Hot and Thermal Springs. 365 



tain less fixed parts than the neighbouring springs, it would be 

 a proof that the glacier still continued to melt away from under- 

 neath ; while on the other hand, if the quantity of fixed sub- 

 stances should be found to increase till it became equal to that 

 in the springs, it might be inferred that the melting of the gla- 

 cier had ceased. 



I confess that the conclusions, drawn from the results of such 

 experiments, would only be within the range of probability. 

 But what is left but probability in a field where absolute cer- 

 tainty is hardly possible to be attained ? 



An excellent spot for making these experiments would be 

 Grindelwald, where in the winter one glacier, the upper one, 

 always yields water, while the other, the lower one, gives none. 



Mr Pagenstecher, the apothecary at Bern, had the goodness 

 last autumn, at my request, to subject the water of the Lut- 

 schine, which issues from the lower glacier of Grindelwald, to a 

 chemical examination, and communicated to me the following : 



This water was taken from the cavern on a fine clear day near 

 the end of October 1835, under the inspection and direction of 

 Mr Zeigler, who sent it to Mr Pagenstecher with the following 

 remarks. " At the time the water was taken, I ascertained that 

 the glacier did not melt in the least. Last Sunday, when I also 

 visited the glacier, it already melted but very inconsiderably, al- 

 though the wind was from the south-west. On the bottom of the 

 cavern wherever the rays of the sun did not penetrate, at this 

 season the sun did shine on the lower end of this glacier only for 

 one and a half hours during the day, I saw small icicles similar 

 to those which are formed on the roofs of houses. It is, there- 

 fore, highly probable that the clear transparent water which now 

 issues from the glacier proceeds only from springs ; at least I 

 cannot imagine how it could possibly be supposed to result even 

 in part from the melting of the ice." When the water arrived 

 at Bern it was also clear and colourless, and no trace of sedi- 

 ment would be perceived in the bottles. As the quantity of 

 water evaporated and used for the analysis was as much as 658 

 ounces, Mr Pagenstecher was able to determine the ingredients, 

 even in ihe most minute quantities. In 1000 {)arts of water the 

 following ingredients were found : 



Carbonate of lime, 0,40526 ; carbonate of magnesia, 0,01900 ; 



