SOUBJCE OF ST. PETER S RIVER. 91 



moveable and unchangeable features, with the bright, daz- 

 zling effect of the silvery sheet of water, passing from a 

 smooth and unruffled expanse, to a broken and foaming 

 cataract. It is in the effect of the rocky bed of the Winne- 

 peek, that its numerous falls surpass all others which we 

 have seen; the cataract of Niagara, which far exceeds them 

 in volume, is uniform and monotonous in comparison ; the 

 horizontal ledges of secondary rocks of the latter are as far 

 Inferior in picturesque effect to the dark water-worn gra- 

 nite and sienite of the former, as the height of the bluffs 

 at Niagara exceeds that of the rocky banks of the Winne- 

 peek. 



The falls on this river have another advantage, which 

 is, that the whole country has a picturesque appearance, 

 which prepares the mind, and keeps it in a proper dispo- 

 sition, to appreciate the splendour of its cataracts, while 

 the country around Niagara is flat, uniform, and uninte- 

 resting. 



On the Winnepeek we have constantly in view changes 

 in the rocks, which contribute to those of the surface ; they 

 present at times the shistose appearance of a gneiss and 

 mica-slate, which disappears at the recurrence of the dark- 

 Goloured granite or reddish sienite; these, being filled with 

 veins of felds^Dar, display on a gigantic scale the beautiful 

 striped appearance, which has given to some of the mar- 

 bles of Italy their well-deserved celebrity. 



The place of our encampment was characterized by one of 

 those peculiar effects of water, which, once seen, leave an 

 indelible impression upon the mind. After having passed 

 over numerous rocks, which form diversified cascades, 

 (the whole height of which is about thirty feet,) the water 

 is suddenly received into a basin enclosed by high rocks, 

 where it is forced to sojourn, awhile, by the small size 



