1875.] Niagara. 147 
excavated the gorge above the whirlpool, as well as the old 
one below it, and the present river have only cut back the 
gorge from Queenstown to the whirlpool, and, from that 
point upwards, have re-occupied and cleared out the old 
channel? On the face of it, the latter alternative seemed 
to me more likely, for the river above the whirlpool is run- 
ning in a direct line for the oid gorge, and is, moreover, 
about the same width as it is, the gorge to Queenstown 
being narrower. I found, with surprise, that this important 
jh pall 
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Plan of the old and new gorges of Niagara river at the whirlpool. 
point had been overlooked, and that it had been assumed, 
without discussion, that the gorge above the whirlpool be- 
longed to the new, and not to the old river. 
I determined at once to devote the time I could spend at 
Niagara to the elucidation of this question, and soon found 
some data bearing on the subject. Lyell and Hall both 
noticed the terraces formed in the superficial deposits, when 
the river commenced to cut back the new gorge from 
Queenstown. These mark its course when it flowed along 
the top of the plateau, and it seemed to me unlikely, that if 
