Besearches on Existing Glaciers. 253 



great pain, he said ; my lips feel as if they were torn in pieces ; 

 what can be done to assuage this suffering ? For a moment 

 we thought of going out and immersing ourselves in the snow, 

 but reflecting that such a remedy might produce serious con- 

 sequences, we resolved to endure our misery till the morning. 

 It was a terrible night for us. Towards the morning the pain 

 gave us a little respite ; we reposed a few hours, and when we 

 rose, we could not restrain our fits of laughter, on looking at 

 each other. Are you aware that you have the appearance of 

 a cretin ? said Agassiz. Have the goodness to ask for a look- 

 ing glass for yourself, I replied. Our faces were coloured 

 purple, and horribly disfigured ; I could scarcely open my 

 eyes, so great was the swelling of my eyelids ; and Agassiz 

 had his lower lip excessively swollen and pendant. Never- 

 theless, we decided on starting the same day. Our thermo- 

 meters gave us the same results as on the preceding day ; that 

 is to say, the thermometrograph, at a depth of five feet in the 

 snow, indicated — 3^ ( 4- 26.6 F.), and the thermometer in the air 

 stood at + 2° 5 (+ 36.5 F.), at eight o'clock in the morning." 

 It is apparent from this description, that the water which 

 existed in the neighbourhood of the Grimsel was spring-water ; 

 and what proves that the glacier of the Aar had not moved for a 

 long time, is the fact that the snow was not gathered together 

 at its extremity. We also observed the same continuity of the 

 snow at the extremity of the glacier of Rosenlaui, and our 

 guides assured us that the snow is never seen collected to- 

 gether by the ice in winter, as is the case with the gravel and 

 the turf in summer, when glaciers are advancing. Every 

 thing, therefore, concurred to convince me, that glaciers do 

 not move in winter. The glacier of Rosenlaui, furnishes me 

 with another proof of the same thing, and in the following 

 manner : This glacier terminates at the edge of an abyss into 

 which the torrent, escaping from its extremity, is precipitated 

 in summer. Such a circumstance could not but be very fa- 

 vourable for my researches. I found, as I had foreseen, the 

 terminal edge of the glacier exposed ; not a drop of water 

 escaped from it, for, if there had been only a few drops, these 

 must have found their way to the edge of the uncovered hol- 

 low. I am well aware that it may be urged, that perhaps this 



