Jieport of the Besearches of M. Agaesiz. 291 



lary fissures. In two hours, all the infusion had thus strained 

 ojff. The same evening, the other hole also was quite empty, 

 and the wall of the ice, in front and beneath it, dyed in a 

 similar manner. 



This, however, was not an unexceptionable experiment; 

 for it might with truth have been objected, that, granting that 

 the fissures extended so far, still it was nothing more than the 

 result of the atmospheric influence. To meet this objection, it 

 was proposed that we should bore perpendicularly at the mar- 

 gin of a cleft, as deep as 15, 20, or 30 feet, and then intro- 

 duce the coloured liquid. But even then it was possible that 

 the liquid might escape by the sides of the bore, and it might 

 have filtered vertically, where it would have been impossible 

 it could be observed. It was, moreover, proposed to cut a 

 gallery not far from the margin of the glacier; this, how- 

 ever, would have been very laborious and tedious, and would 

 likewise have been exposed to the objection brought against 

 the experiment already detailed, on account of the alleged 

 difference of the state of the ice near the surface and in the 

 interior. At length we discovered, upon the branch of the 

 Lauter-Aar distant about a league from the Hotel, and near 

 the place where the transversal band, 500 feet long, was mea- 

 sured — an arrangement which seemed admirably adapted for 

 our experiment. Here we found two great crevices, sepa- 

 rated by a wall of ice fifteen feet thick, and as both were 

 very deep, and wide enough to allow a descent to the extent 

 of thirty feet and more, we determined to sink a gallery thirty 

 feet, at its lowest portion. Four active hands were imme- 

 diately put upon it. They commenced by cutting a staircase 

 along the narrower crevice ; and after having erected a small 

 scafi'old, they proceeded to form a gallery four feet high, and 

 three wide. This was most annoying work, especially when 

 the thaw at the surface was considerable, for then the water 

 dropped from the roof of the gallery in great quantities, and 

 thoroughly drenched those within it. Hence, they were all 

 the better of the mountain breeze and Alpine air when at 

 work. When they had reached the depth of eight feet, 

 M. Agassiz determined, before proceeding farther, to make an 

 experiment respecting the infiltration. A hole, a foot in 



