112 HalVs Remarks on Niagara Falls 



island, known as Bird's Island, in the midst of the stream. 

 From Black Rock to within two miles of the great fall, the 

 channel is excavated in the rocks of the saliferous group, the 

 descent in this distance being only fifteen feet. About one 

 mile south of the fall, the Niagara limestone approaches the 

 surface, and forms the commencement of the rapids. The 

 current, for the first two miles after leaving the lake, is 

 very rapid ; after this distance, it flows on more gently, the 

 channel gradually widening as far as Grand Island, where if 

 is nearly two miles wide. It then divides, the greater quan- 

 tity of water running on the west side of this island. There 

 are several small, low islands in the river, above Grand Island, 

 but this is far larger than all of them. Below this island the 

 river expands to a width of two or three miles, and presents 

 all the appearance of a quiet lake with small, low islands. 

 Approaching the rapids, the river narrows, and the current 

 becomes more rapid, and for about one mile before reaching 

 the grand cascade, rushes on with inconceivable velocity, 

 over a declivity of fifty two feet, to the edge of the precipice, 

 where it is precipitated into a gulf one hundred and sixty feet 

 below. 



The chasm through which the Niagara river flows, from 

 this point to its emergence into the low country at Lewiston, 

 is excavated in the rocks represented in the section, Nos. 7 

 and 8 only being visible at the falls, the others rising succes- 

 sively from beneath the water, owing to the declivity of the 

 bed of the river, and the ascent of the rocks to the northward. 

 The sides of this chasm present almost perpendicular walls, 

 with a talus at the bottom, formed by the falling of some of 

 the higher masses. The outlet of this chasm, where the 

 river emerges into the plain at Lewiston, is sc£U'cely wider 

 than elsewhere along its course. In some places the river 

 flows in a channel of less than two hundred yards across, and 

 again is expanded to twice that width. The breadth of the 

 chasm across the top, is nearly twice that of the channel or 

 stream at the bottom. The declivity of the bed of the river, 

 from the falls to Lewiston, is one hundred and four feet, or 

 nearly fifteen feet to the mile, which gives great velocity to the 



