The Portland daily press., 1874-12-23
mEoHANICs' COURSE,



Notwithstanding the storm last evening,
Mechanics Hall was filled to listen to very
interesting lecture by DR.. Hill, upon "Three
Weeks in the Straits of Magellan" The lee
ture was illustrated by numerous maps and
charts, and was one of the best of the course.
He gave brief sketch of the Hassler expe.
dition, which consisted simply of the govern
ment taking advantage of the coast surveys,
being obliged to send new iron ship-the
Hassler-from Boston to San Francisco. and
inviting Agassiz and few others to go with
her and make scientific observations by the
way. This party paid their own expenses, in
Guiding mess bills, and delayed the vessel only
four weeks in all, for their accommodation.
They touched and tarried at various points in
the West Indies and South America, leaving
Boston Dec. 4, 1871, and reaching San Fran
cisco, where the party disbanded, Aug.
81, 1872.
He then gave more detailed sketch of what
they saw and did during the three weeks IN
which they were passing through the Straits OF
Magalhaens, and Smyth's Channels, from tne
Atlantic to the Pacific. The great surprise TO
the party had been the beauty of the scenery:
No book of travellers through that region had
prepared them for the multitude OF snow-helds,
and especially of glaciers, which they saw,
from the mid-goint OF the straits 70 tne end or
glaciers had been unnoticed by. the writer's OF
books of travel in that region, for two reasons:
first, that they had gone at less favorable
seasons, when the ice was covered with snow,
while the Hassler party were there IN March,
at the close of the summer; secondly, that
some of these writers were not familiar with
the appearance of glaciers. and did not recog-
nize the delicate green tinge in the apparent
fields of snow, as indicating glaciers. One of
these glaciers they visited, and made partial
avplorafinn and measurement Of il. IL was q
river of solid ice, mile and half wide, and
several hundred feet deep, moving, according
to the best measurements they could make,
about ten inches in twenty-fOur hours, down
steep rocky bed. The rocks and trees about its
end made it evident that it fluctuated little,
according to the character Of the season, in the
distance to which it pushed its terminal moralne
of gravel in winter, and melted back in sum-
mer. 1t was also evident that at some distant
epoch its average march in winter carried it
more than half mile further, in fact into the
Straits; and that at still more distant epoch
its motion had been reversed BY great sheet
of ice pouring over the whole region from the
South Pole, northerly.
of course no report of the lecture is possible,
since it was densely crowded narrative OF
twenty-one days incessant sightseeing and ad-
venture The climate, changing rapidly as you
go from east to west, and slowly in going
from south to north; the vegetation, with Us
blue barberries, and evergreen beeches; the
birds so fearless that sailor walked up to
wild goose and brought it on board, and so
numerous as to cover acres of ground complete
" from sight; the winds SO violent that brook
Of fair size trying to fall over precipice was
repeatedly thrown straight up into the air, and
converted into perpendicular fountain; the
native Fuegian, running stark naked till the
age of IL or IA, and not much better afterward,
without auy houses, or caves. or shelter except
an otter skin, and a rude arbor of beech
boughs; and this in the south latitude cores
bonding to that of Labrador, although milder
climate; these are few of the Interesting
points mentioned.
The lecture was illustrated by large map of
the Straits, aud by half dozen sketches of
the scenery described.