Grindelwald we saw, in the travellers' book, a long account of an unsuccessful attempt made, a few days before, by a young Scotchman, He and his guides had undergone great dangers, and, in their descent, had let themselves down awful precipices with ropes. The attempt was to be made again on the following Monday, but as the weather on that day was wet, it must have been deferred. The village of Lauterbrunnen has an air of considerable comfort, and a very picturesque appearance,-being plentifully ornamented with trees, and enclosed by stupendous walls of rock: its prettylooking new church gives it a modern appearance, which is interestingly contrasted with the surrounding antiquities of nature. The inn at the entrance of the |