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one : for in an ancient map of Switzerland , annexedto a Latin copy I possess of the “ Itinera par Hel-vetia Alpinas Regiones,” by Johannes Scheuchzerus,bearing date 1723, the course of the Arve is clearlygiven flowing by Ohammuny; but amongst themountains depicted there is no trace of the MontBlanc chain. j
To the researches of Captain Markham Sherwill, whoascended Mont Blanc successfully in 1825, we owe thebest account of the early history of Chamouni. Theguide books, which all copied one another, publishedpreviously to his visit—and indeed subsequently, untilMurray's Handbook set the matter right—describedthe valley of Chamouni as having been discovered bytwo English travellers, Dr. Pococke and Mr. Windham.To those gentlemen I shall allude at greater length pre-sently. The village was called Le Prieure (the nameby which it is still known to the country people), fromthe circumstance of a convent of Benedictines havingbeen founded there at a remote period. During one ofhis visits, Captain Sherwill heard, by chance, that agreat many of the archives relating to the Priory werestill preserved in an old trunk ; but that in all proba-bility they had become illegible, partly from negli-gence and partly from age and dust. He obtainedpermission to examine the documents, and assisted byM. Paccard—a son of the Dr. Paccard who first