NORWEGIAN GLACIERS. 



for this dwindled condition of our glaciers in an even more remote 

 period. 



Having now stated the existence of a maximum period in 

 the position of glaciers in the middle of the eighteenth century, 

 it is highly interesting to see, that meteorological observations in 

 Scandinavia, although few are to be found from that period, indi- 

 cate a proportionally low temperature and correspondingly wet 

 weather, partly somewhat previous to the maximum phase of oscil- 

 lation and partly almost simultaneous with it. 



Leaving the great increase of glaciers about the middle of 

 the eighteenth century, we do not meet, during the rest of that 

 secular period, with any record or tradition of glacier oscillation ; 

 but here also some other phenomena indicate some slight coin- 

 cidence with the period of wet weather, 1765 — 1775, pointed out 

 by Brückner, and with the commencement of glacier advance 

 in 1767, proved by Richter. If, however, such a slight oscilla- 

 tion of glaciers has taken place in our country during that period, 

 as is highly probable, the amplitude of that oscillation was cer- 

 tainly very short of the magnitude of the preceding one. Perhaps, 

 we might regard the condition of our glaciers, during that period, 

 as of a somewhat stationary chaiacter, marking a certain phase 

 of the general decrease of glaciers. 



It is not until we enter a new century, that we meet with 

 clear evidences of glacier oscillation in our own country. It is 

 then highly interesting to see the coincidence with the period of 

 wet weather, pointed out by Brückner as prevailing from 1806 

 to 1820; but, on the other hand, in our own country we then 

 witness an oscillation somewhat previous to the year 1814, shown 

 by Richter to be that of the commencement of a glacier ad- 

 vance. In the year 1807, Hertzberg made an exceedingly inter- 

 esting observation of the Glacier of Bondhus, recording a well- 

 marked increase of that glacier. In the year 1812, however, the 

 same glacier already seems to have passed the period of advance. 



