The Life and Writings of Agassu. 25 



moved the snow from the summit, persuaded them all to fol- 

 low. " The summit is a very narrow, triangular space, about 

 two feet long, and a foot and a half wide, with the base to- 

 wards the valley of Switzerland. As there was room only 

 for one person, we took turns. Agassiz mounted first, rest- 

 ing on Jacob's arm. He remained about five minutes, and 

 when he rejoined us, I saw he was unable to suppress the 

 vivid emotion caused by the overwhelming grandeur of the 

 spectacle." 



*' It is not the vast prospect that makes the charm of the 

 higher mountains. We had already found, from former ex- 

 perience, that distant views are generally indistinct. Here, 

 on the summit of the Jungfrau, the contours of the distant 

 mountains were still less defined. But what fascinated us 

 was the spectacle in our immediate neighbourhood. Before 

 us was spread out the valley of Switzerland, and at our feet 

 were piled up the lower chains, the apparent uniformity of 

 whose height gave still greater sublimity to the vast peaks 

 that towered up almost to our level. At the same time, the 

 valleys of the Oberland, which, until now, had been covered by 

 light vapour, were uncovered in several places, revealing to 

 us, through the fissures, the world below ! We distinguished, 

 on the right, the valley of Grindelwald ; on the left, far be- 

 low, an immense chasm, at the bottom of which a brilliant 

 thread wound along, following its windings. This was the 

 valley of Lauterbrunnen, with the river Lutschiner. . . 

 On the south the view was interrupted by clouds, which had 

 for some hours been gathering on the Monte Rosa. We were 

 recompensed for this, however, by a very extraordinary phe- 

 nomenon, which took place under our eyes, and interested 

 us much. A thick mist gathered on our left towards the 

 south-west; it ascended constantly from the Rott-thal, and 

 began to extend to the north w^ard. We already feared lest 

 it should surround us a second time, when we found that 

 it terminated abruptly at the distance of a few feet from 

 us. Owing to this circumstance, we beheld before us a ver- 

 tical wall of mist, the height of which we estimated to be at 

 least from 12,000 to 15,000 feet, since it rose from the val- 

 ley of Lauterbrunnen to a considerable distance above our 



