several bulky glaciers on very steep slopes occupied their
ravines. None of these entered the valley along which
my road lay, but their moraines often projected to its
very centre, forming immense piles of angular fragments
of rocks, which attained, in more than one place, a height
of several hundred feet, and indicated that the glaciers
had at some former period advanced much further than
they now do. The main valley was itself everywhere
covered with boulders; in some places large blocks, ten
to twenty feet in diameter, were arranged at moderate
distances from one another, but more frequently the
fragments were all small.
After the first steep ascent, the slope of the valley was
uniformly gentle, except when a steep-sided moraine had
to be passed. Latterly a few small patches of snow occurred
in the valley. I encamped at 16,600 feet, on a
level grassy spot of ground close to a small circular plain
resembling the bed of a lake, and still partially covered
with snow. The snow level on the mountains to the
south had approached within less than one hundred feet
of the level of the plain. Though the distance travelled
during the day was only six miles, I felt a good deal
fatigued, and suffered much from headache, caused by
the rarefaction of the air.
From the great quantity of snow on the mountains
all around, there had been throughout the day an abundance
of moisture, and vegetation was in consequence
much more plentiful than usual. The plants were all
alpine, and being mostly diminutive, had to be sought
in the crevices of rocks, and among the stones which
everywhere abounded. The banks of the stream were
frequently grassy, and there was a great deal of marshy
ground. Most of the plants obtained were in full flower,
and the colours were in general very bright, and sufficiently
varied. By far the greater part belonged to the
same genera which prevail on European mountains, such
as Dr aba, Saxifraga, Sibbaldia, Potentilla, Ranunculus,
Papaver, Pedicularis, Cerastium, Leontopodium, and Saus-
surea. The most remarkable forms were three species of
Allardia, several Astragali, a one-flowered Lychnis, Delphinium
Brunonianum, and a Ligularia. The alpine nettle
was common on many parts of the road, chiefly near
places frequented by the shepherds as halting-places.
Next day at starting I proceeded along the edge of the
small plain close to which I had been encamped. On the
right hand was an ancient moraine, which prevented me
from seeing the road in advance. At the upper end of
the plain I found a small streamlet running parallel to the
moraine; and about a mile from camp I reached the end
of a small glacier, from which the streamlet had its origin.
Crossing the latter, which was still partially frozen, I
ascended in a deep hollow between the left side of the
glacier and the moraine. The icy mass had not yet begun
to thaw, the temperature being still below freezing. After
half a mile I ascended on the surface of the ice, and as soon
as I did so, was enabled to see that the glacier had its
origin in a ravine on the south, and entered the main valley
almost opposite to me. The great body of the ice
took a westerly direction, forming the glacier along which
I had been travelling; but a portion formed a cliff to the
eastward, which dipped abruptly into a small, apparently
deep lake. At the distance of perhaps five hundred
2 E