Chap. VI. CAPTAIN PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE. 193 



racts. Just below this, however, where the river turns 

 almost at a right angle, we perceived a much greater spray, 

 as well as a louder sound ; and having walked a short dis- 

 tance down the bank, suddenly came upon the principal fall, 

 of whose magnificence I am at a loss to give any adequate 

 description. At the head of the fall, or where it commences 

 its principal descent, the river is contracted to about one 

 hundred and fifty feet in breadth, the channel being hol- 

 lowed out through a solid rock of gneiss. After falling 

 about fifteen feet at an angle of 30° with a vertical line, the 

 width of the stream is still narrowed to about forty yards, 

 and then, as if mustering its whole force previous to its final 

 descent, is precipitated in one vast continuous sheet of water 

 almost perpendicular for ninety feet more. So nearly, in- 

 deed, is the rock perpendicular, that we were enabled to let 

 down a sounding lead and line, for the purpose of measuring 

 its actual height, while a man descended from crag to crag 

 with a second line attached to him, to see when the lead 

 touched the water below. The dashing of the water from 

 such a height produced the usual accompaniment of a cloud 

 of spray, broad columns of which were constantly forced up, 

 like the successive rushes of smoke from a vast furnace, and 

 on this, near the top, a vivid iris or rainbow was occasion- 

 ally formed by the bright rays of an unclouded sun. ' The 

 roaring of the mountain-cataract,' which constitutes a prin- 

 cipal feature of the sublime in scenery of this magnificent 

 nature, was here almost deafening ; and as we were able to 

 approach the head of the fall, even so close as a single yard, 

 the very rock seemed to suffer a concussion under our feet. 

 The basin that receives the water at the foot of the fall is 

 nearly of a circular form, and about four hundred yards in 

 diameter, being rather wider than the river immediately 

 below it. The fall is about three quarters of a mile above 

 our landing-place, or two miles and a quarter from the 

 entrance of the river. After remaining nearly an hour, 



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