2 1 6 MY LIFE 



arc usually not well fitted to arrive at the true explanation of 

 great natural phenomena which are highly complex in their 

 nature, and which require the consideration of a greal variety 

 of physical forces and laws in order to arrive at their causes. 

 It is for this reason that Mr. Croll's theory is so much more 

 satisfactory than any of the modern substitutes for it. His 

 views were, however, spread over many different periodicals, 

 and are often rather obscure and disconnected, while few of his 

 recent critics appear to have studied the whole of them. I 

 venture to think that my chapter viii. of " Island Life" gives 

 the best connected and systematic statement of Croll's views 

 which are to be found, and that the further explanations of 

 essential points, and some modifications in detail, render it 

 the completest and most rational theory which has yet been 

 set forth. Being myself a mere outsider, neither a geologist 

 nor a mathematician, and only an amateur physicist, none of 

 the writers on the subject appear to have read my chapter, 

 since I have never seen it referred to. Yet it appeals through- 

 out to astronomical, physical, geographical, and meteorological 

 facts, showing their actions and reactions on each other, and 

 Jiow they co-operated to produce the glacial epoch, as they 

 now co-operate to bring about the strikingly contrasted cli- 

 mates of the eastern and western shores of the North Atlantic, 

 and the still more striking contrasts of the Arctic and Antarctic 

 regions. 



During this summer I was invited by Dr. H. S. Lunn to go 

 with him and his party to Davos for a week early in September, 

 and to give them a lecture on Scientific Progress in the Nine- 

 teenth century. As I had never been in this part of Switzer- 

 land I accepted the invitation, and had a very pleasant time. 

 My companion on the first part of the journey was Mr. Le 

 Gallienne, and at Basle we were joined by Dr. and Mrs. Lunn 

 and others. At Davos we were a large party in one of the 

 best hotels, and our special party, who sat together at meals, 

 included the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes and the Rev. H. R. 

 Haweis, both talented and witty men, whose presence was 

 enough to render almost any party a brilliant success. Mr. 



