TWENTIETH ORDINARY MEETING. 227 
prisoners are still there. At the mouth of the Welland River may 
be*seen the outlines of a stockade and fort first constructed in 1812, 
and afterwards used in 1837. For the purposes of navigation and 
the security of the harbour, a canal about one hundred yards in length 
was cut from the southern shore of the Welland River through to 
the Niagara. The refuse earth was thrown to one side and has 
several times been mistaken for the ramparts of the old Fort. On 
making a personal investigation with several of the “oldest inhabi- 
tants ” last year, we discovered distinct traces of the old Fort, only, 
however, a few yards from the mistaken ramparts. Chippawa, like 
Queenston, has fallen into decay, and has been completely out- 
shadowed by the greater attractions at the Falls two miles away. 
From Buffalo to the head of Navy Island the river is comparatively 
deep, averaging from twenty to thirty feet from shore to shore. Across 
the head of Navy Island the width is about two and a half miles. 
Opposite Chippewa it commences to narrow, and so on till the Falls 
are reached ; the main, or ‘‘ Canadian” current, as it is called, does 
not follow the middle of the river, but pursues a course of its own, 
running from the foot of Grand Island towards the American shore, 
past Schlosser’s Island in a north-easterly direction, then, instead of fol- 
lowing the straight course towards the head of Goat Island, it makes a 
sweep round the head of Grass Island towards, the Canadian shore, 
almost due west, and skirting the banks just below Chippawa, 
flows precipitously over the Horse Shoe Fall. In the centre of the 
river, stretching from about half a mile above the rapids to within 
half a mile of Navy Island, there is a reef about two miles long and 
three-quarters of a mile broad. In no place on this reef is the water 
more than three feet deep. and at times during low water the heads 
of the larger stones peep above the surface. The water rushes over 
this reef at a great rate, and the bottom being composed entirely of 
rock, and the current not allowing any sediment to settle, the reef, on 
some windy days, to a stranger, looks very much like the commence- 
ment of the Rapids. On the American side of the river opposite to 
Chippawa a canal has been cut for water power ; the opening of this 
canal forms a small harbour called Port Day. Several steam yachts 
are kept here, and as the channel does not extend along the 
American shore, these vessels have to strike across towards 
the Canadian shore before ascending the river. As this is only a few 
hundred yards above the rapids the sensations of nervous passengers 
