WHITE MOUNTAINS. 47 
bear them. The man from whom [had this account, and 
who had the direction of the work, afcended the mountain 
on the 1gth of June, with jome of the fame party, and in 
the fame fpot the fnow was five feet deep. On the 22d 
of July this year, we were aflured by perfons who live 
within plain view of the mountains, on the fouth fide, at 
the diftance of fixteen miles, that the fnow had not been 
gone more thanten days. We were alfo credibly inform- 
ed that two men, who attempted to afcend the mountain 
the firft week of September laft year, found the bald top. 
fo covered with {now and ice, then newly made, that they 
could not gain the fummit; but this does not happen every 
year fo foon, for the mountain has been afcended fo late as 
the firft week in-OGober, when no fnow was upon it; and 
fometimes the firft fnows that come diffolve before the 
winter fets in; but generally the mountains begin to be 
covered with {now and ice, either in the latter part of Sep- 
tember, or the beginning of Odtober, and it never wholly 
leaves them till July. During this period of nine or ten 
months, they exhibit more or lefs of that bright appearance, 
from which they are denominated white. In the {pring 
when the fnow is partly diflolved, they appear of a pale 
blue ftreaked with white; and after it is wholly gone, at the 
diftance of forty or fixty miles, they are altogether of a 
pale blue inclining to the colour of the fky; while viewed 
at the diftance of only ten miles, they are of the grey co- 
lour of the rock inclining to brown. Thefe changes are 
obferved by people who live within conftant view of them, 
and from thefe facts and obfervations it may juftly be con-. 
cluded that the whitenefs of them is to be afcribed wholly 
to the {now and ice and not to any other white fubftance, 
for in reality there is none. There are indeed in the fum-=- 
mer months fome ftreaks which appear brighter than other: 
parts, but thefe, when viewed through a telefcope, I have: 
plainly difcerned to be the enlightened edges or fides of 
the long deep gullies, and the dark parts the fhaded fides 
of 
