all spoken of in the foregoing quo- sets the whole Scripture account of the attitude of prayer (and particularly the account given by three evangelists of one of Christ's prayers) in a clear and just light; only it might be here noted that falling on the face, in some passages of Scripture, may be intended more particularly to point out complete prostration, which form was sometimes used by individuals or persons in great distress: in other cases, bowing or kneeling appears to be the uniform practice.

all matters of so little consequence in a praying circle, you find that it makes no difference whe- them on their knees, of whatever ther we act up to them, or take a denomination they may be. If you contráry course? find penitent mourners praying for mercy, you see them on their knees, or otherwise prostrate; and I confess that I never saw any converted to God in their standing prayers, nor any thing like it.

But I reply, 3dly, that the principle in this case, on which the objection is grounded, is false and self-contradictory. What! to say that "it makes no difference what posture our bodies are in when we pray, provided the heart be right!" Here let me ask, Is there no connexion between body and mind? or, in other words, if it is no difference what posture our bodies are in when we pray, why of course a man may as well pray standing on his head as on his feet, or get down all-fours, hands and feet alike, as to kneel, or do it any other way. But does not every person see at once that such forms or postures of the body would be unfriendly to a devotional spirit; and in some degree, though not to an equal extent, standing upon the feet in prayer is in itself unfriendly to the devotion of the heart; or at least even a sincere worshipper cannot in general be so fervent on his feet as though he were on his knees?— Should this assertion be doubted, I am ready to vouch for its truth by an appeal to facts.

And here it is known to many that men may and often do say over fine words of prayer standing on their feet; but it is equally well known that such prayers are generally languid and void of energy. This is a fact, and cannot be denied. But let us turn from the individual who thus prays as an organ for the congregation, to those standing around him, and you will seldom see or hear any thing like prayer among them: this is also the truth, and cannot be denied. In short, if you find general and powerful engagedness

VOL. VIII. October, 1825.

But, on the other hand, I have seen hundreds rising from their knees, and with a loud voice giving glory to God for his saving mercy. I have been the more plain and pointed in my remarks on this part of the subject, because many who are esteemed both wise and pious have said that it is "no difference what posture our bodies are in when we pray, provided our hearts be right." Believing this assertion incorrect and self-contradíctory, I knew no way to make this appear so plain as in the severe observations above made ; and though they may sound harsh to some, they must appear to be correct to every man of candour that will look at facts.

Before I close these remarks, I wish, notwithstanding all that truth and candour has compelled me to say unfavourable to standing prayer, to have it distinctly understood that I charitably trust and believe that many who, through the force of education and surrounding example, still continue to offer up their prayers to God standing on their feet, are nevertheless among the children of God, and on their way to a better world. And I do feel a sweet fellowship with such of them as do, when they come into a congregation where it is the usage to kneel, conform in this respect, though they may stand in their own churches; and I think common civility requires this mutual conformity among the several Christian denominations: but the 49

bigot who stands on his feet during sit and pray! Certainly we have no such custom in any of the Christian churches, however corrupt some may be. Surely such a man is an insult to every praying or genteel person present, and a disgrace to his family and friends.— Certainly the least particle of what is commonly called good breeding would at least raise him to his feet, if not to his knees.

prayer among a kneeling circle, evinces to me that he has as little sense of good breeding as religion. Therefore, the most that I can do for such is to pity and pray for them: but the impropriety of a man standing on his feet in a kneeling circle is almost eclipsed by the indecent appearanceofthe man who continues to occupy his seat. What!

ATTEMPT TO REACH THE SUMMIT OF MONT BLANC, In Switzerland.

THIS mountain, so named on account of its white aspect, belongs to the great central chain of the Alps. It is truly gigantic, and is the most elevated mountain in Europe, rising no less than 15,872 feet (somewhat more than three, miles) above the level of the sea, and 14,624 feet above the lake of Geneva, in its vicinity. It is encompassed by those wonderful collections of snow and ice called glaciers, two of the principal of which are called Mont Dolent and Triolet.

The highest part of Mont Blanc, named the Dromedary, is in the shape of a compressed hemisphere. From that point it sinks gradually, and presents a kind of concave surface of snow, in the midst of which is a small pyramid of ice. It then rises into a second hemisphere, which is named the Middle Dome, and thence descends into another concave surface, terminating in a point, which, among other names bestowed on it by the Savoyards, is styled "Dome de Goute," and may be regarded as the inferior dome.

The first successful attempt to reach the summit of Mont Blanc was made in August, 1786, by Dr. Paccard, a physician of Chamouni.

The ascent occupied fifteen hours. and the descent five, under circumstances of the greatest difficultythe sight of the doctor and that of his guide (Balma) being so affected by the snow and wind as to render them almost blind, at the same time that the face of each was excoriated, and the lips exceedingly swelled.

On the first of August, 1787, the celebrated and indefatigable naturalist, M. de Saussure, set out on his successful expedition, accompanied by a servant and eighteen guides. At eleven o'clock on the day next but one following, they reached the top of the mountain, where they continued four hours and a half, during which time M. de Saussure enjoyed, with rapture and astonishment, a view the most extensive, as well as the most rugged and sublime in nature, and made those observations which have rendered this expedition important to philosophy.

A few days afterwards, Mr. Beaufoy, an English gentleman, succeeded in a similar attempt, although it was attended with greater difficulty, arising from enlargements in the chasms in the ice.

The following is a narrative of route, being the same which Sausthe attempt of another traveller to sure attempted in 1785, with no attain the summit of Mont Blanc. better success. It is given in his own language.

We reached St. Martin, the "About the middle of last Au- place for which we had engaged gust, I arrived at Geneva, accom- our caleche, at one o'clock in the panied by my friend H, of morning of the 17th, and having Brazen-nose, whom I had fallen engaged for two sharabands for in with at Berne, and who was, the journey through the valley, like myself, devoting a part of the we arrived at Chamounix at two long vacation to a continental tour. o'clock in the afternoon. From a I had, from leaving England, set balcony of the house where we my heart upon ascending Mont slept, we had the first distinct Blanc, and found no difficulty in view of Mont Blanc, and Dr. Haprevailing upon my companion, mel pointed out to us the formidawho had already made the tour of ble Aiguille de Gouto, which he the greater part of Switzerland, had lately succeeded in scaling. to accompany me. Having called H. and myself set off from St. on a gentleman at Geneva, to Martin on foot through the valley, whom I had an introduction, with being desirous of preparing oura view of making the necessary selves for the fatigues of the folinquiries, I learnt from him that lowing day. We walked nearly a small party were then on the seven miles before we were overpoint of setting out with the same taken by our party with the shaintention. I lost no time in find- rabands, and took the opportunity ing them out, and proposed to of visiting a beautiful fall of water share in their undertaking; and at a short distance on our left, the following afternoon, August which amply repaid us for the fa16, we set out together, in a hired tigue which it occasioned. From caleche, for the valley of Chamou- this spot the road becomes the nix. Our party consisted of four most romantic that can be conpersons. Our new acquaintances ceived; and when our companions were Le Chevalier Hamel, a Rus- overtook us, they found us reposian, then employed by the emperor sing on the green margin of a small in making some philosophical ob- transparent lake, surrounded by a servations in the neighbourhood; group of beautiful peasant girls and and M. Sellique, an optician of boys, who were pressing upon us Geneva, and native of Paris, a breakers of a most delicious waman of considerable attainments ter, drawn from a fountain at a in various branches of natural phi- short distance. losophy. His grand object in accompanying us was to make trial of a new barometer, of his own construction, in measuring the height of Mont Blanc; the accuracy of some former observations for the same purpose having been recently called in question. Dr. Hamel had already made, ten days before, an unsuccessful attempt to reach the summit by a different

On our arrival at Chamounix, at the excellent hotel de l'Union, we immediately sent for Matthieu Balmal and Joseph Marie Couttet, guides of the valley, to whom we had been recommended to apply ourselves. After a good deal of bargaining, which we were glad to leave to Dr. Hamel, we finally agreed with twelve guides, who were to receive forty-eight francs

a-piece the choice of the ten others was left to the two leaders, who appointed them all to muster in marching order at four o'clock the following morning. The rumour of our intended expedition was soon spread abroad, and we found ourselves treated with something of that kind of respect which is paid to the leaders of the forlorn hope on the eve of the storming of a town. At length the long expected morn arrived at four o'clock we were summoned from our beds, where we had not enjoyed much sleep; and about five we all set off on foot, making, with the guides, a party of sixteen. The latter were each furnished with a knapsack pretty well loaded, in which were placed provisions for the whole party, mathematical instruments, additional clothing for ourselves on the following day, four blankets, and a variety of other things, among which were a carrier pigeon from Bonneville, to convey to that place the earliest tidings of our arrival on the summit, and a live fowl destined to be cooked at the same height. We had also with us some rockets and Bengal lights, which we had promised the ladies below to exhibit from our halting place at night.This was to be the summit of a rock called by the guides Le Grand Mulet, which is a very conspicuous object from the hotel. After returning on the road to St. Martin for nearly a league, we began the ascent in a wood which skirts the mountain for some distance. But previous to this, we stopped for a few minutes at the cottage of Joseph Marie Couttet, which is at the base of the mountain, to provide ourselves with spiked poles; and at his suggestion I exchanged an ordinary hat for one of the kind usually worn by

the peasants, and which he informed me had been twice on the summit of Mont Blanc. Our caravan now assumed a most romantic appearance; the costume of the guides, each with a French knapsack, and one or two with old pelisses, being decidedly military. It reminded me strongly of a party of guerillas in the Pyrenees, where uniformity either in dress or appointments was considered as an unnecessary refinement. We had each a large straw hat tied under the chin, and a spiked pole, about eight feet long, in our hands. Besides this, our shoes were furnished with short spikes at the heels, to assist us in the descent. We were clothed as lightly as possible, that the motion of our limbs might not be impeded, for we were told to expect a march of eleven or twelve hours, the latter half of which was to be spent in climbing.

The ascent at first is so far from being laborious, that the guides were constantly obliged to repress our ardour, and compelled us to halt every ten minutes, lest we should not husband our strength sufficiently. In about two hours we reached the last human abode, being a chalet, or summer cottage, inhabited by Francois Favret, who had been one of Saussure's guides, and whose son was in our party. A few minutes before, one of our guides pointed out to us Mademoiselle Favret, reclining fearlessly on a very precipitous part of the pasture, where her goats were feeding, and singing with the greatest apparent unconcern. During a halt of five minutes, which we made at the chalet for the purpose of taking a draught of goat's milk, Julien Devouossoux, one of our guides, swallowed a mouthful of sulphuric acid, which he had bought at Chamounix by mistake