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similar sensations, in proportion to their respective constitutions.We-arrived at the summit of Mount Blanc at eleven A. M. 1now enjoyed the grand spectacle which was under my eyes. Athin vapour, suspended in the inferior regions of the air, deprivedme of the distinct view of the lowest and most remote objects,such as the plains of France and Lombardy ; but I did not somuch regret this loss, since I saw with remarkable clearness whatI principally wished to see, viz. the assemblage of those highridges, w ith the true form and situations of which I had longbeen desirous of becoming thoroughly acquainted. I couldscarcely believe my eyes. 1 thought myseil in a dream when Isaw below my feet so many majestic peaks, especially the Nee-dles, the Midi, Argentiere, and Geant, whose bases had proved sodifficult and dangerous of access. 1 obtained a perfect knowledgeof their proportion to, and connection with, each other ; of theirform and structure ; and a single view removed more doubts, andafforded more information, than whole years of study. \\ bile 1was thus employed, my guides pitched my tent, and were livingthe apparatus tor the experiments I had proposed to make onboiling water; hut when 1 came to dispose ot my instruments forthat purpose, I was obliged, almost at every instant, to desistfrom my labours, and turn all my thought? to the means of re-spiration. While I remained perfectly still, 1 experienced butlittle uneasiness more than a slight oppression about my heart;but, on the smallest bodily exertion, or w'hcn I lived my atten-tion on any object for some moments together, and particularlyw hen I pressed my chest in the act of stooping, I was obliged torest and pant for*two or three minutes. My guides were in asimilar condition. We had no appetite. Nothing hut fresh wa-ter relieved us ; and much time and trouble were necessary toprocure this article, as we could have no other than meltedsnow. I remained on the summit till half past three ; and thoughI did not lose a single moment, I was not able to make all thoseexperiments in four hours and a half, which I had frequentlydone in less than three on the sea-side. However, I made withgreat exactness those which were most essential. We returnedmuch easier than I could have expected ; since, in descending,we did not experience any had ellects from the compression ofthe thorax ; our respiration was not impeded, and we were notunder the necessity of resting, in order to recover our breath andstrength.” iM. de Saussure has given us the height of the baro-meter outlie top of Mount Blanc . August 3, at noon, 10 inches,0 lines, and of a line, French measure (i.e. 16,181 English );and the thermometer was 2,3 below the freezing point. M. Sen-nebier, at the same time, observed at Geneva the barometer27 2 -££$£ (29,020 inches English ) ; and the thermometer 22,6above freezing. From these data he makes the height of MountBlanc 2218 toises, or 14180 English feet (about 2| miles) accord-ing to M. de Luc’s rule ; and 2272 toises, or 14525 English feet,according to M. Trombley's. To these heights 13 toises, or83 feet, the height of M. Sennebier’s room above the lake ofGeneva, must be added, to give the height of the mountain abovethe level of the lake 14263 feet, according to M. de Luc, and14608 feet according to M. Trembler. Sir George Sluickburghmade the height of Mount Blanc , by trigonometrical measure-ment, 14429 teet above the lake, winch is almost the mean be-tween the other two. The result of the observations made atChamouni, contemporary with those on Mount Blanc , agrees stillnearer with Sir George’s measurement. The general mean resultmakes the summit of Mount Blanc 2450 toises, 15673 English feet, or three miles nearly, above the level of the sea. M. deSaussure found by his electrometer, that the electricity of the airon the summit of the mountain was positive. Water boiled at68,993 degrees of a thermometer, w hich rises to 80 w ith the baro-meter 27 French inches high. The wind was north and extremelypiercing on the summit; but southward of the ridge, the tempe-rature of the air was agreeable. The experiments with lime-water,and with the caustic alkali, shew that the air w as mixed with at-mospheric acid or fixed air. The summit of tiie mountain is aridge nearly horizontal, lying E. and W.: the slope at each ex-tremity is inclined from 28°. to 30°. (he S. side between 15 and20, and the N. about 45 or 50. This ridge is so narrow asscarcely to allow two people to walk abreast, especially at the W.end, w here it resembles the roof of a house. It is wholly coveredwith snow; nor is any bare rock to be seen within 150 yards ofthe top. The surface of the snow is scaly, and in some places co-

vered with an icy crust, under which the snow is dusty and with-out consistence. The highest rocks are all granites; those on theeast side arc’mixed with steatites; lhose on the S. and W. containa large quantity of sclioerl, and a little lapis corneus. Some ofthem, especially those on the E. which are about 150 yards be-low the summit, seem to have been lately shivered with lightning.M. de Saussure saw no animals on the mountain except two but-terllies, which he supposes must have been driven thither by thewind. Lichens are the only vegetables which are found on themore elevated parts of these mountains : the silene acaulis, whichgrows in great quantities on the lower parts, disappears at theheight of about two miles above the level of the sea.

BI.ANCA, an island on the coast of Terra Filina, and oneof the small Antilles , N. of Margaretta.

BEAN CHET, in coinage, a piece of silver.

BLANCIl-FERME, or BLANK FA11M, a white farm,that is, where the rent was to be paid in silver, not in cattle.

BLANCHING, the art or manner of making any thing white.See Bleaching.

Blanching, in coinage, the operation performed on the plan-chets, or pieces of silver, to give them the requisite lustre andbrightness. Pieces of plate are atso blanched when it is wishedto have them continued white, or have only some parts of themburnished. Blanching, as it is now practised, is performed byheating the pieces on a kind of peel with a wood lire, in the man-ner of a reverbatory ; so that the flame passes over the peel. Thepieces being sufficiently heated and cooled again, are put succes-sively to boil in two pans, which are of copper : in these they putwater, common salt, and tartar of Montpelier. When they havebeen well drained of this water in a copper sieve, they throw sandand fresh water over them ; and when dry, they are well rubbedwith towels.

Blanching, in gardening, an operation whereby certain sal-lads, roots, &c. are rendered whiter than they would otherwise be.It is thus: after pruning the tops and roots of the plants to heblanched, they plant them in trenches about ten inches wide, andas many deep, more or less as is judged necessary; as they growup care is taken to cover them with earth, within four oV liveinches of their tops: this is repeated from time to time, for live orsix weeks; in which time they will be lit for use, and of a whitishcolour where covered by the earth.

Blanching of Copper for sale, in imitation of silver; ormixing blanched copper with silver, or exposing the same to sale,is made felony, 8 and 9 W. III. &c. 26.

BlanchCLion, one of the pursuivants at arms.

BLANC Manger, [Fr. i.e. white food,] is a preparation ofdissolved isinglass, milk, sugar, cinnamon, &c. boiled into a thickconsistence, and garnished for the table with blanched almonds.It is cooling and strengthening.

BLANCO, a cape of Africa, in the Atlantic Ocean . Lon. 17.5. W. Lat. 20. 50. N.

Blanco, a promontory of Peru in South America . Lon. 83.10. W. Lat. 3. 45. S.

BLANDFORD, a town of Dorsetshire , 18 miles N. E. ofDorchester . Lon. 2. 15. W. Lat. 50. 53. N.

B LANES, anciently Bland a, a sea-port of Spain, in Cata-lonia .

BLANK, or BLANC, in a general sense, implies somethingwhite.

Blank, a small copper-coin, formerly current in France , at therate of live deniers Tournois. There were also greater blanks, orpieces of three blanks, and others of six, in respect whereof thesingle sort were called little blanks; but of late they are all be-come only monies of account.

Blank, in coinage, a plate, or piece of gold or silver, cut andshaped for a coin, but not yet stamped.

Blank Verse , in the modern poetry, that composed of a cer-tain number of syllables, without the assistance of rhyme. SeePoetry.

BLANRF.NBERG, a town of Germany, in Westphalia .Lon. 7. 30. E. Eat. 50. 42. N.

1 BEAN KEN BURG, a county and a town of Germany , in thecircle of Lower Saxony .

Blankenburg, a town of Dutch Flanders, 8 miles N. E. ofOstend .

BLANKET, in commerce, a warm woolly sort of stuff. The

manufactu.e