Account of the Falls of Niagara. 317 



more I gazed, the stronger and deeper the sentiment became. 

 Yet this scene of sadness was strangely mingled with a kind of 

 intoxicating fascination. Whether the phenomenon is pecu- 

 liar to Niagara, I know not, but certain it is, that the spirits 

 are affected and depressed in a singular manner by the magic 

 influence of this stupendous and eternal fall. About five miles 

 above the cataract the river expands to the dimensions of a 

 lake, after which it gradually narrows. The Rapids com- 

 mence at the upper extremity of Goat Island, which is half a 

 mile in length, and divides the river at the point of precipita- 

 tion into two unequal parts ; the largest is distinguished by 

 the several names of the Horseshoe, Crescent, and British Fall, 

 from its semicircular form and contiguity to the Canadian 

 shore. The smaller is named the American Fall. A portion 

 of this fall is divided by a rock from Goat Island, and though 

 here insignificant in appearance, would rank high among Eu- 

 ropean cascades. 



" The current runs about six miles an hour ; but suppos- 

 ing it to be only five miles, the quantity which passes the falls 

 in an hour is more than 85,000,000 tons avoirdupois ; if we 

 suppose it to be six, it will be more than 102,000,000; and 

 in a day would exceed 2,400,000,000 tons. 



" The next morning, with renewed delight, I beheld from 

 my window the stupendous vision. The beams of the rising 

 sun shed over it a variety of tints ; a cloud of spray was as- 

 cending from the crescent ; and as I viewed it from above, 

 it appeared like the steam rising from the boiler of some mon- 

 strous engine. ***** 



*' This evening I went down with one of our party to view 

 the cataract by moonlight. I took my favourite seat on the 

 projecting rock, at a little distance from the brink of the fall, 

 and gazed till every sense seemed absorbed in contemplation. 

 Although the shades of the night increased the sublimity of 

 the prospect, and ' deepened the murmur of the falling floods,' 

 the moon in placid beauty shed her soft influence upon the 

 jcnind, and mitigated the horrors of the scene. The thunders 

 which bellowed from the abyss, and the loveliness of the fall- 

 ing element, which glittered like molten silver in the moon- 



