Capt. Marshall Hall—Swiss Geological Excursion. 253 
hotel), for the sake of the grand views of the Fletschorn and other 
noble peaks to the east, and of the great Fée glacier and surround- 
ing heights behind the village. In such case, and with a competent 
guide, it is not difficult to substitute a very interesting glacier walk 
for what I am about to describe as the next day’s work, by making 
across the Fée glacier towards the Allalinhorn, and working one’s 
way to Point 3150 métres on the map, and so down to the 
Mattmark inn. 
But if pressed for time, the traveller should walk or ride another 
three hours. In the bed of the torrents are beautiful specimens of 
the rocks of the country, in profusion. The rocks are schistose and 
gneissic on each side the valley. But on the west the Egginerhorn 
is of serpentine. Near Almagel is a gorge with waterfalls of great 
‘picturesqueness. As we advance, the forests become more and more 
scanty, and the scene grows wilder. The path, near a small road- 
side chapel, brings you almost within reach of the end of the Allalin 
glacier. J remember that in the year 1848 or 1849, the ice was far 
over the existing track, and the old path was above the present one 
in consequence. The plain has scanty herbage, moraine gravel and 
streams wandering where I remember the Mattmark-see (now an 
insignificant sheet), which could then boast the dignity of a small 
lake. Blocks of serpentine become more and more abundant, close 
to the Mattmark inn is one which I roughly guessed to weigh some 
5000 tons or more, called the Blauen-Stein. This characteristic 
upper valley, surrounded with precipices and glaciers, with a 
frowning desolate aspect, will much strike the traveller. The rough 
inn, with its ingeniously varied dinners out of scanty resources, 
and warm welcome, is at a height of 7000 feet above the Mediter- 
ranean, and well placed for mountaineering and field-work. It is 
also only some couple of hours or so from the Col of Monte Moro, 
and as horses or mules can be taken all the way from the railroad at 
Visp to Thaliboden, that is, one hour from the top, one of the 
sublimest views in all Europe is attainable without difficulty or 
fatigue. I know nothing in the range of the Alps, after some forty 
years of devotion to them, which in its way is more imposing, 
grander or more instructive than the view which bursts upon the 
traveller, of the cirque of precipices and glaciers of the Monte Rosa 
chain—to say nothing of blue Italy. But a very early arrival is 
generally necessary to enjoy this in completeness. 
Professor Bonney has written so much and well upon the Western 
Alps that I will not dwell upon their structure. But I will mention 
an exceedingly interesting day, or more, of work best done from the 
Mattmark inn. Although it is not actually in the considerable 
districts of serpentine which lie principally to the 8.H. and 8.W., 
the neighbouring heights are outliers of this mass. Also a rock 
of euphotide gabbro occurs within a morning’s walk, which has I 
think supplied most of the erratic stones of this rock which occur on 
the north side of Lake Leman, and at the junction of the Rhone and 
Arve, below the town of Geneva, whilst, as regards the gabbros 
found on the south side of Lake Leman, as, for instance, about Hvian, 
