NIAGARA FALLS. 209 



been inevitably carried down. Some boys, anx- 

 ious to see her swept down the cataract, and im- 

 patient at the delay, threw stones at her. This 

 indicated the way o: escape, and she immediately 

 returned in that direction. 



The passage of the river below the cataract is 

 not considered dangerous. There is a boat sta- 

 tioned there for the conveyance of passengers, in 

 which I have passed. During the late war smug- 

 gling was carried on in that direction in the 

 night time, and before a ladder was erected on 

 the east bank, people frequently passed over from 

 Canada to steal apples at Fort Schlosser. 



But I see, my friend, that you are not only 

 tired of the subject, but of the manner in which I 

 have handled it. A description of this mighty 

 cataract is the Ulyssean bow of travellers. I 

 could say much more, but I shall only trespass 

 further on your patience by stating that 1 have 

 been credibly informed, that Dr. Kerr, an intelli- 

 gent and respectable inhabitant of Bridgewater, 

 who has resided in Upper Canada thirty years, 

 marked a tree at that time on each shore of the 

 cataract, and now believes that there has been a 

 retrocession of 150 feet in his time, chiefly at the 

 centre of the crescent. You can see immense 

 piles of stones thrown down at the foot of the 



