ORIGIN OF THE ROCKS AND SCENERY OF NORTH WALES. 269 



the glaciers during the last ten or twelve years. I have seen them on 

 the sides of the magnificent valley of the Aar at a distance of many 

 miles from the termination of the existing glacier, and I have seen them 

 in the valleys of Scotland, and in those also of the west and south of 

 Ireland; but in noplace have I been more struck by them than in the 

 valleys of North Wales. The Pass of Llanberis is, indeed, very well 

 adapted to illustrate the effects of a great volume of ice grinding over 

 rocky surfaces, for right in the middle of the valley, and consequently in 

 the path of the ice-stream, are one or two huge mounds* of rock. These 

 have evidently done their best to stop the onward progress of the icOj 

 and in the attempt have been rounded, smoothed, and grooved from base 

 to summit. All their angles have been rubbed off in the most ruthless 

 manner, and now they stand out as great hummocky masses, without any 

 distinctive character, striking proofs that we cannot account for the 

 existing scenery of Wales on the supposition that the climate has always 

 been what it is at present. The ice episode in the history of Wales did 

 not merely produce a rounding and grooving of the rocks ; as it passed 

 away the retreating glaciers strewed the surface with perched blocks and 

 morainic debris. These may be seen on every side, but perhaps nowhere 

 better than on those mounds of rock which project into the centre of 

 the Llanberis valley. 



I must now close this paper, notwithstanding the imperfect character 

 of all its parts, and more especially of that part which treats of the origin 

 of Welsh scenery. In conclusion, I should like to say one word on the 

 influence of geological studies, and incidentally of scientific studies in 

 general, on the aesthetic faculty. Some persons have the feeling that it 

 is something like sacrilege to pry too closely into nature's secrets. They 

 have an aversion to geological studies, for instance, because the effect of 

 such studies is to destroy certain emotions which a person ignorant of 

 geology experiences when in the presence of such scenery as that of North 

 Wales. That the tendency of geological studies is in this direction, I do 

 not for one moment deny, but I contend that it would be nothing less 

 than stupid folly to allow such considerations to check us in the pursuit 

 of science, and for the following reasons : — First, the same argument 

 might be used against almost every advance of knowledge. If emotions, 

 which are based on ignorance, are of such a sacred character that they 

 must not be touched, then the savage should make no attempt to raise 

 himself, for he s tands in stupid awe and wonderment before the simplest 

 natural phenomenon, and believes it to be the work of some deity as 

 capricious as himself. Secondly, the progress of science, although it 

 destroys certain emotions, does not leave our assthetic faculty unprovided 

 with nutritious food. It continually leads to the recognition of wider 

 and yet wider truths, and thus while extending the range of our 

 intellectual vision, tends to purify and enlarge the character of the 

 emotions we experience when contemplating natural phenomena. 



* These mounds ure pi ejections fnm th« left bank of the valley; not isolated 

 masses as might be supposed from the expressions used above, 



