Year: 1867

Lecture by PROFESSOR AgusSsZ.


The third in the of scientific lectures being
delivered the Cooper Institute, by Professor Louis
Agassz came OF las, evening in the presence of large
and appreciave audience. HIS subject was "The An.
cient Glaciers in the Tropics.n


Previous to the Professor making his appearance
member Of the Association for the Advancement of Sci
and Art read criticism, which appeared in Of
the evening papers, in reference TO rcscrving seats for


scnoo children banishing their elders to por-
tons OF the hall" The gentleman made an explanation
which received by the audience satisfactory.


Dr. Griscom introduced Professor Agassiz, who pro.
ceeded say that no omitted his lecture
that the valley of the Amazon easily accessible for
steamers left New York for that place once month.
He also sated that Is would be interesting for those
who contemplated commercial relations With Brazil,
especially in the valley OF the Amazon that all the spices
OF the East-pepper, cloves, nutmeg camphor and the


kehave been cultivated there, and might be cultivated
to such advantage that they could under skful
agement share the benefits of the commerce which is
now exclusively in the hands of European nations. He
would first call their attention 10 the SUBMITS Of the
Alps and then gradually invite them travel those
regions over which the glaciers themselves moved and
perhaps they would see that where the tropical
shone day ,there was at time field OF ice extend.
ing the valley Of the Amazon extending towards
the Atlantic snd perhaps covering the such an ex
tent that tho question might well be asked, It
now asked at the Polar region, whether there open
water under the equatorY 80 far he believed did the
evidence go, ana extensive he satisfied had the
changes Of temperature upon the surface our globe
been What are glaciers An accumulation Of snow and
Ice gradually passing from more snowy condition into
q Icy condition. and in the process OF this change
descending from the heights where snow falls into the
region where the and ice melt every summer In
their appearance they present unusual beauty. We
had glacier regions the eastern side OF this coni-
nent there were glaciers In the Rocky Mountains along
the whole range OF high SUBMITS, which extends 70
she southern extremity Of south America, varying In
crpon OF the formation Of glaciers and the glaciers Of
the Alps The mmense iceocrss which seen
the Atlantic we're not frozen water, glacier ice
broken loose from the which they were
attach and then oa'ed away lie called their aten
naS nos 70 the ,oor,sp maasparensy s ise 70 beat


and explained, by meau. of the blackboard. the
effects Of glaciers upon the ocean and the land.
In or Ter " have proper idea of what glacier was II
must be under all possible conditions OF the stnos
phere. The Professor then described peculiar pheuomc-
respecting the glacier which would be almost uniu


tell yble unless accompanied by the geographical map
which he drew on the blackboard. No glacier was o
stationary mass OF cc, bat moving mass, which moved
al given rate which was poportonate to the bulk OF
ice. He had been under glaciers and saw pieces Of


rocks indcntng the ice which fell from the mountains
The Professor demonstrated that at time tho whole
surface Of switzerland covered with eacers: no OF
England and he traced marks OF glaciers over the whole
OF North Amerca down 70 the latitude Of thirty.two
degrees at Charleston. South Carolina From this he
deduc Cd the great fact that the climate Of the earth had
undergone suiondous changes There wore glaciers
fact was now clearly established. He was sat-
isned that there We're glaciers In Maine six
Thousand ''s soo,ae0, n and that snow fell
The earth was at time cool enough to allow the ac-
cumulahon Of zee within the tropics In the neighbor-
hood Of Rio Janeiro he saw unmistakable ricne OF
former glacier action and after visiting the valley Of the
Amazon he was satisfied that the whole Of that
down from the Andes and the region Of the Atlantic
All the loose materials which formed the bottom Of
tho valley OF the Amazon were materials whicn had
been ground BY that Ice bad scattered evenly over the
whole Of that land IN the same manner as the valley OF
the Rhine was nov occupied by mud and clay which
were once ground In the Alps In conclusion the Pro-
fessor said that he was convinced from his inveetga-


ons that the bay Of Massachusetts, Long Island sound
loose materials Of this immense sheet OF ice advancing
towards the ocean.