ICE AND GLACIERS. 



united ice current of the Mer de Glace. Or, instead 

 of the Rhine and the Nahe at Bingen, suppose two ice 

 currents uniting which fill the Rhine valley to its upper 

 border as far as we can see from the river, and then the 

 united currents stretching downwards to beyond Asmann- 

 shausen and Burg Rheinstein ; such a current would also 

 about correspond to the size of the Mer de Glace. 



Fig. 16, which is a view of the magnificent Gorner 



FIG. 16. 



U lacier seen from below, also gives an idea of the size of 

 the masses of ice of the larger glaciers. 



The surface of most glaciers is dirty, from the numerous 

 pebbles and sand which lie upon it, and which are heaped 

 together the more the ice .under them and among them 

 melts away. The ice of the surface has been partially 

 destroyed and rendered crumbly. In the depths of the 

 crevasses ice is seen of a purity and clearness with which 



