m 
a Theory of the Earth. 
17. A solid light walking-pole : mine for the high Alps 
is a young fir- plant, extremely dry, seven feet in length and 
18 lines in diameter at the lower end, which is shod with 
iron tapering to a strong point. These dimensions may 
appear large, but nothing can be too strong for the steep 
rocks, glaciers and snow, when you are obliged to take your 
point of support at a distance from you, and to rest the 
whole weight of your body on your pole, by holding it in 
a situation very much inclined, and even horizontal, as 
may be seen in the Vignette to the First Volume of my 
Travels through the Alps. — For mountains which are 
not so steep, the traveller may be satisfied with poles of 
less strength and size ; hut it will still be necessary that 
they should be four or five feet in height, and sufficiently 
strong that a person might be able to support himself with 
his two hands by holding them in a horizontal situation, 
according to the attitude of the small figure which is on 
the left side at top of the before-mentioned vignette; for, 
in traversing or descending a rapid declivity, or in walk- 
ing on the margin or edge of a precipice, the traveller 
must always support himself by his two hands, holding, 
the pole towards the mountain, and not towards the pre- 
cipice, as those do who have not learned the art of travel- 
ling through mountains, 
18. To prevent slipping on the hard snow-ice, anti 
grass-plats, which are still more dangerous, I would re- 
commend iron cramps, such as those which I have caused 
to be engraved in the third plate of the first volume, and 
which I have long used with success. In my last excur- 
sions, however, I preferred shoes, the thick soles of which 
were armed with strong tacks, at the distance of eight on 
nine lines from each other. The heads of these tacks are 
of steel, and shaped like a square pyramid : I have some 
small ones, the points of which are only two lines and a 
half in height, and of about the same, breadth, for the 
