304 On moving Stones, in Lakes, Ponds, $y. 



gaged from the south shore, where, by a tall and thick forest 

 of hemlock and spruce, it was protected from the influence 

 of both ; and that when released from the shore, the ice was 

 sometimes driven to the north by a southerly wind, in a field 

 containing from sixty to eighty acres, and from two to three 

 feet in thickness, and on a change of the wind to the north 

 or north west, it was again returned to the south — this led me 

 to believe that the ice was the agent in the removal of those 

 stones. In order to be assured of this, I afterwards, in the 

 spring of 1783, (if I rightly recollect the time,) took an op- 

 portunity, when the ice was moving to the north in a large 

 field, before a south wind, to place myself by a large stone 

 on the western shore, before marked for observation, which 

 from the track left behind, appeared to have been moved in 

 former years, to a considerable distance. The ice approach- 

 ed with a very slow motion, hardly perceptible. When it 

 met the stone, the thinner edge of the ice gave way a little 

 and was broken off, but it soon became sufficiently thick and 

 strong to perform its task. As soon as it had taken a firm 

 hold of the stone, I heard a grating noise of the gravel be- 

 neath, and plainly saw the motion of the stone, as well as of 

 the gravel and earth that was accumulated and accumula- 

 ting before it. I observed it attentively, while it was moved 

 a foot or more, when the progress was arrested by the ice 

 swinging round against the eastern shore of the pond, which 

 was there too narrow to permit it to pass farther up. The 

 course was not in a line directly to the shore, but making 

 with it an acute angle to the north, in a line with the force im- 

 pressed. I had observed by the track, that the movement 

 had not been always in a right line, but deflected a little, 

 sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other, occasioned 

 no doubt by a variation in the line of the impelling force, 

 from a like variation of the wind at different times. Having 

 now fully satisfied myself of the cause of these movements, 

 1 sought no farther opportunity of witnessing the operation ; 

 others however have since told me they have made the same 

 observations. I have always conversed freely on the subject, 

 and have related the circumstances to many, and among the 

 others to men of science, and so familiar was it to my mind, 

 and the cause appeared to be so obviously pointed out by 

 the situation, that when I lately found the phenomena con- 

 sidered as wonderful and almost exceeding credibility, the 

 wonder appeared to me, that at a time when the ardor of 



