ix.] ALPIXK WAT'ELS, 1S41. 271 



Journal, September \\tli. 



( M. de la Rive called on me and took me to the obser- 

 >ry. ... I also made the acquaintance of M. Planta- 

 mour, the observer, and of M. Emile Gauthier, nephew 

 of the Professor. I saw Professor Gauthier soon after, 

 and he received me with an affectionate warmth which 

 touched me. He is all heart. . . . Every evening since 

 I came, Mont Blanc has been beautifully clear, and the 

 sunset fine; but the recoloration has never been well 

 marked. This shows that it depends on peculiar atmo- 

 spheric conditions, and favours De la Rive's hypothesis. 

 In Galignani of the llth is a most laughable account 

 of our ascent of the Jungfrau. We are made to have 

 i conducted by a shepherd 80 years old, who ascended 

 for the third time ! and to have engraved our names and 

 the date on the flag we planted ! ' 



.Much impressed by his observations at Vernayaz, he 



ned to Neuch&tel to discuss them with Agassiz. 

 ' My first walk with M. Agassiz was to the polished 

 rocks near the lake, a mile from Neuchatel, in the direc- 

 tion of Bienne. Quite satisfactory. Glaciers only could 

 have done this ; but whence came they ? 



* Took tea with Agassiz, ^\Ir. and Mrs. Trevelvan. M. 

 Desor, and M. Bun-khardt quite a Grimsel party. Dis- 

 puted about glaciers the entire evening. . . . Next day 

 1 walked with Ajja i/ and Desor to the "Pierre a Hot," 

 which exceeded my expectations. It is a boulder 50 feet 

 :. tin- largest in the .Jura, composed of granite which 

 i Buch recognizes as that of the Val de Bagnes. At 

 Icvd, about s.-jo rYench feet, is a sort of led^r. en 

 which the boulders are abundantly heaped, those of one 

 kind usually together. That these blocks were trans- 

 fcad by torrents seems incredible. They must have 

 ii into a thousand pieces!' . . . ' How came 

 they thus to alight on the steep, and there remain '( 

 What forC transported them, and, when tran.-jmi 1 d, 

 lodg.d them high and dry :> the plain ( 



