118 HalVs Remarks on Niagara Falls 



a channel. At the lake shore, it has a broad opening with 

 sloping sides, and appears mnch like a bay worn by the action 

 of the sea, while perhaps a stream was flowing in at the same 

 place. It appears very natural to suppose that this may at 

 one time have been the continuation of the ancient valley of 

 the Genesee, which was commenced south of Dansville, and 

 continued northward as the land was upraised above the sea. 



Now had the sea ever washed the base of the cliffs at Lew- 

 iston long enough to allow of the excavation of this gorge of 

 the Niagara, we should find some evidence of its sojourn there, 

 in the shape of a beach, or rounded pebbles ; but we find 

 nothing of the kind. The continuance of a line of coast of 

 sea or lake may be determined comparatively by the charac- 

 ter of the materials along its margin ; whether they are com- 

 pletely rounded, or still much angular ; or if rounded, whether 

 the forms are very much flattened. But in the case before us 

 we find nothing at a greater elevation than the ridge road, or 

 lake ridge, which, from its nature and contained remains, must 

 have been the boundary of an ancient lake. 



Other examples might be cited, but these appear to me suf- 

 ficient as an explanation of causes why the Niagara did not 

 take its course from the whirlpool through the ravine filled 

 with gravel, rather than excavate a new channel from the 

 rock. 



We come now to the consideration of the argument that 

 the chasm of Niagara has been worn by the sea, previous to, 

 or during the elevation of this part of the country above its 

 level. In the absence of direct proof, we must resort to anal- 

 ogy, and relying on this mode, we find that all indentations 

 or ravines, excavated in the face of sea cliff's, have a broad or 

 trumpet-mouthed opening toward the sea, and recede abruptly 

 to a point. They never present a long, narrow ravine, of 

 equal width ; and when of a length at all approaching Ni- 

 agara, they have an opening many times broader than this at 

 Lewiston. I might cite numerous examples of ravines exca- 

 vated by the sea, aided by a stream coming in at right angles, 

 but none of these are of the character of Niagara. In such 

 cases they are broad enough to allow the stream to flow 



