Identifier: norwayitsglacier00forb (find matches)
Title: Norway and its glaciers, visited in 1851 : followed by journals of excursions in the high Alps of Dauphné, Berne and Savoy
Year: 1853 (1850s)
Authors: Forbes, James David, 1809-1868
Subjects: Glaciers
Publisher: Edinburgh : Adam and Charles Black
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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, which is placed in the midst of this savagelandscape, consists of but very few and poor houses, witha small chapel distinguished from the rest by a belfry.Cultivation ceases just at the village ; a few stunted pinesare found still higher up, but there is no wood worth men-tioning in the valley above Venos. Timber for building isall brought from Bourg dOisans. This excessive sterilitypeculiarly characterises the valleys of Dauphine. Thevillage of La Berarde is at a height of only 5500 feet,that of St. Christophe is 4800, and of Venos 3230, but thecharacter of the scenery is like that of Switzerland at agreater elevation. The unbroken rocky surfaces deceivethe eye to such an extent that it is difficult to realize theenormous scale of these mountains. u We seek in vain,says Mr. E. de Beaumont, those landscapes, at oncegrand and graceful, which are so attractive at Grindelwaldand Chamouni; the bottom of the valleys is too elevatedfor luxuriant vegetation. The scanty pasturage soon gives
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LjJ XCL.ID< Q a:<ra: Ul .CO SCENERY AT LA BERARDE. 271 place to snow or bare rock, and some poplars and strag-gling ash trees are alone found in the valley of La Ber-arde; the snows and glaciers are their only decoration, andit is even difficult to attain positions at a sufficient distanceto enjoy a good view of them. Lower, no doubt, thanMont Blanc and the Jungfrau, the mountains of Oisansappear less elevated than they are, on account of the abso-lute height of the valleys and of their confined position, sothat the summits can be but rarely seen. To ascertain theirheight, we must attempt to mount them, and even then theeye has some difficulty to submit to the testimony of thelimbs. Scanty as the pasturages appear, they are in great re-quest amongst the shepherds of Provence, who annuallydrive thousands of sheep from the plains of La Crau andthe delta of the Rhone—a long journey of several weeks—to spend a month or two at the base of Mont Pelvoux. In1839, I saw

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