208 SURFACE GEOLOGY, 



presence of glaciated foreign transported boulders upon the summit of 

 Mt. Washington is indisputable. These consist of two different mem- 

 bers of the Bethlehem group, together with a trap rock of unknown 

 origin. The larger boulder is preserved in the state museum at Hanover. 

 Further examination of the smoothed ledge west of the signal office 

 confirms the impression of ice-action mentioned above. Faint markings 

 indicate the course of S. 43° E., while the smoothing is very obvious to 

 the touch, and is best seen where some of the ledge had been recently 

 exposed, and especially upon a finer-grained stratum than usually oc- 

 curs. The weather roughens every exposed surface in a very short time, 

 so that this smoothness cannot be expected to continue a great while. 

 This example was shown to Mr. E. Lewis, Jr., of Brooklyn, N. Y., a geolo- 

 gist familiar with glacial phenomena, who agreed with me as to its nature 

 and origin. The course of the striae and dispersion of the boulders both 

 indicate the movement of the ice to have been from the north-west to 

 the south-east, a direction in unison with corresponding phenomena 

 upon the neighboring summits. It is therefore clear that the ice moved 

 south-easterly from the St. Lawrence valley towards and over the high- 

 est ranges and peaks of New England (6,291 feet), in the direction of the 

 Atlantic ocean. Our discoveries may increase the difficulty of explaining 

 glacial phenomena in New Hampshire ; but it is better to meet the truth, 

 though formidable, than to adopt errors. All speculations, claiming that 

 Mt. Washington rose above the ice, or constituted the central peak from 

 which local glaciers radiated in the height of the glacial period, are false. 

 It will be shown soon, however, that local glaciers occupied the flanks of 

 the White Mountains during the decline of the ice period. This does 

 not interfere with the fact of the earlier mightier movements. 



Directions West of South. 



A few examples of a current west of south have been observed. The 

 first of importance occurs upon the east side of Mt. Washington, pass- 

 ing from Gorham up the Peabody valley to the Glen house, thence to 

 the height of land and down the Ellis valley past Jackson. The course 

 is S. 15° W. near the Glen house ; S. 3° W., half a mile south ; and per- 

 haps a little east of south into Jackson. The valley must have been 

 filled certainly as high as the Half-way house on the carriage-road, where 



