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- ■■ - -" ' '---■■■^ rtt\-v- itm ri i'f"i''M

.jmmmatm

T HE

FALLS OF NIAGARA,

TOVRI^T'IS GUIDE

TO THIS

WONDER OF NATURE,

INCLUDING NOTICES OF THE

WHIRLPOOL, ISLANDS, &c.

AND A COMPLETE

GUIDE THRO' THE CAN AD AS.

EMBELLISHED WITH ENGRAVINGS.

BY S. DE VEAUX.

BUFFALO ;
WILLIAM B. HAYDEN

Press of Thomas Sf Co.

1839.

Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1839, by

S. DE VEAUX,

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Northern
District of the State of New- York.

:'iii^jiid£ML^Jiiii»^4^

•^iUA,. ..iSillSii'i

TO THE PUBLIC.

•|

•5

The author's views have been principally directed to
Niagara Falls ; yet, at the same time, as fitting for such
a publication, he has thought proper to take in other
matters, seemingly, iVom their contiguity, alike interest-

ing.

The books that have been published as Guides to the
Falls, are quite competent for the object they have in
view ; and every visiter who desires to know all about
them, by a little expense in purchasing such publications,
will add much to his stock of information.

This book is not calculated to come in competition
with those, or any other publication ; though it is, in-
deed, a Guide to the Falls, in a new form.

The subject is made very familiar, and every inquiry
is answered that is usually made by strangers. It is in-
tended to amuse as well as to inform ; to treat of some
subjects not touched upon by previous publishers ; to
preserve from oblivion the names of some individuals of
notoriety ; and to furnish some incidents of border war-
fare, and descriptions peculiar to this country.

In doing this, the author thinks that his smaP pub-
lication will form an agreeable present from those who
visit the Falls, to their friends and children at home,
when they return refreshed from their pleasant and amu-
sing tour.

It may be here observed, that it is thouglit, by sonic,
that the terms in which the Falls are spoken of and usu-
ally described, are too high and exaggerated. If the
English and Scotch poets are any criterion for descrip-
tive expressions, (and that they are the true standard, all
will allow,) so far then from being exaggerated, the
terms applied to the Fails are but tame and feeble.
Several of the authors alluded to, have afforded poetical
descriptions of waterlulls in the United Kingdom, in
which all the epithets of bea.ity and grandeur have been
exhausted in the labored delineation : descriptions so lofty
as to leave nothing to add, even when applied to the
Falls of iViagara. Look at the objects as nature presents
them : a brook or mill-race, to a migh'y river — a pond,
to an oceon. Indeed there is no term of our language
too high, or idea of imagination too comprehensive for
this profound and impresb.'ve scene. The mind, awe
struck, is overwhelmed and lost amid the elemental strife.
And it is not only so as regards the Falls, but the whole
of that portion of the- Niagara river, from the commence-
ment of the. rapids below Navy Island, to the eddying
and heavy current at Lewiston, is, without doubt, one
of the most wonderful and prodigious of all the works of
nature, and affords scenes, with but few exceptions, more
sublime and terrible than is exhibited in any other land.

Niagara Falls nilage,
Jum, 1839,

THE AUTHOR.

. f^'m-iai1lftiitmst't,^it-^<i,1tfif'-t^^-' -

^mr^ """^rs!"?^*'^ .

TEIE ARRANGEMENT.

The colloquial form has, in some places been adopted
in this work, in aflbrdin^ directions and information to
travellers. The observations of the guide, and the re-
marks of the visiters, have been in some places tran-
scribed. In this manner, the information which has
been garnered up for years, is imparted to strangers in
its appropriate place.

The sketches are made in a tour round the Falls, and
vicinity ; and is divided into four Jaunts.

The First Jaunt is to the Falls on the east side of the
river, or, as they are commonly called, the American
Falls. It may be made, from the Hotels, in half an hour ;
but the feelings of those who go, will determine the pe-
riod of their stay. Some have thought half a day a short
time to spend in viewing the cataract from that position,
and the other objects to which their attention is drawn.

The Second Jaunt is to the Islands. Bath, Iris or
Goat, and the other little adjoining Islands that are ac-
cessible. It may be made in two hours. Many perrr. is
Bpend a day, and repeat the visit frequently ; asserting,
that the interest excited increases the oftener the scene is-
beheld.

The Third Jaunt is to the Whirlpool. It requires
three hours ; and, if extended to the Devil's Hole, In-
dian Village, and old Fort Niagara, a day or more will
be pleasantly spent in the excursion.

The Fourth Jaunt is to Canada. This, like the visii
to the Falls, may be accomplished in less than an hour ;
bu,t it would be superficial. Very few. are satisfied with?

ir I

such a slight peep into her Majesty's dominions. They
hke to visit Tabic Rocl^, and take a look below, through
the mist, and under the water.

In speaking of the time to bo consumed in looking at
and around the greatest cataract in the world, reference
is had to those who travel with rail-road speed, and such
are travellers in general, in these days ; and not to those
who have leisure. To such as have time and opportu-
nity, no period can be fixed : all depends on their own
impressions. If they are unexcited and uninterested,
their stay will be short : they will cast a dull and unim-
passioned look over the scene, and hurry away. Others
who have felt diflcrcntly, have remained weeks and
months at the Falls, still extolling them, and spending
their time much to their satisfaction.

It
je
h
le

CONTENTS.

page

Jaunt to the Falls.— The tr.ivoUcru 17

Generjil remarks oftruvellcia 19

Description of the Falls 20

Point View 23

In(iuiries iinswcrrd 24

Niinies .-ukI initialhi on the rocks Jiiid tvocs 27

Optic'il ilinsions 28

Francis Abholt, the heriuit 30

Alexander's leap 37

Fish and angling 39

HuntitiiK ^'rounds and jQ[ame 40

Indian Ladder. Village of Niagara Falls 43

Jaunt to thk Islands 47

The Bridge to the Island 54

Improvements on Iris Island 55

Bath Island 57

Daring enterprise 58

Tlie hog's buck 60

Prospect Island. Ingraham's Cave ,61

Biddle Staircase 03

Horse Shoe Falls 64

Prospect Tower 65

Impressions of visiters 66

Winter scenery 67

Shrubs and Plants 69

Vessels sent over the Falls 70

Moss Island 71

Navy Island 73

The Lovi^ family 74

W^illiam Chambers 75

Expedition to Navy Island 77

Steam-boat Caroline 78

Owanunga, or Grand Island 80

Buck-horn Island 81

Jaunt to the Whirlpool 83

Old portage road 86

Gad Pierce, Esq 87

Mineral springs 89

The Whirlpool 90

The Prospect 94

The Outlet 95

The Maelstrom, of Norway , 99

viu

Jaunt to the Wiiirm'Ool. pngo

Denjuiiiin Ituthlxin ».••« • •«.. .100

Buttle of the Devil's Hole 107

Tuscaroni Iiuiitins 110

Little Chief lU

Indian ailvcnture 1 12

Escape from Indians 114

LcvviHton. Five mile Meadow 117

Fort Niuifura UB

William Morgan 121

John Carroll 122

Jaunt to Canada • • . • « . 125

View I'rom the Stairs 120

Perilciis descent of the ladder 130

Catlin's Cave 133

Village of Clifton 133

Tahic Hock 130

Passing under the sheet of water 137

Going over the Falls 140

Canal hoat incident 141

Samuel Street. Col. Clark 144

City of the Falls '. 140

Drummondvil e 147

Hrock's 3Tonument 148

Town of Niagara 150

Battle of Fort George 151

Betty Feathers 152

Tour TimoutJii Canad.^. Rontes from Niagara Falls 153

1VIiscellanf:ous Notices. Medicinal virtues of the air 101

Geology of Niagara Falls. Mineral specimens 162

Tonawanda Village. John Downing and the Whirlpool . .163

Death of Dr. Hungerford 164

Chronological Tahle of Events at Niagara F'alls 166

Tuhles of distances 167

Advertisements 168

pngo
..100
..107
. . 110

.111
. AVi
, .114
. .117
. .118
. . 121
. .122
. . 125
. .129
..130
..133
..135
..130
..137
. .140
..141
..144
..140
..147

.148
. .150
..151
. .152
. .155
. .101
. .162
. .163
..164
..166
. .167
. .108

iiuj^:

iijiiiiii-iiiiiiljifiiTi ijiiMipiiijiiiitrifiiiiirtipiiliiw^

A JAUNT

TO THE

•■:>

■.I

.£
^

FALLS OF NIAGARA,

ON THE

AMERICAN SIDE.

THE TRAVELLERS.

A party from a distant City are on a tour of pleasure
to the Falls. There are three principal routes on the
American side that lead to this celebrated place.

One from the upper lakes, the soi^th. and the east,
through the City of Buffalo, from thence by Rail Road to
the place of destination :

One from Canada, and the lower lakes, via Lewiston,
and from thence, also, by Rail Road :

The third, from the east, by the Erie Canal, Rail Roads,
Stages, and Steam Boats, to the City of Rochester, and
through the village of Lockport, and from thence by
Ruil R .;(* to the Falls.

The travellers that are the Dramatis Persona of this
taunt, are seated in the Lockport and Niagara Falls rail
road cars. They have arrived within two miles of the
object of their visit, and the exclamation is heard — *Uhe
Fails! the Falls!" An imposir.ig scene has, indeed,
broke upon them, and a general move takes place to catch
a glimpse of the mighty cataract. Those seated at the
right side of the cars have a full and direct view in front,

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

First sight.

and of the Niagara river, which, by their side, flows far
beneath. On the very verge of its banks, at a dizzy
height, they are whirling at the rapid rate of eighteen miles
an hour. On looking below, some passengers hold their
breath in amazement ; others have been known to express
their astonishmenl by a low protracted whistle, until the
supposed danger was past.

On looking at the object before her, one of the ladies
exclaims — "is that the Falls?" ''Yes," replies a pas-
senger, '' and look below, there is the far famed Niagara
rive|."

Another observes — ''after so long a period I behold
this place;" and one — " what a distance have we come
to feast our eyes upon this scene!"

" Great mist arises from the water — the Falls seem
concealed behind a cloud. Is it always so?"

"Always," answered a person familar with the scene,
"and in the clear cold weather of winter, the mist which
arises in clouds, appears like the flame and smoke of some
great conflagration, or as of a burning city. At such
times the burning of Moscow is always brought to my
remembrance."

In a few minutes after the Falls are first beheld, at the
Mineral spring, two miles from the cataract, the cars have
rolled on; have passed through the main street of the
Village, and have slopped at the upper end.

The cars of the passengers are saluted with — "passen-
gers for the Cataract," "travellers for the Eagle,"
"gentlemen please to show me your baggage for the

Cataract," "Eagle baggage," "for the Cataract, Ma-
dam?" "do you go to the Eagle, Sir?" and all the jar-
gon which a full array of the runners and waiters from
two of the best Houses in the country can utter forth.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

General reiimrks of traveller)?'.

The travellers having made up their minds before their
arrival, or afterwards, go to one or the other of the hotels,
enter their names, secure their rooms, and breakfast, dipo
or sup, as the case may be, and when prepared for a visit
to the Falls, send for the Guide.

The aid of a guide is indispensible, to point out the dif-
ferent views and to impart a full knowledge of all the
localities.

After having concluded their arrangements they start
on their first ramble. Passing in a western direction from
the hotel, they traverse the bank of the river, or after
leaving a narrow street, continue along on the rising
ground, until they enter a grove of trees; emerging from
thence, they behold the 1 "alls at once before them, rolling
majestically, and displaying all their grandeur.

*^ How magnificent!"

* ' Truly, the half has not been told! ' '

*' It is grand — it is dreadful!"

*' They are terrible, yet beautiful !"

*' They appear small at a distance, and, at first sight, I
was disappointed. They exceed my expectations."

'' Never have I beheld, or imagined, any thing compar-
able to this."

Such are some of the many expressions which breate
from travellers, and show forth their emotions; they are
generally those of admiration, mingled with pleasure ;
but many gaze and wonder in silence.

15 i:

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Description.

THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.

•'Tremendous torrent! for an instant husli
The terrors of thy voice, and cast aside
Tho;je wild involving sliadows; tliat my eyes
May see the fearful beauty of thy face."

On the western boundary of the State of New- York,
runs the Niagara river, in a northern direction, and the
centre of which is the boundary line between the United
States and the dominions of Great Britain. The Niagara
is the outlet of the vast chain of western lakes, beginning
with lake Superior and its hundred tributary streams,
and is the principal inlet of lake Ontario. Niagara is de-
rived from the Indian, and was called by them Onyaharra
according to David Cusich, of the Tuscarora tribe, who
published a pamphlet in 1827.

The Falls are twenty-two miles from lake Erie, and
fourteen from lake Ontario. The two branches of the
river which encompass Grand and other Islands, unite a
mile above the rapids; and it is, there, two miles in width.
As it advances forward the current accelerates in its down-
ward course, and the channel contracts in width. From
tranquil and glossy, a slight ripple is seen to move the
surface; it next assumes a descending and cradle like
movement ; the waves enlarge, the tops roll over each
other, and are broken into white-caps and spray. The
whole body of the mighty river becomes agitated, ais if
conscious of the great plunge it is about to make. The
placid stream has become a rushing torrent, broken into
cascades and sweeping billows. Its own momentum
presses it forward with irresistible violence ; from ridge to
ridge it bounds, until it reaches the perpendicular rock,

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Volume of water.

and there it sweeps over, and falls below. The water
boils up from beneath, like a sea of white foam ; the spray
rises in clouds which hang dark and heavy above, or are
wafted away by the current of the wind ; and rainbows
encircle beiow and above this most wonderful of nature's
works.

Iris island is in the midst of the Falls, and separates
the water into two great sheets. A smaller sheet is struck
off by Prospect island, passing between that and Iris
island. The portion between the islands and American
shore is less than the main channel which separates
Canada from the United States, and passes on the western
side of Iris island. In that channel is borne along a
volume of water of immense magnitude, the drain of
more than 150,000 square miles of surface of lakes and
rivers.

How sublime the object that is presented to the enrap-
tured beholder ! Such a body of congregated water poured
at once over so high a precipice, and falling perpendicu-
larly into the chasm below, whose depth it is not possible
for man to fathom.

The rushing, roaring sound which is emited by the
falling water — the variety of colors presented to the
eye — the splendor yet sublimity of the scene — are new
to the spectator, and create emotions hard to be described.

The sounds are those of the stormy ocean and over-
whelming tempest, there is one continued roar, yet other
sounds arise fitful and varied.

Some persons, at times, have fancied noises, strange
and mysterious; the intonations of the base drum — the
slow, solemn and heavy report of artillery — the swelling
note of the trumpet — and even the human voice in
agony, hns been heard by many imaginative enthusiasts.

f< t

f ;

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Familiarity vviihthe noise.

But the similarity of the sounds to the base drum, and to
artillery are so i.ear, at times, that persons have been
repeatedly deceived.

It requires a long residence lo become familar to, and
regardless of the noise. To some it creates unpleasant
sensations, but generally they ^re those of a contrary
character. To those who are residents, the quietude
which seems to prevail when they visit any of the adjacent
villages, makes it appear to them like the stillness of
Sunday.

Strangers who remain over night, though the sound of
the Falls is in their ears when they retire to rest, yet
when they happen to awake from their slumbers, fre-
quently fancy themselves in the midst of a tempest; the
the house trembles, the windows and doors clatter, the
wind rushes and whistles round, the rain pours; and
amid all, they hear the unceaHing sound of the cataract.
They rise to look out upc:^ the raging storm; and when
they draw the curtain, or throw up the windows, they
perceive that the stars are shining sweetly, and not a
zephyr disturbs the pendant leaves.

In heavy weather the sound is louder, and is heard
farther; and to those who live at a distance, though
within hearing of the Falls, they are an unfailing baro-
meter. After a pleasant turn of weather, during which
the sound has but just been perceptable, often gradually,
and sometimes suddenly, the increased roar of the cataract '
comes upon the ear. A change of weather immediately
takes place, and is often followed by a storm.

In some directions the roar of the Falls is not usually
heard over six or seven miles; along the course of the
river they are constantly perceptable for about fourteen
miles; they have been occasionally heard at the distance

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Point View.

oT thirty miles; and in one instance an individual asserts
lo have heard them at the city of Toronto, in Canada,
di-^tnnce foriy-four miles.

Tiie concussion of the falling waters jar the adjoining
shores, and the houses tremble in concert with the
unceasing shock.

This may be questioned by those who have only spent
an hour or two at the Falls, in the clear, serene, and bland
weather of summer; but those who have remained there
longer will certify to the fact. If a door is left ajar it
vibrates, if a window is loose it clatters; and even sitting
quietly at their fire sides, the inhabitants will, at times,
perceive a tremendous emotion, which they can trace to
the Falls. Such, are the sounds; the objects presented to
the eye are still more varied.

Point View, on the American side, not a iieio posi-
tion, as the clear surface of the bank and well trod foot
path will show, but one hardly mentioned by any who
have written on this subject, was the spot from which
V anderlyn sketched one of his great paintings of the
Falls. For a distant prospect it is unequalled, and more
extended than any other. Here, the Falls and the river
below can be seen most advantageously, at one view; at
Other points the objects of interest must be viewed more
in detail. It is much the same on the Canada shore, go
where you will and you have one grand and comprehen-
sive view of the descending waters.

On the projecting rock at Point View, the spectator
stands and beholds the unrivalled prospect which is spread
before him. Two hundred feet below the rock from
which he looks, lies, silvered over and calm, the waters
of the Niagara, bounded on either side with rock and pre-
cipice; the adjoining shores crowned with nadvq forest

JAUNT TO THE PALLS.

Distant prospcL't.

trees, and in the distance green meadows, blooniinj^
orchards, and rising villages. He looks at the great
object of his gaze, with sensations of reverence; the
white sheets hanging in mid air; the waters foaniin'jr,
and hurrying from beneath those that impend above ; thy
spray rushing up from the deep cavern, and rising in
clouds, which hang as a pillar of smoke over this sublime
sanctuary of nature's mysteries. The rocky base of Iris
island, dividing the Falls, with its tall :rees towering
above the water; the Terrapin rocks on the American
side, and Table Rock, in Canada: — altogether the scent'
isij beyond conception, unique and imposing.

INQUIRIES ANSV/ERFB,

"Trifles, on «in interesting subject,
Cease to be trifles."

As many inquiries are made as to places, heights, dis-
tances, and on a variety of other subjects, the following
paragraphs are intended as answers to such, and afford
in the shortest practicable way, the inf;.vmation required.

The form of the Falls is a curve. That part between
Iris island and Canada is called the Horse Shoe Falls.

The western or Horse Shoe Fall is about seven hun-
dred yards in circumference.

The Fall on the northern side of the island is three
hundred and thirty yards.

The centre Fall, between Iris and Prospect islands, is
about thirty three yards.

The whole distance around the curve, including Iris
and Prospect islands, is computed at one thousand four
hundred yards.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Inquiries answered.

The height of the Falls, on the American sule, is one
hundred and sixty-four feet; on the Canada side, one
hundred and fifty-eight feet.

From Chippewa to Schlosser the river is the widest.
The descent from those places to the great pitch is esti-
mated at ninety feet.

At the ferry below the Falls the river is fifty-six rods
wide. It has been crossed in five minutes; it ordinarily
requires ten.

The cloud of spray which arises from the Falls, is
always seen, except when scattered by the wind. It is
sometimes seen from a great distance, even from that of
one hundred miles.

Computations have been made of the quantity of water
that passes over the Falls. One is that 5,084,089,280
bai'rels descend in twenty-four hours; 211,830,853, in
one hour; 3,530,614, in a minute; and 58,843, in a
second. This statement is undoubtedly within bounds;
and the quantity is probably considerably more.

The average height of the banks about the Falls is from
two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet.

You can go, for a short distance from Iris islarid,
under the spray of the Horse Shoe Falls; some have
called in going under the Horse Shoe Falls, but that is
saying too much.

The principal spot visited, for going under the sheet
of water, is at T?ble Rock. Even there, it is fashionable
to speak of the distance advanced, in exaggerated terms.

Great differences of opinion exist as to the best view
of this scene of many wonders. One says, "the best
view of the Falls is from Table Rock." Another, " the
best view to be had is from the centre of the river, in
crossing." A third, 'Uhe prospect is the best from

JAUiNT TO THE FALLS.

Inquiries answered.

Point View." A fourth, **the best view is from the
foot of the stair case, on the American side." A fifth,
" the grandest views of all are from the point of Iris island
where it overlooks tl^e Horse Shoe Falls, and from the
Tower at the Terrapin Rocks."

After all, it must be conceded that the view of the
Falls in Canada, surpass any on the American side. On
this side there are many different views ; your eye passes
over the various prospects, piece by piece; on the Canada
side you have a full front view. On the American side,
comi)aring large things with small, you not only occupy
the sU'ige box, but go behind the scenes.

Persons who visit the Falls, to form a right conception
of the wonders of this country should pass over to Iris
island, should visit the "Whirlpool, and great rapids
along the river, and should cross into Canada.

From the rapidity of the water below the Falls it has
been difficult to fathom it, but as nearly as has been
ascertained, it is two hundred and forty feet deep.

The ferrymen convey baggage safely from one side of
the river to the other, for a fair compensation. The
descending and pscending the hills is a laborious task,
and they earn their money.

The number of visiters increase yearly. In 1838, from
the best authority, the number exceeded twenty thousand.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Nniiics and Initials.

NAMES AND INITIALS ON THE ROCKS

AND TREES.

"BiiHy memory seeks,
E'cti in the woody gliulc, for some dear mark
Of ilioHe we love."

There nre observed mnny names and initials chiselled
upon the rocks, and cut upon the trees. Some hii^h in
the branches, and some projecting over the precipice.
At the first thought one supposes that the short lived
immortality thus to be obtained is hardly worth the labor
and risk.

It is not so much the expectation of fixing a lasting
memorial, as the pleasure ot'having one's name recognised
by some friend, or acquaintance, in present or after years.
These mementos are like the registry of a public house,
but possess a romantic interest that registers do not.
Here on the dark rocks and wild forest trees of Niagara,
mingled with names from every part of the world, will
sometimes be found one dear to the heart of the observer,
and the object will be hailed with pleasure. It may have
been indented years ago, and he who made the memorial,
may, when the name is recognised, have ceased to exist
among the living ; and then may be brought to mind
** scenes long passed, never to return." More than once,
affecting recognisances of this nature have been witnessed.
Had the first European who visited this spot left some
memorial of the time, and his own name, he would, by
that slight circumstance, have secured an immortality for
himself, and much satisfaction to modern inquirers.
This is not a useless labor ; it is interesting to many,
and will often afford some data and materials for the
traveller and historian.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

MiHts nn*l Optical IlliiRiun.s.

ailSTS AROUND THE FALLS, AND
OPTICAL ILLUSIONS.

" Indistinct

" Seen tlirougli the tuibid air, bryond tlie life,
" ObjcctH appear.

The Falls, to residents, have lost nnich of their lone-
liness, the majesty and awfulness which they once pos-
sessed. Frequently beholdinj,' them has made the scene
familiar ; not only so, but there are now so many of the
works of man about them, houses, stair cases, bridges,
roads, prospect towers, and the like, that the wild and
savage aspect which they once wore, has disappeared.

When the ferry was at first established, at times there
Would not be a passenger for several days ; in conse-
quence, it would be often neglected, and travellers were
frequently detained, not only hours, but days, in waiting
on the movements of the irregular and tardy ferryman.
One who was thus detained, relates — " I waited on the
American bank, and watched the coming of the ferry-
man. Clouds of mist would move down the river, ob-
scuring, except at intervals, the shores from each other.
At such times, the appearances were truly deceptive. I
would see persons coming to the top of the bank ; I would
observe them passing down the hill, emerging at times
from behind the rocks rnd bushes ; and could almost
count their numbers as they advanced to the landing
place. Directly, a blast of wind would come, driving
away the cloud of mist, and showing clearly that no per-
sons were in sight. I would think they had retired be-
hind the rocks, or were in some hidden part of the path
that ascended the bank, as it wound its obscure way un-
der shrubs and trees. Again the mist would roll over,

'ifiilifVic III""

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

'20

FlrHt diHcovcry.

and again the phantoms wouki jippeur, and, like an ig.
nis fatnus, would lure nie to remain tilldirkncaa and
night cut oft* all prospect of the ferryman's coming ! !

Who first discovered the Falls, does not appear to he
known. They were visited in ICf)?, and without doubt
many years before. This is the earliest notice of them
yet brought to light. In 1678, they were visited and de-
scribed by Father Hennipcn. The description is not
very different from those of the present day. In calling
the Falls GOO feet high, it is likely the estimate was made
from the top of the bank to the supj)08ed bottom of the
gulf, or abyss into which the waters are precipitated. It
is not now certainly known but that the estimate in that
point of view is correct.

After having viewed the Falls, from the brow of the
bank, to their satisfaction, the travellers pass down the
river for about ten rods, where the guide points out where
Francis Abbott, in a small building erected by himself,
resided for the last two months of his life. From this
place he could look out upon the Falls, and regale him-
self with the sight of the object to which he was spell-
bound and infatuated. This was not a favored residence;
but as he could not be permitted to seclude himself on
the island, to which he was so extremely partial, he sor-
rowfully seated himself here. As every body wishes to
hear about this eccentric gentleman, all the information
that has been obtained, is given in the following account :

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Francis Abbott.

FRANCIS ABBOTT.

" From my youth upward.--,
My spirit walked not wltli the souls of men.
Nor looked upon the earth with human eye.< ;
The thirst of their ambition was not mine, —
The aim of their existence was not mine:
I had no sympathy with breathing flet^h.
My joy was in the wilderness, to lireathe
The difficult air of the mid mountain's top,
Where the birds dare not build, nor insert's wing
Flit o'er the herbless granite; or to plunge
Into the roUing torrent, and to roll along."

In the afternoon of the 18th of June, 1829, a tall,
well built and handsome man, dressed in a long loose
gown, or cloak, of a chocolate color, was seen passing
through the principal street of the village of Niagara
Falls. He had under his arm a roll of blankets, a flute,
a port folio, and a large book ; in his right hand he car-
ried a small stick. He advanced towards the Eagle Ho-
tel, attracting the gaze of visitors and others by the singu-
larity of his appearance. With elastic step and animated
motion, he passed the hotel ; he heeded not the inquir-
ing gaze of the idle multitude, but firm and erect he bent
his course to a more lowly, but respectable inn. He at
once entered into stipulations with the landlord, that the
room he occupied should be solely his own ; that he
should have his table to himself; and that only certain
portions of his fare should be furnished by the landlady.
He made the usual inquiries about the Falls, and among
other things, wished to know if there was a reading
room or library in the village. Being informed that
there was a library, he immediately repaired to the indi-
vidual who kept it ; deposited three dollars, and took a

JAUiNT TO THE FALLS.

His opinion of the Falls.

book ; purchased a violin ; borrowed music books ; in-
formed the librarian that his name was Francis Abbott ;
that he should remain a few days at the F^tlls, and con-
versed on many subjects with great ease and ability.

The next day, he returned to the same person ; expa-
tiated largely upon the surrounding scenery, the cascades
and cataracts, and of that sublime spectacle, the Falls.
In all his travels, he said, he had never met with any
thing to compare with this combination of all that was
great and beautiful. There was nothing so grand as
Niagara Falls, except Mount ^tna, during an eruption.
He inquired how long travellers usually remained, and
being informed that many stayed only one day, he ob-
served that he should remain at least a week ; and fur-
ther remarked, '' Can it be, that there are those who
come to this place, and leave it in one day ! I am aston-
ished that persons can be found so little interested in
these astonishing works of nature, as to spend so short a
period of time in passing around and beholding them.
As well might a traveller, in one or two days, attempt to
examine in detail the various museums and curiosities of
Paris, as to think of becoming acquainted with the mag-
nificent scenery of Niagara, in such a short space of
time."

In a few days he called again, and again expatiated up-
on the resplendent scenery of the Falls, and said he had
concluded to remain a month, and perhaps six months.
In a short time after, he determined to fix his abode on
Iris Island, and was desirous of erecting a rustic hut, for
the purpose of abstracting himself from all society, and
of becoming a solitary hermit. The proprietor of the
island, having become acquainted with his eccentricities,
was apprehensive that his permanent residence there,

^BSfr^—rKf

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

His residence — mode of living.

• I

•

might be alarming to strangers, who did not know him.
For this reason, he thought it not proper tc allow him to
erect a building for such a purpose, but permitted him to
occupy a room in the only house then on the island. In
this house there lived a family that furnished him at times
with milk and bread. But he often dispensed with these
necessary articles, providing himself in such other way
as suited his fancy, and preparing his food to suit his own
taste. He observed once to a friend, " that people, in
their mode of living, took a great deal of trouble and un-
necessary pains ; for my part, I have adopted a method
which I find very pleasant and agreeable. I take about a
pint of water, in which I mix a sufficient quantity of
wheat flour, to give it a proper consistence, and then
drink it down. I find that it answers every purpose, and
saves me much labor and inconvenience."

With his guitar by his side, supported from his shoul-
der with a silken sash, like an Eastern Minstrel, he
would perambulate the banks of the river to the Whirl-
pool ; and once or twice extended his walk to Lewiston.
The inmates of the houses on the way would suddenly
hear the sounds of strange and unknown music ; the
musician would be observed standing at a distance in the
road, but as soon as noticed, or spoken to, he would glide
away, without giving any reply.

The island was his permanent residence for about 20
months. At length, the family removed ; and to those
few persons with whom he held converse, he expressed
his great satisfaction of having it in his power to live en-
tirely alone. For some months, he seemed to enjoy him-
self very much, and until another family entered the
house. He then concluded to erect a cottage of his own ;
and as he could not build on the island, he chose the high

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Milliner of his death.

■ 1

bank of the river, near to and in full view of the Falls ;
which, of all other objects, it was his delight to behold.
He occupied his new residence about two months.

On Friday, the 10th of June, 1831, he went twice
below the bank of the river, to bathe, and was seen to
go a third time. At two o'clock in the afternoon,
the ferryman saw him in the water — he was partly
floating and partly resting his body on the shelving rocks.
As the boat approached, to screen himself from the gaze
of the passengers, he drew his head under the water. It
was not seriously thought of, as he had often been noticed
in the same situation, and acting in the same manner.
When the ferryman returned, his clothes were seen on
the rocks, where he usually deposited them, but he was
not there. An examination was immediately made, but
his body could not be found. It was supposed to have
been carried away by the current.

" The greedy surge had swept him down, far, far
From mortal ken."

On the 21st, the body was taken up at Fort Niagara;
was clearly identified, and was on the next day removed
and decently interred in the burial ground at Niagara
Falls.

Thus terminated the career of the unfortunate Francis
Abbott — little, indeed, known to those near whom he
spent the last two years of his life. Some few gleanings
more can only be given. He was an English gentleman,
of a respectable family ; he was endowed with a good
mind, highly cultivated ; and was eminently pleasing in
his manners. He was not only master of several langua-
ges, but deeply read in the arts and sciences, and pos-
sessed all the minor accomplishments of the finished gen-

aii

JAUNT TO THE FALLS,

His character.

tleman, fascinating colloquial powers, and music and
drawing in great perfection. Many years of his life had
been spent in travelling. He had visited Egypt and Pa-
lestine ; had travelled through Turkey and Greece, Italy,
Spain, Portugal, and France ; and had resided for con-
siderable periods of time in Rome, Naples, and Paris.
While at the Falls, business brought him in contact with
several of the inhabitants, with a few of them he would
sometimes be sociable ; to all others he was distant and
reserved. His conversations were always interesting,
and his descriptions of countries and people highly glow-
ing and animated. But at times, even with his favored
acquaintance, he would hold no converse ; but commu-
nicated to them his wishes, on a slate, and would request
that nothing might be said to him. He would frequent-
ly, for three or four months together, go unshaved ;
often with no covering on his head, and his body envel-
oped in a blanket; shunning all, and seeking the deepest
solitude of the island. He composed much, and gene-
rally in Latin ; but he destroyed his compositions almost
as fast as he produced them. When his little cot was
examined, hopes were entertained that some manuscript
or memorial might be found, of his own composition ;
but he left nothing of the kind. His faithful dog guarded
his door, and was with difficulty pursuaded aside while
it was opened. His cat occupied his bed ; and his guitar,
violin, flutes, and music books, were scattered around
in confusion. There was a portfolio, and the leaves of a
large book ; but not a word, not even his name, was
written in any of them.

Many spots on Iris Island are consecrated to the me-
mory of Francis Abbott. On the upper end of the island
he had established his walk, and in one place it had be

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

His walks — his temerity.

y»

n-
s.
th
Id
lid

come trodden and well beaten, like that on which a sen-
tinel performs his tour of duty. Between Iris and Moss
Island, there is embowered in seclusion and shade, one
of the most charming waterfalls, or cascades, imaginable.
This was his favorite retreat for bathing. There he re-
sorted at all seasons of the year. In the coldest weather,
even when snow was on the ground, and ice in the water,
he continued to bathe in the Niagara.

On the lower extremity of the island, tfltere was a
bridge leading over what are called the Terrapin Rocks ;
from this bridge th re extended a single piece of timber,
some twelve or fifteen feet over the precipice. On this
bridge it was his daily practice to walk ; with a quick
step he would pass the bridge, advance on the tin^ber to
the extreme point, turn quickly on his heel and walk
back ; and continue thus to walk for hours together.
Sometimes, he would let himself down at the end of the
timber, and hang under it by his hands and feet for fifteen
and twenty minutes at a time, and this over a chasm so
terrific, as to make dizzy the strongest head. On being
remonstrated with, for thus exposing himself, he would
reply, that, on crossing the ocean, he had frequently seen
the sea-boy in much greater peril ; and, as he should pro-
bably again pass the sea, he wished to inure himself to
such dangers : if the nerves of others were disturbed, his
were not. In the darkest hours of the night, he was
often found walking alone, in the wildest and most dan-
gerous places near the Falls ; and at such times he would
shun the approach of men, afs if they were unwelcome in-
truders on his solitude.

He had a stipend allowed to him by his friends in Eng-
land, competent for his support. B'!e attended to the
state of his accounts, very carefully ; was economical in

itp

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

His opinion of the Views.

his expenditure of money for his own use ; but generous
in paying for all favors and services, and never receiving
any thing without making immediate payment. He had
a deep and abiding sense of religious dudes and decorum;
and was mild in his behavior, and inoffensive in his con-
duct. Religion was a subject he appreciated, and seemed
well to understand. The charity he asked from others,
he extended to all mankind.

What, it will be inquired, could have broken up and
destroyed such a mind as his ? What drive him from
society, which he was so well calculated to adorn, — and
what transform him, noble in person and intellect, into
an isolated anchorite, shunning the association of his
fellow men ? The mystery he never unfolded, and his
friends have remained silent on the subject. He was
about twenty eight years of age, at the time of his death.

With the scenery of the Falls, he was perfectly infatu-
ated, and expressed himself in the most rapturous terms,
when he spoke of the beautiful retreats of Ii is Island.
He was asked, why he did not take up his residence in
Canada, under his own government — among his own
people ; and, as he preferred being near the Falls, he
could there select a place to suit him, as the views on
that side were considered, by many, the best. His reply
was, that he preferred this side, because, in all that was
interesting and beautiful, the American scenes around
the Falls were decidedly superior.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Alexander's Leap.

Alexander's leap.

" My thoughts came back. Where was I?
And numb, and giddy-, pulse by pulse
Life reassumed ita lingering hold;
And tlirob by throb, till grown a pang,
Which for a moment would convulse,
My blood reflow'd, thougli thick and chill;
My ear with uncouth noises rang;
My heart began once more to thrill ;
My sight return'd, though dim, alas !
And thicken'd as it were with glass —
Methought the dash of waves was nigh ;
There was a gleam, too, of the sky,
Studded with stars : it is no dream.'*

Cold,

At a spot, about thirty rods from the Falls, a thrilling
incident occurred in 1836.

A number of men, employed upon the Lockport and
Niagara Falls rail road, were one night carousing at a
small tavern, in the village. A dispute, upon some re-
ligious subject, arose between a party of Irishmen and a
few Scotchmen, who happened to be present. The
Scotchmen soon found it necessary to retreat to another
room ; but the Irish blood, excited with whiskey, was
up, and they rushed in upon them, swearing death and
destruction upon *' Luther's breed." It had become one
of those fierce and fatal rows, where reason is lost in
passion and intoxication, and in the whirlwind of ex-
citement, blows are dealt, and life is taken ; and from
which, happy is he who can safely retreat. The Scotch-
men rushed through the back door and over the fences,
hiding themselves behind trees and stumps. They all
succeeded in eluding their infuriated pursuers. One of

-'^W'

JAUiNT TO THE FALLS.

HiH fall from the bank.

them, however, by the name of Alexander, though he
escaped their hands, yet met with an accident still more
dreadful. When he got out of the yard of the tavern, he
found himself pursued by several persons. He was not
acquainted with the place : it was about 9 o'clock, and
quite dark : he could see the woods, as he thought, at a
distance. He ran towards iheni : he was deceived by the
brush wood and scattering trees growing along the upper
bank of the river. As he entered the wood, he renif^m-
beredshpping : the slope is about 20 feet, and the per-
pendicular height 70 feet : he recollected no more. The
next morning, at the beginning of day, he found him-
self wounded and bleeding on the rocks. The shelving
bank and river on one side, and an insurmountable bar-
rier c»f iock on the other. He had never been to the
Falls, and did not know that there were stairs to ascend
the bank ; but the shantee, at which the workmen lived,
he knew was down the river. In hopes of finding some
place to ascend, crushed and breeding as he was, he
made out to gather himself up, and made his way over
the rocks, and through the brakes and bushes. In tliis
mutilated state, he crawled along for nearly two miles.

The next day, towards noon, his companions began
to think of him ; and, as there was snow on the ground,
his steps were without difficulty traced to where he had
gone over the bank. A party was despatched below.
Marks of blood, and the manner in which he had drawn
himself along, soon led them to him. They found him
on his feet : he had a stick in his hands, over which his
fingers were clenched thro' each oth^r, and frozen solid.
He was going round and round, and wns then in a bewil-
dered state ; and if timely relief had not arrived, he would
soon have perished. He was wrapped in blankets, and

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Fi««h, niul Angling.

conveyed to the plnce where he lived. His body Bcvcre-
ly injured, and his hands nnd feet badly frost-bitten ; but,
with good medical attendance, and careful nursing, he
recovered in about three months, with the loss of some
fingers and toes. Yet, he is an enfeebled man, and it is
not likely that his former strength will ever be restored.

FISH, AND ANGLING,

*' Tlic f'ilvcr eel, in shining volumes roll'd;
Tlie yellow carp, in sculcs letlcck'd with gold?
Swilt trouts, diversifie'-l with crimson stains;
And pikes, the tyrants of the wat'ry jjlaiiis."

There are several places where fish are taken with
hook and line, and pleasant sport is afforded to those
fond of angling. The best places are between the two
sheets of water, on Iris Island ; in the eddy, at the ferry,
in Canada ; and at the Whirlpool and Devil's Hole.
There are, also, several other places resorted to. The
river abounds with a variety of fish : white fish, salmon-
trout, pike, pickerel, perch, sturgeon, cat fish, white
and black bass, the muscalunge, eels, herring, and many
other kinds.

On the subject of fish attempting to ascend the sheet
of water, one of the party, a traveller, remarks — *' In
this, I am reminded how I was amused, many years ag ■7,
When I was a youth, I was at the Falls, on some busi-
ness ; and, while dinner was preparing, the schoolmaster
of the village came in. We commenced talking about
the Falls. He communicated to me his whole stock of
information ; and, with other things, gravely informed

r:~g*v-!»-*-;""'' if

JAUNT TO THE PALLS.

Hunting CirounilM, tmd Ciiinic.

me that he had sat for hours together, in observing the
exertions of fish to ascend the sheet of water. They
would rise for about eight feet, and then full back, and
attempt it again. Some would spring from the water ;
others would ascend the sheet by muscular strength."

The story must be put down as fabulous. Yet, cela
do actually ascend from thirty to forty feet, on the rocks,
among the moss and grass, where the mist from the
Falls constantly descends ; and thoy have been there
picked up, in considerable quantities : but there is no
possibility of their reaching the river above.

Eels were not formerly taken on the upper lake ; but
they have been often caught in the river below, and car-
ried and put alive in the stream above. It was supposed
that they again returned, by passing over the Falls ; but,
for a year or two past, a few messes of fine eels have
been caught in the rivci* above, and carried to the Buffalo
market.

HUNTING GROUNDS, AND GAME^.

The whole extent of country lying east of the Falls,
on the American side, is well filled with game. This
tract is yet new, a large portion of it being in a state of
nature, and deer and bears have not entirely disappeared;
though the latter is quite a stranger. A wolf once in n
while shows himself, but among a people with whom
the rifle is as familiar as the scythe and reaping hook,
his career is but short. Foxes, wild cats, racoons,
squirrels, and other wild varment, are plenty. Similar
descriptions of game are yet found ci* the islanda.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS,

A Kuine story.

For the sportsman, there are clucks, Bonietirncs wild
geese, pheasants, quails, pigeons, and woodcocks. The
woods of Canada also abound with game of like descrip-
tions.

Large stories have been related, by travellers, of water
fowl alighting in the current, above the Falls, and, before
they could rise, of their being drawn over.

One authentic instance can only be mentioned. As
a gentleman was standing near the Falls, he saw a duck
in the water above. It was playing and gamboling in
the rapid stream, just where the water begins to curve
over the rock. It plunged in, and rose again, several
times. At length, it dived too near the suction of the
current, and over it went.

After very heavy and dark nights, much game in the
morning is frequently picked up, in the river below ;
such as wild geese, ducks, and swans, a bird not com-
mon to the country. They fall in the current, in the
darkness of the night, or dash themselves, in their pas-
sage, against the rocks or sheet of water. They are
found dead, or disabled, with broken legs or wings.

An old English magazine, called the " Magazine of
Magazines," pretends to give '*a true account of Niaga-
ra Falls, in America." Among other things, it states
that the Indians, in their canoes, sometimes passed the
Falls in safety. That the quantity of game drawn in,
and carried over the Falls, was so great, that on a time
the French garrison, at Fort Niagara, consisting of 1000
men, becoming destitute of provisions, were subsisted
for three months on the game picked up below the Falls.
Surely, travellers, in those days, understood how to
exaggerate full as well as those of modern times.

.. ^?Si£ill^iJtij>V &liiK

,^■^.^■:^■%^-^

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Koad down the bank.

ROAD DOWN THE BANK.

Between 80 and 100 feet from the Falls, the party
arrive at a large excavation in the bank. Great quanti-
ties of earth have been washed away by the action of wa-
ter conducted in a race from the rapids for that purpose ;
and mnescs of the rock have been blasted loose, and
thrown down. It is the commencement of a carriage-
road to the ferry. The rond down the bank, in Canada,
was completq^ J 2 or 14 years ago, and this was begun
soon after. Very little progress was made, and it was
soon discontinued. In 1836, it was recommenced, un-
der the auspices of Benjamin Rathbun; and if his opera-
tions had not been brought to a close, it would uoon
have been completed.

One of the party remarks — ** this, and the Welland
Canal, connecting the two lakes, are the only laudable
enterprises, undertaken by Canadians, that I have heard
of, in which they have gone a-head of the enterprising
people of New York."

Such will not long be the case. The great canal,
around the Falls, will assuredly, ere long, be construct-
ed ; and the gentleman, to whom the road belongs, will
not long delay its completion, after the difficulties that
now convulse Canada are brought to a settlement.

When this work was first commenced, an Irish la-
borer was employed on a projecting rock, of several tons
weight. Very unexpectedly, the rock gave way, and
both went down the bank together. Fortunately, the
rock passed down first, struck a heap of earth below,
and rolled out of the way. The man fell on the same
heap of earth, and was so little injured that in a few days
he was able to resume his work.

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

Thclndiun Lmlder. — Village.

THE INDIAN LADDER.

A i'ew rods further, nnd the guide points out a notch
in the l)onk. Here is the oldest plnco for descending to
the Fulls: it is called the Indian Ladder. The ladder
consisted of a cedar tree, lying sloping agairat the rocks.
The natural branches, and notches cut in the body of the
tree, were the only slight helps aflbrded to those who
went down. The last person known to have descended,
was a hunter, by the name of Brooks. He was in pur-
suit of some game, which he had shot, and had fallen
below. He got about halfway down, when he slipped,
and fell between 20 and 30 feet, an ^ was badly injured.

The travellers having now completed their tour to all
the most interesting points along the bank, excepting
Point View, which is spoken of in another place, con-
clude to return to the hotel.

VILLAGE OF NIAGARA FALLS.

" Lead on — to yonder village lend,
Where heaven has happiness decreed

For those the blessings prize •,
Who seek, in solitary ease,
Such joys as innocently please,

Nor wish for other joys."

In 1805, Augustus Porter, Peter B. Porter, Benjamin
Bavton, and Joseph Annin, Esqrs. became, by purchase
of the State of New York, the proprietors of a consider-
able tract of land, lying immediately adjacent to the Falls

JAUNT TO THE FALLS.

■'I

Village — Water-power.

of Niagara. They built mills, and laid out a village,
which was called Grand Niagara, but was soon changed
to Manchester. This name it retained for several years ;
but, as much inconvenience arose, from there being
several other places in the State of the same name, it
was altered to Niagara Falls, which is the name of the
post office. In 1813, the village was burnt by the ene-
my. After the war, the citizens returned, and it has
very gradually increased, since then, in buildings and in-
habitants. In 183G, the survey of the village was great-
ly extended ; the lands became in great demand, and
large sales could have been iiiude at enormous prices.
Some lots were sold ; but the owners preferred retaining
their property, rightly judging that the time had not ar-
rived for the accomplishment of their enlarged views in
disposing of their estates.

The water-power, at this place, is unlimited ; and at
some distant day must come largely in use, for manufac-
turing purposes. There are now one large grist mill,
two saw mills, a woollen manufactory, a trip hammer
shop and furnace, and two machine shops. Ther6 are,
also, two blacksmiths' shops, two cabinet makers' shops,
one shop for the manufacture of rail road cars, four mer-
chants' shops, one public library, one museum of min-
erals on Bath Island, two splendid hotels and three other
public houses, two public schools, eighty dwellings of
all kinds, and upwards of five hundred inhabitants.

The location is commended for its healthiness, and,
for rural beauty, it is unexcelled. It affords the finest
places for residences, for those who wish to combine
elegance of scenery and salubrity of air, of any on the
Niagara frontier.

,«,v..^.«.

JAUiNT TO THE FALLS.

,3vi

Extract from Hooker's Album.

The author cannot refrain from closing this part of his
work with the following charming lines, from Mr.
Hooker's Album :

NIAGARA FALLS.

" I love to gaze upon that ceaseless rush
Of waters ; for it doth raise my full soul
To Him, who bids the deep in wildness flow ;
Who heaves the mighty flood from rock to rock,
And sends it dashing to the dark abyso,
Where it doth thunder forth His glorious might,
And speak eternally Jehovah's praise.
Scarce less I love to gaze upon the circling foam
And silv'ry mist; for, on their milder front,
I behold the sweet bow of promise, arched —
That bow, which, when refulgent on his eyes,
And first was sent to cheer his heart,
Who mourn'd the ruins of a world,— to hiih
It spoke of hope, and peace, and future calm.
And, as awe struck, I gaze on yonder flood.
All terrible in wild sublimity,
Trembling I turn away : — then do I love
To fix my eyes on the bright pledge of hope,
And think that He who gave it to be ours
Is not a God omnipotent alone,
But is a God of love— eternal love."

" Niagara Falls, 3d Augt. 1835.

':i

"] J» I

AViJ-.i^iiiffiftj'tW^'--' -.-'<i

"m;^"

-waxviamamiMip

«!rti«.j-**^

. -f,'

A JAUNT

IRIS AND OTHER ISLANDS

IN THE VICINITY OF

NIAGARA FALLS.

IRIS ISLAND.

1 1

•' Go to the cool and shady bowers,
W'r.ie flow the wild cascades ;

Stroll through each green and deep recess,
And dark romantic glades.

f f

I f

Then, rest thee, on the mossy bank,

Or onward further stray,
And gaze upon the mighty stream,

That winds its course away."

ill

THE ISLANDS.

I"' I

■■if

'* Siiy, shall we wind
A!(>ii,;' tlio HtrciiTus ? or walk the siuLliug mead ?
Or euiui the forest glade? "

There are several islands, which, from their locality
and peculiar position, in reference to the Falls, have
attracted the attention and curiosity of strangers ; and a
visit, to some of them, is never neglected by those who
have an opportunity. The one most interesting is Iris,
or, as it is commonly called. Goat Island. Many years
since, a resident at Schlosser put some goats on the
island, and hence the name. The present proprietors
have given it the name of Iris Island. As that is very
appropriate, it is proper thit it should be gv^nerally
adopted.

It lies in latitude 43 deg. 6 min. and longitude 2 deg.
5 sec. west from Washington city ; and contains be-
tween 6i) and 70 acres. Though the soil is an accumu-
lation of earth upon aheap of rocks, yet it is very fertile,
producing all the native plants of the country in great
luxuriance. A circuit round it, which visiters usually
take, is about a mile. By the Boundary Commissioners,
who were appointed under the Treaty of Ghent, it was
very properly adjudged to belong to the United States ;
and the Indian title being extinguished, it fell into the
hands of private individuals. Just at theupper endof the
island, commence the terrific rapids that lead on to the
Falls. There the river divides ; the main body passing
on the south-western side, and the lesser on the north-;
eastern. The lower end of the island is like the main

-<,aiK.-i-i,-*'<!i«©<<p«ir™w-

THE ISLANDS.

Jiiunt to tlic Island.

shore below the Falls — a perpendicular bank, from 70
to 90 feet, and thence, to the water's cdj^e, a sloping
precipice of from J 00 to 1*20 feet. A small portion of
the island has been cleared off, and i8 in a slate of culti-
vation ; but the principal part is yet covered with native
forest trees, of various kinds : tiirouyh the density of
some of which, when covered with their rich foliage,
the rays of the sun are seldom admitted.

In making the tour of the island, occasion will be
taken to mention and describe such other islands that
lie in the Niagara river, as have in any way drawn the
attention of the public.

JAUIiT TO THE ISLAND.

" Summer! delicious summer! thou dost ilirij*
Thy unhouglit treasures o'er the glorious earth !
Music is in thy step, and in thine eye
A flood of sunshine! On thy hrow is wreathed
Garlands that wither not, and in thy breath
Are all the perfumes of Arabia! "

The party leave the hotel, and turn down a short
street, called Bridge street. They fall into conversation
with the guide, making such inquiries of him as are
usually interesting to travellers, and such as ai j com-
monly made. The information which follows, is in
answer to such questions :

Besides seeing the Falls, travellers, who remain for
any length of time, find various amusements.

For those who like in-door exercise, there is a ball or
nine-pin alley. There is, also, in the village, got up
exclusively for the use of travellers, several billiard
tables.

'i;:;

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Aimis-omciitM. — 'J'he K{ipi<ls.

There is a library ; and at another place, a reading-
room : but the locnlity itself, iu general, allbrds abund-
ant amusement lor several days.

Kome resort to the baths : others ])nthc in the river.
Some amii.se themselves iu Ushiiig : others mi fowling,
and in seeking after the great JKibl eagle. Jt /me of the
noblest of the species have been Ibund in this ([uarter ;
specimens of which arc to be seen at Mr. Barnet'a mu-
seum, in ('anada.

The generality of travellers ride to those places which
it has become fashionable to visit. Old Fort Schlosser,
up the river — the mineral spring — the Whirlpool, the
next most interesling obj{!ct, after the Falls — the Tus-
caroras indian village — and Fort Niagara.

Besides those, considerable time may be spent most
pleasantly in a trip to Canada.

On Sunday, some travellers go to church, in the vil-
lage ; others go to the meeting-house of the Indians ;
some ride to the places mentioned ; and some promenade
round the island and Falls.

Traveller. — *' Since I have been here, 1 have noticed
the residence of Judge Porter ; it is one of the most ele-
gant situations I ever beheld. 1 am told he is very
wealthy. How did he acquire his fine possessions at
this place ? "

Guide. — " He purchased the lands, many years ago,
of the State of New York. lie is a gentleman of great
industry and distinguished talents. He has built for
himself the fortune which he enjoys."

The party are descending a small declivity, towards
the bridge, to the island.

Traveller. — ''Indeed, this prospect is very grand;
those majestic waves, bounding and curving along, and

it,

:?-f

i-i
V

JAUNT TO TIIK ISLAND.

The Bridge.

that hii(l<i(' lyii't' 'it i"i!*^t over ihem ! Ilorc in nature, in
nil lu'r mif^fht ; nnd tlio art of nuiii triunipliing over ol>-
alacles appeurinjj almost insurmountahle. "

THE li lil 1) (i R TO THE ISLAND.

The constniftion of iliirt I^idi^c appeared almost in-
credible to an individual who h ipix-ned lo he at this place
when the work was fjjoini;- {'orwiird. One or two ol' the
pierw only were laid down. lie inquired ol" one of the
workmen, the object ol' the bridge, nnd to where it was
goin<.^. '' To the island," Wiis the re])Iy. '' 1 don't
want to live any lonf-er," siiid the stranger, '' than until
you get this bridge lo the island." He could not be
convinced that its construction was practicable.

It was built by firs; erecting piers ne:ir the shore ;
long timbers were then projected beyond them. After
which, two subslaniiai posts or sluds were let down,
nnd rested on the bottom, at the end of the projecting
timbers, which were firmly secured to them, and sup-
ported them, until a small crib, filled with stones, was
sunk. Then the large timbers for the piers were framed,
put down, and fastened to the small crib. They were
then filled with stones, the string-pieces put on, and the
planks laid. After one pier and bent were completed in
this manner, the long timbers were again moved for-
ward, and another, and another constructed, until the
whole were finished. The projectors were Judge Porter
nnd his brother. Gen. Porter, who are the owners of the
island. The original cost of the bridge was only about
sixteen hundred dollars ; but, since its erection, there
have been various expenditures upon it, making it to
amount to much more.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Red Jacket.

Tlio creation of this bridge line univeranlly received
the coniinrudiilion of travellers. It emibles them, with
n triflin^5 oxpenne, to viHit ihc i.shind with ftall'ly and
convenience ; nn undertaking whi'ch, hefore, was at-
tended with considerai)lc expence and sonic exposure to
danger. It has tlirown open to the j)ul)lic view, one of
ihe wonders of tlie worhl, which, to the grealc.Mt propor-
tion of visiters, could only before be seen at a distance.

The income of the bridire is considerable, but no more
tlian a fjiir return for such a work. Too much credit
cannot bo bcslowed ui)on the jvenius that suggested the
project, and so substantially cxeeuteil it.

The celebrated Indian Cliief, Red Jacket, passed over
the bridge with one of the proprietors, shortly after it
was comi)leied. 1 lis sinister feelings towards white men,
rind his envy of their superiority over his brothers of the
forest, are well known. As he walked along, the min-
gled emotions of hate, envy, and adnuration, which
rankled in his bosom, were expressed every little while,
as he looked on the dashing waters, firm piers, and se-

<'ure superstructure, with '' Yankee," <'—___

Yankee," applying an ointhet not proper to mention,
though easily guessed, — one demonstrative more of spite
dian good will.

IMPROVEMENTS O:, IRIS ISLAND.

Besid'^s making a new and enlarged bridge to the
island, in which work the proprietors are now engaged,
General Peter B. Porter is adding some other improve-
ments, which will considerably enhance the attractions

JATTNT TO THE ISLAND.

Improv^ementa on Iris Island.

of this secluded place. The garden he is embellishing
with much taste. He is enclosing a park, of eight acres,
which he intends to stock with deer, and other native
denizens of the forest. His fish-pond, which is almost
completed, will be filled with fish from the river and
lakes ; and not of less interest to the travelling gour-
mand, will be a poultry yard, of four acres, with all the
suitable requirements for the noisy community, consist-
ing of common fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, the ever
chattering peahen, and strutting peacock. A dam and
small embankment is now in forwardness, to conduct a
stream of water from the Niagara river to a reservoir ;
thence to the fish ^ond, the garden, the park, and poul-
try ; and to irrigate the island in various directions. To
these, the General intends to add a small, but elegant,
romantic-like cottage, for occasional summer use.

Arriving fJ, Bath Island, the travellers ascend the bank,
enter the toll-house, and pay the charge of twenty-five
cents each ; which gives the individual the privilege of
visiting the island during his stay at the Falls, or at any
time thereafter for the current year. They register their
names, and look at the Indian and other curiosities,
which are kept there for sale ; and generally make some
purchases, as remembrances of the Falls, or for presents
to friends or children.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Bull) Island.

BATH ISLAND.

((

Sounds

The isle is full of noises,
- that give delight, and hurt not."

A traveller thus speaks of this island : *' It is itself a
curiosity worth beholding. To visit this, alone, would
be worth the cost of the Inidge which leads to it. Why,
it is a perfect chaos ! How the waters rush and roar
along, beating vainly against the impregnable rock to
which it is fast bound. Those trees and green patches ;
this broken surface and firm rocks are all in ir son with
each other* Nature has charms here, amid the boister-
ous waters of the Niagara, that I little imagined."

This island derives its name from the baths which are
kept there, comprising a shower bath, and cold and warm
baths, according to the wishes of those who desire to use
them. The whole area of the island is only about an
acre and a half.

On the south side of the island is a paper manufactory,
belonging to the Messrs. Porters. It is one of the lar-
gest and best conducted in Western New York, and in
which paper is made with machinery, of the latest im-
provement. The rags are put in the engine, and are
passed out through the machinery, in one continuous
sheet of paper, dry and finished for use.

The islands observed just above Bath Island, are Sloop
and Brig Islands. A foot-bridge formerly extended to
them, and they were a favorite resort of visiters in the
warm afternoons of summer. The shade of the trees,
the commotion of the surrounding water, and the cool
breeze that constantly agitates the air, make them, for
Bociai parties, a delightful retreat for an hour or two.

.1 •,

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

American Flag placed in the Rapids.

Having passed, with much admiration, the bridge
which spans the beautiful and rapid piece of water which
courses along, between Bath and Iris Islands, they arrive
upon the latter island.

Before the bridge was built, Iris Island was visited by
boats, running down between the two currents, to the
upper point of the island. To strangers, the navigation
npi)earcd very hazardous, and it was not without danger.

In the severe winter of 1829, the great accumulation
of ice, in the river, formed a communication from the
main sh »re to the island ; and, though the bridges were
then buat, yet many persons, for curiosity and a ramble,
preferred crossing over on the ice. In that winter, all
the adjacent islands were accessible, and were visited by
many persons ; and the American flag was planted on a
ledge of rocks in the middle of the stream above Brig
Island. There, surrounded by the dashing waves, it
floated gallantly during the succeeding summer, to the
admiration and wonder of strangers, of how it came
there.

A DARING ENTERPRISE.

" From a J)oy,

I wantoned with thy breakers — they to me
Were a delight."

The most hardy and daring enterprise known of late
years to have been performed upon the rapids of the Nia-
gara, was undertaken by Mr. Joel R. Robinson and Mr.
John Smith. There was observed to be in the river be-
low Bath Island, hanging to the rocks, and waving in
the water, something that had the appearance of cotton

,«i«r««-*<>*~

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

A story.

cloth. These persons got a boat, and hiunched it in the
river near the paper-mill floom. Robinson was to ma-
nage the boat, and Smith to secure the prize. They
succeeded in going very near the point of the island
which lies to the south-west of Bath Island, and just
above the Falls. They secured two pieces of domestic
sheetings, and returnel in safely, Robinson having ma-
naged the boat over the driving and impetuous water in
perfect self-possession, and with apparent ease.

Iris Island had been often visited both by the French
and English, previous to the Americans coming in pos-
session. The initials of names have been found upon
the trees bearing a date as far back as 174*2. In an old
English magazine, it is related, that on a time two In-
dians were, by accident, cast on the island. They made
ropes of the bark of trees, and pnssed down the lower
bank to the river, but being afraid to enter in between
the two sheets of water, returned. An ingenious French
blacksmith, belonging to a corps of artificers, who were
then in this quarter, seeing their suffering and perilous
condition, constructed a pair of stilts, by which means
he passed over safely to them, carrying them supplies ;
and by the same means finally succeeded in getting them
off. The story is doubted, but it is not altogether in-
credible. Some years ago, the construction of a bridge
over the roughest part of tha river, to the same place,
would have been considered more impracticable than the
performance just mentioned.

On ascending the hill, from the bridge, three walks
are presented : one to the right, leading to the Riddle
Staircase and to the Horse Shoe Fall ; the one in front,
goes directly across the island ; and the one to the left,
passes near the edge of the bank, to the upper end.

il i

I ffl

! S

- ^1 *'

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

The Grove.— The Hog's Back.

The party continue the jaunt, taking the road lending
to the Biddle Staircase. It is the course usually taken.
On advancing a short distance, they enter a lofty grove
of trees, through which the walk passes for some dis-
tance. It is onr of those delicious places for which na-
ture has done every thing, and to which art can add no-
thing. The road that passes through it, accomplishes
all that ever should be done, nnd the sound of the axe
should never be heard upon these trees, to disturb the
stillness which reigns around this spot, or to profane
what nature seems to have consecrated.

As the road nears the lower end of the island, the
height of the bank, from the edge of the water, increases;
from which circumstance, appears, this part of the
island has received the name of the Hog's Back. The
nam^ is considered very inappropriate, and inapplicable ;
but, as some travellers have spoken of the Hog's Back,
as being something peculiar, it has been thoii ht proper
thus succinctly to refer to it.

At the north-western corner of the island, there is a
fine prospect of the river, of Canada, and of the Ameri-
can Falls, suitably so termed, as they are entirely within
the United States. The actual boundary is in the centre
of the river, between the island find Canada, and must
be about the middle of the Horse Shoe Falls. By some
means or other, the public have been led into a mistake
on this subject, and it has been by many supposed that
the principal Falls were in Canada. Some have even
spoken of '* the Niagara Falls, in Canada." The truth
is, a portion of the Falls is exclusively in the State of
New York, and also half of the main channel, as it con-
stitutes the boundary line.

»:".'ia?pjH."tW"''f

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND,

Prospect IsUincl.

TROSPECT ISLAND.

" Where leaps

The torrent in its wild career,
While shake its barriers, as in fear."

From the point of Iris Island, fronting the American
Falls, descends a path towards Prospect Island, some-
times called Mrs. Davis' Island, as, while she was visit-
ing the Falls, a foot-bridge was thrown over to it, and
on its extreme point she planted a few seeds of the ever-
lasting pea, which were observed, some years afterwards,
in bloom, with their beautiful little flowers hanging over
the side of the bank, near the Cave of the Winds. The
bridge, to this island, is generally carried away in the
winter, and replaced again in summer. It is worth
crossing over, to ramble through the tangled evergreens,
to look down the high bank, and enjoy the prospect
which is there displayed.

*'"«

INGRAHAMS CAVE.

" The weeping rocks distil, with constant dews ;
The gushing waters pensive thoughts infuse-
Here a vast arch, the cavity so wide.
Scarce can the eye extend from side to side.
High o'er the roof alternate echoes wave.
And sound in distant thunders, through the cave.

This cave was first discovered by Joseph W. Ingra-
ham, Esq. who gave it the name of Cave of the Winds,
one as applicable as any that can be used ; yet, the pub-
lic, desirous to award some meed of their esteem t<j the
amiable discoverer, have, in many instances, evinced a

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Ingrahr.ni'd Cave.

'4 i

desire to use his name, and call it Ingraham's Cave. It
was first entered by Mr. Berry Hill White and Mr. Geo.
Sims, of Niagara Falls village. They passed over the
rocks, and through a part of the sheet of water. It was,
they alleged, difficult and hazardous, but they acknow-
ledged themselves fully rewarded in the new and mag-
nificent scene which the lofty cavern presented. Mr.
Ingraham soon afterwards visited it himself, and Horatio
A. Parsons, Esq. and a few others, have since ventured
in. It is represented to be near one hundred and twenty
feet wide, about thirty feet deep, and a noble arch hang-
ing over he./1 eighty feet high, and the sheet of water
rolling in front.

It is said to be quite an adventure to go under Table
Rock : it is a much greater one, to visit this cavern.

The following beautiful lines are taken from Mr.
Hooker's Album ;

" Dread n,',vc-lnspiiing cavern I 'Mong the new,

Wild, wondrouci ol)jects that around I view,

None strikes my soul like thee ! Thou seem'st to me

The very porta! of sublimity !

And nature — as if dreading to expose

The hidden mysteries of her mighty throes —

Hath thrown o'er thee a wide-spread, beauteous veil,

Woven from the air-hung waters — snatched from out
Their wonted channel for this strong avail —

And dyed it with the loveliest tints throughout, —
E'en fringed it with a rain jow ! Mighty cave !
What siiall we call thee ? What n.ime couldst thou have
More fit than his, who first thy depths did scan —
First ope'd thy rocky doors to wond'ring man ?
Yes : while fierce winds thy vaulted arches sweep,

And thy wild shores the rushing waters lave,
Or thunder there terrific vigils keep, —

Be thou for ever known as Ingraham's Cave !

A. H. P , of Georgia."

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

The BidiUe Staircase.

Of Joseph W. Ingraham, Esq. it may be here observed,
that, on visiting the Falls, some years since, the scene
became to him an object of so much admiration, that he
made several journeys to them from the city of Boston,
and devoted much time in making examinations and
surveys ; and in philosophical and historical researches
in relation to them. He afterwards published a valuable
manual, for the use of visiters, and has been for several
years engaged in a large work on the same subject, which
the reading public have long looked for, anticipating
that it will be a publication of much interest. The able
character of the productions which he has already brought
before the piiblic, the materials that he has collected, and
his distinguished literary abilities, are ample assurances
that the expectations which have been formed, as to his
large work, will not be disappointed ; and that his
volume will be worthy a place in every man's library.

i^ii, i

i-i

m I

THE BIDDLE STAIRCASE.

The party, after their progress to Prospect Island,
retrace their steps, and continue their route to the Bid-
die Staircase. This convenience, for descending the
bank, was erected at the expense of Nicholas Biddle,
Esq. It was a great desideratum to travellers, to be
enabled lo reach this part of the island, to range along
over the rocks, and to advance near the sheets of water.
The stairs are of the spiral form, well secured from the
weather, and about eighty feet high. Near the foot of
these stairs, at the jdge of the water, Sam. Patch, in 1829,
made two leaps from a platform, 97 feet high, erected

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Horse Shoe Fulls.

for the purpose. Sam. came off with credit here ; but
shortly after, the poor fellow made two leaps at Roches-
ter, — one from the height of 100 feet, and the other of
125. The last proved fatal : he did not rise, and was
never found.

After the travellers have proceeded below, and gone
as near the sheets of water on each side as they desired,
and had pointed out them all the objects of interest, they
return, and resume their walk along the brow of the
bank.

THE HORSE SHOE FALLS.

♦' Thou fearful stream !

How do thj' terrors tear me from myself,
And fill my soul with wonder! "

This sublime prospect opens to view suddenly, be-
tween the trees. The rainbow, seen below, encompas-
sing a cloud of spray, is as beautiful, with all its mellow
tints of coloring, as the same object appears after a sum-
mer's shower.

The rainbows are seen according to the position of the
spectator with that of the sun. In the morning, they
are viewed from this side ; in the afternoon, from the
British side. At night, when the moon shines brightly,
a lunar bow encircles the Falls, with rays well defined,
but pale and murky. On such nights, large parties of
visiters congregate on the island, and melancholy influ-
ences seem to pervade every bosom. They linger round,
speak lowly, and appear wrapt in reflection. No noisy

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Prospect Tower.

conviviality, no boisterous mirth prevails at such times,
and no sound is heard, except the deep and hollow roar
of the Falls.

That this is not an imaginary picture, every one who
has witnessed the scene will allow.

In the centre of the Horse Shoe Falls, the water is of
a pure green color, and is adjudged to be about twenty
feet deep.

I' >i

PROSPECT TOWER.

This is a circular building, with an observatory on the
top, built below the point of the island, among the Ter-
rapin rocks. From the observatory is presented a full
view into the very midst of the great Falls, and into the
chasm below.

" It bubbles up, it gurgles forth, it hisses and it roars,
As when on raging fire a stream of gushing water pours;
Wild sheets of foam shoot through the air, waves thunder

towards heaven,
As forth from out the black abyss the billowy flood is

driven."

The timber and fragments that are scattered around,
are the remains of a bridge, built by Gen. Whitney, a
part of which projected over the bank. It was on a
single projecting timber of this bridge, that it was usual
for Francis Abbott to walk, and, at the extreme end,
turn on his heel and walk back.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

riiiiU'iil imprecision.

THE IMPRESSIONS OF VISITERS.

*' When nature's niijjlit some wond'roua scene unfolds,
And awe-siruck man the glorious work beholds,
In Hilence fix'd — th' enrapt imagiiiiition —
Morethun loud words, shows forth its iidmiration."

It is frequently inquired, what are the usual impres-
sions of visiters ? Tliey are various. A very few think
lightly of the Falls, or express surprise that others are
so absorbed and pleased with them. The greatest re-
mark such persons can make, is

♦' Oh I wha,t a place to sponge a coat

( rr

Some are so much moved, as to form a lasting at-
tachment, and visit them often, even from great dis-
tances. Others have been completely infatuated, and
seem only to live in beholding this sublime work of na-
ture, and. in inhaling the pure though mist-impregnated
atmosphere, which arises from the broken waters.

Some look upon the Falls with feelings of droad, and
the impressions they leave on their minds, are those of
terror. Many years since, when travelling, I fell in
with a party at a public house. Niagara Falls happened
to become a topic of conversation. " The Falls," said
a lady who was present, ** I saw them three months ago,
and, neither sleeping or waking, are they out of my
mind : I hear them roar, and see them before me con-
tinually."

Is their impression painful, or pleasant ? '^ I inquired.
** Oh, very painful and distressing ! They are dread-
full " was her reply.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Winter sccncg.

When a parly of Indians, from the far West, were on
their return from Washington, they were brought this
way. When they saw the Falls, they evinced emotions
of reverence, and cast their pipes, wampum, and several
'rinkets, in the water, as ofierings to the Mighty Spirit
of the place.

Many gentlemen have expressed themselves as expe-
riencing very strange sensations, while beholding the
Falls. Fear — a perception of weakness — trembling of
the nerves ; but the predominant sensations are those
of reverence.

Traveller. — " Such sensations are becoming the place ;
for who can look upon these rising clouds, this rush of
many waters, these walls of solid rock, and this fathom-
less abyss, without reverencing Him who made them,
and upholds them still."

Mil

! ; ' 1

' M

WINTER SCENERY.

" Who can paint

Like nature? Can imnginfition boast,
Amid its gay creation, hues lilce hers 1 "

The Falls, in winter, present a very different appear-
ance from that of any other season of the year. Large
quantities of ice accumulate in the river below, which,
gradually gathering in the eddies with that which is
i)rought from above, join together, and form a natural
bridge. This bridge of ice extends, frequently, to
within a short distance of the sheet of water, and to the
rapids, two miles below. It is in places from twenty to
forty feet thick. On the rocks, such large quantities of

1 .1

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Winter scenery.

enow and congealed mist collect, as to form pyramids,
reaching almost to the upper surface of the Falls. On
the perpendicular banks, are suspended huge icicles, of
the most fanciful shapes, which are white as alabaster,
and appear at a distance like magnificent columns. But
the most beautiful sif it is the spray congealed upon the
surrounding trees anv shrubs. Every branch is incrusted.
It looks like a forest of coral, but of dazzling whiteness.
Towards the close of the day, in winter, when the rays
of the declining sun passes through the rising cloud of
mist, it appears as if tinged with burnished gold, or as
a bright flame of fire, floating in mid air. This, with
the trees, in their dress of perfect whiteness, makes the
scene so novel, so strange, that it appears like fairy-
work, or as one of enchantment. Nothing is wanted
but the ice palace of Catherine of Russia, to make it like
a perfect winter paradise to the eye. The eye only can
be delighted ; to every other sense, it is the v^ry essence
of frost and cold — of vapor and glittering snow : a meet
place for ancient winter's court.

Travellers who have visited the Falls, in the winter,
say that when the trees are thiis arrayed, the views af-
forded are superior to those of summer. Just to look
on, for a short period, it is, indeed, unequalled ; but you
must soon hurry away to the warm rooms of the hotels.
In summer, you can ramble through the groves, where
nature is clothed in her beautiful dress of green, and
fruits, of every shade and color, hang invitingly on the
surrounding boughs : then, you pass from scene to
scene — "all nature smiles." Nothing can compare
with summer.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Shruba nnd plants.— Insects.

SHRUBS AND PLANTS.

It has been reported, that there are many plants found on
Iris Island, not common to the surrounding country.
This is not correct ; but there is, certainly, in the i mail
space of the island, a greater variety of plants to bo ob-
tained, than at any other place. For this reason, many
visiters are in the practice of collecting herbnriu'.ns of
such as they fancy.

There is one peculiarity reputed of this island, which
is a desideratum vainly desired at many places. It is,
that there are here no musketoes, or other insects, to an-
noy or interrupt the repose of those who seek these
secluded bowers.

This has been contradicted ; but, in support of the
assertion, an individual, who hos resided for over twenty
years at the Falls, states that, during that time, he has
not seen a dozen musketoes, nor been bit by one ; and
that he has often visited the island, and never observed
an insect of this description on it.

The party, in advancing along the path, by the side
of the river, come to a place where the walk is suddenly
terminated by the caving in of the bank.

The river, at this spot, has made advances on the
shore several hundred feet ; and the road, which a few
years ago was made to encircle the island, is here for
some distance washed away. The water is continuing
its devastating power, most forcibly. A large piece of
the island will soon be carried over the Falls, or a new
channel will be formed, dividing it in two.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Vessels sent over tlie Falls.

VESSELS SENT OVER THE FALLS.

" Like thee, full innnj' n, gallant bark

Hastes ou its fated way ;
The wave, the gulf, the cavern dr.rk,

Ope' to receive their prey."

The party, being on a position that commanded a view
of the vessels going down the river and passing over the
Falls, some account of them is usually requested. The
schooner Michigan, an old merchant vessel, of lake Erie,
was dismantled, with the exception of the masts, and
rigging enough to hold them up, and sent over in Sep-
tember, 1827 ; and the Superior was sent over in Octo-
ber, two years after. They were towed to the centre of
the stream, between Navy Island and Canada, and let
loose. The Michigan came majestically along ; figures,
representing men, were placed at proper stations, and a
number of animals, both domestic and wild, were on
board.

The putting of animals on board, for certain destruc-
tion, for mere amusement, was not generally approved ;
but, in extenuation, it was said that none had been taken
but the useless and vicious, and such as would have been
destroyed, if they had not been selected for this purpose.

Onward the vessel floated, the river was smooth, and
all was quiet on board. The poor animals, having been
tormented as they had passed through the hands of the
vicious and unfeeling, tired and worn out, had laid them-
selves on the deck and in corners, to rest. She arrived
at the first descending swell, and passed down gallantly.
All was yet in repoae on board ; she came to a more

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Moss Island.

rapid descent ; was tossed to and fro, and the animals
were seen running about from one place to another.
Bruin was more actively engaged than others, amid the
doomed throng ; he took an observation from the rigging,
which he ascended, and then returned to the deck. StiH
very near the centre of the river, she passed along.
Another, and a greater pitch is made — her bow points
towards the Falls — she rocks from side to side — vainly
she labors to pass the rocky reef: — the masts go by the
board. One deep descent more : she groans harshly
over the verge — her bow descends, and with an astound-
ing crash, falls upon the rocks ; she breaks in two, in
the centre — the timbers sink to the water's edge — and
the whole moves on, — a floating, broke-n mass, and pass
over the Falls. The bear, and one or two other animals,
reached alive the Cnnada shore, above the Falls : all the
others perished. Between 15 and 20,000 persons came
together, to witness this sight.

The large vessel, called the Superior, which was sent
over in 18'29, did not proceed in its voyage of destruction
in such gallant style. She lodged on the rocks, and re-
mained there for several days, and went over unobserved,
except by two or three persons. In this instance no ani-
mals were put on board.

MOSS ISLAND.

^ In ij^nntifiil wililnee? it whirls uway.
Wasting its wealth in feathery spray."

The walk round the island passes n«ar to the beautiful

stream of water, which runs on the north side of Moss

lylnnd. This stream is overhung and enshrouded with

trees and evergreen shrubs^ whose leaves dip in the sil-

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

The Hermitage.

1 1!

vered water a& it glides along. In its course, there is a
most lovely water-fall, in miniature, and which Francis
Abbott used as his shower bath. The adjacent spot is
called Moss Island, on account of the mossy and velvet-
like appearance of its surface. On this island, Abbott
wished to build a rustic cottage. As he described it, it
was to be of rough materials, with latticed windows, and
to be covered with moss and evergreen creeping vines.
To the island he proposed to have a bridge, in unison
with the cottage, with a draw attached to it, that, when
he desired to be alone, he might be secure from all in-
trusion, and be himself the master of a small and solitary
domain.

" Recluse, and hid from every eye.
Save that of smiling heaven."

Such additions would have been quite an attraction,
and the hermit, himself, a great curiosity. He appears
to have been just the kind of man required to animate
these wild romantic scenes. On the subject, he observed,
himself, "On some of the great estates in England,
where the proprietors seek to give a romantic interest to
their possessions, a forest or some retired glen is chosen,
where a hermitage i& erected, and a man hired to play
the hermit. When the owner passes over his estate,
with his friends, the hermit, with his flowing beard, and
dressed in antique costume, receives them at the hermit-
age." He would conclude, by saying — "I desire to
live alone : I voluntarily wish to retire from the world.
It suits me not to mingle with mankind."

The islands lying beyond Moss Island, are not acces-
sible, excepting m some severe winters, when the ice
and snow is driven around them, and dammed tho water

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Navy Island.

off ; at such times they have been visited by a few per-
sons. The little island which lies between this and the
Canada shore, and which just rises above the water, is
called Gull Island, from the circumstance of its being
the resort of great numbers of birds, of that species.
There they live secure and unmolested by man.

Some years ago, a bridge from the island to Canada,
to pass over Gull Island, was a favorite project with some
gentlemen.

It would have been a great undertaking ; and, if com-
pleted, a curiosity not less interesting than the Falls.

Having arrived at the head of the island, where an un-
obstructed prospect of the river is presented, several ob-
jects are elicited by ths inquiries of travellers. They are
comprised in the notices which follow :

NAVY ISLAND.

" There is a pleasure in the pathless woods ;
There is a rapture on the lonely shore ;
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep wave, and music in its roar :
I love not man the less, but nature more."

This island contains three hundred acres of land. It
belongs to Canada, the main channel running between
that and the American shore. Opposite to Navy Island,
is Street's point, in Canada. It was once a navy yard
of the British, and late the residence of Captain Usher,
one of the persons concerned in the Caroline affair, an4
who was assassinated in December, 1838.

i *i

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND,

The Low Family.

THE LOW FAMILY*

'* Ah ! never shall the land forjrct
How gushed the Ife-blood of her brave —

Gushed, warm with liope and valor yet,
Upon the soil they fought to save."

Prior to the last war, and before Navy Island was
adjudged to belong to the British, Mr John Low made
some improvements, and built a house on the eastern
end. He resided there with his family. They were
Americans by birth and in principle, and of very respect-
able character and connexions. When the war broke
out, they left the island, and took up their resiaence on
the mountain, near Bloody Run. At the battle of
Queenstown, so unfortunate to the American Arms, old
Mr. Low promptly volunteered, as one of the pilots, to
conduct the boats. While thus employed, he was fatally
wounded, and died soon after.

His son, John, at the time of hib father's death, had
just engaged in the practice of the law, in the county of
Niagara ; but gave up the prospect of a lucrative practice
to serve his country, and accepted a lieutenancy in the
army.

In the disastrous close of the year 1813, when the
destruction of all the villages and settlements on the
Niagara river was effected by the combined forces of the
English and Indians, Lieut. Low was at old Fort Schlos-
eer, of which, however, there was then, and lias l)een
since, nothing remaining but the name. The British
force that scoured along the border, was overwhelming.
The lieutenant, with a few men, waited tlie approach of
the enemy, and made juch resistance as they could. He
was shot, and his men saved themselves by flight.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

William Chnmliers.

After the soldiery had secured the plunder, they took
the body of Low, and laying it on a table in the hall of
the ancient Schlosser house, set the building on fire.
This, and all the other houses in the place, were con-
sumed.

A brother, by the name of Vincent, when the war was
over, entered the military academy, at West Point.
About a year after, on the occasion of firing a salute,
the cannon burst, ana nC was killed. His monument at
West Point records the melancholy event.

W I L L I A BI CHAMBERS.

" No voice comes to him o'er the vast of waves,
But tlie wild dashing of the unrelenting surge."

In the accounts of the affair of Navy Island, an old
woman is mentioned as being the only inhabitant when
Mackenzie's men took possession. She was the widow
of William Chambers, an individual among the early
settlers of the country, of some notoriety. He was one
of those persons often found upon the frontier of two
nations ; sometimes living in one, and at another time
living in the other ; taking a part equally with citizens
or subjects in political affairs, and entering with interest
in matters and things incident to the nation in which he
happened to be. In Canada, a most loyal subject : in
the Uiiited States, most vociferous in support of the
dominant party.

At the commencement of the war with England, he
resdded in the United States, a few miles in the rear of
Fort Niagara. At one period, he was suspected of car-

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

William Chambers.

rying on a correspondence with the British, but no evi-
dence appeared against him. When, however, the
country was overrun by the enemy, he remained at home
unmolested ; and he and a few others, after that period,
kept up a communication with them, at Fort Niagara.
It was not generally believed that his intercourse with
them was of a criminal character. With his neighbors,
he passed as a very easy, obliging man, designing evil
to no one.

He was one of the pioneers of Niagara county, and a
genuine leather-stocking. He was among the first that
opened the woods on the lake shore, at Eighteen-mile
Greek. He would frequently sell out, as is usual with
persons of his description, and realizing a small profit
on his labor, would pay off his debts and commence
anew.

His last residence was at Navy Island, under the juris-
diction of Canada : his principal occupation was hunting,
trapping, and fishing. Grand Island, and the other
islands in the river, abounded with game. The musk-
rat was the chief object of pursuit, being the most nu-
merous and affording the best return ; coons were also
plenty — the meat was acceptable, and the skins sold
readily. The mink, the fox, and the otter, afforded him
more valuable furs. To these, he occasionally added the
deer, the bear, and wolf.

He had arrived to near sixty years of age, when, one
very stormy night, in the month of December, he and
another person came to a farm house, near the river,
about seven miles above the Falls. They said they had
been up the river, and had purchased a barrel of whiskey,
which they had with them in the canoe. They staid an
hour, and at nine o'clock, departed. They were advised

1-
e
e

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Expedition to Navy Island.

to remain : the severity of the storm, the darkness of the
night, and the danger of the river, were urged upon
them ; but Chambers was confident in his ability to " get
over the bay.'* In one sense, he was over it then, or
** half seas over." They would go : they launched their
frail canoe in the rapid stream : for a moment only, after
leaving the shore, they were distinguishable — they were
then lost in the driving tempest ; and men or canoe were
never more heard of. They went over the Falls.

THE EXPEDITION TO NAVY ISLAND,
AND STEAM -BOAT CAROLINE.

*' Night's blessed spell hath now
Lulled every sound of earth in slumber deep.

The sad heart hath awhile forgot its woe —
The weary frame its toil •, but such sweet sleep

Brings not il. balm to soothe this fevered brain and brow."

About the middle of the month of December, 1837,
twenty-eight men, principally Canadians, with Rens-
selaer Van Rensselaer and William Lyon Mackenzie,
went on Navy Island. They called to them the patriots
of Canada, and all others the friends of that cause. In
the space of three weeks, between three and four hun-
dred responded to the call : some from the United States,
and some from Canada. They brought with them arma
and provisions. They staid on the island for one month,
and then, at their own choice, left it, and not in fear of
their opponents. Opposite to them, were assembled five
thousand men, consisting of British regulars, incorpo-
rated militia, and a body of Indians and Negroes. Bat-

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Stcam-boftt Caroline.

teries were erected, and balls and shells were, at inter-
vals, cast upon the island. The islanders were inces-
santly in a state of danger and alarm ; yet they would, at
times, provokingly return the fire, still they remained
unattacked. For a month, a raw, undiciplincd band of
men, in the severity of winter, with no shelter but such
as they then constructed, and miserably clad, set at de-
iiance and laughed at the overwhelming force, which lay
j?o near to them, that they frequently conversed together.
Let justice bo done to them ; and, however by con-
tending parties they may be diflerently esteemed, there
must be awarded to them the praise of being as enduring
and as brave a set of fellows as ever assembled together.
They left the island because the United States would not
countennnce them, and in accordance with the wishes of
American citizens, who interposed to effect their disper-
sion. An expression of one of the leaders, before leav-
ing, was — *' I fear not my enemies, but my friends."

There is an occurrence, connected with the Navy
Island affair, painful to relate.

The steam-boat Caroline came from Buffalo, on the
29th of December, it was said, to ply as a ferry-boat be-
tween Schlosser and Navy Island. It passed, that day,
forth and back several times, and before sun-down was
brought to at the wharf, at Schlosser, and moored for the
night. At that place, there was but one house, and that
a tavern. The warlike movements between the patriots
and British, had drawn to the frontier, through motives
of curiosity, a great number of persons. The tavern was
crowded — lodgings could not be obtained — and several
persons, observing the steam-boat, sought for acconi-
modations on board, and were received. In the mid-
dle of the night, the watch, for a watch on board steam-

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

IJCKCon Light.

boats is usually kept, saw something advancing on the
water. lie hailed, but before he could give the alarm, a
body of armed men rushed on board, shot at the sentinel,
and all they met, crying — ** Cut them down ! " *' Give
no quarters ! " No arms were on board of the boat ; no
t ack was expected ; and no resistance was made. Somr
g'jt on shore uninjured ; othcs were severely cut and
dangerously wounded. One man was shot dead on the
wharf, and twelve were missing, c' ther killed, or burnt
and sunk with the boat.

They towed the boat out in the river, and set it on
fire ; the flames burst forth ; it drifted slowly, and its
blaze shone far and wide over the water and adjacent
shores. On the Canada side, at a distance above Chip-
pewa, was burning a large light, as a signal to those en-
gaged in the expedition. In a short time, an astounding
shout came booming over the water : it was for the suc-
cess and return of those who had performed this deed.

The beacon was extinguished. The Caroline still
moved on, and cast its lurid light far and wide, clothing
the scene in gloom and horror ; and just below the point
of Iris Island, suddenly disappeared. Many of the
wrecked and charred remains were, the next morning,
floating in the current and eddies below the Falls.

In justice to both sides, it should be stated, that the
accounts of the different parties connected with the de-
struction of the Caroline, differ entirely from each other,
as to the character of the vessel, the resistance made by
the persons on board, the number killed, and in various
other particulars. These the author leaves to be settled
by the politicians of the two nations. The account which
he has adopted, is the one first impressed upon the Ame-
rican public : if it is not correct, he does not hold him-
self responsible for it.

\ «

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Grand Island.

OWANUNGA, OR GRAND ISLAND.

'♦ Here, lofty trees, to ancient song unknown,
The noble sons of potent heat and floods."

This island is twelve miles long, and between six and
seven wide. It lies mid- way between the Falls and Lake
Erie, and contains 17,000 acres of land. It is princi-
pally covered with large and valuable timber, and the
Boil is rich and productive.

In 1816 and 17, a number of persons, from the
United States and Canada, went on this Island. They
marked out the boundaries of their different possessions ;
elected magistrates, and other officers, from among them-
selves ; and gave out that they were amenable to neither
government, but on independent community. After the
question of boundary was settled, the State of New
York passed a law to drive them off ; but that was no^
effected till the severe measure was resorted to, of de-
stroying their houses, which was done by the sheriff and
posse of Erie county.

Grand Island was selected by Major Noah, of New
York, on which to build a city, and establish a colony of
Jews, with the view of making it the Ararat or resting
^lace of that dispersed people. There it was anticipated
that their government would be organized, and thence
th6 laws would emanate which were again to bring to-
gether the children of Israel, and re-establish them as a
nation of the earth. The European Rabbi did not sanc-
tion the scheme, and it vanished as a day-dream of the
learned and worthy projector.

A rich company, from Boston, have since become the
proprietors; and the great improvements they have made,
evince a noble spirit of enterprise.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Burnt Ship Creek.

BUCK-HORN ISLAND.

At the north-eastern point of Grand Island, lies Buck-
Horn Island. It is long and narrow, and contains one
hundred and fifty acres. It was occupied first by David
Mudget, a veteran ofliicer of the American Revolution.
He made a small improvement ; but, obtaining a pen-
sion, in 1819, he removed. It has since been occupied
as a farm, by Mr. Warren Kent.

Burnt Ship Cr^ek lies between Buck-Horn and Grand
Island. In 1759, the French, in preference of their ves-
sels falling into the hands of the British, burnt them at
this place. Their remains are yet observable, and con-
siderable iron has been obtained from them ; and, not
long since, some timber, sufiiciently firm to work into
walking canes.

Two miles from the Falls, and near the steam-boat
landing, is Corner's Island.

Three miles further, and opposite Cayuga Creek, is
Cayuga Island.

Six miles further, and opposite Tonawanda, is Tona-
wanda Island. Between that and Lake Erie, there are
several others, of greater or less magnitude.

The next object to which the attention of the traveller
is directed, is Povter's store-house, or the steam-boat
landing. It is the end of ship navigation, on the Ameri-
can side of the Niagara, and is the proposed point for the
commencement of the great ship canal, around the Falls ;
a work which the extensive and populous countries on
the upper lakes are requiring, and will urge forward un-
til accomplished.

JAUNT TO THE ISLAND.

Fort ^etiloMscr. — Jaunt concluded.

[I'l

At this place, the persons going on ilic Navy Island
expedition, enilmrked ; and it is there that the steam-
boat Caroline lay, when she was cut out.

Nearly a mile below the landing, are the remains of
old Fort Sjhlosser. The name is derived from the Ger-
man, and neana rastle. It was anciently a stockade,
built upon banks slightly raised above the plain. From
tlie remains, it appears that there were two fortifications
contiguous to each other, 'md of similar construction.
In a historical memorandum and map, in 1755, before
the country was subdued by the British, it is marked
'* Store House " only. The site is now a cultivated
field, and the grounds have been frequently ploughed
over.

The party move on, and pass the house where Francis
Abbott for some time resided, and stop at a place where
the earth has been excavated. Here, several human ske-
letons have been dug up. How they came there, is
matter of conjecture.

The enclosure, which is seen at the left, is a garden,
which the proprietors of the island have stocked with the
choicest kinds of fruit trees, intended, when they arrive
at maturity, for the use of visiters.

From every part of the upper end of the island, a fine
view is presented of the village of Niagara Falls, and
intervening rapids.

The travellers return to the bridge, and the jaunt
round the island is e. ded.

is^iitiLj.jA

_.ss

"•T^"*^*

.■5

A JAUNT

TO THE

WHIRLPOOL,

DEVIL'S HOLE,

TUSCARORA INDIAN VILLAGE,

AND

FORT NIAGARA.

I I U m il II l«l« H li|. [L r .. | « i lWH M ■■ ■

THE WHIRLPOOL.

" Ah ! terribly they rage \
The hoarse and rapid whirlpool's there I My brain
Grows wild : my senses wander, as I gaze
Upon the hurrying water."

If the Falls of Niagara did not exist, the Whirlpool
would be the most distinguished curiosity afforded by the
Niagara river ; and, in the estimation of many, greater
than any of present notoriety in our country. Every
one, brought up in or near the city of New York, must
be familiar with the far-famed and much dreaded strait
called Hurl- Gate, formerly Hell- Gate. The horrors of
that place are well l^nown to all youthful imaginations,
and the dread of the " frying-pan and pot" can hardly
be eradicated by more mature obser^ ation. But pass
once from the East river to the wild and rushing Whirl-
pool of Niagara, and the imaginary terrors of Hurl-
Gate will pass uway : on your return, the strait will
appear placid, or only seem agitated as with a summer's
breeze.

Even the great Maelstrom Whirlpool, of Norway, is
not more dangerous than that of Niagara ; none have
passed the vortex of either, nor fathomed their depths.
For the satisfaction of those who visit the Whirlpool of

J.\l'NT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Preliminary notic;.

iN'iagara, a sK-*' i description of the Muelstrom is inserted
in :hi8 work. It is from the pen of an Imericaii gentie-
mi n, who visited the place he describes If any travel-
lers to the American Whirlpool would wish to experience
all the sensations of danger and peril which came over
those who passed the disk of the Maelstrom, they have
but to launch a boat on the Niagara, and attempt an ex-
cursion, for examining more closely the whirling waters.
In so doing, they will truly peril their lives, and feel
sensations of terror, to their hearts' content ; or the
waves of Niagara will make buoyant their bodies, and
infuse courage, more than natural, in the hearts of those
who ride over them.

OLD PORTAGE ROAD.

" Bear me, Oil bear me to scquestcr'd scenes,
The bow'ry mazes, and surrounding greens."

The party at the Falls having taken seats in the omni-
bus, or having engaged a barouche or carriage, are on
their way to the Whirlpool. After riding one and a
half miles, they come to the junction of the Lewiston
road with the Niagara Falls and Schlosser roads. In
former days, this road was the great thoroughfare be-
tween the lower and upper lakes. When all the sur-
rounding country was wild and solitary, unimproved,
and uninhabited except by the natives of the forest, this
road exhibited a scene of busy life. It was crowded with
teams, with animals and men, and all was activity and
animation. Since then, it has greatly changed: the
Erie canal opened a new communication, and the Wei-

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Gud Pierce.

Innd canni, in Canada, connects lakes Erie and Ontario.
Thiitjt works have drawn the business from the Portage
roud ; nnd now, although the country through which it
{>n«?jOs, is improved and productive, it is far more lonely

flrau it was in former days.

GAD PIERCE, ESQ.

" WIio does the uUnost that he can,
Dues vv'cM, — acts nobly : {m','el9 coiill no more."

At the junction of the Portage with the Niagara Falls
road, was, 8onie years since, kept the public house of
Oad Pierce. He was, in the time of the war with Great
Britain, an active frontier partizan. When hostilities
commenced between the two countries, there was a very
small number of tfoopy on the American side of the
river, and a single cOiiipnny uiily to garrison Fort Nia-
gara. It was expected, ev( rv night, that the fort would
be attacked ny the British, who had n large body of men
*rit F )rt George. Mr. Picrc^, nware of this state of things,
one dry raiL^ed all the inhtoirants of tlio country, far and
neir, — young and old. Tlie country was then thinly
populated, and they assensb'ed at Lewiston from several
miles distant. Hordes of every kind were brought into
requisition, and when the cifizcns were mounted, they
appc:ircd at a distance like a forr.iiduble troop of cavalry.
Among them, too, were seven) of thf^ Tuscarora Indi-
ans, who entered with spi'it into the maneuvre. In the
place of swor.'ls, lliey used walking canes, st'cks, and
ramrods. Several of the ramrods were of polished steel
or iron, wliich made a very bright and flashy appearance.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

A cavalcade. — An attack.

The cavalcade moved from Lewiston, along the river
road, in eight of the enemy, and entered Fort Niagara ;
the blankets of the Indians fluttering in the wind, and
the many-colored and various habiliments of the farmers ;
the limping and over-strained plough horse ; the nibbling
gait and twitching head of the wild pouy ; with now and
then a noble horse of the Pennsylvania breed ; formed,
to those who were near, a most ludicrous spectacle. In
the fort, they dismounted, nnd performed some slight
evolutions in the most laughable style. At the command
to mount, some of the Indians executed the order in
su«h a masterly manner, as to throw themselves entirely
over their ponies. To the British, the imposing appear-
ance of the troops, with their steel ramrods, which glit-
tered in the sun like broadswords, had the desired effect :
the contemplated attack was not made.

At the time of the general invasion of the frontier, Mr-
Pierce had his family conveyed to a place of security, but
would not himself quit his premises. He, and tlnee or
four others, formed the little garrison, with which he
determined to defend his house. They waited foi' the
approach of the enemy. At length, a company of British
regulars appeared in sight, and a fire was opened upon
them. They continued the defence for some time ; bin,
as their opponents were numerous, it was impracticable
to keep them at a distance. A part advanced upon the
front of the house, succeeded in breaking down the door,
and fired their pieces as they entered. The defenders
effected their escape in an opposite direction, without an
individual of their number being wounded. Wheihcv
the attacking party suffered any loss, wis not known.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Mineral spring.

MINERAL SPRING.

Two miles from the Falls, a small open building,
painted white, with Grecian columns, is pointed out by
the guide, as one of the works of Benjamin Rathbun.
It stands between the road and the river, and is placed
over a mineral spring. The spring is sulphurous, and
the water, it is said, very much resembles that of Har-
rowgate, in England. In rheumatic and scrofulous di-
seases, it has been used to advantage, in several cases ;
and it only requires interested and suitable eftbrts, to
give it celebrity and favor with the public. The situa-
tion, too, is very plerisant, and a distinct view of the
Falls is obtained from tike road — the view which Capt.
Bazil Hall so much admired, and which so vividly, he
says, remained fixed upon his mind. After all, to Rath-
bun must be awarded the credit of having a very sound
judgment in making his purchases. He selected the
most choice and valuable situations ; and, had it not
been for his unfortunate aberration from the path of rec-
titude, his high expectations, as to value, would have
been realized.

Traveller. — *' Is the property still his ? "
Guide. — *' It has gone with the general wreck of his
estate ; and it now belongs to the gentleman of whom it
was first purchased."

As the party roll along the road, they desire of the
Guide, a description of the Whirlpool, Tie complies
with the request.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Description of the Whirlpool.

THE WHIRLPOOL.

♦* Im;iginn*tion, b.'^ri*^', strives in vain!
The wildest Htrciuns tli;it ever poet? f^ign,
Thou (lost tiiinscend ! There is no i)owcr in song
To paint the wojuiers tJuit r.roiuid nie throng! "

ti ;i

This grand and beautiful scene is three miles from the
Falls of Niagara, and four miles from the village of
Lewiston.

Standing on the right bank of the Niagara, two hun-
dred and fifty feet above the river, you behold at a dis-
tance the advancing waters ; not mild and gentle, but
agitated, rushing, and roaring, with deafening sound,
they hurry on. They come, in all their power : majes-
tic, solitary, and alone. No vessel, or work of man's
formation, floats on the raging torrent : nothing of life
rides over the resistless waves, or floats unscathed on
the mist-crowned billows. This mighty flood is more
lonely and mysterious than the solitary ocean. Man
passes with comparative security over the vasty deep ;
but, on these waters, living, he must not : ho is power-
less. They rage, in their solitude, alone, — for ever ;
and man cnn only behold them with emotions of awe,
and reverence that Almighty Power '' who weighs the
hills in a balance, and holds the waters of the ocean in
the hollow of his hand."

Still forward, in wave after wave, rushes the resist-
less flood ; and all that floats therein, is peeled, dis-
membered and crushed. If an object is beheld, it is but
for a moment : swiftly it passes the hollow of the crested
waves — rises amid the feathery mist — and then, again,

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Frnj^meiUa of vessels.

in an instant, plunged below. It remains for some time
immergcd from sight ; and, if it again appears, it will
bo still more wrecked and broken.

The river widens, opposite tlie spectator ; and, on the
Canada side, a counter current, equal to the main chan-
nel, rushes up the stream. A large basin of warring
water is presented to the eye of the rapt beholder. He
sees the great Niagara, pouring therein the accumulated
waters of a thousand rivers and lakes, and driving, with
irresistible in.pctuosity, against the rocky shore of Cana-
da ; and the counter current, with equal power, passing
in an opposite direction. With absorbing interest, he
observes, between the contending currents, the deep en-
gulfing eddies, and the yawning whirlpool. There he
sees huge masses of timber, dismembered trees, the frag-
ments of vessels and water craft, the wrecks of all that
has passed the Falls or the cataracts of the river above.
They go round, and round ; they gradually approach the
centre ; then they are drawn in, and are swallowed up
in the deep vortex of the stream. After a while, at a
distant point, they are propelled upward, and again re-
new their circuit, and again are drawn below. Some-
times trees, and logs, are ejected upwards with so much
violence, as to raise one end several feet perpendicularly
above the water. Objects drawn in the Whirlpool, have
been known to remain there for several weeks.

The whole expanse of water lies below the spectator ;
his eye seems to take in the whole scene ; and no open-
ing or outlet for this vast and constantly increasing flood,
is observed. Sometimes, travellers, who, in past years,
visited this place without a guide, returned disappointed.
They did not see the Whirlpool at all ; but, mistaking a
rapid portion of the Niagara, something similar in ap-

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

New view.

pearancc, a quarter of a mile above, their expectations
of the magnitude and interest of the scene, were not an-
swered. Others have seen the Whirlpool, but not all
about it ; not having turned the point, to feast their eyes
upon the fine and noble view of the rel eating waters,
or not having descended the bank, to the edge of the
stream, as it thunders along.

The traveller should pass a few paces to the north, and
at the turn of a point near the brink of the precipice, di-
rect his attention beneath. There he beholds, what at
first appears a small, dark and heavy stream ; like some
deep and narrow mountain torrent ; but unlike the great
Niagara, so much the object of admiration. For some
moments, the illusion is complete. The Whirlpool and
its foaming eddies — its deep gulfs and encircling waves,
are,,iiiL4brgot ; and the imagination is seized with rapture
aiid surprise, at this unexpected and newly discovered
scene. He advances — the reality is discovered : this is,
indeed, the Niagara, escaping, as it were, from its prison
house. The charm is not immediately dissolved ; the
great river is contracted to a very span ; the opposite
shore of Canada is v\'ithin a stone's throw ; and the deep
waters are literally poured out from the broad basin of
the Whirlpool. The inquiring traveller, with mind un- J
sated with what he has seen, and desiring to behold more
of the wonders of nature, will descend the precipitous
bank, when new views will be presented, alike interest-
ing and exciting.

When the waters are at their usual height, the visiter
can, where the river disgorges from the Wiiirlpool, walk
out from the shelving bank, to the very verge of the pas-
sing torrent. He can there, if his nerves are steady and
strong, dip his hands or bathe his feet in the deep, green,-

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Suspension brUlffv..

flood thtit rushes nl<

but,

impetuous flood tlitit rusfies along ; but, to do so, nc
must 1)0 firm, or, at beholding th dvnncing waters,
hearing their astounding roar, and glancing at the fluc-
tuant current, the liead may become dizzy, and, like
other daring unfortunates, he may fall a victim to the
dark and troubled waters of Niagara. The more wary
traveller will retreat a few yards, and try his strength to
cast a stone to reach the opposite shore of Canada ; a feat
which has been done by the sinewy sons of the farmers
of Niagara.

The Whirlpool is a place combining many objects to
interest ; but, at times, the spectacle is not alike impo-
fiing. When the water is at its usual height, or rather
lower, the eddies and vortices are the largest, and the
scene then appears to the best advantage. After a storm,
when bridges have been carried ofl", vessels shipwrecked,
boats torn away from their fastenings, and trees and logs
swept down from the upper lake, then all tlie terrors of
the place are presented, and it is only inferior to the great
cataract of Niagara. The two scenes are alike the result
of the stupendous congregation of waters, which irre-
sistibly passes through the mountain gorge, from Schlos-
ser to Lewiston ; but there is no similitude existing be-
tween them.

At the outlet of the Whirlpool, the banks of the Nia-
gara river approach each other nearer than at any other
point ; and if a suspension bridge should ever be erected
over the Niagara, nature seems to have designated this
spot as being the most suitable, as it is here the most
practicable.

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23 WEST MAIN STR-SET

WEBSTER, N.Y. M580

(716) 872-4503

^ ^^

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

The prospcit.

Having arrived at the grounds on the east side of the
Whirlpool, a gate is opened, and a private carriage road
leads to the b?)nk of the river, which is distant half a mile
from the main road. Before coming in sight of the river,
the road enters a bowery of forest trees, the close and
luxuriant foliage of which forms a cool and sombrous
shade, very refreshing to travellers, in the prevailing
heats of summer.

Two buildings, the one a summer-house, the other a
refectory, mark the place at which the party are to alight.
Preceded by the guide, they advance to the bank of the
river.

One of the party inquires — *' Where is the Whirl-
pool ? "

Guide. — ''This is the place. From this point, you
perceive the waters approaching, with great velocity.
They pass before us, towards the shore of Canada ;
then they divide, part passes off to the right, but a large
portion is propelled back, forming the counter current ;
between that and the main channel, are the eddies and
the Whirlpool."

Traveller. — ''Observe those logs and trees, how they
are hurried round."

Guide. — " By looking through this prospect-glass,
you will distinguish more plainly the logs and timber ;
which, from the distance we are from them, to the naked
eye appear quite small. With this, you will also per-
ceive the magnitude of the vortex around which they are
carried. To view the Whirlpool advantageously, a glass
should always be used."

The lady who first used the glass, confirmed the re-
commendation of the guide, by saying — " It is, indeed,
a very great help. I could not have formed a right con-
ception of the Whirlpool, without its use."

JAUiNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

The outlet.

" Tliesc are, ivs the boiling waves tliat whirling vortex
near,

Sucke 1 far mlown itf^ darkling depths their waters dis-
appear."

After contemplating the prospect for some time, with
much satisfaction, inquiry is made — ** What course
does the river take, from this ? "

The guide leads the w^ay, saying — ** We will advance
a short distance. Now look below."

Traveller. — " Saint Mary ! what a scene is this ! "

One of the ladies. — " How beautiful and clear, and
yet how powerful and rapid ! With what commotion it
bounds away ! Js this a branch of the Niagara ? "

Another lady. — " I hope that we walk not on en-
chanted ground. The object before me is so unexpected,
so new, that I am charmed with the view ; though I
grow dizzy in looking down to the deep chasm which
opens before me."

Guide. — '■ Still move a few steps closer to the bank,
and you will perceive that the stream below is truly the
Niagara. Its sudden turn, the contraction of the chan-
nel, the high and approaching banks, and the dark and
swelling water of the outlet, strikes every one with sen-
sations of admiration."

Traveller. — ** Tasteless to the marvellous and sur-
prising beauties of nature would he be, who can be-
hold these, her noble works, without emotion."

*' Nature here
Wantons in her prime, and plays at will
Her virgin fancies."

Guide. — '' These are the points spoken of, as being
practicable to cormect together by a suspension bridge.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Stone thrown to Canjida.

Ill '

II 1

i <

Though the inhabitants of Lewiston and Queenstown
have companies incorporated for that purpose, and seri-
ously contemplate to build a bridge to join their villages,
yet the distance across the river, at Lewiston, is much
further than here."

As nearly all the travellers, that visit the Whirlpool,
descend the bank, and consider themselves well paid for
the trouble, the party conclude to go down.

The guide leads the way, and with some labor and
exertion, though not more than is healthy exercise, they
descend. He conducts them to the Smith Rock, against
which dashes the powerful and resistless current.

*' Here," he observes, '* a young man, by the name
of Samuel Whitner, of this township, threw a stone
that struck the Canada shore."

Several of the party, being disposed to try their skill
and strength, make the same attempt. Whether they
succeed or not, has not been reported.

Traveller. — " I think I have seen it mentxoned in
some publication, that there is a cave near the Whirl-
pool. If worthy of notice, we will visit it."

The guide acknowledges that he is ignorant of its lo-
cation ; that he knew but one person who had visited it,
and his account was very vague and unsatisfactory ;
stating that he entered but a short distance in the cave ;
that it was very dark, and that he did not like to go in
alone. The same person also said, that he observed,
near the cave, many valuable mineral specimens ; and,
that spot not having been visited by travellers, he thought
more minerals might bo picked up, than at any other
place. The cave, he said, was about 30 rods up the
river from the path that depcends the bank. The guide
expresses a desire to lead the party in that direction, and

Vi.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Improvements proposed.

explore it out ; but, the route appearing very difficult,
the ofTer is declined.

The almost impenetrability of the trees and bushes,
the rocks hanging dangerously above, and the necessity
of climbing and again descending many steep and for-
bidding passes, have, as yet, prevented a full explora-
tion of this place ; but, the grounds around the Whirl-
pool having come into the occupation of Mr. Walter E.
Hulett, a most public-spirited man, it will be different
for the future. He intends making the descent down the
bank more convenient, to examine the whole vicinity,
to remove obstacles that impede the movements of
visiters, and, without affecting the wild, romantic aspect,
yet, to make every place accessible that visiters may de-
sire to view. Heretofore, no person has resided near
the Whirlpool, and there was no accommodation or pro-
vision for the comfort of travellers. Mr. Hulett intends
to establish such accommodations, as will make the place
in all respects agreeable for a more protracted stay, to
those who may desire to tarry, than has heretofore been
the case.

One of the party expresses some surprise, that this
water power has not been brought into use ; *' the rapids,
though larger, are similar to those above the Falls, and
they may be controlled in the same way."

Guide. — ^'The hill, or high bank, appears to be the
only obstacle."

Traveller. — That, now, is of but little consequence,
as power may be used at almost any distance, by means
of the elasticity of the air, confined and conveyed in cast
iron pipes."

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Keturn to the upper bunk.

Some of the party seek for new and strange plants,
for thia place, like Iris Island, produces many varieties,
not readily found in other parts of the country.

" And midst the craggy pilea and boulders, here,

AVild plants and trees, with verdant tops, appear;

Uncommon herbs, peculiar to the plfice,

Peep through the fissures, and the prospe^it grace.

Here tlie sage botanist delight?! to stay.

And in deep study wile the thne av/ay.

Having spent an hour below the bank, in rambling
over the rocks, and engraving their names upon the
trees, they retrace their steps. Arriving at the top of
the hill, they proceed along the upper bank, for a quar-
ter of a mile or more. Here are presented some noble
views of the formidable river, driving furiously along.

" Thou seestnot all: but piecemeal thou must break

To separate contemplation, the great whole;

And, as the ocean many bays will make,

That ask the eye, so, here, condense thy soul

To more immediate olijects, and control

Thy thoughts, until thy mind hath got, by heart.

Its eloquent proportions, and unrol,

In mighty graduations, part by part.

The glory which, at once, upon thee did not dart."

Having traversed the shore, till wearied with the walk,
they return to the summer-house, where they seat and
rest themselves. While enjoying the cool retreat, and
the beauty of the prospect, the conversation is still on
the scene before them. One inquires — '' Do you not
suppose it possible to cross the river, here, in safety 1 *'

The guide replies — ''No one has ever thought it
possible ; though a life boat has been spoken of, and, if

]

(I
n

it
if

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Maelstrojn, of iVorway.

obtained, there is a person at the Falls, by the name of
Joel R. Robinson, a most skilful waterman, who would
not hesitate to attempt it."

To which, another gentleman adds — '* With such a
boat, no doubt, it might be accomplished. While look-
ing at the Whirlpool, of Niagara river, my thoughts
have been drawn to the Maelstrom, of Norway ; con-
trasting the two together, to discover if there is any re-
semblance between them ; but I find none." An Ame-
rican gentleman, who sailed along the edge of the Mael-
strom, says — '' The waves foamed around us in every
form. The sensations I experienced, are difficult to de-
scribe. Imagine to your yourself an immense circle,
moving round, of a diameter of one and a half miles,
the velocity increasing as it approximates towards the
centre, and gradually changing its dark blue color to
white — foaming, tumbling, rushing to the vortex —
very much concave, as much so as the water in a tunnel
when half run out ; the noise, too, hissing, roaring,
dashing — all pressing on the mind at once — presented
the most awful, grand, and solemn sight I ever beheld.
It is evidently a subterranean passage. From its mag-
nitude, I should not doubt, but that instant destruction
would be ths fate of a dozen of our largest ships, if they
were drawn in the same moment."

A lady remarks — ''As to the foaming, tumbling,
dashing, and roaring, our eyes and ears must witness
that the scene before us cannot be surpassed ; but the
great peculiarity of the Maelstrom, the tunnel-like ap-
pearance, is not found here ; still, of all the beautiful
and romantic places along Niagara's stream, nature's
matchless handiwork, this spot comes most up to my
estimation of the picturesque, combined with the grand
and solemn."

100

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Heiijiiiiiiit Iluthbuii.

laveller. — ** If the improvements were made, of"
which the 'ace is susceptible, it would iiifike a beautiful
country retreat. The grounds, west of the road, 1 would
enclose as a park ; the forest part should be cleared of
the under-growth; leaving here and there, dense as it
now is, a clump of indigenous shrubs and plants, as im-
pervious as nature has reared them. The whole should
be intersected with roads and walks ; steps, also, to de-
scend the bank ; a bathing and fishing house ; a life-boat
on the river ; and a suspension bridge, from bank to
bank. The water power should be brought into use, in
carrying on mills and manufactories ; and my cottage
should be in the midst of the active and rural scClIC."

Guide. — '* To which could be added a view of the
Falls, at a distance, if the woods on yon point of land at
the south, in Canada, were cut down. This place was
one of the favorite purchases of Rathbun, and on which
he very justly placed a high value. It was he who erected
this summer-house, and the other building which you
observe. It was his design to carry into effect many of
the improvements which you have just mentioned.

BENJAMIN RATHBUN.

" Say, why wc strive a lustrous name to ^^".in,
And live in fame, for vain ambition's sake? "

f^i?

As there is, at almost every important point in this
vicinity, some work remaining of the taste and enter-
prise of this individual, of so much notoriety, — and so
many inquiries are made relative to him, it is proper to
give to the public such notices as have come to the know-

JAUNT TO THE WTIIRLPOOL.

101

Tii.\ cMi-keopcr, incrcliaiit, jiihI hanker.

ledge of ihe author. Perhaps no more strong delusion
ever came over the public mind, as to any man, than
prevailed in reference to Ilathbun.

In 1810, he kept a pubiic-house at Sherburne, in the
state of New York. Near his tavern, he had a store of
i^ooda : he also issued notes, as a private banker. His
store v^as fitted up in a superior style, and the interior
of his puhlic-house was really a inodel, and the admin -
tion of travellers. It was much in advance, in appearance
and in general accommodations, over the other public-
houses of the country.

He soon after failed ; and, much reduced, he sought
for employment in another part of the country. It is
stated, that the relations of Mrs. Rathbun proposed that
she should return to them, her husband being alike bank-
rupt in property and character ; but she declined the
offer, preferring to share adversity as well as prosperity
with the HK.n of her choice. He first came to Niagara
Falls, and proposed to get a public-house built for his
Gccupatior there ; but, relinquishing that idea, he suc-
ceeded in obtaining charge of the Eagle Tavern, at Buf-
falo. Under his management, the reputation of that
house was soon raised from a very low state, to one of
the highest character. He enlarged the buildings, and
erected adjoining ones. Every thing he did, was in good
style. As a landlord, he became eminent ; all that called
on hiiii, were pleased, and commended him to others.
His bar was said to be stocked with the choicest wines ;
his table was abundant ; his beds, the best evidence of a
well kept house, every thing the weary traveller could
desire ; and his servants were the most attentive and
obliging. It was, in those days, a luxury to be a guest
at the Eagle Tavern. The citizens of Bufialo were

102

III (11

■'I

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLroOL.

Kntlihun — ciirecr heiriin.

proud of such n public-house, nnd of such a hmdlord ;
and well they niii,dit : he wns a credit to the calling in
which he was engaged, nnd was an honor to the place.

While his hotel was so well conducted, many were
his guests that came and went away, wiilioiit seeing the
landlord, to know him ; yet were delighted with his
house, lie moved through it quietly and unobtrusively,
directing about every thing, and seeing to the comfort
and accommodation of his company, without their
notice.

To Benjamin Rathbun, more than any other man, the
public, in every portion of the United States, are mainly
indebted, for raising the standing and character of our
public-houses to their present splendid condition.

In 1831, he was employed to build the banking-house
of the United States Branch Bank, at Butlalo. He had
been rapidly gaining in character and credit ; and h^
now fairly commenced on the extraordinary career which
he afterwards run. Having correct ideas, as to build-
ings and improvements, he met with ready encourage-
ment from an enterprising people. First, he erected
houses for others, on contract ; then he gradually com-
menced to buy lands, and build for himself. As he made
improvements upon the lands he purchased, every new
acquisition, as soon as it was known to be in his hands,
rose in value, and carried up all the property in the
neighborhood. Hence arose the great Buffalo specula-
tions, which crazed the head of every body. He was
extoiied for his superior discernment and capability for
business. It was said, ** His affairs went like clock-
work." ** He has a most perfect system." '* He
knows the value of property better than any man in Buf-
falo." Whenever he fixed his eye favorably upon any

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

103

itatlibun — heavy (>i)erjitions.

spot, Hpcculntors were nlivc to overbid him, nnd obtain
the bargain. The inhabitants of the eurruumhng, and
even distant viUages, courted his acquaintance, and bo-
licitcd him to make purchases among them ; for the
fact of his making a purchase in any place, was at once
the cause of property advancing to doul)Ic and treble its
former vniuc. At length, he was called ** the mighty
operator," *' the Girard of the West" ; and, it was
added, " Buffalo will erect a statue to his memory."
** He has laid his hands on the most valuable property
in the city and country." " He is worth more than two
millions of dollars." Some few had apprehensions that
his condition would not turn out so well, and hinted,
that, after all, he n^.ight fail. ** No, he wont fail,"
would be the reply, "and if he should, the people of
Buffalo will sustain him." The wisest and soundest
men in the community sank beneath him in the public
estimation ; and even such, seemed to have parted with
their wits, as they fell in his train, lauded his talents,
favored his magnificent undertakings, and certified as to
his success. He was flooded with the offers of property,
of bargains, and of plans and enterprises. No impor-
tant work could go forward without his aid, as one of
the proprietors, or managers. His name was considered
as a sanction — the guarantee of successful operation.
The multiplicity of his business became such, that those
who called on him could have but so much of his time ;
and the highest in society thought it no disparagement
to run round the city after him, and then wait their turn
to address him. Now it was said ** He can do any
thing." ** He hath the power of a sultan."

During his whole career, he lived in good, but not
Ostentatious style. Sometimes a party would be got up,

104

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Itntlibun — his chnrncter.

of the fnshionablcs, to no to the FalU

that

the

case.

would be a little more show. The carriage, or sleigh,
that carried his fanuly, would be the richest, the harness
the most elegant, and the horses the most noble ; his
whole equipage outshining all the rest. And why should
it not have been so ? All others sunk themselves to
pigmies by his side ; all eyes sought for him ; "he was
the admired of all." He was the theme of every body's
conversation. Phrenologists discovered an extraordinary
contour in the formation of his head, and developments
of capacity far exceeding any they had ever noticed in
other subjects.

On the day of tlie great sale of lots, at Niagara Falls,
in August, 183G, in which his fate was deeply interested,
and when the whole story of his frauds he knew would
soon be published to the world ; when the burthen must
have pressed upon his mind like molten lead ; yet, he
was still active, pointing out to his agents what sections
to sell, and mingling with the purchasers. A gentle-
man, of much knowledge of mankind, to whom Rath-
bun was unknown, desired to have him pointed out ;
and, after seeing and observing him for some time, ho
said — *' How much more active and able Rathbun ap-
pears than ■'^■^^^^ -;f«*if^^»» mentioning the name of one
of the wisest and most active men in the country. Such
was the delusion that prevailed with all, as to the esti-
mation of Rathbun's character and ability. None felt
himself demeaned by awarding to him superior and ex-
celling powers. It is not wonderful, that in beholding
the general infatuation, he, too, should become beside
himself.

" Great wits are, sure, to madness near .illietl,
And thin partitions do their bounds divide.'*

JAUNT TO TIIR WHIRLrOOL.

105

Huthimn— liiH fall.

t'(

•ho

»r aiiihiti

(1I(

(I,

Lie own scnoni^s oi aiiiDition were
bcsklea, lie had the visionary views of others based upon
liini ; and lie became the broad colossi;! illar that sus-
tained the spcc'ub'iting mania of that time. He was flat-
tered into an opinion of the pcrlectness of his judj^nnent.
and was mad(^ to believe that he was worth millions.
Still, he was in want of the means to carry into eflect
all his sunny visions, or yet there remained to !)e secured
some i'avorite si)eculation ; and, in an evil hour, the
course was commenced that destroyed him.

Nothing can be said in juslification of such conduct :
yet, it is charitable to believe, that it was his intention
to cancel every liability. As he daily had brought to hia
notice, the immense value of his estate, doubtless he
vainly supposed he could; at any hour, sweep away every
vestige of fraud. But the volcano, on which he reposed,
burst forth, and plunged him into irretrievable ruin ;
leaving his buildings, his improvements, and all his
valual)le acquisitions, to be sacrificed, and to become the
property of others.

Rathbiin committed no frauds to lavish the avails in
debauchery, or in criminal pursuits of any kind. Very
industrious ; regular in his habits, and attached to his
family, he lived quietly in his own domestic circle ; de-
votedly beloved by his wife, a very amiable woman,
and esteemed by all his intimate acquaintance. He was
just in his dealing with those who labored for him, set-
tling with them, and paying them with great regulanty.
A course so honest and commendable, made him very
popular with his workmen. His great aim appears to
have been to give celebrity to the name of Lenjamiii
Rathbun, and that he sought to do, by the erectioi^ cf
fire-proof stores, spacious dwelling houses, noble hoteL-,

106

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Rathbun — a proposition.

and magnificent exchanges, and to beautify and adorn
the country by useful and elegant improvements. The
building of rail-roads, mills, factories, and steam-boats,
all were among his operations, or entered into his plans.
For accomplishing objects like thece, his offence was
committed, and not for any criminal purpoHes. He
erred greatly, in not at once acknowledging the charges
against him, and in not throwing himself upon the mercy
of the court, and commisseration of the community.
Such boundless ambition, however directed, can never
be approved.

The ends of justice have now been answered : he may
again be an useful man. Let his friends ask for the re-
mi^bion of the further penalty of the law. Let them do
more : let them, at some suitable place, build an hotel,
equal if not surpassing any in the United States, and
make Rathbun the landlord. Such an act would be
kindness to him, — would confer a favor upon those who
travel, and the proprietors would soon find their stock
profitab'e.

The party have resumed their seats in the carriage,
and have concluded to extend their ride.

• i>

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

107

Devil's Hole.

BATTLE OF THE DEVILS HOLE.

" Once this soft turf, this riv'let's sands,
Were trampled by a hurrying crowd ;

And fiery hearts, and armed hands.
Encountered in the battle cloud."

-3 1

A mile from the Whirlpool, the road runs within a
few feet of the river's bank, where a deep and gloomy
chasm is rent or worn out of the rock. This is called
the Devil's Hole, and the small stream which crosses
the road and falls in the chasm, is the Bloody Run.

In 1759, while the war was yet raging between Eng-
land and France, a detachment of one hundred British
regulars were conveying a large supply of provisions,
beef cattle, and munitions of war, to Fort Schlosser.
Indians were employed by both parties. Those in the
interest of the French, had been for some days hovering
unobserved about the British camp, and when the convoy
set out, they were on the alert. At this place, they
formed *heir ambuscade, and never was there a spot
more favorable for such a maneuvre. The road passed
down a small hill, and continued on a level for about a
hundred rods, when it again rose on higher ground.
The northern portion of the road is now sligh iy aried.
The ascents were united by an elevated ridge of level
land, which was covered with wood, and commanded
the road for the whole distance. On the right of the
advancing party, was the high bank of the Niagara river,
and on the left the ridge, and at each extremity the two
small hills. The party, unsuspecting any attack, moved
forward on the road ; when the front of the detachment

V .^

108

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

The nmbusciule.

reached the end of the ravine, the Indian fusees were
opened upon them with deadly aim ; then followed the
dread war-whoop, as if a thousand wolves were howl-
ing and yelling around them. Indeed, their assailants
were more fierce and ferocious than the wild beasts of the
forest. Many of the soldiers were killed at the first dis-
charge, and the others were thrown into hopeless con-
fusion. The Indians fell like tigers upon the drivers,
tomahawked them in their seats, and threw them under
foot. The wagons were backed off tLo precipice, and
men and cattle fell with the loading in one dismembered
and mutilated mass below. Some threw themselves
from the bank, and fell mangled and dying on the rocks ;
others lodged in the branches of the trees, where they
remained, disabled, until the affray was over, when the
savages at their leisure despatched them. The horror of
the scene can be but faintly imagined. The quick re-
port of the fusees, the yells of the Indians, the bellowing
of the cattle, the shrieks of the wounded and dying,
mingled with the monotonous roar of the surges of the
Niagara, which rose from below as in mockery of the
the folly, the strife, and dying groans of men. The
brook that courses over the bank, ran red with the blood
of the slain. A person, by the name of Stedman, escaped
by cutting the bridle of his horse, which an Indian had
seized. The horse fled with him up the small stream,
and came again to the Niagara river, at the mouth of a
creek now called Gill Creek. The heirs, or representa-
tives of this man have since setup a pretended title to
the tract of land which he encompassed in his retreat,
bounding west on the Niagara river, and say that the
Indians ^nve him the land, as *' a medicine," for his
loss at the Devil's Hole. No deed or confirmation of

■■?■

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

109

Four persons csciii/e.

title being produced to our courts, the claim was not
admitted.

Stedman's brother threw himself down the bank, and
was fortunately, without injury, caught in the top of a
pine tree ; thence, he descended to the water's edge,
and by swimming in some places, and scrambling through
brakes and over rocks in others, he succeeded in reach-
ing the landing, now Lewiston. Two other persons,
only, made good their escape : all the others were de-
stroyed. Until of late years, pieces of the wagons, and
other evidences of this bloody discomfiture, existed ; but
they have now entirely mouldered iway.

At Colt's tavern, four miles from the Falls, a road
strikes ofl^ to the cast, which leads to the Indian village.
As the travellers turn to the right, the guide points to
the next rising ground in sight, on the Lewiston road,
and observes — " there resided an honest old Dutch far-
mer, by the name of March. When the British and In-
dians made their destructive incursion on the frontier,
information did not reach him in season to make his
escape. While he was harnessing his horses, a party of
Indians rushed upon him, and murdered him on the
spot. While the bloody deed was going on, in front of
the house, the family effected their escape to the woods.
A scouting party of Americans, some days afterwards,
passing that way, found his own hogs eating his body.
Such are the abhorrent scenes which war presents.

110

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

The Indian Village.

TUSCARORA INDIANS.

*' That cliff, methinks, the Indian cry
Peals from its summit, slirill and high."

They are a part of the tribe of Tuscaroras, formerly
inhabiiing North Carolina. They came to this country
about the year 1712, and joined the five nations. The
whole formed the warlike confederacy called the Six
Nations. They live on a tract of land ceded to them by
the Senecas, of one by three miles, and also 4328 acres
deeded to them by the Holland Land Company. The
United States, in 1837, purchased out their interest, and
they are to be removed to the west. They number only,
at this time, 283 individuals. Their present principal
chief is Thomas Chew, the son of an Englishman.

Our party having arrived at the village, look into the
wigwams ; make such observations, and take such notes
of the customs and manners of the inhabitants, as a short
and hnsty visit affords ; purchase some articles of Indian
manufacture ; or, perhaps, seek an introduction to the
venerable chief Sacarissa, who was a commissioned offi-
cer in the American army, in the revolutionary war. If
it be Sunday, the travellers attend the place of public
worship, where, besides the interest afforded by the ser-
mon of the missionary, they will hear it translated to
the natives, in their peculiar guttural language ; and
also hear singing, of the most superior order. The
Indians are, justly, much extolled for their fine voices.
They are very fond both of vocal and instrumental music.

Among their distinguished men, there was one, some
time since, by the name of

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

An Indian Speech.

}

LITTLE CHIEF.

Immediately after the declaration of war by our govern-
ment, in J81'2, about a dozen of the sachems and prin-
cipal men of the village, with much formality, called on
the commanding officer of Fort Niagara. The officers
of the fort assembled at the commandant's quarters, and
being seated. Little Chief thus expressed himself :

" John Mountpleasant, a noble Indian,"

*' He says," spoke the interpreter, " that Captain
Bruff was the first American that took possession of this
fort. lie received it peaceably from the hands of the
the British. He and his troops resided here in peace ;
there was no war, no trouble. He went away : he left
the fort strong as he got it. He did well."

*' He says," — " Next came Major Revardi, and still
there was peace. These fortifications remained firm and
strong : there were no enemies to approach them. He
went away : he left all things as he found them. He did
well."

'' He says," — *' Then came Captain Wiley : yet there
was peace. Friends passed from one side of the river to
the other : the warriors rested on their arms in security,
and there were none to call them to battle. He went
away. He, too, left the fort strong. He did well."

" He says," — '< After him, came Major Porter : yet
there was peace. He also went away. He left all things
as he found them. He did well."

" He says," — <* These all did well. You came next.
You found the fort strong. You have been here in peace.
You, too, have done well. Now, war has come. This
fort is of great importance to the United States. Those
that came before you, did well in peace. You must do
well in war.

hi\

;:M

i! V

ii V

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

An Indian adventure.

He says," — " We have come to tell you, that we t;re
the friends of the United States : we are as one peopl'j.
We wish to offer our services to you : our warriors will
do all they can : they hold themselves readv to fight
for this couRcry. When you need us, call, and we will
come.'

The commanding officer made a suitable reply, stating
that if their services should be required for defensive pur-
poses, the government of the United States would in-
form them. After Great Britain had set the example of
employing Indians, the Tuscaroras were called upon,
and no Americans behaved better than they did, during
the remainder of the war.

The travellers leave the village, and descend the moun-
tain towards Lewi^ton.

AN INDIAN ADVENTURE.

" In voice, mein, gesture, savage nature spoke."

Just below the mountain, and to the right of the road
which descends from the Tuscarora village, lives Mr.
Sparrow Sage. He had, on the 19th of December, 1813,
in the distressing invasion of this frontier, been driven
from his home. For the purpose of securing his harvest,
he, the summer after, returned with his wife, to their
exposed and solitary dwelling. One day, when he was
at work at some distance in the fields, an Indian, attached
to the British cause, entered the house. He demanded
something to eat, speaking in broken English. Mrs. S.
was entirely alone, and immediately obeyed his bidding,
being in hopes that he would, after eating, go away.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

113

An ubduction. — The rescue.

After he had finished his rojiast, he told her that he lived
at Grand River, in Canada, and that he had come after
her to go with him, and she must be his squaw. She
replied to him, that could not be, for she had a husband.
*' No, no," he angrily said, "You very pretty — you
must be my squaw — you shall go." In vain she told
him that her husband and others were near by ; that he
had better go away, or he might get killed. The Indian
then took down Mr. S's gun, and finding it not loaded,
put it up again. Afterwards, he ransacked the house,
commanding Mrs. S. not to leave his sight, and keep-
ing his eye upon her. He first appropriated to himself
all that he could carry ; then, seizing her forciby by the
arm, he dragged her out of the back door, and thence
towards the woods, in the direction of Fort Niagara,
then in the occupation of the British. The husband
heard the screams of his wife, and hurrying towards the
house, seized an axe which was lying at the door, and
followed in pursuit. He came up to them at the fence,
on the border of the forest. Not letting go his hold, the
savage fired at Mr. S. as he ran towards them. His
ball did not take efiect ; and, just as he was raising his
victim to throw her over the fence, he received a blow
from the axe which broke his rifle, and made him let go
of Mrs. S. He then, consulting his own safety, leaped
over the fence ; but, in doing so, he received another
blow from the axe, which made him fill the forest with
his yells, and he made off with all the speed he could,
into the thick woods. Mr. S. did not think proper to
pursue, but, returning with his wife, they immediately
left their dangerous habitation for a place of greater
security.

114

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Auotlier udveuture.

Mr. William Molyneux, the father of Mrs. S. had,
the winter before, occupied the same residence. About
a month after ho and his family had been obliged to flee
from their homes, he returned very caut'ously. He
entered his house, and found two Indians lying dead on
the floor. A party of American militia-men had come
upon them unexpectedly, while they were carousing upon
the good fare and liquors which the occupants had left.
They were, no doubt, abroad for murder and destruc-
tion, and met the fate which they intended for others.
Mr. W. dragged their bodies from the house, and as he
had no aid or time to bury them, he formed round them
a largo pile of logs and rails, and, setting fire to it, they
were consumed. The British Indians considered it quite
an aflront, and threatened vengeance. It v, as an empty
threat, for they had already done him all the mischicl
they could.

AN ESCAPE FROM INDIANS.

*' Though few the numbers — their.^ the strife,
That neither Bi;ares nor i^eeks for life."

Another incident, which occurred on the memorable
invasion before alluded to, took place on the Ridge Road,
a few miles east of Mr. Molyneux' s public-house. The
roads had been deeply broken up, and were frozen in
that state, and it was impossible to proceed with wagons ;
a very little snow enabled the inhabitants si jwly to move
along with sleighs. They were fleeing from a relentless
and cruel enemy. The rear of the fugitives was brought
up with a two-horse sleigh, driven by a young man, who

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

115

Death of an Indian.

was walking by the side of his horses. In the sleigh lay
his brother, who, one week before, had had his leg am-
putated just below the thigh. His condition was very
feeble, and to proceed rapidly, rough as the roads then
were, wor'd have been death to him. There was no
alternative, but to continue tlie moderate pace at which
they were moving. The driver was armed with a rifle.
At that, and distrustfully behind him, he alternately
looked ; for he knew the foe was near at hand. At
length, the war-whoop, with its accompanying yells,
broke upon their ears. The disabled brother besought
the other to leave him to his fate, and by flight to save
his own life. "No," he replied, **if we are to die,
we will perish together." The party of Indians that
pursued them were in full sight ; and one, far in advance
of the others, called to them to stop, making threatening
gestures, and raising his rifle. With the same slow
pace, the horses proceeded ; the driver, coolly collecting
himself for the conflict, in which there were such fearful
odds against him. The Indian sprang forward, and was
within a few paces of the sleigh, when the young man,
suddenly turning himself, quickly raised his rifle, and
firing, fatally wounded his pursuer. The savage plunged
forward, fell, and his body rolled out of the road. A
yell of vengeance, from the band in the road, came like
the knell of death upon the brothers. At that moment,
a friendly party of the Tuscaroras were seen descending
the adjacent mountain ; and the well-directed fire they
opened on the British Indir ■

UUHi

precipitatel

to retire. The driver of :"!« ileigh was the Hon. Bates
Cooke, and the invalid w; > his brother, Lathrop Cooke,
Esq. Mr. B. Cooke, at the battle of Queenston, was
pilot of the boat that led the van on that occasion ; the

"^I^^WB^W

116

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

II 1 i

Village ol' liCwiston.

boat was brought to the exact point designated, and the
men, though fired upon by the sentinel who gave the
alarn^i, were landed without loss.

The party approach Lewiston. The summer after
this village was burnt, the prospect all around was like
one extensive meadow. Nearly all the fences in the
fields had been destroyed by our own troops, at different
times, while encamped there, or passing through ; but,
at the time it was burnt by the British, the destruction
was general : nothing was left that would burn ; and
the life of no creature was spared that could be destroyed.
Not only the fields, but the yards and streets were
covered with high grass, and the prospect was lonely and
melancholy in the extreme — not a living creature was
to be seen. A spirit of wanton cruelty had caused the
enemy to destroy all that they could not carry away.
Little swarms of small yellow butterflies, flitting about
above the tall grass, marked the spot where the carcass
of some creature lay, where it had been shot down or
perished. What scene can be more gloomy, than a once
populous country depopulated, and laid waste by the
ravages of war !

As you enter the village, directly fronting the road
from the Falls, formerly lived sergeant Thomas Hustler,
one of Gen. Wayne's old veterans. He carried about,
for many years, a ball in his thigh, which he received
in battle. He kept a public-house, one of the best of
those times ; and the grateful beverage of old mother
Hustler's good coffee, is yet remembered by many an
old traveller ; and many a sleigh-ride, and jaunt of plea-
sure, was made by the officers of Fort Niagara, to the
public-house of the old sergeant.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

117

Five Mile Mendow.

A little furtlior in the village, lived a respectable phy-
sician, by the name of Alvord. When the Indians en-
tered Lewiston, carrying before them terror nnrl death,
he was prcparini^ to fly from the danger, but he was too
late ; as he was mounting his horse, they shot him
down, and scnlped him.

Lewiston was, in 1805, named after Governor Lewis,
of the state of New York ; it was burnt in 1813, and is
now a beautiful and flourishini? villa ire.

■II

FIVE BI I L E MEADOW.

, ,',t
I'

** Como, tread with me yon changeful dells,
Where beauty into grandeur swells."

This beautiful and valuable situation, celebrated in the
early days of the country, as well as in the present, is
between one and two miles below Lewiston, and five
miles fr'^-n the Fort. Hence its name. It is the resi-
dence an I property of Captain Nathaniel Leonard, for-
merly of the United States army.

At the close of the last war, he retired to this place,
esteemed as the most attractive and pleasant of any on
the river. Here, in the midst of a beloved family, in the
improvement and cultivation of his farm, and in the
confidence of his many friends and neighbors, he has
lived happily for many years, and truly verified the
adage, that

" The post of honor is a private station."

Youngstown is a village, also, lying by the side of the
ISfiagara river. It is one mile from Fore Niagara, and

— • ■ iiiiirtsa

Jii:

118

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Fort NiaKtira.

old Fort George, in Cnnndn, is directly opposite. It
derives its name from John Youn^r, nn Anicricnn mer-
chant, living in Cnnad;i, who is the principal proprietor.
Plere is kept the only ferry to Cnnada, between Lewis-
ton and Lake Ontario. A horse boat is maintained. In
summer time, it is very pleasant crossing ; but, in win-
ter, if the ice runs, there is danger.

FORT NIAGARA.

" Hoarse barked tho wolf; tlic vnlturc screamed afar,-
The angel pity shunned the walks of u ar.''

This fortress is in latitude 43 dog. 14 sec. N. In 167J),
a small spot was enclosed by pallisades, by M. De Salle,
an officer in the service of France. In 1725, the Fort
was built. In 1759, it was taken by the British, under
Sir William Johnson. The capture has been ascribed to
treachery, though there is not known to be any existing
authority to i)rove the charge. In 1790, it was surren-
dered to the United States. On the 19th of December,.
1813, it was again taken by the British, by surprise ;
and in Mareh, 1815, again surrendered to the Ameri-
cans. This old fort is as much noted for enormity and
crime, as for any good ever derived from it by the nation
in occupation. While in the hands of the French, there
is no doubt of its having been, at times, used as a prison ;
its close and impregnable dungeons, where light was
not admitted, and where remained, for many years after,
clear traces, and a part of the ready instruments for exe-
cution, or for murder. During the American revolution,
it was the head-quarters of all that was barbarous, uure-

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

119

Fort NinRarn- — IMcss-housc.

Icnting, nnd cruel. Tlicre, were congregated the lenders
and chiefs of those bands of murderers and miscreants,
that carried death and destruction into the remote Ame-
rican settlements. Tiierc, civili'/ed Europe revelled with
savage America ; and ladies of education and refinement
mingled in the society of those whose only diitinctioii
was to wield the bloody tomahawk and sca!ping-knife.
There, the squaws of the forest were raised to eminence,
?ind the most unholy unions between them and oflicers
of the highest rank, smiled upon and countenanceu.
There, in their strong hold, like a nest of vultures,
securely, for seven years, they sallied forth and preyed
upon the distant settlements of the JVIohawks and Sus-
quehannahs. It was the depot of their plunder ; there
they i)lanned their forays, and there they returned to
feast, until the hour of action came again.

Fort Niagar-i is in the state of New York, and stands
on a point of land at the mouth of the Niagara river. It
is a traditionary story, that the mess-house, which is a
very strong building and the largest in the fort, was
erected by stratagem. A considerable, though not power-
ful body of P'rench troops, had arrived at the point.
Their force was inferior to the surrounding Indians, of
whom they were under some apprehensions. They ob-
tained consent of the Indians to l)iuld a wigwam, and
induced thein, with some of their oflicers, to engage in
an extensive hunt. The materials had been made ready,
and, while the Indians were absent, the French built.
When the parties returned, at night, they had advanced
so far with the work, as to cover their faces, and to (.u\
fend themselves against the savages, in case of an attack.
In progress of time, it became a place of considerable
strength. It had its bastions, ravines ; its ditch and

!i-:«

ll: 'i

" ti'W.

I if'}

[

: k;

: »

120

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Fort NiagariT. — Grave jard — black hole.

pickets ; its curtains and counterscarp ; its covered way,
draw bridge, raking batteries ; its stone towers, labora-
tory, and magazine ; its mess-house, barracks, bakery,
and blacksmith shop ; and, for worship, a chnpel, with
a large ancient dial over the doer, to mark the hourly
course of the sun. It was, indeed, a little city of itself,
and for a long period the greatest place south of Mon-
treal, or west of Albany. The fortifications originally
covered a space of about eight acrca. At a few rods
from the barrier gate, was the burying ground ; h was
filled with memorials of the mutability of human life ;
and over the portals of the entrance was painted, in large
axid emphatic characters, the word " REST."

It is generally believed, that some of the distant fort-
resses of France were often converted into state prisons,
as well as for defensive purpose3. There was much
about Fort Niagara, to establish the belief that it had
been used as such. The dungeon of the mess-house,
called the black hole, was a strong, dark, and dismal
place ; and in one corner of the room was fixed the ap-
paratus for strangling such unhappy wretches as fell un«
der the displeasure of the despotic rulers of those days.
The walls of this dungeon, from top to bottom, had en-
graved upon them French names, and mementos in that
language. That the prisoners were no common persons
was clear, as the letters and emblems were chiselled
out in good style. In June, 1812, when an attack was
momentarily expected upon the fort by a superior British
force, a merchant, resident at Fort Niagara, deposited
some valuable articles in this dungeon. He took occa-
sion, one night, to visit it with a light ; he examined the
walls, and there, among hundreds of French names, he
saw hig own family name engraved, in large letters.

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

121

Fort Niagara. — 'ViiUarn Morgan.

» *

He took no notes, and has no recollection of the other
names and memorials ; he intended to repeat hi.s visit,
and to extend his examination, but other avocations
caused the subject to be neglected ; and it was not brought
to mind again until of late years, when all was changed.
In further corroboration that Fort Niagara had witnessed
scenes of guilt and foul murder, was the fact that, in
1805, it became necessary to clear out an old sink at-
tached to the mess-house. The bones of a female vreve
found therein, evidently, from the place where discovered,
the victim of some atrocious crime.

There were many legendary stories about the fort. In
the centre of the mess-house was a well of water, but,
it having been poisoned by some of the former occupants,
in latter years the water was not used ; and it was a
story with the soldiers, and believed by the superstitious,
that at midnight the headless trunk of a French general
officer was often seen sitting on the curb of the old well,
where he had been murdered, and his body thrown in ;
and, according to dreamers and money-diggers, large
treasures, both in gold and silver, have been buried in
many of the nooks and corners of the old fort. Many
applications used to be made to the American officers, to
dig for money, and persons have been known to come
from a considerable distance for that purpose. The re-
quests were, of course, refused.

Of late years, matter of fact has been more strange
than romance. William Morgan was kidnapped from
the jail in Canandaigua ; carried in a post coach, undis-
covered and by violence, for more than one hundred
miles, through a populous country ; the perpetrators, at
the time, unsuspected ; was lodged in the magazine at
Fort Niagara, for three or four days ; and then was never

122

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Fort Niagara. — John Carroll.

more seen. He was the last human victim offered up
in these recesses of oppression and blood. What future
scenes are to be acted in this useless and ruinous old fort,
time will divulge.

In the palmy days of Fort Niagara, before the last war
with England, and while in possession of the United
States, the commanding officer was the principal man in
the surrounding country for many miles ; and the lieu-
tenants and under officers, men of considerable impor-
tance ; but the show and eclat of military command have
vanished, and the farmer, the mechanic, and the man of
business, fill, independently and respectably, their allotted
stations. From many of the former occiipants of Fort
Niagara, several characters might be selected, a descrip-
tive notice of whom would be interesting to general
readers : some, for their true nobility ; others, for their
meanness ; and some, for peculiarities especially their
own. But one character, however, will be, for the
present, noticed, and he of no higher rank than that of

an army musician.

fl If

U i

JOHN CARROLL.

" A poor old soldier

The very name tlieir loves engage."

Whether he was brother or cousin to Carroll, the fa-
mous Irish harper, is not known ; but, like him, he was
of all things devoted to music and whiskey. One morn-
ing, Carroll played the troops, on parade, a very sprightly
tune ; the commanding officer threw up his window, and
called out *' Carroll, what tune is that ? "

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

123

Fort Niagara. — John Carroll..

" What the devil ails you, sir ? " replied Carroll.

*' You old rascal ! What tune is that ? " the officer
again vociferated.

** What the devil ails you, sir ? " was the response.

** Come up here, you scoundrel, I will learn you to
answer me in that way," was next.

Carroll hastened to the room, but was very careful to
say, as soon as he opened the door, *' Sir, the name of
the chune is what the devil ails you."

** Go about your business," said the Major.

One day, when Carroll had been paying his devotions
too freely to Bacchus, in the use of his favorite beverage,
and staggering on the parade, made a ludicrous figure in
playing the retreat. The commandant gave him a per-
sonal reprimand, and threatened him with confinement.
Carroll was not then in so beggarly a state as to bear
censure patiently, but felt as great as his officer, and as
rich as a lord. He first retaliated in words, but shortly
became so furious and ungovernable, as to make it ne-
cesasry to confine him ; and, what was very unusual, he
was conveyed and locked up in the black hole. In the
middle of the night, the most dismal sounds were heard
from the place of his confinement ; and orders were
given that he should be looked to. He was found in a
piteous condition ; declaring that he had been visited by
all the hobgoblins, and all the devils in existence ; that
they came to him immediately at his entrance, and had
haunted him all the while he had been confined. He
begged that he might be allowed a light, his fife, and
pen, ink and paper ; that, by employing himself in some
way, he might be able to drive away the horrid thoughts
and phantoms that assail. J him. His request was
granted. In the morning, when he was released, and

Ikir

124

JAUNT TO THE WHIRLPOOL.

Jaunt concluded.

met the other musicians, he produced them a tune which
he said he had composed during the latter hours of his
confinement. He called it *' Carroll's thoughts on
eternity." Besides this, he composed several marches,
waltzes, and other pieces ; none of which have ever
been published. He died in 1812, of the epidemic which
at that time prevailed in the army.

Having accompanied the party of travellers to some of
the most interesting places below Niagara Falls, on the
American side, the author, bestowing his best wishes
upon them, takes his leave.

. m

1 I

1 i

ne which
:s of his
ghta on
marches,
ave ever
lie which

) some of
3, on the
It wishes

I m

\ m

I 111
I I ' I

11 '-

I'V

"'3

JAUNT TO CANADA.

VISIT TO

TABLE ROCK, BROCK'S MONUMENT, &c.

«1

J-
Si

WITH NOTICES OF

QUEENSTON, FORT GEORGE,

&c.

^•v■

^'1 -J

I;-

CANADA.

*' Princes and lords may flourish or may fade ;
A breath can make tliem, as a breatli has made
But a bold peasantry, their country's pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied."

That portion of Upper Canada, designated in the de-
spatches of Gen. Brown, as the peninsula lying between
lakes Ontario and Erie, bounded east on the Niagara
river, and extending west about, one iiundred and fifty
miles, is one of the finest tracts of country in North
America. The soil is fertile, the climate salubrious,
and the scenery beautiful. Besides being bounded on
three sides with navigable water communication, there
also passes over it many fine streams and rivulets. The
state of improvement is very respectable : the whole
tract is only equalled by Western New York, whose
inhabitants, in enterprise, are yet considerably in advance
of those of Canada. The settlements, on the western
side of the Niagara river, took place during and imme-
diately after the war of the revolution. On the Ameri-
can side, except at these points, it commenced much
later, and large tracts of the native forests are still re-
maining. The first settlers to this part of Canada, were
from the northern and western borders of Pennsylvania,
and New York; Butler's rangers ; the followers of Sir J.
Johnson ; and others, who preferred the paternal govern-

I mi

128

JAUNT TO CANADA,

Inipmssioiid of truvtilcrs.

ment of Great Britain to the republican institutions of the
people. Tiie proximity of the two countries, the same
language, and similarity of pursuits, have so assimilated
the inhabitants, that a strange, not knowing the politi-
cal division, in passing from cne to the other, would
still think himself among the snne people.

It was not so with Captain Bazil Hall, when he landed
in Canada from the United States, and trod again on
British ground ; his chest expanded — he breathed freer

— the air seemed purer; and, seeing a British soldier
near Brock's monument, he hastened towards him, and
embraced him as a brother. It is the reverse with an
American. When he goes to Canada, he feels himself
from home, and experiences a degree of constraint to
which he has not been familiar. With feelings no less
buoyant than those of Capt. Hall, when ready, he re-
rurns to his own shore rejoicing, and grateful for the
freedom which his forefathers won. Still, Americans
always leave Canada pleased with the country, and grati-
fied with the civility with which they are usually treated.
The sensations that animate both Americans and Britons
in passing into a foreign land, though apparently dis-
similar, yet arise from the same source — love of country

— of home, and veneration for long cherished institu-
tions.

JAUNT TO CANADA.

129

The Ferry.

s of the
le eaiiic
niilatcd
} politi-
would

; landed
gain on
3d freer
soldier
[ui, and
with an
himself
raint to
3 no less
he re-
fer the
nericans
id grati-
treated.
Britons
ntly dis-
country
institu-

VIEW FROM THE STAIRS.

•* An'l hark! tlie buirlc's mellow strain,

From hill to hill is ringing;
And every zephyr, o'er the plain,

TIk' joyful note is bringing.
Tlic caL'lc from hi.n eyry (l:irts,

To liear the Myin;j nunihers;
And CL'ho, in iier grotto, starts,

Awakened from her slumbers."

The party of travellers arc at the top of the bank, and
commence the descent of the long flight of stairs, in or-
der to cross the river. They stop at the foot of the first
flight, and enjoy a fine view of the Falls, and the river
below. The view below extends about two miles, where
the waters again break into billows, and, white with
foam, seem to sink into some subterraneous cavern, as
they disappear behind the projecting cliflfs.

Inquiry is often made ** How was the bank descended
before the stairs were built ? "

The descent was made by means of the Indian ladder,
half a mile further down the river, and here, by clinging
to the rocks and shrubs. The next improvement was a
ladder, eighty feet long, placed nearly perpendicularly
against the bank. Last war, it was thrown down. The
same year that peace was proclaimed, and before another
ladder was erected, a party of ladies and gentlemen,
from Boston, visited the Falls ; and, incredible as it
may appear, descended and ascended the bank, at this
place, by holding fast to the rocks.

t ,1

I' '

130

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Perilous (Iffcciit oT i\to. l.ul.Nir.

On. of the Iadi(!S observes — *• Their curiosity imist
have been very intense, to induce ihcni to expose llieni-
eelvcs to so much d.inger."

A traveller rei)lics — ** Even the Indder was difficult
and dangerous to many who d'^sceiuled it for the first
time. A gentleman once dcscrilied to me his passing
down the ladder in the lb1lo\vi)ig terms : * When I was
a youth, I visited ihc Falls in company with a lad of about
my own age. It was in 16i)S. We came to the top of the
bank, and after viewing the grca^ scene from above, we
reconnoitered the prospect below, and the means of get-
tin2 down. I became very inxious to desceiul, but the
view was much more wild and terrifilc than at present ;
and I had some slight apprehensions. I desired my
companion to accompany jiie. I)ut he declined. I had
not been used to clinibing or desceading ladders, and
such wild scenes were not lamiliar. J concluded to ven-
ture, and commenced to go down. I soon discovered
that every step I descended. 1 had to hold on still more
firmly ; but down I got. I then threaded my way along
the rough and slippery path to the wnler's edge, and
thence to the mist and falling water. It was a chaotic
scene to me : the water i)Oured from alcove : the mists
rushed over, and the Falls roared. I felt as if buried
alone in the deep and rocky chnsm. I looked up, and
saw my companion, no larger, npparenlly, than an in-
fant. Like the first travellers who visited the Falls, and
reported them to 000 feet high, to me the bnnk and Falls
appeared no less : and their actual height I did not then
know. I glanced at the long ladder standing against the
rocks, which I had again to ascend, and became oppres-
sed with fear ; and thought, if once safe on the upper
hank, that I would not soon again be caught in that hor-

JAUNT TO CANADA.

131

Perilous des)ccut of tlie ludilcr.

3, and

haotic

mists

buried

and

■ i

I I

rid plucc. At length, 1 started up ; I reached the huldcr,
and beg[in the ascent. I loolicd above ; the height ap-
peared almost inlerminnble. 1 cast my eyes below ; my
head bcenme dizzy. I fbimd it my only security lo direct
my eyes iniVont. a-^ainst the black and projecting rocks.
My feet touched the ladder with weak and unsteady steps,
and my hands clinched it with my utmost strength.
When 1 successively let go to take another hold, it
seemed as if all jjowcr was gone, or as it' a heavy load
was attached to my arms to keep them i'rom rising. On
I went, my eyes still dirccied against the rocks, and ex-
erting my (itrcngth almost to exhaustion. I .easoned
with myself", and endeavored to subdue the apprehensions
that overcame me ; I thought of the folly of my fears,
and that it required but a slight exertion to hold to the
ladder ; and that there was no necessity of grasping it
with such death-like energy. If it was twenty times as
high, I thought 1 could ascend it. At once I attempted
to be less exercised, and took hold of the rungs care-
lessly ; but, if 1 had not instantly grasped them with all
my might, I should have liiUcn to the bottom : and it
required all the strength I was master of, to recover my
position. I found that T had vainly flat Lered myself ; and
with more and more difficulty did I ri.'^e, and more firm-
ly was I obliged to hold. Though requiring but about
five minutes to make the rscent, it appeared to be the
labor of half an hour, at least. At length, I reached the
summit, and with joy I once more found myself on level
land. I advanced towards my companion, wl;o was
seated on a rock at a short distance, but. to my surprise,
my legs refused their office, my knees bent under me,
and I barely succeeded in walking. I rallied myself, and
determined to walk erect, but in spite of every effort to

I '' '

132

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Conveniences for travellers.

the contrary, my knees continued for some fifteen mi-
nutes to give way ; and I was convinced that I had been
'nost outrageously frightened. I afterwards frequently
descended, but never again with such emotions.' It was
certainly a hazardous way of descending the bank, and
particularly for ladies and persons of weak nerves. The
public are much indebted for the present conveniences
afforded to visiters, and for nothing more than the dif-
ferent staircases."

The guide observes — '^ It is well thought of by some,
and they are willing to pay for the many accommodations
they receive : others think these conveniences should be
erected and maintained gratuitously, and complain of
being taxed at every turn."

Traveller. — ''It is very unreasonable to expect that
people should go to great expense in providing these ac-
commodations, and also give their personal attention
without reward."

Guide. — " There is another class, that object to these
conveniences ; they are hunting for adventure and hair-
breadth escapes, about thp Falls ; they wish, on their re-
turn, to relate the imminent danger they were in, or the
daring enterprises they performed."

Traveller. — " As to that matter, there is room enough
yet. Let them, go down the bank, where there are no
stairs, if they disapprove of them : let them wander un-
der the perpendicular rocks ; pass to Ingraham's cave ;
take an excursion in a boat, and pass from Bath Island
to the islands lying just above the Falls ; swim the Nia-
gara river ; or, in a boat, pass to the rapids below. There
is yet room for the wildest adventure about Niagara ; but
after all, the greater portion of mankind are fond of see-
ing exciting scenes from safe positions. And the variouB

f
t

■ \

f 5

JAUNT TO CANADA.

\33

Catlin's Cave.

facilities of communication, and other conveniences for
strangers, are worth all that is charged for them."

The stairs that descend the bank were built by and be-
long to Judge Porter. The ferry also, from the Ameri-
can side, belongs to him : from the British side, it be-
longs to Samuel Street, Esq. The first boat put on the
river at this place, was by Gen. Parkhurst Whitney.
He built the first stairs down the bank, and established
the first ferry.

Having arrived at the foot of the stairs, the very fine
view of the Falls, which is there presented, is noticed by
the party. Thence they wind around the sloping bank
to the landing place ; the boat is ready to receive them ;
and they are soon floating over the convulsed and agita-
ted waters. Hoods, India rubbers, oil cloths and um-
brellas, are brought into requisition, to shield them from
the descending mist that gushes away from the falling
stream.

Catlin's Cave is about a mile below, on the American
side. It can only be visited by going along the bottom
of the perpendicular bank, or near the water's edge.
Travellers usually employ the ferryman to take them in
a boat. The cnve is about 20 feet in circumference, or
about the size of a baker's large oven ; and the entrance
just big enough to admit the body of a man. When dis-
covered, it was almost filled with beautiful stalactites,
but these have been all removed. Around the cave are
large quantities of petrified moss, and springs of water
gush out above and at the sides of the cave, in a peculiar
and beautiful manner.

il!

134

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Crossing the river.

Bender's Cave is on the Canada side, a little further
down than Catlin's. It is about twenty feet from side to
side, is high enough for persons to stand in, and has a
a floor of pure white sand. To persons of leisure, both
caves are worth visiling, and afford a pleasant excursion.

Before the bridge to Iris Island was built, parties used
to visit the lower end with boats, by passing up between
the two sheets of water ; some are slill fond of making
tlie trip, as they advance very close to the Falls, which
is to many very interesting.

Usually, visitors are greatly delighted with the view of
the Falls which is obtained in crossing the ferry. To-
wards the centre of the river, the mist is dispelled, and
the prospect of the immense body of iblling water is un-
obscured by any intervening object. The whole subli-
mity of the scene is displayed. Besides this, the eddies
are strong, the waters dance round the boat, the boat it-
self rocks and bounds along, and some of the obtrusive
waves dash over upon the passengers. The ladies be-
come alarmed ; but they hardly have lime to inquire if
there is not danger, before the dashing of the waves has
ceased, the boat glides smoothly over subdued and dead
swells, and soon reaches the Canada shore.

The passengers step forth upon ilie rocks that line the
shore. The mighty cataract is pouring its ocean of v/a-
ters before them, but, if they are Americans, it has
ceased to be the only curiosity, and their attention is
called to persons and characters. A portion of the Bri-
tish army may be observed performing their evolutions
at the top of the bank ; or the party may be stopped by a
non-commissioned oflicer and a file of men, who may
question the different individuals, their business, and
object of coming into the country. Strangers, who come

JAUNT TO CANADA.

135

Village of Clifton.

to visit the Falls, are permitted to pass on. This state
of things only existed since the late difficultif i have
arisen, and may be considered as temporary. H^^reto-
tore, travellers have in no way been impeded, and Ame-
rican gentlemen have always been treated with marked
politeness by the keepers of hotels and public-houses.

Traveller, to the ladies. — '* Now we are on the soil of
' John Ball : all you see and hear will be new and in-

teresting.

VILLAGE OF CLIFTON.

\ ^

■ *;

This village comprises a fine plot on the first and se-
;;ond rise of land above the ferry. The road leading
from the river to Druiiimondville passes through the
centre. It lies directly in tront of the Falls, and com-
manda a full view of the river, of the great cataract, and
)f tiiG American shore. Its enterprising proprietor, Col.
Ogden Creighton, and others, have made valuable im-
provements, and it must become a flourishing place.

Clifton House stands just at the head of the hill from
the ferry : the prospect from its galleries is fine, and the
house is well kept.

The party proceed along the bank of the river until
coming near a house containing a large Camera Obscui'a^
which bcautifally reflects the Falls. To many, it is a
new and pleusing sight, and is always worth a visit.

Proceeding further, Mr. Barnet's Museum attracts
their attention, and they enter to see hig curiosities. No
person who visits this museum will regret the time or the
* rifling expense ; and all that have visited it, have de-

136

JAUNT TO CANADA,

Table Rock.

parted pleased and gratified. It is one of the best collec-
tions of birds and animals any where to be met with.
They are preserved in a very superior style. The ani-
mals and birds are generally those of the country, and
look almost as if living. The birds seem not to have
lost a feather, and appear as if ready to raise their wings
to fly. Mr. Barnet makes his own preparations; and,
for the neat and beautiful manner he performs his work,
he is unexcelled. He will prepare for visiters, animals
or birds to order, or will sell to them out of his stock on
hand. Besides birds and animals, there are many other
curiosities in this museum, worth seeing. The party,
after spending half an hour very pleasantly, bend their
course towards Table Rock*

TABLE ROCK.

" And still with soun;! lilce booming pea!

From distant tlumder given,
Forth, forth from out tlie dark abyss,

The rushing stream is driven."

Although much of this rodi has fallen from time to
time, within the memory of many yet living ; still, it
projects some forty or fifty feet over the bank. Through
a considerable portion of it runs a wide and deep fissure,
evidencing that it will not be many years before the outer
portion will be launched below. Some years since, the
person who kept the winding stairs, at Table Rock, gave
notice that on a certain day, (it was on the occasion of
one of the vessels going over the Falls,) he should put a
number of ke^s of powder in the fissure of the rock, aud

JAUNT TO CANADA.

137

Passing under the sheet of water.

blow it off. It was expected that it would make a tre-
mendous crash. But the gentleman who owned the
principal interest in the privilege, would not allow it to
be done, as it would have put an end to the charm of the
place — the vi . under the sheet of water.

Traveller. — *' If the rock is safe, the gentleman did
right in preserving it ; but if it hangs jeopardising the
life of human beings, it ought to be blown off."

Guide. — ^' We are now on it, and you must judge for
yourselves." '

Traveller. — ** It may stand for half a centuiy, or may
give way while we are talking about it. It has, no doubt,
too dangerous a look for a man to think of building a
residence on ; yet, for a Niagara Falls enthusiast, and
I have both seen and heard of such, it is just the spot."

PASSING UNDER THE SHEET OF WATER.

•' The glittering stream, the spray with rainbow round.
The dizzy heiglit, the roar, tlie gulf profound."

Near to Table Rock, there is an establishment at which
dresses are provided, and guides furnished to conduct
travellers under the rock, and thence under the sheet of
water. Several of the party, conclude to make the ex-
cursion, and enter the house. The ladies start back in
astonishment and dismay, as they see rising up, appar-
uitly from a lower apartment, half a dozen villainous
looking characters, arrayed in canvas jackets, and in
India rubber and oil cloth cloaks ; some with caps flapped
over their necks, and others with tarpaulin g slouched
hatSj a good representation of Italian banditti ; but, as^

^h ^H*- 44

,V**M«^<^ ■** •^"■"^

,/'

I I

i:08

JAUNT TO CANADA.

The tlosccnt.

they seemed to be saturated with wet, and the walei; ran
in streams from th'' , it was no great streteh of fancy to
imagine them demons of the Falls. The party come for-
ward, laughing and chatting gaily ; and the sweet treble
of women's voice, mixed with the louder yet well modu-
lated tones of the men, would, at least, have passed them
offas a gay set of masqueradors. An explanation soon
takes place : they prove to be a company of ladies and
gentlemen just returned from under the sheet of water.

Similar dresses were soon provided for the new com-
ers. The ladies remonstrated about the cow-hide shoes,
much too big, and other grotesque-looking articles with
which they had to ariay themselves, and laughed heartily
at each of hers odd and frighifLil appeaiance.

They descend the stairs, make their way along the
rocky path, and soon enter under the overhanging arch
of Table Rock. In front is the sheet of water : below,
at the left, is the river, white with foam, and on the
shore large bodies of rock, that have tumbled from the
arch under which the travellers are winding their svay ;
and above, is the mighfy mass divided into ihousands of
fissures, and rocks hanging equipoised, ready every mo-
ment to fall and crash ihose whose temerity leads them
through that dangerous pass. But, as no accidents have
happened, visiters may look danger in tdeface, and move
cheerily along, not troubling themselves with any dis-
turbing thoughts. They soon arrive in the mist, the
rocks become slippery, but the guide directs and lends
his assistance, assuring them that there is no danger.

" Still gropiiis ihroufili the dark recess, we find
T^ew scenes of woiider, to amuse the mind."

,. .»^-..^,

•rrscSfr^f**"

JAUNT TO CANADA.

139

Ternii nation Iloek.

The water, driven by the force of the wind, pours over
them, and in spite of India rubber and water-proof
guards, very few escape being drenched to the skin. At
length, it is announced that they have arrived at Ter-
mination Rock. There they stand and gaze upon the
wonders of the place, until (he eye becomes weary with
seeing the white and mingling wolers, and ihr ear tired
of the deafening sound. Some just look in, and casta
fearful glance around, and then hurry away ; others re-
main for half an hour, or more, seemingly enjoying the
terriffic scene.

It is considered one of the adventures which Niagara
so prolificly affoids, to go under Table Hock. And the
proprietor furnishes a certificate, at a certain ';"rice, to all
those who perform (he exploit. A German prince, who
visited the FaUs, a few years ago, ofl'ered to pay two
dollars, that sum being double the amount demanded,
for a paper certifying that he had gone furiher under the
Falls than any other man. The keeper would not take
the bribe, but gave him the ordinary cerfificate.

Having safely reiurned to the top of the rock, and re-^
sumed their colloquy with the guide, one of the party
observes —

'^ It would be a dreadful sight to behold a boat, in
which there were human beings- coming down the rapids
and going over the Falls."

Guide. — '• That sight has never been witnessed ; in
all the cases that have occurred, the boats have been
capsized, and the persons thrown out in the rapids, and
were lost to the eyes of those who stood on the shore
before they reached the Falls ; and it is generally sup-
posed that they perish before they pass over.

140

JAUNT TO CANADA,

Going over the Falls.

GOING V i: R

HE FALLS.

" What thoughts are theirs, who, in the wat'ry deep.
For a sliort ?paee cling to some hope forlorn,
And tug for one more moment of sweet liie —
For precious and desired life 7 "

In 1810, a large boat, loaded with upwards of 200
barrels of salt, was sailing up the river, from Schlosser.
The wind was very high, and the boat being too deeply
laden, the swell rolled over her, and she sunk. The
mast at first projected out of the water, to which two of
the crew secured themselves ; another, there being but
three on board, seized the steering oar, on which he
floated. The place where the boat sunk, was at the
upper end of Navy Island. It was driven along by the
force of the current, the boat touching the bottom, and,
as it passed down, sinking deeper and deeper. At length,
the swells rolled over those who were on the mast, and
at times they would sink from sight, and then, when the
river was not so deep, would again rise. One let go his
hold, and made for the shore, but soon sunk ; the other
continued his hold upon the mast, until lost sight of.
Both of them, without doubt, went over the Falls. The
man who got the steering oar, succeeded in seating him-
self on it, and was drifting down the river. A gentle-
man, about a mile from Chippewa, observing him, ran
his horse to that village, drove some men in a boat, and
jumping in himself, put out, lifted the exhausted and
helpless man with difficulty from the oar, and brought
the poor fellow safe to shore. In their humane exertions
to save the life of a fellow being, they got so far in the

JAUNT TO CANADA.

141

Canal bunt crosses the river.

current, os to come very near going over the Falls them-
selves. The spirited gentleman, who wns the means of
saving this man, was the talented and well-known Doct.
John J. Laflferty, of Upper Canada.

The occurrence of men's passing over the Falls is so
frequent, that but a small part of the cases can be enu-
merated. It being so very dangerous for a long distance
above, it might be supposed that people would be more
careful ; but they seem to be heedless of the risk, and

sh with imprudence upon the impetuous and deceiving
waters. In 1820, two men were so neglectful of them-
selves, as to fall asleep in a boat, at the mouth of Chip-
pewa Creek, the bow of which lay on shore, but was
not fastened. It was carried out in the stream, and was
seen to cr.psize in the rapids, when the men were thrown
out. For the space of thirty years, hardly a year has
passed without hearing of one or more persons going
over the Falls.

CANAL BOAT INCIDENT.

" Destruction moves on yon descending wave,
A seeming miracle alone can save."

Besides the many fatal accidents that have happened,
there have been a great many narrow escapes. Only
one, however, will be mentioned here.

A canal boat, in 1832, was going up the river, from
Chippewa. When two miles up, the towing line broke.
The captain was sick below ; one of the hands drove a
horse that was on board into the water, and he swam
ashore ; the man, also, jumped overboard, and reached

142

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Female pieaciicc of mind.

the land. Besides the captain, there was lel't on board
no other person belonging to the boat, but a boy. Of
passengers, there were two men and a woman. A trip
over the Falls appeared inevitable. The wind was blow-
ing freshly across the river, and the ready presence of
mind of the woman suggested that some of the bed-
clothes should be got, and a sail erected. No time was
lost, and an old quilt was soon hoisted to court the pro-
pitious breeze. They made way over, but much faster
down. It was in the forenoon of a line and pleasant day,
their situation was noticed from both sides, and boats
put out to their relief. The persons were taken off just
before reaching the rapids. A dog only was left to pur-
sue the perilous navigation. The boat passed down near
the American shore, north of Iris Island. The dog re-
mained on deck until she entered the rapids ; and then,
as she struck, and heaved and bounded over the rocks,
he would run below, look out of the cabin door — then
jump on deck, and cast his eyes upon the water, doing
as much as any sailor could in such a situation. To the
inhabitants of the village of Niagara Falls, the boat came
suddenly and unexpectedly hurrying along the rapids.
It was not known to them whether, there were any per-
sons on board or not. It was the season when the
cholera prevailed at Chippewa, Buffalo, Tonawanda,
and through the whole course of the Erie Canal. It was
common, at many places, when infected persons were
found to be on board of vessels or boats, to cause the
craft to be anchored out in the stream. It was the gene-
ral impression that this was an infected boat, and that it
was probable that there were several miserable wretches
below. The old quilt hanging out, and the filthy and
dismal appearance of the boat, confirmed the impression.

JAUiM' TO CANADA.

14:^

Concert IIoubc.

board
^ Of

A trip
1 blow-
3nce of
e bed-
ne was
lie pro-
i faster
nt day,
\ boats
off just
to pur-
vn near
dog re-
^d then,
rocks,
— then
, doing
To the
at came
rapids,
my per-
len the
iwanda,
It was
IS were
Eiuse the
le gene-
d that it
vretches
thy and
ression.

With these opinions, to the spectators the scene was
painfully interesting, as the boat groaned and drove along,
every moment expecting that it would be broken to
pieces. It however made a lodgment on the rocks, just
above the bridge that leads to the island ; and a brave
African dashed into the water with a rope, and secured
il to the shore. The boat was not badly damaged, and
was afterwards hauled out and transported half a mile by
land — repaired, and again launched upon the water.

The building standing on Table Rock, is for the pur-
pose of forcing water to the village, or, as it was called,
the City of the Falls.

The first house on the hill, after passing Mr. Barnet's
Tiuseum, is called the Concert House. It was erected
for the double purpose of being used as a bath house and
for concerts and assemblies. In the summer of 1838,
it was a barracks for soldiers ; and a beautiful display of
white canvas tents along the green bank, which were
occupied by the 43d regiment, added considerably to the
scenery about the FaMs. These troops had every week
a sham-fight, making a handsome sight exceedingly
novel and interesting to American visiters.

Guide. — " Having passed over all the great views, it
is customary to inquire of travellers — which they prefer,
the American views of the Falls, or the Canadian ? "

Traveller. — '* I percieve that it is true, there is in
Canada one grand unvaried view, which surpasses any
single view on the American side ,• but there is not that
variety, that enchanting shifting of the scene, that occurs
as we pass along on the American shore and islands."

jri

144

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Smnuel Street, Edq. — Col. CInrk.

While the party are yet lingering around Table Rock,
sometimes gazing on the Falls, making inquiries, and
descanting upon the surrounding scenery, several ob-
jects are brought to their notice.

The island just above the Fulls, and lying nearly level
with the water, is called Long Island. By damming
the water from the side next the main shore, a slight in-
jury is done to the prospect.

The island about half a mile above the Falls, which
hugs in close to the shore, and around which a small
brandi of the Niagara passes, is called Round Island, and
sometimes Cynthia Island.

The dwelling-house embowered in trees, below the
brow of the hill, and beyond the mills which are seen
at the side of the river, is the residence of Samuel Street,
Esq. an American gentleman, long resident in Canada,
where he has accumulated great wealth, and adopted the
principles of the Provincial government, being a good
and loyal subject.

The house just discernible on the hill beyond Mr.
Street's, was the residence of Col. Thomas Clark, now
deceased, and long the partner of Mr. Street. He was
a Scotchman, and represented in himself an excellent
specimen of Scotch nationality. In his youth, he was
as strong and hardy as his own native mountains. At
an early period, he performed the extraordinary feat of
walking from the Falls of the Genesee river to Black
Rock, on the Niagara, in one day. He started a little
before sun-rise, and arrived at Black Rock before nine
at night, having travelled the whole distance on an In-
dian path. He was a man of great capacity in business,
and very exact and regular. When travelling, a few
years since, in company with the author, although he

JAUNT TO CANADA.

145

llridjiewatcr. — Cliippcwn.

Rock,
s, and
al ob-

y level
Timing
ght in-

which
a small
id, and

aw the
e seen
Street,
panada,
I ted the
a good

\d Mr.

c, now
ie was
ccellent
he was
s. At
feat of
Black
a little
•e nine
an In-
lisiness,
a few
ugh he

was then worth millions, the Colonel was observed
to make an entry in a pocket memorandum book ; and
he remarked at the time ** I have never spent a sixpence
without mnking a regular entry and account of it, and
I do So still." H^ left a great estate to three already
wealthy maiden '.-rtcn in Scotland, and Canada (where
his wealth had bv .Made,) was forgotten in his will.

At the upper end of Round Island, is the place called
Bridgewater. There was once on this spot extensive
mills, and quite a little village. The works had been
erected at great expense, and much labor bestowed upon
the bank to prevent slides ; but during the last war, the
hand of destruction was stretched over the rising pros-
pects of the place, and the mills and most of the houses
of the village were burnt. Since then, it has been aban-
doned, and almost forgotten. There is now nothing
to interest, but the burning spring. In 1838, the water
of the river was so high as to cover the spring. When
it is in a state to collect the gas, travellers very generally
go to it.

Two miles from the Falls, is Chippewa, a villagi; of
considerable consequence, and more noted from its con-
tiguity to the great battle which took place in 1814. It
was fought just above the town, and the ground is now
undistinguishable in any way except by fields and enclo-
sures. In the winter of 1837 — 8, Chippewa was the scene
of action of McNabb's forces. There they erected bat-
teries, whence shells and rockets were thrown on Navy
Island.

The party now pass from Table Rock, and if they
conclude to remain for some time in Canada, they go to

the Pavilion, or return to Clifton House ; and at their

146

JAUNT TO CANADA.

City of the Falls.

leisure visit Drummondville — go to the Whirlpool on
the British aide, which is four miles — to Brock's monu-
ment and Queenston, eight miles — Niigara and Fort
George, fourteen miles. If they conclude to return to
the American shore, they take a new route back, by
rising the hill near the Pavilion, and thence pass on to
Drummondville, and round to the Ferry.

THE CITY OF THE FALLS.

fti:

■ 1 '

The property of William Forsyth, comprising about
four hundred acres of land, and lying in the immediate
vicinity of the Falls, was purchased some years since by
Thomas Clark, Samuel Street, and a number of other
gentlemen. The grounds were laid out into squares and
streets, suitably for the accommodation of a large city.
An act of incorporation was talked of, in which foreign-
ers were to be allowed some special privileges, and mea-
sures were taken for the encouragement of those disposed
to purchase and build. Some sales were made. For a
while, the prospect was favorable, and several advanta-
ges were offered to induce people to make investments ;
and more would have done so, but the proprietors be-
coming lax in their measures, improvements stopped,
and *he place has been stationary for some years. As it
is a commanding situation, on a dry and pleasant soil,
and enjoys some of the finest prospects in the world, it
only requires the encouragement which the proprietors
can well afford, to have it go ahead at any time they may
think proper to determine. It has around it a flourish-
ing country, thickly populated by wealthy freeholders,
whose farms are in a high state of cultivation.^

JAUNT TO CANADA.

147

Druinmondville. — Lundy's Lane.

ool on
inonu-
d Fort
turn to
ick, by
on to

T about
mediate
since by
>f other
ires and
ge city,
foreign-
ad mea-
lisposed
For a
idvanta-
mePts ;
ors be-
jtopped,
As it
nt soil,
orld, it
prietors
ley may
lourish-
holder§5

The Pavilion Hotel was erected by William Forsyth ;
it is a large building, calculated for the accommodation
of many guests, and is kept by an accommodating land-
lord.

William Forsyth was one of the first settlers of the
country ; a man of enterprising character, and one who
did much making improvements around the Falls.

On the 19th of February, 1839, at five o'clock in the
afternoon, just after the above short notice in relation to
the Pavilion Hotel was written, the building took fire
and was burnt down. It continued burning for some
time in the evening. The spectacle was grand and so-
lemn. The building was very large, and composed en-
tirely of wood. The light reflected upon the rising spray
from the Falls, and upon the trees covered with con-
gealed ice. The cloud of mist appeared like another
conflagration, and to persons at a distance was taken to
be such. The ice on the trees reflected back the blazing
light, and shone brilliantly in the keen pure air like
burning coal. Though thus dazzling, yet it was a sad
and painful sight.

DRUMMONDVILLE.

" AVliat boots the oft repeated tale of strife,
Tlie t'eatst of vultures, and the waste of life."

This flourishing village stands on the ground on which
the mis-named battle of Bridgewater took place. It is
more properly known as the battle of Lundy's Lane.
After the battle, the American dead were thrown into a
heap and burnt, and the Indians carried some of the

•I

148

JAUNT TO CANADA.

General Brock's Monument.

wounded who were yet alive to share the same fate, but
were stayed in their inhuman conduct by the exertions
of the British soldiers. Of one, it is related, that seeing
an Indian dragging a wounded American to the flames,
who was begging for his life, he despatched the Indian,
threw his body in the heap, and saved the American.
This was the greatest battle which took place on the
frontier. The report of the cannon was heard for the
distance of a hundred miles, and, to persons within four
or five miles, the incessant discharcrc of fire arms sounded
like the continuous roll of a drurix. The roar of the
Falls was not heard amid this din of human combat.

BROCK S MONUMENT.

" Away, away, earth's pageantry,

Her brightest gems are dim •,
And glittering wealth, and power and fame,

How worthless now to him."

Brock's Monument stands on Queenston heights, a
short distance south of the village. It is built of a soft
whitish stone, taken out of the mountain near by. The
base is twenty feet square, the shaft round, and rises one
hundred and twenty six feet from the ground. It cost
about eight thousand dollars, and was built at the ex-
pense of the Provincial government. It occupies a beau-
tiful and commanding site, and overlooks Fort Grey, on
the American side, a large battery erected mainly to
cover the attack upon Queenston, and the roads and
cultivated farms beyond the opposite heights tor several
miles. Below lies Lewiston, with its streets and or-

JAUNT TO CANADA.

149

Extensive prospect.

chards spread out before the spectator as a garden, and
from which passes to the east the celebrated Ridge Road.
Thence along the brow of the heights, the prospect ex-
tends north as far as the eye can reach, and across Lake
Ontario to its northern bounds. On the Canada side,
the view is equally fine. The beautiful little village of
St. David's, distant but a few miles at the west, peeps
out from under the diverging hills ; and far beyond, a
large tract of level country, interspersed with improved
farms, but generally appearing like a dense forest, to the
shore of the lake. Below, and directly in front, is the
antique-looking village of Queenston, and the Niagara
river, bending its serpentine course to the lake, and
forming the boundary of two great nations. At the
mouth of the river, on the American side, rise the for-
tifications of old Fort Niagara, and where is beheld wa-
ving in the breeze the standard of liberty. On the Bri-
tish side, is the town of Niagara and Fort George, where
floats the proud banner of England, the crosses of St.
George and St. Andrew. Long may they wave together
in peace.

General Brock was a valiant man. He did not fall on
the spot where the monument is erected, but down the
hill, in a northwesterly direction, about 80 rods distant,
near a cherry tree, in the rear of Queenston. He was
at the head of his men, cheering them on to action. He
was first interred in the northeastern bastion of Fort
George, and a 24 pound American cannon captured with
Hull, placed at his head. After the monument was built,
his remains, with those of his aid. Col. McDonald, were
deposited here with much pomp, on one of the anniver-
saries of the battle of Queenston.

To Americans, this monument must cause but one
emotion — sorrow for their fellow citizens who fell in

150

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Town of Niagara.

that ill fated battle. One part of that badly directed and
bloody conflict, beheld by an eye witness, is sufficient.
A short distance below the monument stands a log- house.
Towards the close of the battle, a portion of the Ameri-
cans were driven down the hill, and, as many ng could,
crowded into the house. For a short period, they fired
on their pursuers from the doors and windows ; but for
some moments after they ceased firing, the enemy con-
tinued to fire in upon them. This sight, with the pite-
ous cries of our .^rowning countrymen, who sought to
escape the carnage of that day, by endeavoring to swim
the Niagara, makes Brock's Monument, to those Ameri-
cans who were eye witnesses, no object of veneration.

TOWN OF NIAGARA.

I ^

5 «

This is one of the oldest settlements in Canada. It is
pleasantly situated on the left bank of the river, and is
bounded on the north by Lake Ontario. It once had the
prospect of being an important place, and had all the
advantages that insure prosperity ; but it has not ad-
vanced as was expected. Many of its most wealthy and
enterprising men have carried their business and resour-
ces to other places ; others appear to have slumbered over
the advantages which they enjoyed at home, and suffered
their neighbors to advance ahead of them. Still it is a
place of considerable wealth, more enterprise is evinced,
and from its fine location, it must eventually arrive to
eminence and respectability,

Niagara, in the fall of 1813, while in possession of
the American forces, was ordered to be destroyed. It

JAUNT TO CANADA.

151

Bnttle of Fort George.

was considered necessary to evacuate the place, and, to
prevent its becoming a shelter for the enemy, an order
was issued that it should be burnt. Let no American
speak of such acts, no matter from whence they emanate,
without bestowing on them that censure, and the full
measure of indignation which they so justly deserv-e.

BATTLE OF FORT GEORGE.

" Strange visions come, on rushing wing,

To bear nie to the battle track •,
And I can see the vvur-iiorse spring

Forward again, as when his track
Was marked with blood ; anil, though my ear

No sound c;;u catcii that speaks of strife,
My scattered comrades gathered here,

Seem round and near me, ab in life."

Tne spring of 1813 opened auspiciously for the Ame-
rican arms, by the capture of Little York. Gen. Dear-
born then drew his forces to Fort Niagara. On the night
of the 26th of May, a tremendous cannonading was
opened upon Fort George and Fort Missassauga, from
the American ibrt and several batteries along the banks
of the river. Red-hot shot and shells poured in upon
those places incessantly. Cross-fires were directed upon
each important point, until it became untenable, or was
demolished. When the morning of the 27th was ushered
in, the British forts were enveloped in flames. On the
lake, anchored about a mile from the shore, lay the fleet
of Commodore Chauncey. Around the fleet, ready to
move forward, were two hundred boats filled with men,
whose armor glittered in the rays of the rising sun. The

152

JAUNT TO CANADA.

Betty Feathers.

artillery of the fleet joined in, the boats put off', and,
under cover of the cannon, soon effected a landing. The-
British poured down upon them, as they landed, a few
effective discharges ; but the Americans, rushing up the
bank, stopped at the edge and fired over ; then stooping
below, loaded and fired again. From this place of se-
curity, they could not be dislodged, and the balls of the
enemy could not reach them. The deadly fire \vhich
they poured upon the British, soon obliged them to give
way. The Americans rose over the bank, and their ad-
versaries retreated. The battle was soon won, but they
did not reap the advantages of that glorious day. They
suiTered the enemy to escape, to re-or^anize, to defeat,
and in a short time afterwards to expel them from the
country.

BETTY FEATHERS.

" Wail on, sad notes, wail on !
Ye seem, thus munnuring on the still night air,

In plaintive symphonies that dirge-like moan,
The utterance of some broken heart's despair,

hopes coldly crushed, for joys for ever gone."

The ferry which is now established from Niagara, in
Canada, to Youngstown, on the American side, was
formerly to Fort Niagara. In the summer season, it is
very pleasant crossing, but frequently in winter the cur-
rent is filled with ice, and it is dangerous. Sometimes,
the boat and passengers are carried into the lake, and
are rescued thence at great risk and suffering ; but fre-
quently fatal accidents have happened, and the unfortu
nate sufferers have been driven beyond the reach of help,
and have perished in the lake.

JAUNT TO CANADA.

153

A disaster.

Many years ayo, there was a woman by the name of
Betty Feathers, a resident in Canada, b.u a free denizen
on both sides of the river. Before she became such, her
husband, John Feathers, was the ferryman. One day,
wlien the crossing had been unusually difficult, towards
night John was observed to start from the American
shore. Before he reached the middle of the river, his
boat was completely surrounded with ice. At the same
time, there came on a dark and heavy snow mist, which
hid him from sight, and probably prevented him from
seeing the shore. Betty went down to the river, and
called ** John ! John 1 John I " No reply was made,
and no object could be seen. The neighbors, too, turned
out, to render her such assistance as they could. They
called, they shouted, and did all in their power to indi-
cate to the sufferer his proper direction. Betty, with
steady monotony, at intervals, screamed ** John ! John !
John ! " Night came on, and the darkness was intense ;
still, the voice of Betty was heard. She would call —
listen — and then call again. The neighbors gave over ;
they concluded that John was lost — that he had already
perished with the cold, or that he was still floating on
the trackless lake, surrounded with ice, and beyond their
help. They attempted to soothe Betty, and to persuade
her to return to the house ; but she heeded them not,
and her voice still sounded loud and shrill, and ** John !
John ! " vibrated across the deep. She censed not to
call, until she sank exhausted, and was conveyed help-
less to her bed. John never returnea, and no vestige of
of him or his boat was ever found. Betty recovered, but
her reason was gone, and she beca me a poor and lonely
wanderer, going from house to house. John wa3 always
in her mind ; and, as long as she lived, she would often

»■ f

"1 }!

til

y '11

154

JAUNT TO CANADA,

A witch story.

at the close of day, and in the darkness of the night, go
to the beach, and looking over the broad expanse of the
lake, call out ** John I John ! John ! "

She lived a little while in one place, and then a while
in another. As she grew old, she became as much an
object of fear as of pity. She had some singularity, and
a good deal of asperity of temper. At last, she was by
many called a witch. At one time, in winter, she hap-
pened to be in a bar-room at Fort Niagara. The room
was warmed with a stove. There were several soldiers
in the room, whose conversation did not suit her, and
she said '* If you don't be still, I will break your stove."
They laughed, and continued their remarks. The stove
on the instant cracked in two, with a considerable report,
and fell apart. *' There," she said, ** I told you I
would break your stove," and immediately left the room.

At another time, she had been staying for a couple
of weeks at a neighboring farmer's house. One day,
when the farmer was absent, Betty said to his wife
" Get the pail, I want you to go wiih me to the woods."
** What for ? " inquired the woman. *^ I will tell you
when we get there," returned Betty. The woman was
not in good health, and fearing her, endeavored to ex-
cuse herself from going, by saying there was snow on
the ground, and it was too damp for her go out." Betty
persisted, and said she must go, or she would whip her.
The woman, in apprehension of her life, started, in the
hope that she might find some way to escape. When
they came to the fence, by the woods, she again remon-
strated ; but Betty showed so much violence, that she
hastily sprang over, and after running a short distance
in the woods, darted off to a neighbor's house, vv^here
her husband found her. Betty did uot return, and was
seen no more on that quarter.

TOUR THROUGH CANADA.

ROUTES FROM NIAGARA FALLS.

>»

Travellers, when in the western part of the State of
New York, frequently come to the conclusion to make
a tour in Canada, and not having provided themselves
with suitable directions, at times require information
which they find it very difficult to obtain.

For the convenience of those who wish to extend their
journey beyond the Falls, the following information,
though foreign to the object of this work, has been
brought together, at the suggestion of a friend. The
Falls, of late years, have become very justly the great
centre of attraction, which usually receive the first visit
of tourists, and thence they branch off to scenes of less
magnitude, as business or curiosity leads them.

The city of Buffalo is the place of general embakation
for all the countries, lakes, and rivers beyond. Tho
traveller can reach Buffalo from the Falls, on the Canada
side, by stage or rail-road, to Chippewa, 2 miles, and
thence by steam-boat, 20 miles ; or, by crossing the ferry
at the Falls, to the American side, he will find it plea-
sant travelling on the Buffido and Niagara Falls rail-road,
as a considerable portion of the route runs by the side of
the river. At Buffalo, steam-boats start for Detroit and
intermediate ports, daily. It is usual for persons visiting
Maiden, Sandwich, or other portions of Canada west of
those places, to take steam-boat from Buffalo.

<;l

I
I !

156

TOUR THROUGH CANADA.

I*i;ic<'s in the nciKhborliood of the. Fulls.

If the tourist confines his ramble within a short com-
pass, there are, in the vicinity of the Falls, several pla-
ces that may attract his attention, besides those that have
wocii mentioned.

Allensbiirgh, 8 miles west from the Falls, is a small
village on the Wclland Canal ; a good road leads to it,
which passes through a fine country.

St. David's, 6 miles north from the Falls, is a pretty
retired village ; it lies below the mountain ridge, 2 miles
vi'^est of Queenston.

The Deep Cut, 8 miles from the Falls, has its name
from the circumstance of the Welland Canal, at this place,
being cut nearly 100 feet in the mountain.

St. Catherine's, 10 miles. The Welland Canal runs
through it. It is a thriving village, and of considerable
business.

Hamilton is distant 40 miles, and 50 miles by steam-
boat navigation from Niagara. It is near the head of Lake
Ontario. It is situated on a beautiful plain, skirted on
one side by the mountain and on the other by the green
waters of the lake. It is one of the first-class of towns
in the Upper Province, and is a very business-like
place.

Brantford, on Grand River, is 25 miles further.
Along the borders of Grand River reside the remains of
the Mohawk Indians, who, under Brant, having taken
sides with the British government, in the revolutionary
war, had a large tract of valuable land allotted to them
on the borders of this river.

There is a line of stages which run daily from Lewis-
ton and Queenston, through Canada to Detroit, passing
through St. David's, St. Catherine's, Hamilton, Ancas-
ter, Brantford, and London.

TOUR THROUGH CANADA.

157

I'oronto.

Toronto is 44 milca from the Foils, on the northern
side of the lake, and 300 miles by land. This city is the
capital of Upper Canada. It is built by the side of the
bay of the same name. The fortifications are at a short
distance from the city, on a point of land which com-
mands the entrance into the harbor. There arc several
well-built streets in Toronto, and many government
and other buildings of ample dimensions and in good
style. The precincts around the city are handsomely
improved. Orchards, gardens, and the dwellings of
genteel people are seen in every direction. The lands
about Toronto are very fertile, and for many miles in all
directions the country is well populated by able farmers.

Travellers from the American or British c'de can em-
bark on board of steam-boats at Lewiston or Queenston,
or at any of the ports on the river below, for Hamilton,
Toronto, Kingston, or for the American ports on the
lake, or of the St. Lawrence. If the tourist desires to go
to the Lower Province, he can either take a steam-boat
from the Niagara river, or, if he prefer an overland route
for a short distance, he can take the rail-road cars, and
pass through the villages of Pekin and Lockport ; thence
by packet or stage and rail-road, to the city of Rochester,
tiie whole distance 80 miles, and at Rochester embark
on board of steam boat down the lake. Those travellers
who did not come to the Falls by this route, will find it
a very pleasant one to take on their return. The ride on
the rail-road, along the brow of the mountain, is delight-
ful. The great combined locks at Lockport, and the
thousands of laborers now engaged in blasting the rocks
and excavating the earth for the enlarged canal, are well
worth seeing. The number, too, of beautiful and flour-
ishing villages along this route — the rich and prosper-

158

TCUR THROUGH CANADA.

i ■:

Dibtances on Luke Ontario.

ous country — the city of Rochester — ihe great aque-
duct — the lulls of the Genesee river — are all objects of
great interest.

To Oswego, from Rochester, by the lake, is G3 miles.
** Sackot's Uurboi, Ironi Oswego, 40 miles.
** C'npe Vincent, frota Sackei's Harb- r, 20 miles.

Kingston, Upper Canada, lies opposite Cnpe Vincent,
and distant 11 miles. This place was formerly Fort
Frontinac ; it is built on the northern shore of the St.
Lawrence, at its junction with Lake Ontario. The ri-
ver is here 10 miles wide. The Thousand Islands com-
mence i in mediately below Kingston, and are scatterad in
the river for a distance of 50 miles. The fortifications
at Kingston are of considerable strength, and in refer-
ence to military and naval operations, it is considered an
important point.

The Ridcau Canal commences in the bay; and is five
miles from Kingston. It was built at the expense of the
British government, and principally for military pur-
poses, in affording an internal communication between
the Upper and Lower Provinces. The whole distance
from Kingston, by the Rideau canal, to Montreal, is28D
miles. There is a variety of interesting objects along
the canal — the Rideau and Ottawa rivers, the cataract
of the Chaudine, the Rideau falls, extensive lakes, and
some pleasant villages.

By the St. Lawrence, the distances are — to Brock-
ville, from Kingston, 50 miles ; Morristown lies oppo-
site, on the American side. To Prescott, from Brock-
ville, 20 miles, and the same to Ogdensburgh, U. S.
To the head of the Long Sault is 38 miles ; thence to
Cjrnwall is 12 miles ; thence to the Cascades, 16 miles ;
thence to Lachine, 24 miles ; thence to Montreal, 9 m.

TOUR THROUGH CANADA.

159

Rlvcr St. Lawrence.

The ilistnnce from Kingaton, by the St. Lawrence, to
Montreul is 210 miles. The fine scenery along the river,
of hikes and rapids, of islands and rocky sliorcs, of wild
and picturcs(iuc views, of rising towns and elegant seats,
and the many scenes made memorable by historical
events, always charm and amuse the traveller.

Jiosidj3 the many objects which the city of Montreal
afl'ords to attract the attention of the tourist, the village
ofVarcnncs, on account of its medical spring and fine
prospect, has become a place of much resort. The vil-
lage is 15 miles from the city, and the spring is about a
mile from the village. A steam-boat run? from Mon-
treal to this place twice a day, and the boats that ply to
and from Quebec usually stop.

Pursuing the route down the river, William Henry is
40 miles from Montreal. It is on the bank of the river
Sorol, where it unites with the St. Lawrence.

The next place of importance is the Three Rivers, at
the mouth of the St. Maurice. Some miles up the St.
Maurice, are the falls of the Shawinnegame, of 100 feet.

The Richelieu rapids commence 7 miles below the
Three Rivers. The navigation is considered dangerous
in the night, and by steam-boats the rapids are always
passed in the day time.

The distance to Quebec from Montreal, by steam-ooat,
is 180 miles. The traveller having arrived in this city,
so celebrated for the many great events of which it has
been the theatre, and for its strong fortifications, will,
at his leisure, accompanied by some well-informed citi-
zen, or hired guide, visit all the locations and objects of
attraction within and around the city.

The Falls of Montmorenci are eight miles northeast
of Quebec, on the river of the same name, and near the

160

TOUR THROUGH CANADA.

Quebec. — Falls of Montniorenci.

St. Lawrence. The height of the Fall is 240 feet, or 72
feet higher than the Falls of Niagara, but the immense
volume of water of the great cataract is wanting. The
falling sheet is about 100 feet wide, or about the same
width as that of the crescent or centre fall of Niagara,
which passes over Ingraham's Cave. The great height,
however, of these Falls, and the singular beauty which
pervades the whole wild and romantic scene, is the ad-
miration of all who have had an opportunity of beholding
them.

On the route between the Falls of Montmorenci and
the city, is the Indian village Lorette. Some beautiful
views of the surrounding and distant scenery is afforded
from this village.

There are several other places in the vicinity of Que-
bec of considerable interest, which are pointed out to
strangers, and are frequently visited.

In returning, the usual route is back to Montreal ;
thence by steam-boat to La Prairie, 7 miles ; thence by
rail-road to St. John's, 17 miles ; again by steam-boat
to Isle Aux Noix, 14 miles ; Rouse's Point, 10 miles ;
Chazy, 12 miles ; Plattsburgh, 15 miles ; Burlington,
26 miles ; Brown Point, 38 miles ; Ticonderoga, 15
miles ; White Hall, 24 miles ; and thence to Albany,
72 miles.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

^lEDlCINAL VIRTUES OF THE AIR AT
NIAGARA FALLS,

This mr,y nppcar stnnling-, though it is indeed nothing
more than what is admitied by ail who have spolven or
thought on the subject. While some waters possess pro-
perties, the medical viriues of which are admitled, others
are delclcrious. So wiih airs : while some are destruc-
tive to animal life, others are ambrosial, grateful, and
invigoraling. That there is not only a salutary and ex-
4iiliraiing quulily in the atmosphere of Niagara Falls, but
also superior medical viriues, is believed by many. No
epidemics have prevailed here. When the cholera raged
through all the country, no case ocurred within the do-
main of the misty cloud. Here there are no poisonous
vapors arising from stagnant pools ; no miasma from
marshes or swamps ; but the moisture with which the
air is saiuraied, is driven up from the fall of broken wa-
ters — not raised by the influences of heat or cold, but
purified and buoyani, it floats away from the clear stream,
and we breathe it, charged as it is with ten thousand par-
ticles, fresh from nature's great alembic. We not only

see and hear, but feel, and taste, and breathe the Falls.

162

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

Geology of Niagara river.

GEOLOGY OF NIAGARA RIVER.

Here is a great field for geological and mineral re-
search. The rocks in many places are laid bare to a great
depth, and many of the most interesting spots for such
examinations have never yet been visited, owing to the
difficulty of gottiug to them. Slight notices of the form-
ation and chaiactcr of the rocks in this neighborhood
have been laid before the public, by the New York State
geologists, but it is not known that they have devoted
much time to a careful examination. There are known
to be saline waters at the Five Mile Meadows, and sul-
phurous and gas springs upon the mountain. Argilla-
ceous iron ore is found on the bank of the river ; many
specimens of lead ore are obtained, and in one instance
a large lump of several pounds was picked up. Common
and water lime, and building stone are abundant, and
gypsum is also supposed to be plentiful. In a late ex-
amination m .ng the river, at a bare part of the bank,
where it is exposed for two hundred feet, there was ob-
served to be in one of the lower strata of the rocks, of
several feet in width, a dark streak, much resembling
lead or coal. It may be neither ; but the careful examin-
ation along the borders of the river, will undoubtedly
lead to the most interesting results.

BIINERAL SPECIMENS.

Large quantities of beautiful specimens have often
been found, or broken out of the rocks, around the Falls.
Many of them are offered for sale to visiters. Some of

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

163

Tonavvnnda Village.

them are very valuable. Persons making collections will
find a large variety in the possession of Mr. Jacobs, on
Bath Island.

Niagara Falls has also become a mart for Indian curi-
osities. Of tho same gentleman may be obtained moc-
cassins, worked with beads and porcupine quills. Indian
work pockets, needle cases, war clubs, bark canoes,
maple sugar in fimcy boxes ornamented with quills, &c.

T O N A W A N D A VILLAGE.

This is half way between Buffalo and Niagara Falls,
being distant from each of those places 11 miles. It lies
by the side of the Niagara river, and the Tonawanda
creek and Eric canal pnsses through it. The navigation
of th<3 canal is by a lock connected with the river, and pas-
sengers for the Falls, disembark from the boats at this
place. The village possesses many advantages for busi-
ness operations ; and some trade with the upper lake is
carried on direct by vessels navigating the river and lake.
This trade is destined to increase. A ferry-boat plies
between Tonawanda and Whitv^haven, on Grand Island,
the two villages lying opposite each other.

A bank, under the New York ])anking law, has lately
been established, which will increase the business facili-
ties of the enterprising inhabitants.

JOHN DOWNING AND THE WHIRLPOOL.

"lie lives! from out tlic whirlpool's (Jeptlid,
From out a vvat'ry grave ! "

This is not the celebrated Jack Downing, but may be
a remote relative of the family ; however, he performed

■.■^.r:^.

■^rr 'l^M.W'ir*

164

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

John Downing and the AVhirlpooI.

a voyage which the navigator of the Two Follies would
hardly attempt. In 1811, Mr. Downing, with others,
was cutting cedar pos!^; at the "VVhirliJOol. on the British
side, for palisades at Fort George. They M^ero made in-
to small rafts, and set adrift where th.: current passes out
from the Whirlpool, and were afterwards picked up in
the river between Quccnston and the '^Fort. While he
was fixing something on one of the rafts, the end lying
on the shore, it slipped into the waicr, and before hi&
companions could help him, ho was carried out of their
reach. Slowly the raft receded from the shore, pnssing
up the stream. It passed round in the Whirlpool and
eddies, for nearly half a day, but was not drawn into the
principal vortex. At length, the raft was thrown so
near the shore, that his companions reached out to him
a long polo, on which Mr. D. seized, and escaped front
his perilous situation.

AN APALLING DISASTER

. i

*' I consider these rocks my enemies."

Many narrow escapes, and many sad and serious ac-
cidents have occurred around the P'alls ; but at length it
has become the painful duty of the annalist to record an
incidein of a new and fatal character. Since the first
discovery of these profoundly interesting yet fearful
scenes, visiters have with impunity rambled above and
beneath the overhanging rocks ; and though the danger
was evident to the eye, no accident had happened, no
event had taken place to warn them of the hnzard to
which they were exposed.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

165

Death of Dr. Hungerford.

About 10 o'clock in the forenoon of the 27th of May,
1839, Doctor Hungerford, of Troy, N, Y. with Mr.
Nicle, of Columbus, O. and Mr. Lindsey, their guide,
were viewing the river and Falls, near Ingraham's Cave,
below the point of Iris Island. The guide, having hold
of the arm of Doctor Hungerford, and standing between
him and Mr. Nide, concluded that all had been seen at
that point interesting to the travellers, and remt...i.ed
that they would now go to another place. At that in-
stant, he saw the air filled with earth and falling stones :
all endeavored to spring aside. Doctor Hungerford fell.
Mr. Lindaey immediately raised him, and, with the as-
sistance of Mr. Nide, bore him to a more secure place.
They were not at first aware of the fatal injury that he
had received. The rocks had struck him on the back of
the head, and on his neck and shoulders. He breathed
but a few times, and expired without a groan or the least
convulsive motion. Mr. Lindsey, too, received several
severe contusions, and had his coat and pantaloons torn,
but did not notice his own bruises until some time after.

About half an hour before, the party had been stand-
ing on the edge of the bank immediately above the spot
where Doctor Hungerford met his death. While there,
he was engaged in taking notes of the scene in his me-
morandum book ; and, what is very singular, he there
wrote, and they were the last words he ever wrote, —
* * / consider these rocJcs my enemies. ' '

It is nc t wonderful that this sad accident should have
happened ; but centuries may roll away, and thousands
and tens of thousands of individuals pass and repass in
safety, as they have done, before such another melan-
choly disaster again is witnessed.

166

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

Chronological Table.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.

1078.
1679.

1711.
1712.

1742.
1759.

1770.

1703.
1790.

1804.
1805.

1810.
ISil.

1812.
IS 13.

1814.
1817.
1918.

1820.
1^22.

1.825.

First authentic notice of the Falls.

T'ley were visited by Father Hennepin,

Stockade Fort built !>y l)e la Sidle, on the present site of
Fort Nia'jara.

Earliest (bite found on the rocks .it the Fall?.

A part of The Tusearora tribe of Indians immigrated from
Cur oil n a.

The earliest da^e found on the trees on Iris Island.

battle of the Devil's Hole. Fort Niagara taken from the
French. French Vessels burnt at Burnt Ship Creek.

Goats placed on Iris Island, by 3Ir. Ste(bn;in, an English-
man.

A shock of an earthqujikc at Xijigara Fiills.

Fort Niajrara delivered uj) to the Aujericans. The British
inhabitants nu)ve to Canada. At this time, there was
but one white family, exclusive of those at Fort Niagara
and Sciilosser, in the territory that now forms the coun-
ty of Niagiira.

Tlie village of Lewiston surveyed out.

The mile reserve, a strip of one mile nlong the Niagara
river, fr(uu Fort Nifigarato Jiisiralo, sold by the Sta.e of
New York, at public sale, at Alb.'iny. Augustus Porter,
Esq. settles nejtr the Falls, and lays '^"t Manchester,
afterwards Niagara Falls village.

Mr. Valentine and another person go over the Falls.

John Downing drifts out in the Whirlpool, and gets out
safe.

October 13. Battle of Queenston.

Mav 27. Battle of Fort Georire.

June 5. Battle of Stony Creek.

June 24. Battle of Beaver Dams.

Dec. 19. The British take Fort Niagara by surprise, burn
all the frontier villages, and lay waste and depopulate
the country.

July '?. Battle of Cbippewa.

July 25. Batile of Luudv's Lane.

First bridge built to Iris Island, and was the next winter
carried off bv the ice.

The second bridge to the Island, built lower down than the
first. A portion of Table Rock falls, with much noise.
Gen. P. AVHiitney builds the first stairs down the bank,
and establishes the first ferry

Two men, in a scow, go over the Falls.

Two men, from Grand Island, go over the Falls.

William Chambers and another man, in a canoe, go over
the Falls. Cave discovered by Mr. Catlin, which Uear»
jjiis name.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

167

Tables of Distances.

18*27. A vessel, calle^l the Michigan, with animals on bor.rd, is

sent over tlie Falls.
1828. Another portion of Ta1)lc Rock fa'ls ; ami in the same

year, several large pieces of the rock composing the

Horse Shoe Fall.
1929. The Biddle staircase built. The schooner Superior sent

over the Falls. Sam. Pat h jun)ps twice from a ]»lat-

forni erected below the bank. Another part of Table

Rock fallH.
lr*31. June JO. Francis Abbott drowned while baihinj?.
1832. A canal lioat drifts across the river. Cholera prevailrj

tliroiigli the countrv; no cases tit Niagara FjiHs villa<ie.
1831. July l.'n Mr. Berry Il'ill While and Mr. George Sims first

enter Iiijrrahjim's Cave.
183.J. May ll>. A nian went over the Falls.
183U. Great speculation in real estJite. Two men, in a skiff, go

over the Frills. Cars first commence running on the

Bufialo and Niagara Falls rail-road. A'e.vander goes

o\er the bank.
1837. Cars commence running on theLockport and Niagara Falls

and Lcwiston rail-roads. Dec. 2i). Steam-boat Caroline

cut out from Schlosser, and burnt.
1839. Dec. 11. (.^apt. Usher, at Street's l*oint, assassinated.
1530. Feb. 19. PaviMon Hotel burnt. May 27. Dp. Hungerford,

of Troy, killed near Ingraham's Cave, by some falling

rocks, whilst viewing the Falls.

i agar a
a e of

TABLES OF DISTANCES.

burn
)pulate

From the C.itaract Hotel and Eagle Tavern to the top

of the bank at the ferry _ _ - _ 100 rods.

Thence to the water ---.---23"

The river, at the ferry, is in width - - - - 56 "

From the water's edge to the top of the bank, in Canada, 96 '•

Thence to the Clifton House - - - - - 10 "

" to the Pavilion - - 2GG "

winter

mn the
noise,
bank,

to over
bears

DISTANCES FR03I NIAGARA FALLS, U. S.

Point View ^m.

Whirlpool 3

Tuscarora 8

Five ;Mile Meadow . . 8

Fort Niagara 14

Scblosser 2

Tonawanda ..... .11

To Mineral Springs. . . . 2iii.

Devil's Hole yi

Lewiston 7

Youngstown 13

liockport, pr rail-road,24

Pekin 13

Buffalo 22

108

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

Distances. — Advertisements.

DISTANCES FROM NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA.

To Burn ill sr Spring ... J m.
Ciiippcwii vilJuf^e. . . 2

Deep Cut, W. Canal, 8

S\ CJitliCfine's. ... 12

Wate'-loo 14

Fort Erie 10

To Druniniondvillc ... ^ m.

Whirlpool 4

Stamford 4

St. David's

Queenston 8

Fort Cieorgc 14

GENERAL DISTANCES FR03I NIAGARA FALLS.

milett

To Toronto 44

Hamil'On 40

Oswcifo 140

Glean Point 98

Cleveland 212

Pittsl)uror|i 232

Detroit. 332

(;recn Bay 820

Cliicnfio 1234

Cin«.'iiinati 4G8

Philadelphia, viaAlb. 538

miles

To Rochester SO

Albany 300

Kingston, U. C. ... 200

Montreal 388

Quebec CMS

New York MO

Mackinaw 051

Hault St. Rlrrie . . . 720
Chillieotiie, Oiiio . . . 403

Columbus 850

Washinyton 703

A D V E R T I S E i^I E N T S .

Cataract Hotel, P. Whitney, )

Eagle Tavern, T. W. Fanning, > Village of Niagara Falls, U. S.

Hule:t's Hotel, W. E. Hulett, >

Clifion House, M. Crysler, Clifton, Upper Canada.
Steam Boat Hotel, Mr. Owen, Chippewa, do.
L'jiion Hotel, Mr. Slater, do do.

Winding Stairs at Table Rock, Mr. J. Starkey.

FERRYMEN,

S. L. W^are, American side.
J. Shultersburgh, Canada.

GUIDES TO THE FALLS,

. UaviTSey:' } ^illoge «f Niagar. Palls, U. S.

Ansel B. Jacobs, Baths, Specimens, and Indian Curiosities,

Bath Island.

Museum of Natural Curiosities, Specimens, and Indian

Curiosities, T. Barnett, between Table Rock

and Clifton House, Canada.

Press of Thomas ^ Co. 165 Main street, JBuJj'alo.

sho

^ m.

8
14

ERRATA.

Page 18,
** 23,

, 651
, 7-29
. 403
. 850

* 25,

* 30,

* 42,
'* 90,

95,

* 96,
'* 128,
'* 147,

* 153,
'*168,

should be

((
li

n
n
It
n

line 27, for carSf read cars.

13, for tremendous emotion^ read tremu-
lous m4)tion,
24, for in, read it,
9, for mu2 read iced.
9 forfeetf read ro<f5.
2c^ .; f mt£5f , read m^oves,
I, for tAe96 are read there,
11, for smith, read smootfi.
20, for <^6, read t^ree.
7, in omitted.
31, for beerif read became.
Mr. Lindsay, the guide's name, is wrong ; it
Edtoin G, Lindsey,

[jin