200 NIAGARA FALLS. 



well as of writing, but neither the pen nor the pencil 

 are adequate to aftord a competent idea of its sub- 

 limity. You recognize at a great distance this 

 astonishing place, from the ascent of vapors, and 

 the clouds which are always hanging over it, and 

 you hear the roaring of the waters like the sound 

 of distant thunder. At Fort Schlosser, upwards 

 of two miles above the falls, by water, the river 

 narrows, and rapids commence, of irresistible 

 force, and immense velocity, and extend to the 

 falls. The noise, agitation, and fury of these ra- 

 pids, constitute as great a curiosity as the cataract 

 itself. An island called Goat Island, containing 

 about eighty acres, runs up to the falls, and di- 

 vides the waters. Here the whole river precipitates 

 itself headlong over a perpendicular ledge of rocks, 

 1G2J feet, according to an accurate measurement 

 of the descent. The greater part of the mighty 

 mass passes over on the west side, and viewed 

 from the American bank appears green, in the 

 thickest part of the cataract, whereas the volume 

 of water on the east side, when seen from Table 

 Rock, looks white, which may be owing to its in- 

 ferior density. There are cataracts which exceed 

 this in altitude, but there is none in the world 

 which approaches it in volume of water. Below 

 the cataract there are large rocks, which have 

 been torn and hurled from their foundations by 



