146 



this valley is beautiful, with high mountains and dark 

 ravines ; the road, winding through the woods, then up 

 some steep hills, opens out on lovely landscapes. 



Left the Profile House on Thursday, after dinner, and 

 by stage and rail arrived at Fabyan's at 6 P. M. 



During the evening in the large parlor, a meeting was 

 held. The PRESIDENT in the chair. Kecords of the pre- 

 ceding meeting by the Secretary were read. 



The PRESIDENT, after a few brief allusions to some of 

 the objects of the Institution, and to the meeting held at 

 Crawford's in September, 1877, called upon Prof. J. H. 

 HUNTINGTON, formerly connected with the Signal Service 

 on Mt. Washington. 



The speaker began by saying that, when a college stu- 

 dent he visited the mountains, but his first ascent of Mt. 

 Washington gave him anything but a favorable impression 

 of the place as a winter residence. 



The attempt to ascend the mountain through Tucker- 

 man's Kavine ; the swollen stream that compelled them 

 to plunge into alders and scrub, and climb to the plateau 

 south ; the clouds in the ravine filled with rainbows of the 

 most brilliant hues ; the cold, fierce winds that swept the 

 clouds and driven mist across the plateau ; the wander- 

 ings, if perchance a path could be found ; reaching the 

 top of the mountain in a driving storm, with the temper- 

 ature at 38 F. just as night closed around the summit : 

 all these were so many vivid pictures in the mind. 



In 1869, when employed in the geological survey of 

 N. H., the speaker made the first really serious attempt, 

 to occupy some high mountain summit in winter as a me- 

 teorological station. 



