sh e lls n o t e x is tin g th e r e . W e m ay a lso s u p p o s e t h a t h e h a d d isco v e red
t h a t th e lim its o f th e m o re tro p ic a l fo rm s, b o th a n im a l a n d v eg e ta b le , o f
t h e p ro d u c tio n s o f th e la n d , h a d lik ew is e d u r in g th is fo rm e r p e rio d
e x :c n (ie d liirtlte r s o u th : w h a t, th e n , w o u ld h e s a y ? W o u ld h e n o t a t
o n c e in fe r, w ith th e s tro n g e s t a p p e a r a n c e o f t r u th , th a t th e c lim a te fo rm e rly
h a d a m o re tro p ic a l c h a ra c te r , p ro p e r ly so c alled , a n d th e r e fo r e h ad a h ig h e r
a n n u a l m ean t em p e r a tu r e th a n a t p r e s e n t? N e v e rth e le s s , w e k n ow s u c h
a n in fe re n c e w o u ld h av e b e e n a b so lu te ly e rro n e o u s . T o p u t th e case m
a n o th e r p o in t o f v iew : s h o u ld a g eo lo g is t find, in la t. 3 9 °, o n th e co a st
o f S p a in , a te r t ia r y d e p o s it, a b o u n d in g w ith O liv a s, Y o h ita s , a n d T e r e b r a s ;
o r in la t. 45 \ on th e c o a st o f F ra n c e , o th e r b e d s , c o n ta in in g a la rg e
V o lu ta , a n d n um e ro u s F a te llæ , F is su re llæ , C h ito n s , a n d D a lan i, la rg e r
a n d o f s tro n g e r g row th th a n th e e x is tin g sp ecie s, w o u ld h e b e ju s tifie d ,
a f t e r w h a t is n ow k n ow n , in p ro n o u n c in g t h a t th e c lim a te fo rm e rly h a d
a h ig h e r m e a n t em p e r a tu r e ? I th in k i t m ay b e sa fe ly a s s e rte d th a t
h e w o u ld n o t b e so ju s tifie d , b u t r a th e r w o u ld b e b o u n d to s e a rc h fo r
o th e r e v id e n c e . I n th e a c tu a l case o f E u ro p e , we h a v e k n ow le d g e ( a s will
b e sh ow n in a fo llow in g n o t e * ) o f a n o th e r e lem e n t in th e p ro b lem ,
n am e ly o f th e low e r d e s c e n t d u r in g fo rm e r tim e s o f th e sn ow -lin e ,— a s is
in fe r re d from th e fo rm e r low d e s c e n t o f g lac ie rs, o n tb e s am e m o u n ta
in s , w h e re th e y n ow o c c u r o n ly a t g r e a t h e ig h ts , a n d lik ew ise from
th e c o n g e la tio n d u r in g th is s am e p e rio d o f t h e so il in a low l a t i tu d e—a n d
th is n ew e lem e n t, I b e liev e , gives tb e k e y to th e s o lu tio n o f th e p ro b lem ,
w liich is, t h a t th e c lim a te o f E u ro p e was fo rm e rly m o re e q u a b le , b u t so
f a r from b e in g s tr ic tly m o re tro p ic a l, th a t it p ro b a b ly ev en h a d a low e r
m e a n a n n u a l tem p e r a tu r e th a n i t n ow possesses. I n e e d s c arc e ly say
t h a t I h e re re f e r onlij to th e l a t e r te r tia ry p e rio d s : in th e m o re a n c ie n t
ep o ch s, th e p la in e s t a n a lo g ie s t e ll us o f a n e q u a to r ia l c lim a te , w h ils t o n
th e o th e r h a n d , w e a r e v e ry fa r from h a v in g th e sm a lle s t re a so n to s u p p
o s e t h a t th e sn ow -lin e th e n d e s c e n d e d low ; a n d th is is th e k e y , as Ih a v e
c a lle d i t, to th e p ro b lem o f la t e r tim e s.
P a g e 2 82.
W ith re s p e c t to ic e t r a n s p o r tin g fra gm en ts o f ro c k in th e A n ta rc tic
reg io n s , M . C o rd ie r , in h is in s tru c tio n s f L ’Institut, 1837, p . 2 8 3 ^ to th e
v o y ag e o f th e A s tro la b e a n d th e Z é lé e , h a s th is p a ssag e : “ L e s r e la tio n s
d e l ’e x p é d itio n a n g lo -am é ric a in e d e d é c o u v e r te e x é c u té e e n 1830, n o u s o n t
* A s th e s e n o te s a r e a p p e n d e d to th e J o u rn a l, I h a v e fo u n d i t sc arc e ly
p o s s ib le to classify th em p ro p e r ly . I h a v e b e e n o b lig e d to a llu d e to th e
low e r d e s c e n t o f th e g la c ie rs in E u r o p e d u r in g fo rm e r p e rio d s— facts wh ich
a r e first b ro u g h t fo rw a rd in a su c c e e d in g n o te to p . 2 94.
a d d e n d a .
f a it c o n n a îtr e q u e les p lag e s des N o u v e lle s -S Iie tla iid s o n t c o u v e rte s do
g ra n d s b locs e r r a tiq u e s formés d e g r a n ite , e t p a r c o n s é q u e n t d’u n e n a tu r e
d iffé re n te d e s a u tr e s ro ch e s d u p ay s. M . J am e s E ig h ts , n a tu r a lis te do
1 e x p é d itio n , n ’h é s ite p a s à c o n s id é re r ces b lo cs c om m e a y a n t é té a p p o r te s
p a r les glaces, q u i v ie n n e n t a n n u e llem e n t s’é c h o u e r e t se fo n d re su r les
p lag e s d o n t il s’a g it e t com m e é ta n t les in d ic e s d e t e r r e s in c o n n u e s s itu é e s
p lu s p r é s d u p ô le q u e la t e r r e la T r in i t é .” I h a v e n o t b e e n a b le to iin d
a n y a c c o u n t o f th is e x p e d itio n . L i e u te n a n t K e n d a ll d e scrib es (Gcograyih.
Journal, I 8 3 0 J p in n a c le s o f sy e n ite in S m ith ’s Is la n d , o n e o f th e S o u th
S h e tla n d g ro u p ; so th a t th e in fe ren c e s r e g a rd in g th e d is ta n c e s , from w h ich
th e b lo ck s a r e s u p p o s e d to h a v e c om e , p ro b a b ly a r e e rro n e o u s .
In s p e a k in g (p . 2 7 2 ) o f th e rig o u r o f th e c lim a te o f D e c e p tio n I s la n d
in S o u th S h e tla n d , I m ig h t liav e m e n tio n e d t h a t L ie u t. K e n d a ll says
(Geograph. Journal, 1830, p . 6C), t h a t o n M a rc h th e S th , “ W e to o k th e
h in t o f th e fre e z in g o v e r o f th e cove ( la t . 6 2 ° 5 5 ') a n d e ffected o u r r e t r e a t .”
T h is is th e sam e a s if, in th e n o r th e r n h em isp h e re , th e h a rb o u r o f
C h r is tia n s u n d in N o rw ay , w e re to fre e z e o n tlie 8 th o f S e p tem b e r !
P a g e 2 8 5 .
I h a v e d e sc rib ed th e d im e n s io n s o f th e g r e a t g la c ie r w h ic h in
l a t . 4 6 ° 5 0 ', s e n d s d ow n a n a rm to K e lly H a r b o u r , a n d a n o th e r to a fla t
sw am p ; I n ow fin d from in fo rm a tio n c om m u n ic a te d to m e b y C a p ta in
F itzR o y , t h a t i t m u s t c om m u n ic a te w ith th e c h a n n e ls a n d bays n o r th w
a rd , w h ic h e x te n d b e h in d th e p e n in s u la o f T r e s M o n te s . A g ü e ro s , in
g iv in g a n a c c o u n t o f a n e x p e d itio n o f t h e m is s io n a rie s ( Desnipcion Historial
de la Provincia de Chiloe, p . 2 2 7 ) , says, th e y e n c o u n te r e d in th e L a g
u n a d e S a n R a fa e l ( l a t . 4 6 ° 3 3 ' to 4 6 ° 4 8 ') “ m an y iceb e rg s (muchos
farallones de nie ve), som e g r e a t, som e sm a ll, a n d o th e r s m id d le s iz e d .”
T h is was o n th e 2 2 d o f N o v em b e r, 1778. C a p ta in F itzR o y a lso te lls me,
t h a t in th e a c c o u n t o f a n o th e r m is s io n a ry v o y ag e , i t is sa id th a t th e b o a ts
h a d d ifficulty, o n a c c o u n t o f th e islan d s o f ice , in p a s sin g th ro u g h th e C añ o
d e P e rd ó n , a s tr a it c o n n e c tin g th e L a g u n a d e S a n R a fa el, w ith tlie o th e r
b a y s b e h in d T r e s M o n te s . T r a n sp o s in g in im a g in a tio n , as I h a v e d o n e
a t p . 2 91, th e p la c e s in th e s o u th e rn h em is p h e re to c o rr e sp o n d in g o n e s in
E u ro p e , th e s e fac ts a r e th e sam e as if, in a c h a n n e l o f th e s e a s tr e tc h in »
from th e M e d ite r r a n e a n b e tw e e n th e A lp s a n d th e J u r a , a b o a t sh o u ld
e n c o u n te r in the latitude o f the lake o f Geneva, a n d on the 22d o f June , (b u t
n o t o n o n e occasio n o n ly ,) so m an y iceb e rg s, a n d o f su c h d im e n s io n s , th a t
th e h is to r ia n o f th e v o y ag e s h o u ld d e scrib e th em as b e in g “ som e » rc a t
som e sma ll, a n d o th e r s m id d le s iz ed ” ! ° ’
H a v in g in s is te d so s tro n g ly , in th is p a r t o f m y J o u rn a l , t h a t i t is in th e
so u tlie rn h em isp h e re , w h e r e tro p ic a l fo rm s e n c ro a c h o n th e tem p e ra te