A Week among the Glaciers. 281 



one man could kill a hundred and more in a day. Fields of five 

 to eight acres were entirely destroyed ; in many instances not 

 leaving a bushel of sound corn to the cultivator. The forests 

 produced no nuts or acorns, and the poor squirrels were forced to 

 travel in quest of food or perish. Thousands of them swam 

 across the Ohio River. The years 1807, 1822 and 1843, will 

 long be famous in the annals of Ohio, for the migration and de- 

 predations of the "squirrel. In December there was a fall of 

 eleven inches of snow, which remained for a few days. The Ohio 

 River has not yet been closed with ice, and steamboats still con- 

 tinue to navigate its waters. 



Marietta, January 10, 1844. 



Art. VIII. — A Week among the Glaciers ; by Dr. H. Allen 



Grant.* 



We arrived at Chamonixf on Friday evening, July 12th, 1S39, 

 and strolled about this small but remarkably situated village. 

 Chamonix is at the base of the monarch of the Alps, and com- 

 pletely surrounded by these stupendous barriers, which Nature 

 has formed, as if to seclude the inhabitants of its peaceful vale 

 from intercourse with, and consequent contamination from the 

 adjoining nations. 



Here in the space of a few square miles, has Nature congrega- 

 ted her most gigantic piles, and displayed with wasteful prodigal- 

 ity the immensity of her power. On every side the lofty peaks 

 of the Alpine chain present themselves to the eye, and bound 

 abruptly the limited horizon. While every mountain presents 

 its own peculiar attractions, each possessing advantages denied 

 to all the rest, they stand as opposing rivals, conscious of their 

 own matchless attractions. On the east rises the Montagne Vert, 

 celebrated for its Mer de Glace and garden ; this is a spot that 

 nearly every traveller visits, and is accessible with no great fa- 

 tigue and little danger. To the south rises in fearful and majes- 

 tic height the mighty monarch of the Alps, (Mont Blanc,) flanked 

 on either side by the Dome de Goute and the Aiguille de Midi, 

 which stand as sentinels to guard the icy pass to the throne of 

 the Alpine king. Nearly all are at first disappointed in the height 



* Communicated by request of the Editors. t Chamouni of many tourists. 



Vol. xlvi, No. 2.— Jan. -March, 1844. 36 



