real Structure of Glacier Ice. 



141 



ing either this or any original observation of my own on a 

 subject so new and so unexpectedly difficult as I found the 

 glacier theory to be, had certainly not entered my imagination 

 Ling any part of my stay abroad. A precis of the labour 

 of others in the form of a Review of the wntmgs of Venetz de 

 Charpentier, and Agassiz, such as subsequently appeared m 

 the Edinburgh Review, I certainly contemplated, thinking, 

 that if I pursued the subject another year, such a prehmmary 

 study would be the fittest introduction to any original investi- 

 gations. But I can safely say. that the way and manner m 

 which my observations on the glacier structure should be 

 brouMit out, was not a matter of the slightest concern to me, 

 until an unexpected circumstance brought it to my mmd. _ 



I must mention, however, what passed between M Agassiz 



and myself relatively to a joint publication when I was at 



• Neufchatel in the middle of September 18-11. I will state 



this in the words which I employed in writing to a friend a 



few months after the transaction took place. 



Extract SixTH.-F<'om a Letter from Professor Forhes tea Friend, 

 dated 1st April 1842. 



« M. A..assiz never asked me, so far as I recollect, to publish with l.lm 

 on the subiect of the Glaciers. He once proposed to me to commumcate 

 the observations I had made on Solar Radiation on the Glac.cr of the 

 Aar, to form part of the description of the journey, of which the narrative 

 part was to be written by Desor. , . r 



« This I declined, on the ground that these observations formed part of 

 a series of experiments, long since commenced, and which must be treated 



of in connection.'^' , ••„„«„ 



" I was very well aware, however, that a declaration of my opmion on 

 the Glacier Theory was what was desired; and M. Desor took upon hmi 

 to Intimate this to me at Neufchatel, in these words :-' M. Forbes ne 

 veut pas se compromettre, maisnousle compromettrons -which you will 

 think rather a singular way of securing support to a scientific dogma. 

 The following reasons determined me against taking any part in a jomt 



pubhcation^^^ however willing I might be to have my name associated with 

 that of Agassiz, in any common work, experience led me entirely to de- 

 cline such an association with M. Desor. _ _ 

 "2^, That the utmost extent to which I could then conscientiously 



• They accorclingly form part of a very extensive onqmry rince commu- 

 nicati^d to the lloval Society of London. 



