154 Report of the Researches of M, Jgassiz, 



investigations, have had the fortunate result of determining 

 the movement of glaciers beyond all doubt, and this not 

 only at their extremity, but also in their upper portions, and 

 of also determining, in an approximate manner, the sum of the 

 annual movement. Once possessed of these facts, exact mea- 

 surements become the more necessary, and it is anticipated in 

 all quarters that they will occupy an important part in all 

 future investigations. 



The block of the Hotel des Neuchatelois, which we had left 

 in the month of August 1840 at the distance of 797 metres 

 from the Abschwung, had advanced from it on the 5th Septem- 

 ber 1841 to the distance of 861 metres, and on the 4th of Sep- 

 tember 1842 to the distance of 943 metres ; it had conse- 

 quently advanced during the first year 64 metres, or 213 feet ;* 

 and, during the second, to the distance of 82 metres, or 273 

 feet ; in all, 146 metres during two years ; in other words 486 

 feet. During"our sojourn upon the glacier in 1841, M. Agassiz, 

 in concert with M. Escher, determined the position of five 

 blocks, that he might thereby ascertain the relations which 

 existed between the different portions of the glacier in respect 

 to their movement ; and whether, as is generally believed, the 

 inferior parts of the glaciers really advance more rapidly than 

 the upper parts, or, on the contrary, if the reverse occurs. It was 

 also important to ascertain by experiment if the sides or mar- 

 gins of the glacier have a more rapid motion than the centre, 

 or vice versa. With this object in view, M. Agassiz had marked 

 out by line, across the glacier of the Aar, at the height of M. 

 Hugi's hut, that is to say about 2000 feet lower than the 

 Hotel des Neuchatelois, a series of stakes corresponding with 

 fixed points on the border of the valley, and planted to a depth 

 of 10 feet in the ice. 



Hence, in 1842, we hoped that we might obtain the first 

 comparative results regarding the movement of the diff*erent 

 portions of the glacier in the course of the year. These results 

 have already been partially published in some of the Journals, 

 taken from a series of letters addressed by M. Agassiz to M. 

 Arago and the Baron de Humboldt. 



♦ The measures are in Swiss feet (1 = Om, 30), which are very nearly the same 

 as English feet. 



