Pièce 43 - James David Forbes to William Whewell

4 pp

Grimsel Hospice - JDF congratulates WW on his imminent marriage [to Cordelia Marshall]. JDF spent a fortnight in the 'wilds of Dauphine' before coming across the Alps to Grimsel Hospice, where he had arranged to meet Agassiz [Louis Agassiz]: 'Our position gave every facility for the study of the mechanism of a glacier'. The area is one of the best for illustrating Agassiz's views: 'the Polished and striated surfaces of this valley seem completely to baffle the ordinary means of explanation - The action of water it is absurd to talk of - The moraines are more difficult'. JDF gives a description of their elementary and cold sleeping conditions. Their position gives them access to the whole of the glacier (20 or 25 miles long): However, JDF doubts 'whether much has been done (or will be) for the glacier theory itself'. He has met many Swiss and other visitors and was particularly impressed by 'Studer of Berne [Bern. Studer] who seems to be much less known as a geologist in England than he deserves'. JDF thinks Beaumont [Jean Baptiste Elie de Beaumont] and the French geologists 'are very desirous to keep his [Studer] labours out of sight'.