NOTES ON' THE THICKNESS OF THE LUCERNE GLACIEK, ETC. 295 



twenty miles from where we hare at the present time actual glacial 

 conditions, and the Mer >:h Ghu-e and other portions of SNvitzerland 

 which have enormous thicknesses of ice : so that comparatively 

 little elevation would give an enormous extension of ice into the 

 adjoining lower regions such as those of the Lucerne Valley. 



The Secretary, — in reply to a question by Mr. Rouse — said 

 that the Finsteraarhorn is known to be composed of what is called 

 " black gi-anite." I suppose it is blue granite, with black mica. 



Ml-. HuDLESTOX. — I cannot say. 



The Secretary. — But I cannot say that I examined the boulders 

 very carefully, nor am I sirfficiently acquainted with the granite of 

 the Finsteraarhorn ; but I think in some portions it is very likely 

 there is some of this gi'anite amongst the boulders. As I imder- 

 stand from Mr. Hudleston's map, there is a continuous valley and 

 Finsteraarhorn would be somewhere here [fKyintim/\. 



I think, gi^^ng glaciers due credit for the wonderful things they 

 perform in the way of transporting blocks, I do not think there is 

 amthing insuperable in the idea that the granite comes from these 

 heights, as there is a continuous channel. 



Mr. HuDLESTON. — Oh yes. 



The Secretary. — I am exceedingly gratified that Mr. Hudleston 

 has been able to be here this evening. He is one of our Vice- 

 Presidents and a most valued member. It is not often that we have 

 the pleasure of seeing him, which is partly due to the fact that he is 

 imable to be in London diu-ing most of the period of our session in 

 winter. I am very glad that he has been so good as to put his 

 observations on paper, because they will supplement my own short 

 paper very considerably, and they touch on points that I have 

 not noticed. 



With regard to the glacial origin of lakes to which Mr. Hudles- 

 ton referred, I simply referred to it as a chronological question : 

 and as Mr. Hudleston did not express his indi^'idaal dissent to the 

 theory of my late fiiend and chief. Sir Andrew Eamsay. I do not 

 think it necessary to defend Sir Andrew Eamsay s theory. I think 

 myself, from the phenomcDa of the lakes in Switzerland and the 

 fact that they are really excavated or eroded out of the solid forma- 

 tions, though sometimes helped to rise above the level by means of 

 moraines thrown across their outlet, there is very strong evidence 

 that glaciers had a great deal to do with the deepening of the central 



