and Physical Structure of the adjacent Country. 125 
at the end of the platform is inconceivably grand, suspended, 
as it were, over the yawning gulf; distance is concealed b 
thick volumes of mist, and the imagination is left to fathom 
the deep descent. I felt an indescribable sensation stealing 
over me, which made it dangerous to indulge any longer i in 
hanging over this irresistible tide. 
It is curious to watch the vapour as it sometimes hangs 
suspended: when it arrives at a certain height in the miiae 
sphere, many of its curves will break, assume a ragged 
hanging appearance, and then dissipate into air. 
On my return through the island, I again saw the myste- 
rious visiter, seated at the foot of a tree, with his folio laid 
open on his knees : he did not deign to look at me on passing, 
so intent appeared he at his studies. The only history I could 
hear of him was, that he had lived several years at Meena: 
ter, that he was insane, but harmless, and spent a great por- 
tion of his time on the island. I lingered until evening in this 
beautiful seclusion, and returned to the hotel, having passed 
one of the most delightful days of my life. 
During a week’s residence at the Falls, I was greatly sur- 
prised, on returning to the hotel, after each day’s ramble, to 
find so few of the visiters, from different parts of the world, 
that I had left in the morning: numbers would come and go 
the same day, others would spend one or two days, but sel- 
dom any stayed over the third ; yet they all came for the ex- 
press purpose of seeing the Falls of Niagara. 
Proceeding northward from the Falls of Niagara, the 
road continues for seven miles on the same table land, which 
is nearly on a level with Lake Erie (see fg. 23.), when the 
country suddenly sinks down to a plain, spreading to the 
shores of Lake Ontario. Descending to this plain, I came to 
the small village of Queenstown, situated near the banks of 
the river, where I was agreeably surprised on seeing the ab- 
rupt termination of the opening or channel through which the 
river flows, after its descent at Niagara, as represented in the 
birdseye view. (fig. 23.) 
It is very remarkable that the river does not enlarge on 
escaping its narrow bounds, being only 160 yards wide, and 
continuing so, with little variation, until it is lost in Lake 
Ontario. ‘The current is very rapid, compared with what it 
is immediately below the Falls. The ferryman, in crossing 
with his boat, was obliged to ascend a considerable distance 
by the bank side, and then glide down the current towards 
the opposite side of the river. The waters of the Lakes Su- 
perior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie all pass through this 
channel, which gives a peculiar interest to the place, when 
