xv.] FORBES 3 GLACIER DISCOFSRISP. 495 



have earnestly endeavoured to render justice to my pre- 

 decessors, and especially to M. Rendu (pages 356, 367, 

 368, and 382). You will see that I have quoted the 

 most prominent passages of his book bearing on my 

 subject. You will, I hope, look to his book itself, and 

 let me know whether I have done him justice. In your 

 T to M. do Leonhard, in February, you allude to him 

 lie author of a theory of fluid motion ; but no one 

 iws better than you do to distinguish between a man 

 win) states four or five theories, as Rendu does, without 



>' to one of them (see his work, 

 p. 93), and the man who proves one of these theories to 



* To take your old subject of comparison gravitation 

 Pythagoras did as mueh before Newton. But it has 

 1 1 and sincere wish to bring M. Rendu's little- 

 known merits, and ingenious, and often correct, views 

 into notice ; and I think you will admit that I have 

 done so. I even quoted him in my letters to Jameson 

 (see Appendix to my volume, p. 408), on your authority, 

 re I had read his book myself/ 



:; AMI, 'BERNE, le 3 Oct. 1860. 



4 . . . Je me souviens tres bien qu'en 41 ou 42 



nous ensemble dans ma chambre sur le livre de 



. Kendu, et que nous fumes d'accord qu'il fallait ac- 



corder a. la glace quelque chose comme de la plasticite', 



a de l-i a vos travaux et a leurs resultats il y a un pas 



iinnu-n.se. Vous connaiss.-z sans doute le livre de Hum- 



bolat sur 1'histniiv de la dcrouverte de FAme'rique. La 



: 1'mi vm't (pie, d- -nips Irs ])lus aneiens, Ton 



fail sur la pnssibiliu- de eette dernuvnlr : 



d-]. uis ('nlmiibr), il ne maiujuait pas de del racteurs de s;i 



fondaimf \ d'aiu-ic-ns auteurs. 



L pi-mive (pir Cl(ml) n'eut ].as la jreinii-iv 



jiTil la lint d'un astnuuune td>ean. 



Cepend >!t;ipies contrc son nu'rile. (ploi(pie 



9 le nioin-lre 

 lui jui ! pi. 



