905 
of Edinhiirgh, Session 1883 - 84 . 
There are two difhculties in the way. First, the map shows 
that between the Col and Fide the valley widens immensely, so 
that the glacier would almost certainly stop and break up at that 
place where there is both breadth and depth. Second, there is no 
gradient along the bottom of the valley from the Col to Fide to 
draw down a glacier, because, as Professor Geikie explains, the depth 
of water in the sound at Fide is much less than at places between 
Fide and the Col {Abstract, p. 880). 
In these circumstances, there seems more probability that at this 
place the striations and smoothings were made by sea-ice than by 
a glacier. 
(3) The mouth of the fiord is open towards the north, and 
when the Faroes were 1600 or 2000 feet submerged, there 
would be ample opportunity for floating ice to pass through the 
sound. 
This view is to a certain extent supported by the curious 
circumstance, that in many parts of the Faroes the hills are 
glaciated everywhere below a pretty uniform level of 1600 feet, 
whilst above that level most of them are rough. In that northern 
latitude, if land-ice prevailed generally, so as to produce an ice-sheet 
or local glaciers, one does not see why the hills should not have 
been covered and glaciated to their tops. 
Moreover, if it is established that to the W. and H.W. of the 
mainland of Scotland floating ice was brought by some north-west 
oceanic current, the fact that the Faroes are 2° farther north in 
latitude would bring them the more readily within reach of such a 
current. 
8. The conclusion to which the facts set forth in this summary 
lead is, that if boulders were brought to this country by a great 
north-westerly oceanic current, some of these boulders now on our 
hills may, in mineralogical composition, be found to differ from 
British rocks ; and in that view, it is only right to notice, that two 
geologists, having considerable personal knowledge of British rocks, 
state that boulders have been seen by them in this country, differing 
in mineral composition from any rocks in Great Britain with which 
they were acquainted. One of these authorities is the late Pro- 
fessor Mcol of Aberdeen University {Abstract, p. 841). The other 
is Mr James Plant of lioicester, to whom the English Boulder 
