IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 
 / 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 '<r 
 
 
 A 
 
 f/. 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 |;^|28 
 
 t 1^ 12.0 
 
 IIIIIM 
 IIIIIM 
 
 IIIIIM 
 1.4 IIIIII.6 
 
 V] 
 
 v^ 
 
 
 7: 
 
 '>> 
 
 ^ 
 
 '^ 
 
 '/ 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 

 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 Couverture endommag6e 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 □ Cover title missing/ 
 Le 
 
 titre de couverture manque 
 
 I I Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 Lareliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intdrieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 6x6 filmdes. 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage 
 sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 y/ 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 Coloured pages/ 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag^es 
 
 Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul6es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or fuxed/ 
 Pages d^color^es, tachet^es ou piqudes 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages ddtach^es 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of print varies/ 
 Qualit^ indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du materiel supplementaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partieilement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6t6 film^es 6 nouveau de facon 6 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 The 
 to th 
 
 The 
 poss 
 of th 
 filmi 
 
 Origi 
 begii 
 the I 
 sion, 
 othe 
 first 
 sion, 
 or ill 
 
 The 
 shall 
 TINL 
 whic 
 
 Map! 
 diffe 
 entir 
 begir 
 right 
 requi 
 meth 
 
 n 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppl6mentaires; 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 
 
 
 
 
 14X 
 
 
 
 
 i8x: 
 
 
 
 
 22X 
 
 
 
 
 26X 
 
 
 
 
 30X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 20X 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 Library of the Public 
 Archives of Canada 
 
 L'exemplaire film6 fut reprodult grdce & la 
 g4n6rosit6 de: 
 
 La bibliothdque des Archives 
 publiques du Canada 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in Keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire film6, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimis sont filmis en commenpant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'iliustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont filmds en commenp ant par la 
 premidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'iliustration et en terminant par 
 la dernidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED "), or the symbol y (meaning "END "), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la 
 dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 casj le symbols — »• signifie "A SUIVRE", le 
 symbols V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure ere filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre 
 filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dt'-e 
 reprodult en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir 
 de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mdthode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
r 
 
 „„.- - »<i<=«i5>rr¥'^''- 
 

 r 
 
 1T 
 
 
 '"'Mmf r 
 
 .-i 
 
KOLIR DAYS 
 
 \T 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS, 
 
 IN 
 
 NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 BY W. FLEMING, M. D. 
 
 MANCHESTER: 
 
 PRINTED BY LOVE AND BARTON, 
 10, MARKET STREET. 
 
 1840. 
 
I 
 
 KXTUACT VnoM A JOURNAL. 
 
 iu;ffalo. 
 
 June 2{)f/i, I8;i."i. 
 
 At three o'clock, i\ m. I jn'oceeded by rail- 
 road to the ferry of the Niagara river, at 
 Black llock. This road runs under a line 
 of dark compact limestone (juarries, which, 
 judging from the fossils I collected in the 
 neighbourhood, must belong to the Silurian 
 group.* 
 
 The ferry-boat, in which we had to stem 
 the tremendous current of the river, was 
 large enough to convey carriages: the paddles 
 were w^orked by a horizontal wheel, turned 
 by four horses, forming a horse-tread-wheel. 
 
 * Since the aI)ove was written, this country has been exa- 
 mined by several of the State geohjijiists, aniuni^ whom, 1 
 believe, some ditferenee of opinion exists. I rind tiie fol- 
 lov^int;' remark in Mr. Hall's report: — "I e(»nsider the 
 rocks of this district as beloni^ini; to the old red sandstone 
 and th»^ Carboniferous group, and to be abuve the Sihiriari 
 system of Mr. Murehison. 
 
'I'lic outlet of the lake Krie, uliicli is tlie 
 head of the Niagara river, being not more 
 than two-thirds of a nule wide, must neces- 
 sarily be of great (le|)th, and has a force of 
 current which is positively alarming. The 
 bows of our boat were directed towards the 
 lake, and against the stream: when launched, 
 from the influence of the shore, 1 felt as if 
 we were at the mercy of the turbulent waters 
 around us. We were evidently carried at a 
 great rate in a direction contrary to that in 
 which we steered. I looked astern at the 
 waters, which, gradually expanding, became 
 tranquil as they receded: and their bright 
 smooth course in the distance, looked almost 
 inviting to explore the apparent solitude, of 
 the sky-bound forest which they penetrated. 
 The colour of the waters formed a contrast 
 with that, of the uninterrupted dark foliage 
 covering a flat country, without one object to 
 break the level line of the horizon, giving to 
 the course of those waters, an appearance of 
 relief; I could easily have imagined the 
 whole river an embanked high road, leading 
 across some boundless marsh. Our vessel 
 staggered under us, as she breasted the ever- 
 
5 
 
 < 
 
 flowing, iinpetuous hike stream, wliun, not- 
 Nvitlijstanding, soon laudiHl us in safoty at 
 Waterloo, in Canada. 
 
 Once more 1 set my loot on Hritlsh ground, 
 and the reiterated (juestion, " What do you 
 thhik of US upon the whole?" ceased, for a 
 time, to he put to me hy every stranger. I 
 was too late for the coacii which runs i'rom 
 Waterloo to The Falls, hut a New Ycrk 
 gentleman, who had engaged a private con- 
 veyance, kindly accommodated me. 
 
 The road runs close along the hanks of 
 the river ; there is no protection, and the soil 
 heing clay, or marl, washed perpetually hy 
 the water, is constantly slipping. The river 
 soon attains a very considerahle width — in 
 some places, I was assured, a width of eight 
 miles ; thus constantly enlarging upon the 
 eye, as the jiihjr'un advances, it serves, in 
 some measure, to raise his expectation of the 
 magnificence of its fall. I felt much excited, 
 and that excitement hicreascd to an almost 
 painful degree; even the pelting of a storm 
 which overtook us, did not confine me within 
 the shelter of our coach.. How often did 1 
 attempt, in vain, to descry some ])roof that 
 
6 
 
 
 1 was really approaching the high altar of 
 Nature's worshippers ! 
 
 Having crossed a creek, which I had un- 
 derstood was within eight or ten miles of The 
 Falls, I thrust myself once more through the 
 open side of our stage, and, not without emo- 
 tion, beheld ascending in two columns, what 
 Mrs. Butler has so beautifully characterized 
 as " The everlasting incense of the waters." 
 Their appearance resembled that of smoke ; 
 and, elsewhere, I should have regarded them 
 as traces of the backwoodsman in the forest. 
 At the same moment I heard a soft deep 
 murmur; — it was the never-failing voice of 
 The Falls which stole upon my ear. 
 
 The road diverges from the river before 
 approaching the village of Chippaway; an 
 uninteresting drive of three or four miles 
 farther, brought us to the " Pavilion." To 
 the observer, from this elevated position. The 
 Falls, both British and American, with part 
 of the rapids, suddenly reveal themselves. 
 Though not the finest view that may be 
 obtained, yet it impressed me beyond all ex- 
 pectation. I had sensations of delight such 
 as I never before experienced, and gave ovi- 
 
 S 
 
(ience of them l)y exclamations, sueli as I 
 believe never before escaped me. I hurried 
 down before dark to the " Table Rock," and 
 returned with a confused head, a full heart, 
 and a subdued spirit. In the evening I sat 
 down with my journal before me ; I strove to 
 express what I felt, but could not ; the scene 
 I had beheld, had taken full possession of my 
 faculties. After retiring to rest, the last 
 thought in my mind, like the last sound to 
 my ear, was of Niagara. 
 
 J 
 
 June 30th. 
 
 I started early to make the toiu*. I pro- 
 ceeded to the staircase which leads to Ter- 
 mination Rock, behind the falHng sheet of 
 water. I stripped completely, and, habited in 
 the ordinary dress, viz. — thick woollen stock- 
 ings drawers and shirt, a large loose oil-skin 
 gown with a band round the waist, oil-skin 
 cap, and shoes provided for the purpose, I 
 proceeded with a mere child for my guide. 
 The moment the visitor leaves the shelter of 
 the staircase, he is met by a current of air, 
 which, with the drippings of the accumulated 
 spray from the rocks suspended over his path, 
 
 ■1 
 
8 
 
 is no unfitting preparation for what he has to 
 encounter. The spray soon becomes so thick 
 as to be disconcerting, and the blast so vio- 
 lent, as to affect the respiration. My eyes 
 dimly discovered, through a medium, half 
 air, half water, a black line, which I supposed 
 was the path I should pursue. At the same 
 time, my ears were stunned, by the roar of 
 the cataract. Understanding that, as I ad- 
 vanced, a comparative calm would succeed 
 this storm, I pushed resolutely on, opposed 
 by an almost overpowering gust of wind and 
 spray ; but all my expectations of relief proved 
 vain. I had long been gasping for breath, 
 and I was now in a state of positive suffocation. 
 Though I had advanced some distance behind 
 the sheet of water, I was compelled imme- 
 diately, or rather instantly, to return, making 
 my exit much more speedily than I made my 
 entrance. How humiliating the sensation 
 which my retreat occasioned me ; — the vio- 
 lence of the blast hurrying me, and the tor- 
 rent pattering upon my broad oil-skinned 
 back, felt and sounded as if I was driven out 
 for cowardice, lashed by a thousand liands, 
 and hissed at bv a thousand tonirues. 
 
1 
 
 9 
 
 After resuming my ordinary dress, 1 pro- 
 ceeded to the ferry. On the British side of 
 the river, a carriage road has been formed to 
 the water's edge. On the American side, the 
 ascent is made by steep wooden steps only. 
 A commanding view of a part of the rapids 
 is obtained from the bridge leading from 
 Manchester to Goat Island. My Guide 
 pointed out this bridge as an illustration of 
 the talents of American engineers, who could 
 thus lay permanent foundations amidst such 
 a " war of elements." 
 
 Nature and art have contributed to make 
 Goat Island a fitting residence for a poet. 
 There are points from which he may view 
 each separate feature of the whole cataract, 
 or at the Terrapin* Bridge he may suspend 
 
 * What is called the Terrapin Bridge, is a large and very 
 long beam of wood, placed on the American side, across a 
 part of the bed of the river, where very little water Hows, and 
 extending, until the farther end projects beyond the margin 
 of the Horse-shoe Fall. This beam is secured to the bank 
 of the river. A sliglit hand-rail enables a jterson to walk 
 to its extremity. It was by means of a rope tied to the rail 
 at this extremity of the bridge, that Abbott used frequently 
 to descend for amusement, or excitement, and hang, like a 
 s]>ider from its thread, over tlie awlul gulf beneath him. 
 
 The following account of Abbott is taken from Parson's 
 Gnide to Niagara Falls : — 
 
 A young Englishman, named Francis Abbott, of res])ect- 
 able connexions, either through misfortune or a morbid 
 state of mind, wliich made him desire seclusion, took ujt 
 his residence on Goat [sland, and in tiie neighbourhood of 
 
 B 
 
f 
 
 
 10 
 
 himself over a Hell of Waters, lie may take 
 a trackless path in the forest, listening to the 
 
 tlift Falls, for two yi'iifn; and Itocame so Cii^ciiiatt'il witli tlii' 
 solitu»li>, and iiiiattiatiMl witli tlu; sceinTy, tliat no induci'- 
 nicnt could divert Ills thoughts, or draw hhn Croni tlic spot, 
 wlicrt' he acquired the name of the " IJerniit of Niagara 
 Falls." 
 
 II(! arrived <»n foot in June, lH:2f), dressed in a loose i^own 
 or cloak of a ehocidate coloiu', canyiiiir under liis arm a 
 roll of hlankets, a (lute, a portiolio, and a lar^e lM»(»k ; 
 whiclj constituted the whole of his l)a;jiia!;e. lie t(»ok up 
 Ills ahode, intlielirst in iance, in the small inn of Khene/er 
 Kelly, on the American side, stipnlatiui; that the r ;om he 
 occupied should he exclusively his own, and that certain 
 l»arts of his co(»kiiig only should he dom- hy his host. He 
 then repaired to the lihrary, where he i;ave his name, and 
 borrowed some; l»(»oks and music hooks, and purchased si 
 vi(din; the foUowini; day he again visited the lihrary, expa- 
 tiated larirely, with great ease and ability, on the beantilul 
 scenery of the Falls, and declared his intention of remaining 
 at Uuist a week; for "a traveller might as well," he said, 
 " examine in detail the vari(»us museums and curiosities 
 <»f Paris, as bec<»me ac((uainted with the splendid scenery 
 of Niixgara in the same s[>ace «»f time." t)n a subsequent 
 visit he declared his intention of staying at least a month, 
 perhaps six. Shortly after he determined <ni tixing his 
 abode on (ioat Island, and was desirous of erecting a hut, 
 in which he might live quite secluded ; the proi»riet<)r of 
 the island not tliinking proper to grant this request, In; 
 occupied a small room in the only house, being occasionally 
 furnished with bread and milk by the family, but more 
 generally providing and always cooking his own food. 
 During the second winter ol' his seclusion, the family 
 removed, and to the few persons with wh(»m he held 
 communion, he expressed great satisfaction at being able 
 to live alone. 
 
 For some time he enjoyed this seclusion ; but another 
 family having entered the house, he quitted the island, and 
 built hiaiself a small cottage on the main shore, about thirty 
 rods below the great Fall. On the 10th of June, 1831, be 
 was seen to bathe twice, and was observed by the ferryman 
 to enter the water a third time about two o'clock in the 
 afternoon ; his clothes remaining for some hours w here he 
 ha<l deposited them, an alarm w as created, and an inellectual 
 search was made for him. On the 2Ist, bis bcMly was taken 
 out of the river at Fort Niauara, and was decently interred 
 
11 
 
 sound of what lie no longer sees ; through 
 tastefully arranged pleasure grounds on one 
 side, he may meander along the bank of the 
 smooth proudly swelling river, or from the 
 lawn of the other, watch its angry course, 
 fretting and foaming, as if impatient to fulfil 
 the glory of its destination. The most strik- 
 ing view of the whole cataract is, in my 
 
 ill the burial j^rouiid near the Falls. "Wlien his cottajje was 
 examiiuHl, his doi; was fbiirul guardini; the (loor, aiul was 
 with difficulty removed; his cat occupied liis bed; his jj;uitar, 
 violin, ffutes, music hooks, ajid portrolio, were scattered 
 around in c(»ntusion ; hut not a single written iKi])er of any 
 kind was found (although he was known to comjtose much) 
 to throw the le.ast light on tliis extraordinary character. 
 He was a person of liighly cultivated mind and manners, 
 a master of languages, cjeeply read in the arts and sciences, 
 and performed on vari(»us nnisical instruments with great 
 taste; his drawings v.ere also very sjiirited. lie had tra- 
 velled over Europe and many part's of tiie East, and j)os- 
 sessed great colloquial powers when inclined to he s(»ciable; 
 but at times ho would de-ire nr>t to be s]»oken to, and com- 
 municated his wishes on a slat' soiuj'tiines for three or 
 four months together he wcmki go unshaved, with no 
 covering on his head, and his body envelojted in a ))lanket; 
 shunning all, and seeking the deepest solitude. His age 
 was not more than twenty-eight, his person well made, and 
 his features handsome. 
 
 IVIany spots on Goat Island are consecrated to bis memory; 
 at the upj»er eiul he established liis walk, whicli becanu' bard 
 trod and well beaten; between the island and Moss Jsland 
 was his favourite retreat for bathing; here lie resorted at 
 all seasons of the year, even in the coldest weathei-, when 
 ice was on the river ; vu the bridge t(» the Terrapin Rocks, 
 it was his daily practice to walk for hours, from one ex- 
 tremity to the <ither, with a <iuick pace ; sometimes he 
 would let himself down at the end of tlie projecting timber, 
 and hang under it by his hands and leet over the terrific 
 precipice,for liftcen minutes at a time, and in the wibh'st 
 flours of the night he was often found walking in the most 
 dangerous places near the Falls. 
 
1-2 
 
 iiion, from tiie Table Rock : it surpasses tluit 
 from the river's edge, because it includes the 
 Rapids. The height too of The Falls im- 
 presses the beholder much more strongly 
 when viewed from above, than from below. 
 
 A magnificent, distant view is obtained 
 from the British ferry. I spent the afternoon 
 at the Table Rock. 
 
 In the country surrounding Niagara Falls, 
 and for a considerable distance in some di- 
 rections,* Silurian rocks are extensively, 
 though not exclusively, developed: their 
 strata are rarely dislocated or disturbed, but 
 almost horizontal, dipping very slightly to 
 the south east. The Falls have a height of 
 perhaps 170 feet. The mass of waters, de- 
 scending with so great a force, has the effect 
 upon the lowest stratum, of reducing it to a 
 fissile or slaty structure, which contributes 
 to its rapid disintegration. This stratum is, 
 in fact, a very compact shale, and before its 
 exposure to atmospheric or other causes, is 
 scarcely distinguishable, by its physical cha- 
 racters, from tlie limestone. The debris is 
 soon carried away by the waters, leaving the 
 
 ' Sot' Nott', i>age 1. 
 

 )l 
 
13 
 
 upper beds of limestone hanging over the 
 cavities left by the destruction of the shale 
 bed beneath them. This is not the case 
 behind the falling waters only, but also at 
 the sides of the channel cut by the river. 
 The Table Rock is the overhanging portion 
 of the uppermost stratum on the British 
 side, close to the falling sheet of water. 
 The same cause which, through countless 
 ages, has occasioned tho recession of The 
 Falls, from Queenston to their present 
 locality, is still in action; the upper lime- 
 stone strata being undermined and left with- 
 out support, have portions constantly falling; 
 within a recent period, immense blocks have 
 been precipitated from this rock into the 
 river course below, and the remainder must, 
 ere long, share the same fate. A crack, run- 
 ning from edge to edge, including about 
 six feet in width of the rock, exists at this 
 moment. Frequently I lay down at full 
 length, crawling forwards, and taking care 
 to keep my body at a right angle to the 
 edge of the rock, until I could stretch my 
 head over the precipice. Two things struck 
 me as wonderfully beautiful ;— first, the mar- 
 
u 
 
 1 
 
 I, 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 Iff 
 
 If :;;, 
 
 gin of tlio falling ahcet of water near nic, 
 which was hko a stream of largo diamonds ; 
 secondly, and in a still higher degree, the 
 part of the great fall, which I presume comes 
 from the course of the river, and where the 
 falling body of water is supposed to be wr//, 
 v(i7y deep. The water here is sea green, and 
 it has quite a smooth surftice throughout the 
 course of its precipitation ; thus, differing 
 from every other part of the white range of 
 The Falls. While this portion is descending, 
 is seen the white foam, produced at the 
 deepest part of the falling sheet, gradually 
 bubbling through the stream, marbling the 
 whole volume in the most fantastic forms, 
 as seen through some depths of the body of 
 water, and as it reaches the cauldron below, 
 bursting into one white mass of surf and spray. 
 I had not the good fortune to see the sun's 
 rays refracted ; but I was told that three dis- 
 tinct rainbows are not unfrequently visible 
 over this portion of The Falls. The rapids 
 have an imposing effect, and when viewed in 
 connexion with the Falls contribute essentially 
 to render them what, I believe, they are, — 
 " The first wonder of the world." A computa- 
 
 w 
 
15 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 tion, (though indisputably an erroneous one,) 
 has been made, that this cataract requires 
 to form it, nearly half the fresh water on the 
 globe. After an absence, I never re-approached 
 it, without experiencing the most powerful 
 cinotions. How grateful to my feelings were 
 some of the verses with which my memory 
 supplied me at the time, addressed, by Klop- 
 stock, "To the Omnipresent God." One 
 verse, peculiarly consonant with those feel- 
 ings at the moments to which I have alluded, 
 I cannot withhold : — 
 
 Ifh hvYw nipin Anin ' ""*> "'"l f^'I' 
 
 UihI sidle dcr Ilcrr i>it ilbcrall ! 
 
 Sonnen, eucli, uiid () Eideii, each MoTide dor Erdeii. 
 
 Erliillet, rings iiin luicli, des LTuoiidlicht'ii Gogciiwart !* 
 
 It is related of llollin, the author of the 
 ancient history, that he could never suffer 
 himself to read the thirty-second chapter of 
 Deuteronomy, in any position, save on his 
 bended knees. Do I misjudge my fellow 
 men in believing, that few can approach the 
 
 * I am indebtt'd to my tii»>nd, Mr. Charles Savain, 
 for the following bfautiliil English versitication : 
 
 Upwards I lift my gaze, and everywhere 
 
 Through time, through space, and all immensity, 
 Do I behold the presence ot'tlie Lord! 
 () ye Sims, O eartlis, and ye moons oftlie eai-tli, 
 Around me witli the fulness of the Infinite, 
 How boundlessly the universe o'erllows ! 
 
16 
 
 lulls i)i Ni{i«^ai'a for a lir«t tiiiK', witliout 
 feolings in soino dogree akin to those, re- 
 corded of the ancient liistorian. 
 
 
 ■ I 
 
 'r 
 
 I sot out in good time, along the cliffs, to 
 the whirlpool. This task, it is not easy to 
 accomplish. I was, however, amply rewarded 
 for my toil. The scenery along the banks of 
 the river is little varied, but the monotony 
 is occasionally relieved by the rapids, which 
 present themselves in the river's course. I 
 found a boulder of granite, containing six 
 cubic yards at least. 1 saw many black squir- 
 rels, and picked up some land shells, mostly 
 the Helix albolabris. On approaching the 
 whirlpool, I was obliged to leave the cliffs, 
 and thus lost myself in the woods. After 
 some exertion, I found my way to a farm 
 house. This house occupied a large space 
 of ground, being of one story only, and was 
 almost surrounded by a terrace, six or eight 
 feet wide, the roof of which projecting from 
 the house, was supported upon pillars. The 
 occupants were Irish, who had passed one 
 
I 
 
 17 
 
 wintiT only in Ciintula. Tl»oy oxpiessed 
 theinselvt'S a^ hoing (inite contented and 
 happy; and iliodgh tlie winter had heen 
 cold, they had passed it very pleasantly. 
 Pressingly, they invited me to partake of 
 their good cheer, viz. hrcad, butter, cheese, 
 and milk, which I did with a freedom in whicli 
 I would not have indulged, had I entertained 
 the slightest idea that I should not be allowed 
 to pay for my entertainment. All my offers of 
 money ivere nut coi/It/, hat peremptorili/ rejected, 
 
 " In all my wanderings round this world of care," 
 
 I was never, so far as I could judge, a more 
 welcome guest. They sped me on my way, 
 and directed me to my destination. They 
 shall ever have the stranger's grateful re- 
 membrance ! 
 
 The whirlpool is in a complete basin, or 
 crater, into which the river pours itself, pur- 
 suing its course at less than a right angle 
 from its entrance. Much nearer the river's 
 mouth, than the centre of the basin, is the 
 central point of the whirlpool. The surface re- 
 minded me of the section of a nautilus ; curled 
 radii, or rather septae of ever breaking waves 
 c 
 
18 
 
 'lit* 
 
 ai. 
 
 diverge, in all directions, from the centre. 
 Judging from the wood I saw floating, the 
 portions of the surface unaffected by the 
 whirl, appear to be governed by under cur- 
 rents ; another indication is, that the ap- 
 pearance which I have already described as 
 so beautiful, at the horse-shoe fall, presents 
 itself here. 
 
 I returned to Niagara Falls by the high 
 road, making a detour, to that part of Lundy 
 Lane, celebrated as the site of one of the 
 most severely contested battles between the 
 Americans and English. After dinner I again 
 attempted the passage to the Termination 
 Rock. I had now learned the mode of easy 
 access. It is, to keep the head deeply bent 
 upon the chest. Having encountered, in 
 this position, the thickest of the spray and 
 the greatest violence of the blast, the visitor 
 is enabled to pause and look around. Ex- 
 cept for the black rock against which he 
 leans, and the spot upon which he stands, 
 he is within a globe of water. It has not, 
 however, the common appearance of water, 
 nor of a grey mist, neither is there ordinary 
 light or shade, nor a grotto of diamonds, nor 
 
 
li) 
 
 the roar of a tempestuous ocean, yet of all 
 these I was reminded. Though I lingered, 
 yet I almost feared to stay. 
 
 A respectable young farmer who accom- 
 panied my guide, exclaimed, on emerging into 
 the open air, — " Every man that goes there 
 should thank God when he comes back alive. 
 I would not take nothing — no nothing for 
 this stone," alluding to a small piece of rock 
 which he had brought from tlic extremity. 
 The passing behind the sheet of water is an 
 appalling, but not dangerous undertaking, 
 and would be accomplished by all who visit 
 The Falls, if they could know the delight it 
 would afford them. I may safely say they 
 would experience sensations such as no other 
 existing combination of causes could excite. 
 
 July 2nd. 
 
 At half-past five o'clock, I rode down 
 to the ferry and crossed to Goat Island, for 
 the purpose of exploring The Cave, and 
 bidding The Terrapin, adieu. I found that 
 the account in my guide book was false in 
 stating that " the cave is accessible." As to 
 
20 
 
 the trickling sheet, or detached portion of the 
 American Fall, a child may safely pass behind 
 it. No object which attracted my attention at 
 this visit appeared new to me. This was my 
 warning for departure from the neighbour- 
 hood, having previously resolved to quit the 
 scene before the vividness of my impressions 
 should be impaired by familiarity. 
 
 It was not without regret that, on setting 
 out for Brock's monument, 
 
 " I cast a longing, lingering look behind," 
 
 and sighed my farewell. 
 
 Before I had advanced far, all my attention 
 was arrested, by a break in the forest, or a 
 turn in the road, affording a sudden burst of 
 the music of The Falls. As that music died 
 away, and I awoke to impressions from the 
 objects immediately around me, I found my- 
 self revolving in my mind those sentences of 
 Holy Writ — " The voice of the Lord is upon 
 the waters," " The glory of God thundereth." 
 
 Having left The Falls of Niagara, I asked 
 myself — Have they disappointed me? Have 
 they equalled my expectations? 
 
 1 ' 
 
 ;| 
 
21 
 
 From the moment that, in breathless ex- 
 pectation, I caught a first glimpse of the 
 cloud that marked their being, to the moment 
 I quitted them, I had sensations such as I 
 never before experienced ; a fulness of de- 
 light, and yet, whilst gazing upon them, a 
 feeUng somewhat allied to vacancy of thought. 
 Was it that my ordinary ideas were at once 
 discarded as unfit associates for those, result- 
 ing from the sensations, which crowded upon 
 me, and for which I could find no analogies ? 
 I was as an infant just placed in a new world, 
 my senses busied in receiving impressions 
 totally new, and my memory supplying none 
 for just comparison. In my rambles there 
 was ever a something which acted as a re- 
 straint on my tongue, and a check upon my 
 steps. When the giddy laugh of strangers 
 burst upon my ear, I felt at the moment as 
 if they were guilty of sacrilege, and, even 
 upon reflection, I could not withhold from 
 them my contempt. I could not pause, with- 
 out some ejaculation escaping from my hps ; 
 such as. Great God ! how wonderful — how 
 passing wonder, He who made them such ! 
 
 Let those who have derived their ideas of 
 
 1' 
 
22 
 
 f; 
 
 
 power from the volcano and the hurricane ; 
 who have been familiar with floods, and bred 
 amidst the roar of cannon, unite them all 
 within natural limits, and they may certainly 
 form a more terrific combination, but none 
 so enchantingly impressive as that received 
 from The Falls of Niagara. If, as Hamilton 
 has observed, a man go expecting to see " the 
 Atlantic ocean pouring out of the moon," he 
 w^ill find no such thing ; and if he say, as my 
 neighbour at dinner this day said to me, " I 
 have seen many water-falls, and this is only 
 larger ; and I don't see why a mere matter of 
 size should throw people into such ecstasy," 
 I should place him on a level with the brute. 
 In my opinion, a man who feels disappointed 
 on seeing Niagara, would best consult his 
 own interest, by not whispering the fact even 
 to a friend; I should consider the expression 
 of disappointment merely as a proof that he, 
 himself, had a head without judgment, and a 
 heart without feeling. 
 
 To the sound of these Falls may perhaps 
 be attributed no small share of the effect pro- 
 duced by them upon the mind. It differs 
 from every other I ever heard. Of the Falls 
 
'2ii 
 
 of Terni, Tivoli, and Trenton, I can speak 
 from personal experience. They produce no 
 impression upon the beholder, which can give 
 birth to conceptions at all analogous to those 
 suggested by the gigantic Niagara. The 
 greatest artificial sound with which I am 
 acquainted, that of the explosion of artillery, 
 is of a nature which impresses the. hearer 
 with the idea of utter exhaustion in the 
 power which produces it; but I never lis- 
 tened to the sound of Niagara, without the 
 impression, that an inexhaustible power was 
 in action, which, unless restrained and sub- 
 dued, must instantly annihilate me. The 
 thunder, in a tropical region, is most awful 
 and grand, yet, unlike the power in action at 
 Niagara, the sound increases and dies away 
 upon the ear, as it approaches or recedes. 
 It is thus constantly associated in our minds 
 with place, a limited idea. Probably the 
 sound of a tempestuous ocean bears a closer 
 resemblance; but this strikes us by pulses, 
 which, in human exertions, imply a period 
 of rest. For these or other reasons (perhaps 
 merely our greater familiarity with them,) 
 they aiFect us less than the roar of Niagara, 
 
 I 
 
24 
 
 which is the same every moment, to-day, yes- 
 terday, and (so far as man is concerned,) for 
 ever. 
 
 Finally, the emotion produced in me by the 
 sight and sound of these Falls has exceeded 
 any I ever before received from natural ob- 
 jects, excepting perhaps that derived from a 
 glance into the crater of ^tna. I feel at this 
 moment as if raised a degree in the scale of 
 intelligence, by having beheld what the na- 
 tive Indian of these forests might have justly 
 termed, " The track of his Creator I" 
 
 Should any reader of these lines visit here- 
 after the neighbourhood of Niagara, I should 
 strongly recommend him to make his first 
 approach to The Falls, alone, and to select an 
 hour when he is not likely to be interrupted 
 by strangers. Little do I know of the work- 
 ings of the human heart, if he do not return 
 with strengthened convictions of the omnipo- 
 tence and omnipresence of the great Creator. 
 
 PRINTED BY LOVE AND IJAHTON, MANCHESTEB.