The Express.
London, England, 1861-10-22 00:00:00

AN ALPINE OBSERVATION.

Professor Tyndall writes :—" Many years ago
Mr. William Hopkins, of Cambridge, pointed to the state
of the rocks over which glaciers bad passed as conclusive
evidence that these vast muses of ice moved bodily
along their beds. Those rocks are known to have their
angles rasped off, and to be fluted and scarred by the
ice which has passed over them. Such appearances, indeed,
constitute the entire evidence of the former existence
of glaciers in this and other countries, discussed in the
writings of Veneta, Charpen tier, Agiusiz, Buckland, Dar-
win, Ramsay, and other eminent men. I have now to
offer • proof of the sliding of the ice exactly comple-
mentary to the above. Suppose a glacier to be • plastic
mass, which did not slide, stud suppose such a glacier to be
turned upside down, so as to expose its under surface ; that
surface would bear the impression of its bed, exactly as
melted wax bears the impression of a seal. The mo-
tuberant rocks would make hollows of their own shape in
the ice, and the depressions of the bed would be matched
by protuberances of their own shape on the under surface
of the glacier. But suppose the mass to slide over its bed,
these exact impressions would no longer exist ; the protu-
berances of the bed would then form longitudinal furrows,
while the depressions of the bed would produce longitudinal
ridges. From the former state of things we might
infer that the bottom of the glacier is stationary, while
from the latter we should certainly infer that the
whole mass slides over ire bed. In descending from the
summit of the Weigshorn, on the 11th of August last, I
found, near the flanks of one of its glaciers, a portion of
the ice completely roofing a hollow, over which it bad
been urged without being squeezed into it. A con-
siderable area of the under surface of the glacier
was thus exposed, and the ice of that surface was more
finely fluted than ever I have observed rocks to be. Had
the tool of a cabinetmaker passed over it, nothing more
regular and beautiful could have been executed. Furrows
and ridges ran side by side in the direction of the motion,
and the deeper and larger ones were chased by finer lines,
produced by the smaller and sharper asperities of the bed.
The ice was perfectly unweathered, and the white dust of
the rocks over which it had chidden, amid which it bad
abraded in its passage, still clung to it. The fact of sliding
bas been hitherto inferred from the action of the glacier
upon the rocks ; the above observation leads to the same
inference from the action of the rocks upon the glacier. As
stated at the outset, it is • complementary proof that the
glacier moves bodily over its bed."

A Trappist named Delalot-Sevin, of the Abbeys
de Grace-Dien, has made • discovery which may
produce • revolution in the system of lighting and heating
public and private buildings. He has invented a now pile,
much stronger, and at the same time much cheaper, than
the pile of Bunsen. By means of his photo-electric appa-
ratus he produces an electric light as cheap as gas, and with
his thermo-electric pile he supplies caloric on economic
termshitherto unknown. Several of these apparatus have
been constructed, and one is at full work in the Abbaye of
La Genoa-Dieu. Manufactories for the public are shortly to
be established in Paris and at Lyons. The inven-
tor has been authorised to make public experiments
with his system of lighting on the Place Saint Jacques in
Paris, sad on the Place Belleuourt at Lyons.
Tox LATE LORD EOLINTON.—Few public men
(says the Freeman's Journal) have passed away amid so
many and such general regrets as the late Earl of Relate°.
During his career in Ireland the late lamented nobleman
won the highei.t opiuinns from all classes, and in his unceas-
ing and successful efforts to create • transatlantic packet
etatiou on the west coast of Ireland be has left a noble
memorial of the benefit. au eoeygetic statesman can confer
on a rising people, and created a lasting claim on the grafi-
tute of the Irish mos. As a politician Lord Eglinton was
staunch to his party—but as a viceroy be was not the less
staunchly a friend of this country because his politics dif-
fered from those of the majority of the people whom he
governed. It is with no small satisfaction, then, that we
have learned that a movement is about to be inaugurated in
Ireland to raise some lasting memorial of the respect In
which he was held, and of the regret created by his prema-
ture death. Is this movement all classes will unite, for
amongst all there is a deep sense of respect for the lamented
nobleman, and of well.meritral gratitude for his services to
this country.
THE LATE SIR WILLIAM PERL.--Sorne little time
back there was a stained glass window put in the chancel
of Scaly church in Meinory of the late lira Richardson,
now on the opposite side has teen placed • beautiful
white marble statue of the late Sir William Peel in his
uniform, in the act of drawing the sword from the scab-
bard, of full life size, placed on a pedestal of vein marble
about 4 feet high, with the following inscription :—" In
memory of Captain Sir William Peel, R.N., K.C.8.,
third son of the Bight Hon. Sir Robert Peel, the illus-
trious statesman. He was horn November 2nd, 1824,
entered the navy at the age of 13, and gave early promise
of future eminence, which though he did at the age of
El. he lived long enough to achieve. After serving with
distinction in many parts of the world, he commanded •
battery at the siege of Sebastopol, rendering himself
conspicuous among brave men, by acts of daring and
chivalrous courage. In command of H.M.S. Shannon
on the outbreak of the great Indian rebellion, be orga-
nised and led the famous naval brigade, which dr
the 6't.pounders of the ships hundreds of miloaid
Cann
Calcutta to Lucknow, and, co-operating with the army,
contributed in • most signal manner to the success of
our arms. The service,. which he rendered during that
great crisis were regarded with admiration by his country,
and his death in the midst of success and honours was
lamented as • national loss. He died at Cawnpore, April 27•
1858," The statue is • striking likeness, beautifully ex*.
mated by Theed, of London.—Bedford Times.
THE EASTERN FISHERIIDI.—More cheerful re-
ports are made with regard to the progress of the herring
fishery on the eastern coast. The Yarmouth market has
been well supplied with fresh herrings, and in consequence
of the augmented deliveries prices have declined to an
average of 131. per last. It is expected that • large export
trade will be again done this year, although the returns
Twilled in 1860 were not all that could be desired. At
Lowestoft • large quantity of trawl fish are being dolly
landed, and the reeeipta of herrings have been very con-
siderable, the catches per boat ranging from one last to
seven lasts per boat. One day last week 110 lasts and
6,800 fish were brought into the port, or altogether
9,159,400 fish, a last being 100 hundred; and the hun-
dreds being reckoned, with • liberality exceeding that of •
baker's dozen, at 132. The prices obtained have approxi.
mated closely to those realised at Yarmouth.
I well remember the indignation of Wordsworth,
as walking near hie house he was accosted by one of those
hordes of tourists that used to besiege him, who, holding
up • book, exclaimed, patronisingly, "Alt! Mr. Words-
worth, see, I read you " Yon read me, do
you ?" replied the poet, seising the book, "sad
you think you dome • favour. Sir! this is • dead il=4
It was a pirated Paris edition ; sod the
the volume, went on, leaving the atonished tourist trans-
fixed in the road. Wordsworth told me at that time—it
was before Mr. Moron paid him 1,0001. for a uniform
edition of his works—that be had not this nabs 501. alto-
gether by his works ; vet there had bees 110,000 ag
Ins wms sold in Pens, which were blab, ell
furtr chance of We of his own edition.—ME, W. Howitt,
in the Critic.