l
distance was something more than this.

It was now getting rather late, considering the journey one of us had
yet to perform, and we walked quickly away from the glaciere, agreeing
that it was not improbable that in that part of the Jura there might be
many hidden caves containing more or less ice, with no entrance from the
world outside, except the fissures which afford a way for the water. The
entrance to this cave was so small, that the same physical effect might
well be produced by one or two cracks in the rock, such as every one is
well acquainted with who has walked on the fissured limestone summits
of the lower mountains; and, indeed, Renaud positively affirmed that at
the time of his former visit there was not even this entrance to the
lower cave, for the ice-stream reached then a higher point of the wall,
and completely filled and hid the arch we had discovered. It is very
difficult to see how ice can exist in a cave which has no atmospheric
communication with the colds of winter, as would apparently be the case
with this cave if the one entrance were closed; but where the cracks and
small fissures in the rock do provide such communication, there is no
reason why we should not imagine all manner of glacial beauties
decorating unknown cavities, beyond the general physical law to which
all the glacieres would seem to be exceptions.

Mignot now became communicative as to the amount of ice supplied by his
glaciere, the lower of the two we had seen; and his statistics were so
utterly confused, that I gave him ten centimes and an address, and
charged him to write it all down from his account-book, and send it by
post. The letter was accordingly written on July 24, and after trying
many unsuccessful addresses in various parts of Switzerland, it finally
reached England in the middle of September. It tells its own tale
sufficiently well, and is therefore given here with all the mistakes of
the original.

'Mon cher Monsieur Browne,--J'ai beaucoup tarde a vous ecrire les
details promis, sans doute je ne voulait pas vous oublier; nous sommes
affliges dans notre maison ma femme et gravement malade ce qui me donne
beaucoup de tourment jour et nuit, enfin ce n'est pas ce qui doit faire
notre entretient.

En 1863. Nous avons exploite comme suit. (Depenses.)

Aoust 27 10 journees pour confectionner les Echelles et les poser.
" 29 3 journees pour couper la glasse.
" 31 11 journees pour