264 Mr Bohr's Account of a Visit to the Glaciers j S^c. 



glaciers may be always easily distinguished. From the diffe- 

 rence in the quantity of water furnished to it at different seasons 

 of the year by the rain, and the melting of the snows on the 

 mountains and glaciers, the width of its bed and its rapidity are 

 continually varying. Sometimes in the course of two days it 

 has changed its bed : in its course it exhibits many beautiful 

 cascades. Often it sweeps before it beautiful holms, covered with 

 trees and shrubs, overwhelming at the same time the adjoining 

 corn-fields. In 1814, a flood in the river carried off large pieces 

 of the meadows on its banks, rising so high, that the sand was 

 found on the top-leaves of the trees. At Elvekrog it rose from 

 16 to 20 feet above its usual surface. As it descends from the 

 icy regions in which it rises, its temperature becomes less fri- 

 gid, till it reach Lyster, where the multitude of fruitful apple 

 and cherry trees, the quantities of asparagu&j? &c. bespeak a 

 warmer climate than could be there expected. 



On a warm dry day, July 10, of which the mean tempera- 

 ture was 19°. 7 R., the minimum depth of Justedal river oppo- 

 site to the church was 6 J feet in the morning ; its maximum 

 depth in the evening was about 8J. Such was the difference 

 occasioned by the melting of the snow. The velocity of the 

 current was at the rate of 8 feet in the second, when the river 

 was at its minimum depth, and 9 when at its maximum. Taking 

 the mean breadth of the river, and its slope from the sides to 

 the middle, by simple calculation, we may form an approxima- 

 tion to the quantity of ice and snow melted by the beat of such 

 a day. By this calculation it will be found, that a quantity of 

 about 31,132 cubic fathoms of water is thus added to the river 

 every hour. Assuming, then, that the snow has fourteen times 

 less density than the water which comes from it, with other pro- 

 per allowances, the result will be, that the quantity of snow 

 melted into this river during half a summer's day, will amount 

 to 5,230,176 cubic fathoms, which I have no doubt is less than 

 the reality. 



