Bakewell’s Travels in the Tarentaise, Sc. 
of the Glacier de Bois, at Chamouny, to 
examine its structure more attentively. 
Where this glacier terminates, it is 
formed of three distinct beds of ice, 
with seams of earth between, comprising 
a total tliickness of ice, above the Mo- 
raine, of about 200 feet in height, end- 
ing in three perpendicular precipices 
behind each other, over which a very 
considerable water-fall was passing 
down into the valley. The length of 
this glacier is more than seven miles. 
{1 divides into two branches above, and 
is connected with other glaciers. In 
some parts it is more than a mile in 
breadth. On the edge of the precipice 
of ice were several large masses of rock, 
partly projecting over it, and while I 
was attentively viewing the glacier, a 
stone fell from it, and passed me with 
great foree. We had scarcely removed 
to the western extremity, when a crash 
fike thunder was heard close to us; our 
guide returned to see what had taken 
place, and informed us that one of the 
masses of rock, which we had seen on 
the edge of the ylacier, had been pro- 
jected from it, and had fallen close to 
the place where we had been standing. 
This glacier has lately been advancing, 
and had covered an orchard in the val- 
Jey the preceding spring. A pear-tree 
was growing almost in coutact with 
the ice. 
The spires or pinnacles called aigu- 
alles, which rise to such an amazing 
heizht above the yalley of Chamouny, 
are composed of nearly vertical plates 
or beds of granite; and it is most pro- 
bable that they derive their present 
form from this structure. That these 
beds have been raised by sone violet 
convulsion into their vertical position, 
may, I think, be demonstrated, as I 
shall endeavour to show in tie follow- 
ing chapter. The same force by which 
the beds were upheaved would, it may 
be casily couceived, break their edges 
or summits into irregular forms; and 
the moisture of the atmosphere, which 
subsequently penetrated between the 
perpendicular fissures, would split and 
disintegrate the masses on their sides, 
without diminishing much of their 
height. Perhaps in this manner we 
may satisfactorily account for the ex- 
istence of these narrow perpendicular 
ridges and pinnacles, or aiguilles, that 
occur in the valley of Chamouny ; 
whereas we may suppose Mont Blanc to 
haye been raised in one vast mass, less 
broken than the otber parts of the Pen. 
nine range; aud thus its broad summit 
595 
admitted the snow to rest upon it, and 
cover it to a vast depth: this covering 
protects it from disintegration, at least 
on the northern side. The southern 
side of Mont Blanc, facing Italy, is 
a nearly perpendicular escarpement of 
bare rock, which must be constantly 
exposed to the destructive effects of at- 
mospheric agency, : : 
The most striking object in the val- 
ley of Chamouny, next to the glaciers, 
and far better worth the labour of the 
journey to see than Mont Blanc, is the 
Aiguille de Dru, a taper spire of gra- 
nite, which shoots up to the height of 
eleven thousand feet above the level of 
the sea, and is apparently detached 
from all the surrounding mountains, 
The upper part, or spire, rises nearly to 
a point, in one solid shaft, more than 
four thousand fect: it is utterly inac- 
cessible; its sides are rounded, and are 
said to have a polish or glazing, like that 
Which is sometimes seen on granite 
rocks exposed to the action of the sea, 
but this I could not discern with my 
telescope., It appeared composed of 
perpendicular plates of granite. By 
what means it has been shaped into its 
present form is difficult to conceive. 
When approaching the Glacier de Bois, 
it is impossible to view without asto-, 
nishment this isolated pinnacle of gra- 
nite, shooting up into the sky to such an 
amazing height. I have neither seen 
nor have I heard of any pinnacle of 
granite in the Alps than can be com- 
pared with it, for the elegance of its 
form, or for the length of its shaft. The 
Geant, it is true, is nearly equal to Mont 
Blanc in height, but it does not rise so 
far above its base as the Aiguille de 
Dru, and, when seen at a distance, its 
form is like a bended finger. 
GLACIER DE BOIS. 
In approaching the Glacier de Bois 
from the inn at Chamouny, after passing 
through a wood of pines and larches, the 
glacier is seen descending from the Mer 
de Glace into the valley, and over it, in 
the back ground, rises the Aiguille Vert. 
The latter nearly rivals Mont Blanc in 
height, and presents a very striking 
escarpement of bare rock towards Cha- 
mouuy, while its back, which is rounded, 
is covered with snow. 
The upper part of the Glacier de 
Bois is several thousand feet above the 
valley, and after a warm day in August, 
avalanches from it are very frequent. 
In the course of one hour, we saw four 
considerable avalanches, and heard se- 
veral from the other side of the glacier. 
The 
