60 THE FORMATION OF FJORDS. 



volcanic disturbances which threw up the mountain ranges, and 

 that the glacier merely took advantage of the depression. How- 

 ever, by long abrasion it hollowed out the valley into the form we 

 now see it in the fjords under description. At this present day, 

 not far from the head of most of these inlets, glaciers are found in 

 the Coast Eange and Cascade mountains in British Columbia; and 

 along both ranges marks of old glacier action can be seen 2000 to 

 3000 feet below their summits, and even near the sea-margin. 

 Such a depression of the coast, with the presence of the lower 

 temperature then prevailing, would fill these fjords with glaciers. 



Such is the thesis I ventured to put forth on the nature of these 

 fjords or inlets. That it would be allowed to pass unchallenged 

 was scarcely to be expected, when such a variety of views were 

 held on the subject. As the object of these pages is not to pro- 

 mulgate the author's own views, but to give an unbiassed statement 

 of the doctrines held in regard to the subjects of them, I can 

 perhaps best serve the purpose I had in view, by simply giving the 

 reply to my various critics. By perusing this the reader can at 

 once see the arguments pro and con. the subject, and form his 

 own opinion as to which explanation most fully meets the difficulty, 

 and from this stand-point endeavour to aid in the solution of the 

 question. 



The doctrines broached have been favourably received on the 

 Continent and in America, and by many of those in this country 

 best able to judge regarding their reasonableness. My paper, how- 

 ever, in so far as regards the theory of the formation of fjords, has 

 been honoured by two special attacks having been directed against 

 it. The first 1 of these in time is by Mr. Joseph W. Tayler, so long 

 connected with the cryolite mines of Arksut Fjord, in Greenland ; 

 the second 2 is by the late illustrious President of this Society. 

 Though no words coming from Sir Boderick Murchison on a subject 

 of physical geology can fail to be received with the careful atten- 

 tion and profound respect which his long and pre-eminent services 

 to science entitle them to, and though well aware of Mr. Tayler's 

 long residence in Greenland, yet, with every respect for both, I 

 must humbly submit that they have not made good their case for 

 the doctrine that glaciers have nothing whatever to do with the 

 formation of fjords. On the contrary, after having studied the 

 subject anew, and visited, since my paper was published, several of 

 the regions where fjords abound, and which are cited in illustra- 

 tion of my ideas in the paper mentioned, I am convinced — even 



1 ' Proceedings K. G. S.,' vol. xiv. p. 156; ' Journal,' vol. xl. p. 228. 



2 Ibid. p. 327 ; ' Journal,' vol. xl. p. clxxiv. 



