Royal Botanic Society. 



393 



have for some time been left exposed to atmospheric action by the 

 melting of the ice. In the valley of the Viesch, the direction of the 

 scratches is from north to south, or towards the Rhone; the direction of 

 those which accompany the glacier of the Rhone is from east to west ; 

 that of those beneath the glacier of the Aar is first from west to 

 east, as far as the Hospice of the Grimsel ; and then from south to 

 north, from the Grimsel to the Handeck. If we would account for 

 these scratches by the action of water, we must imagine currents of 

 enormous depth filling these highest Alpine valleys, and descending 

 in opposite directions from the narrow crest that lies between them. 

 In the upper part of the valley of the Viesch, is a glacier, beneath 

 which runs a rapid torrent, co-extensive in length with the great 

 current, to which the above hypothesis would attribute the polish 

 and scratches on the rocks of the valley. This small torrent 

 corrodes the bottom of the valley into sinuous furrows and irregular 

 holes, and polishes the sides of its bed ; but the polish is of a different 

 aspect from that produced by the action of the ice, and of the stones 

 and sand which it carries with it. The polished surfaces beneath 

 the ice are often salient and in high relief. The sides also of the 

 valleys adjacent to the actual glaciers are frequently polished and 

 scratched at great heights above the ice, in a manner identical with 

 the surface beneath it, but different from the polish of the bed of 

 the torrent. 



The amount of polish and scratches varies with the nature of 

 the rocks. In the valley of Zermatt and Riffelhorn, rocks of ser- 

 pentine are most exquisitely polished ; so also are the granites on 

 the sides of the glacier of the Aar, where they have not been long 

 exposed to the action of the air. Gneiss and limestone do not pre- 

 serve their polish under similar exposure, but retain it while they are 

 protected by ice or a covering of earth. 



These facts seem to show, that the striated and polished condition 

 of rocks beneath and on the sides of glaciers, is due to the action of 

 the ice, and of the sand and fragments of stone forming the mo- 

 raines which accompany it. 



ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY AND GARDEN. 



The first meeting for the season was held November 10, at which 

 a resume of the proceedings of the General Meetings of the last sea- 

 son was read by the Secretary, who prefaced his extracts from the 

 papers which had been read by stating that the principal objects of 

 the Society were the formation of a Botanical Garden for illustration 

 and reference, and the diffusion of botanical information of a general 

 character, rather than the illustration of abstruse points, which are 

 successfully pursued by societies with which the Botanic Society 

 does not desire to interfere. Of the eleven meetings held in the 

 spring and summer three had been purely for business, and among 

 other things, that of obtaining the Charter, and endeavouring to 

 procure from the Government some reduction of the high rent, 

 which is a great obstacle to the progress of the Institution. At the 



