Life and Letters of James David Forbes, F.R.S., D.C.L., Ll]d., Late Principal of the United College in the University of St.Andrews by John Campbell S

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1873 Excerpt: ... APPENDIX B. Historical Remarks on the first Discovery of the real Structure of Glacier Ice. By Professor Forbes, Corresponding Member of the Royal Institute of France. (Edin. New Phil. Journal, 1843.) I Feel myself most reluctantly called upon to state some circumstances respecting the discovery of a fact in the theory of Glaciers which M. Agassiz has declared, in a paper printed in the last number of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, to be erroneously claimed by me. The first account of 'a remarkable structure of the ice of glaciers' by myself, was printed in this Journal for January 1842. A history of this discovery, entirely opposed to mine, appears at pages 265 and 266 of the last number. By the kind permission of the Editor, I have now the opportunity allowed me of stating how the facts really stand, and at the same time of explaining the circumstances under which the publication of the original paper, claiming the discovery, took place, --circumstances which delicacy prevented me from mentioning at the time, but which it now appears essential to make known. Private report proverbially exaggerates and misrepresents the history of transactions little interesting to any but those immediately concerned. I believe that my own conduct and its motives have been misunderstood, with reference to the matter in question. A few extracts from the ample correspondence of which I am possessed, in illustration of every step of the transaction, will, I hope, suffice to place the matter clearly before such readers as shall feel sufficient interest to follow them. I pledge myself to their accuracy, and to their being fairly extracted in conformity with the tenour of the letters to which they belong. If any doubt shall be raised on tlns point, I shall have only the dis...