Correspondence — Prof. A. C. Ramsay, 137 



All these kinds of lakes and many others, " on the origin of which 

 I know nothing," have however no conclusive bearing on the 

 occurrence of such a vast number of rock-bound lake-basins in all 

 countries that I have examined which have been covered more or less 

 by large glaciers, and their comparative absence in regions, however 

 much disturbed their rocks may be, which have not undergone 

 glaciation ; and I would ask any one who counts all the lakes and 

 lakelets visible from the top of Suilven and other Scotch mountains 

 to ask himself if he can rationally account for them, scattered as they 

 are broadcast over the plateaux, and in the deeper glacier-valleys, on 

 the hypothesis of movements in the rocks of the country, specially suit- 

 able for the production of a crowded series of lakes large and small ? 



It would also be an interesting exercise to count the lakes in 

 Lewes, a great many of which have been proved by a " Scotch geolo- 

 gist " to be rock-bound basins, and to account for them in that low 

 island by one or more special disturbances of the rocks. 



Authority in matters of faith, whether geological or otherwise, is a 

 most important element, and the authority of all " the distinguished 

 geologists in Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy," " with one 

 solitary exception," is adduced to show that "the hypothesis of the 

 glacier-erosion of the basins " of the Alpine lakes is " both unneces- 

 sary and inadequate." I presume that solitary exception to be my 

 distinguished friend Gastaldi, who, after holding an opposite opinion 

 for years, at length adopted my views in a frank and courageous 

 manner. But that high authority is not a " solitary exception." I 

 could name another Italian geologist of weight, who years ago 

 adopted my views with regard to the Alpine lakes, and there may 

 be more of them for aught I know to the contrary. As yet, however, 

 such avowed authorities are scarce on the Continent of Europe ; but 

 years ago I was told by a well-known Swedish geologist, that he 

 never understood the meaning of many of the lakes of that country 

 till he read my paper. English geologists will probably soon have 

 an opportunity of reading more upon the subject from another 

 Scandinavian geologist, who lately wrote to me, that the mode of 

 formation of such lakes and the basin-shaped inner depths in Fjords, 

 on any other hypothesis than mine, reduced the subject to " mere 

 chaos." 



Mr. Judd writes of " the strenuous efforts which have recently 

 been made to resuscitate the doctrine of the erosion of lake-basins 

 by ice." The doctrine not only did not die, but it did not even fall 

 asleep. First, it was immediately accepted by Jukes, Tj'-ndall, and 

 Huxley, fifteen years ago, and since then my adherents have con- 

 stantly increased. Among them I may count Dr. Newberry and 

 others in the United States, a result that in some cases was probably 

 helped by the unsolicited republication of my original memoir in 

 Silliman's Journal in 1863. Next came the late Sir Wm. Logan, and 

 the well-known geologists in New Zealand, some half dozen in num- 

 ber ; also, one of the best geologists in India, if not more ; and more 

 geologists in Britain than I care to count, the names of some of 

 whom are widely known wherever geology is cultivated. In fact, I 

 have every reason to be more than satisfied with the progress of what 



