652 THE LIFE OF JAMES 11 VORBES. [API-KNI.. 



veut pas se comproinettre, mais nous le compromettrons" wliicli you will 

 think rather a singular way of securing support to a scientific dogma. The 

 following reasons determined me against taking any part in a joint pub- 

 lication : 



' 1st, That however willing I might be to have my name associated with that 

 of Agassiz, in any common work, experience lea me entirely to decline such uu 

 association with M. Desor. 



' 2nd, That the utmost extent to which I could then conscientiously have 

 gone in support of the Glacier Theory, would, I know, not have satisfied 

 M. Agassiz. 



' 3rd, That from the perusal of Charpentier's work, and from communi- 

 cations with those best acquainted with the history of the Theory in 

 Switzerland, I had begun to perceive, that were I to take any part in 

 the discussion going on between Agassiz and Charpentier, it must be in 

 favour of the latter, and not of the former, as an original observer and just 

 reasoner.' 



I reached home in the month of October 1841, and soon 

 commenced the Historical Review of the Glacier Question which 

 I had projected. Whilst I was thus engaged, the Cornet i i x 

 Hendus of the Academy of Sciences at Paris for the 18th of 

 October reached me. In it I found a letter from M. Agassiz to 

 Baron Humboldt, containing the following passage, with refer- 

 ence to the observations made on the Glacier of the Aar. 



EXTBACT SEVENTH. From Professor Agassis: to Baron Humboldt. 



1 Le fait le plus nouveau que j'ai remarque", c'est la presence dans la masse de 

 la glace de rubans verticaiix de glace bleue, alternant avec des bandes de glace 

 blanche d'un ciuart de ligne a plusieurs pouces de large, attendant sur toute la 

 longueur du glacier, c'est a dire, a plusieurs lieues de longueur, et pene'trant a 

 une profondeur d'au moins 120 pieds puisque j'ai observe encore ce pheuomene 

 au fond du trou de sonde.' 



On reading this letter, from which all mention even of my 

 presence on the Glacier of the Aar is excluded, my first impres- 

 sion was of surprise and pain. That I could not suffer so direct 

 a plagiarism to remain unchallenged never appeared to me to 

 admit of doubt ; le fait le plus nouveau que J'AI rcmarque, was 

 an assertion as articulate as it was unfounded. How to take 

 notice of it was a point of more difficulty. I felt fully the 

 delicacy of iny position. Towards M. Agassiz I felt the warmest 

 friendship ; sympathy with his zeal, and gratitude for his kind- 

 ness and hospitality. This he well knew : during several weeks 

 of the closest intimacy, we had been perpetually engaged in 

 discussions connected with his theoretical views, and also 

 respecting facts. I believe it may safely be stated, that neither 

 of us ever for a moment lost temper in these amicable disputes, 

 which often lasted for hours together, and which were uninter- 

 rupted either by our walks or our meals. His enthusiasm and 

 good temper in these discussions delighted me, even where he 



