292 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



'The wind was now driving the^snow in our faces, 

 but I begged that we might at least stop and take 

 shelter as before, in hopes of a better moment, which 

 indeed was not long coming. We then ascended and 

 planted the instrument, but the Pierre a Beranger, 

 although quite visible to the eye, was lost in the tele- 

 scope owing to the intervening snow-storm. When 

 I was beginning to despair, however, it cleared, and 

 became nearly fair at least so far as to allow a sight of 

 the important mark, whereupon Balmat descended to tin- 

 glacier, while Couttet held up an umbrella to defend the 

 theodolite. I thus determined the motion of station [E 

 1 J, nearest the eastern edge of the Glacier de Ldchaud : - 



Feet. Inches. 



'29th July 8th August ... 10 11 

 8th August 25th September . 45 1 



Total (48 days) ... 



In. 



Daily motion 11 '3 



'This observation was carefully repeated, and notwith- 

 standing the unfavourable weather, is as trustworthy as 

 any I have made. One thing struck me as being exceed- 

 ingly remarkable. The staff [E l], immersed to a small 

 depth in the ice, with twelve or fifteen inches of snow 

 above, having been exposed to a great cold for some 

 days the thermometer at the Montanvert having stood 

 at 20 and the glacier having been covered with snow 

 for probably a fortnight, was yet standing in water, and 

 quite loose in its hole. 



' The surface of the glacier generally was dry not a 

 rill of water in the Moulins or elsewhere, yet this con- 

 gelation appeared to be superficial, and to have penetrated 

 no great way into the glacier. 



' Both Couttet and Balmat were afraid all the way of 

 breaking through the snow into a water-hole, a thing I 

 thought very unlikely, but which, nevertheless, happened 

 to both of them during the day : hence it seems probable 



