18411880] GLEN ROY 191 



N. American view of warmer or more equable period, after Letter 527 

 great Glacial period, become much more probable in Europe? 

 But I am very poorly to-day, and very stupid, and hate 

 everybody and everything. One lives only to make blunders. 

 I am going to write a little book for Murray on Orchids, 1 and 

 to-day I hate them worse than everything. So farewell, in 

 a sweet frame of mind. 



To C. Lyell. Letter 528 



Down, Oct. I4th [1861], 



I return Jamieson's capital letter. I have no comments, 

 except to say that he has removed all my difficulties, and that 

 now and for evermore I give up and abominate Glen Roy 

 and all its belongings. It certainly is a splendid case, and 

 wonderful monument of the old Ice-period. You ought 

 to give a woodcut. How many have blundered over those 

 horrid shelves ! 



That was a capital paper by Jamieson 2 in the last Geol. 

 Journal. I was never before fully convinced of the land 

 glacialisation of Scotland before, though Chambers tried 

 hard to convince me. 



I must say I differ rather about Ramsay's 3 paper ; 

 perhaps he pushes it too far. It struck me the more from 

 remembering some years ago marvelling what could be the 

 meaning of such a multitude of lakes in Friesland and other 

 northern districts. Ramsay wrote to me, and I suggested 

 that he ought to compare mountainous tropical regions with 

 northern regions. I could not remember many lakes in any 

 mountainous tropical country. When Tyndall talks of 

 every valley in Switzerland being formed by glaciers, he 

 seems to forget there are valleys in the tropics ; and it is 

 monstrous, in my opinion, the accounting for the Glacial 

 period in the Alps by greater height of mountains, and 

 their lessened height, if I understand, by glacial erosion. 



1 On the Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilised by 

 Insects, London, 1862. 



3 " On the Drift and Rolled Gravel of the North of Scotland," Quart. 

 Journ. Geol. Soc., Vol. XVI., p. 347, 1860. 



3 " On the Glacial Origin of Certain Lakes, etc.," Quart. Journ. Geol. 

 Soc., Vol. XVIII., p. 185. See Letter 503. 



