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CHAMONIX

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 827 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CHAMONIX , a See also:

mountain valley in See also:south-See also:east See also:France, its See also:chief See also:village, of the same name, being the See also:capital of a See also:canton of the See also:arrondissement of See also:Bonneville in the See also:department of Haute-See also:Savoie. The valley runs from N.E. to S.W., and is watered by the Arve, which rises in the Mer de Glace. On the S.E. towers the snowclad See also:chain of Mont See also:Blanc, and on the N.W.the less lofty, but rugged chain of the Brevent and of the Aiguilles Rouges. Near the See also:head of the valley is the village of Argentiere (4101 ft.), which is connected with See also:Switzerland by " See also:char " (See also:light See also:carriage) roads over the The Noire and past Salvan, and by a See also:mule path over the See also:Col de Balme, which joins the Tete Noire route near Trient and then crosses by a " char " road the Col de la Forclaz to Martigny in the See also:Rhone valley. The See also:principal village, Chamonix (3416 ft.), is 6 m. below Argentiere by electric railway (which continues via Finhaut to Martigny) and is visited annually by a See also:host of tourists, as it is the best starting-point for the exploration of the glaciers of the Mont Blanc chain, as well as for the ascent of Mont Blanc itself. It is connected with See also:Geneva by a railway (55 m.). In 1906 the See also:population of the village was 8o6, of the See also:commune 3482. The valley is first heard of about 1091, when it was granted by the See also:count of the Genevois to the See also:great See also:Benedictine See also:house of St See also:Michel de la Cluse, near See also:Turin, which by the See also:early 13th See also:century established a priory therein. But in 1786 the inhabitants bought their freedom from the canons of Sallanches, to whom the priory had been transferred in 1519. In 1530 the inhabitants obtained from the count of the Genevois the See also:privilege of holding two fairs a See also:year, while the valley was often visited by the See also:civil officials and by the bishops of Geneva (first recorded visit in 1411, while St See also:Francis de Sales came thither in 16o6). But travellers for See also:pleasure were See also:long rare. The first party to publish (1744) an See also:account of their visit was that of Dr R.

See also:

Pococke, Mr W. See also:Windham and other Englishmen who visited the Mer de Glace in 1741. In 1742 came P. Martel and several other Genevese, in 176o H. B. de See also:Saussure, and rather later See also:Bourrit. See J. A. Bonnefoy and A. Perrin, Le Prieure de Chamonix (2 vols., See also:Chambery, 1879 and 1883) ; A. Perrin, Histoire de la vallee et du prieure de Chamonix (Chambery, 1887) ; L. See also:Kurz and X. Imfeld, See also:Carte de la chine du Mont Blanc (1896; new ed., 19o5); L.

Kurz, Climbers' See also:

Guide to the Chain of Mont Blanc (See also:London, 1892) ; also See also:works referred to under BLANC, MoNT. (W. A. B.

End of Article: CHAMONIX

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