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[D.W. Freshfield]
23 Sept/23
Wych Cross Place, Forest Row, Sussex.
Dear Mr. Buchan
I am delighted to find that you have put together a book of travel adventure not of the ordinary slipslop kind & more particularly to see you insist so forcibly on the view of the results of the Mt Everest expeditions which I hold myself & have tried less successfully to put forward in public & private.
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May I make a small comment re Ruwenzori -
The D of the Ab. hadn't to guess as to the best season. I gave him thro' V. Sella the precise information I had from our officers in Toro. I aslso printed it in the Alp. Journal
With regard to the glaciers their extent had been so absurdly exaggerated by earlier travellers that I was bound to insist on their relatively small dimensions. But, if I erred, it was still on the side of exaggeration.
I gave the length of chain glaciated as under 16 & probably 14 to 12 miles, it is 11 following the curves of the watershed, less of course straight.
I compared the Ruwangori Glaciers to those between the Grimsel & the Gries. The former cover, I think, ten square miles. I will have the Lepontine Glaciers calculated when next at RGS.
I may be mistaken in believing the Mubuku stream is largely subglacial spring water. But on the larger question, the character of the outflow in winter of Alpine Glaciers, my observation, published at the British Ass[ociatio]n in 1904, has been
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recently & independently made & confirmed by a high authority, Prof[esso]r Collet late Head of the Federal Water Control Dept at Berne & now in the University of Geneva.
He analysed the winter outflow in several cases.
I trust the Finch difficulties may be smoothed over - I feel much sympathy for him!
I am going abroad this week. Don't trouble to reply
Yours sincerely
Douglas W Freshfield
