114 HalVs R&tnarks on Niagara Falls 



the table land, going in a north-west direction about one mile, 

 we commence descending through another deep gorge, which 

 terminates upon the plateau at the base of the escarpment, at 

 St. Davids. It will be perceived, by referring to the map, that 

 the course of the river before coming to the whirlpool, if con- 

 tinued in the same direction, would lead to St. Davids. From 

 this fact it has been inferred that there is a continuous ancient 

 ravine, filled with drift, from the whirlpool to this place. 

 This most remarkable fact has been cited as a strong objection 

 to the theory of recession by the action of the river upon its 

 own bed. Still, however, I hope to show that its existence 

 is equally an objection to the chasm having been produced by 

 the action of the sea. 



If this ravine be continuous from the whirlpool to St. Da- 

 vids, and existed previous to the excavation of the Niagara 

 channel to Lewiston, it seems natural to suppose that it 

 would have taken that direction. If we suppose that the 

 undermining agency of the ocean, aided by the stream, exca- 

 vated the Niagara chasm, why would not the same agency 

 have cleared out this ancient ravine ? And if it be assumed 

 that the stream had commenced flowing by way of Lewiston, 

 then we require nothing more to account for the commence- 

 ment of the chasm. The assumption that the sea excavated 

 the present channel of Niagara, does not aid in the difficulty 

 of explaining why the ancient ravine of St. Davids was not 

 cleared out ; but on the other hand, the existence of that 

 ravine, filled with drift, is a strong argument that the Niagara 

 did excavate, of itself chiefly, its present channel. For had 

 the sea remained long enough after the filling of this ravine 

 with drift, to excavate that of Niagara, it would have removed 

 a portion at least of it, and have drained the water in that di- 

 rection. We can scarcely conceive it possible that this ravine 

 could have been filled with drift, by any means, while such a 

 stream as the present Niagara river was flowing through it, 

 and if it has, at any time, been a large water course, there 

 must have been a cessation of the stream diu'ing the time of 

 this filling up. 



The most rational explanation, ard the one most consonant 



