92 EXPEDITION TO THE 



of the aperture through which it issues ; here the waters 

 present the characters of a troubled ocean, whose waves 

 rise high and beat against the adjoining shores, and against 

 the few rocky islands which are seen in the midst of this 

 basin ; it is to this character that the spot owes the name 

 which it receives from the natives, " the fall of the mov- 

 ing waters." They may be called the lower falls of Win- 

 nepeek river. We reached them in time to watch the 

 beautiful effect of the setting sun, whose beams reflected 

 by the stream imparted to it the appearance of a sea on fire. 

 This was soon replaced by the moon, which cast a more 

 placid light upon the waves, and heightened the charm of 

 the scenery by the melancholy mantle which it spread 

 over it. One of the most imposing characters of these falls 

 is the tremendous noise which they produce, and which, in 

 comparison to their size, is thought to exceed that of Niagara, 

 Montmorency, Schaffhousen, St. Anthony, the Cohoes, or 

 other falls which any of our party have ever seen. A 

 scarcity of vegetation covers these rocks and contributes to 

 the picturesque effect of the spot. Instead of the heavy fo- 

 rests which formerly sheltered Niagara, we have here a 

 spare growth of aspen, birch, spruce, and other evergreens, 

 whose size, generally small, adds to the wild and barren 

 appearance of the rocks. The night which we spent near 

 these falls, was one of the most interesting in the expedi- 

 tion-, our tents were pitched so that we had a view of the 

 splendid effect arising from the play of the moonbeams 

 upon the surface of this ocean-like basin, and our eyes 

 were constantly bent upon it until the noise of the cataract 

 lulled us to sleep. 



The artist could not behold, without rapture, a scene so 

 worthy of being painted, and accordingly Mr. Seymour 

 employed all that remained of daylight in sketching its 



