308 Ascent of the Jungfrau in 1841. 
from the glacier accumulating in too great quantity. Former- 
ly this lake had no regular outlet, but it happened sometimes 
to empty itself suddenly, by breaking out a passage under the 
glacier, causing great disasters in the valley of Natters and in 
the Valais. Now that it can no longer rise above a certain 
level, it discharges itself less frequently under the glacier, and 
when that happens, it is usually not attended with any great 
inconvenience. 
From the margin of the lake we immediately ascended to 
the glacier of Aletsch. Here, at the place where the glacier 
bends, we enjoyed a magnificent view in two directions: the 
Dent-Blanche, Mont-Cervin and the Strahlhorn* formed the 
back-ground of the picture to the south-west; while before 
us, to the north, we perceived at the bottom of the glacier the 
great peaks of the Jungfrau, the Eiger and Ménch, which 
seemed to invite us to perseverance, so near to us they ap- 
peared. It is reckoned six leagues from the place where we 
mounted the glacier to the point where the ascent becomes 
steep ; but we were so influenced by Jacob’s exhortation, that 
we accomplished the distance in less than four hours. The 
glacier is upwards of half a league long, and often nearly half 
a league broad. It is inclosed, throughout its whole length, 
between very high mountains, which are, on its left side, from 
south to north, the Walliser Viescherhérner, the Faulberg, 
the Griinhorn, at the foot of which the brothers Meyer erected 
their hut in 1812, the Trugberg, the Ménch; and, on the right 
side, the Aletschhorn, a mass of mountains separated from 
the Aletschhorn by the Col de Létsch, to which I propose to 
give the name of Aranzberg, and in the distance the Jung- 
frau.t - The sides of these mountains have preserved nume- 
rous traces of the action of glaciers; traces, however, which 
are not always very distinct on account of the friable, and 
often slaty, nature of the rock (gneiss and mica-slate). We 
remarked the latter rocks with polished projections on the 
sides of the Kranzberg, in front of the Griinhorn ; and what 
proves that we were not under the influence of a blind con- 
* It is the latter mountain which many people mistake for the true Mont- 
Rosai’ 6 
t See the map of the brothers Meyer. 
