The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-08-14
HUXLEY AND TYhOALL.
rheir Scientific Expedition to the Alps
About Forty Years Ago.

uueuCo OH 1yHuall IuCufO. IL 1879
I had my first Wow of a glacier at
tho head of tho Lac dc Gaube in the
Pyrenecs, and when ten years later
I was led to interest myself serious
ly in geology i'll connection with the
study of fossils read all could lay
hands on about these curious rivers
of ice. At the Same time Tyndall
was occupied with his important in
vestigations into the effects of pres
sure in giving rise to Elimination,
and I naturally heard good deal
about what he was doing. 1t struck
me that his work might throw some
light upon the production of the
veincd structure Of glacier leo, and
one day when he was dining with
us / mentioned the notion that had
come into my head. The upshot
was that we then and there agreed
to 60 and look into the facts of the
case for ourselves. More suo, he
would have nothing to do with spec
ulation till that essential preliminary
operation had been effected. To
Switzerland accordingly we went,
and I joined him at the Montanvert,
where he had taken up his quarters
with DR.. Hirst, who was, I think.
the closest of his friends.
In our time there was nothing but
a rough mountain aubergo, opposite
to which on the glacier side of the
road'was a hut for guides. Into this
Tyndall moved his bod, as lie could
not bear the noise of the wooden
house. Accommodation and fare
were of the toughest. Our chef was a
singularly dirty woman, who mot all
our suggestions about dinner with
! monotonous "C'est ca, as if the
stores of q Partisan restaurant were
! at her disposal, while practically our
repasts were as uniform rs her
speech. But as we used to start for
tho Jardin or other of the higher
regions early and rarely returned
much before sunset there was no
lack of hunger sauce, while the con-
dimont which gives herbs n better
flavor than stalled oxen abounded.
Tyndall's skill and audacity as a
climber were often displayed in
these excursions. On one occasion,
I remember, we camo upon a per-
pondicular cliff Of ice of considerable
height formed on tho flank of the
glacier, which seemed to present a
good opportunity for the examina-
ton of tho structure of the interior.
a hot sun looseninS them, the stones
on tho surface of the glacier every
now and then ratified down the face
of tho cliff. AS no persuasion of
ours could prevent Tynilall from as
cending tho cliff by cutting steps
with his ax in order to got close
view of tho ice, we had to content
ourselves with tho post assigned to
us of looking OUT for stones. When
ever any of these seemed likely to
shoot too close, wo shouted, and
Tyndall hattened himself against the
cliff. Happily no harm ensucd, but
I confess Twas greatly relieved when
my friend descended at his own
pleasure and not at that of a chance
fragment of rock.
Tho love for Alpine scenery and
Alpine climbing, which remained
with Tyndall to the last, began or al
any rate became intensified into 6
passion with this journey, and al
the same time no laid the founda
tions of his we'll known and highly
important work upon glaciers ant
glacier movement. His first paper
on this subject was presented to the
Royal society in 1867 and bears my
name as we'll as his own in spite O.
all my protests to the contrary, fol
beyond two or three little observa
tions and perhaps somo criticism
contributed nothing toward it, ant
all that is important is Tyndall'
own. But he was singularly scrupu
lous, even punctilious, on points o
} scientific honor. It would have beel
intolerable to him to have it sup
posed that he had used even sugges
lions of others without acknowledg
ment, so /, being thicker skinned
put up with the possibility of bein
, considered a daw in borrowe
plumes. Huxley in Nineteenth Ger
fury.
A Good Woman.