FAR AND NEAR 



had recently visited ; then Brewer upon climate and 

 ocean currents, or Coville upon some botanical fea- 

 tures of the regions about us, or Ritter upon the 

 shore forms of sea life, or Emerson upon volcanoes 

 and lava beds, or John Muir on his experiences 

 upon the glaciers and his adventure with his dog 

 Stikeen in crossing a huge crevasse on a shver of ice, 

 or Charles Keeler on the coloration of birds, or 

 P\iertes on bird-songs, or Grinnell on Indian tribes 

 and Indian characteristics, and so on. On Sunday 

 evenings Dr. Nelson conducted the Episcopal ser- 

 vice and preached a sermon, while at other times 

 books and music and games added to the attraction 

 of the Social HaU. 



PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND 



After several days in Yakutat Bay we steamed 

 northward again, bound for Prince WilKam Sound. 

 The fog and cloud hid the St. Elias Range, but the 

 great Malaspina Glacier was visible on our right. 

 This is the largest of the Alaskan glaciers, covering 

 fifteen hundred square miles. It has a front of fifty 

 miles on the sea, and runs back thirty miles to the 

 St. Elias Range, from which it is fed. It is a vast 

 plain of ice, with lakes and rivers, and vdth hills of 

 rocks and gravel that have trees and alders growing 

 upon them. One of our hunting parties touched the 

 skirts of it, and saw where the earth and alders had 

 sUd off over quite an area, exposing the ice. Its 

 66 



