COLOUR OF WATER. 319 



I shall not dwell upon them. In general, in 

 examining lakes and masses of water in high 

 mountains, their colour is of the same bright 

 azure. And Captain Parry states, that the 

 water on the Polar ice has the like beautiful 

 tint. When vegetables grow in lakes, the 

 colour becomes nearer sea green ; and as the 

 quantity of impregnation from their decay 

 increases greener, yellowish green ; and at 

 length, when the vegetable extract is large 

 in quantity as in countries where peat is 

 found yellow, and even brown. To men- 

 tion instances, the Lake of Geneva, fed from 

 sources (particularly the higher Rhone) 

 formed from melting snow, is blue ; and the 

 Rhone pours from it, dyed of the deepest 

 azure, and retains partially this colour till it 

 is joined by the Soane, which gives to it a 

 greener hue. The lake of Morat, on the 

 contrary, which is fed from a lower country, 

 and from less pure sources, is grass green. 

 And there is an illustrative instance in some 

 small lakes fed from the same source, in the 

 road from Inspruck to Stutgard, which I 

 observed in 1815 (as well as I recollect) be- 



