26 Whirlpool and Rapids below the Falls of Niagara. 
flowed over these projecting bare rocks, in descending, spread 
out into magnificent festoons. The beautiful feature which 
from the falling of masses of limestone rock from the middle of the 
cataract. That a constant change is in progress no one can 
doubt who carefully examines for himself as he wanders over 
this wonderful scene. I was particularly impressed with its 
magnificence while making a drawing of what is called the 
cave, situated half a mile below the ferry on the American side. 
This cave or ledge of bare rock, has just the appearance that 
the rocks over which the American falls are now precipitated, 
would present, if the waters were suddenly withdrawn. The 
same broken outline appears in both instances, giving evidence 
that in each case the most violent action had been in the centre. 
When the cataract was here, the space between the American 
fall and the commencement of the ‘cave’, was in all probability, 
an island, presenting a similar appearance to what the falls now 
have. There is still a small stream flowing down the precipice 
t surprised me much on my second visit, was the compara 
tive stillness in which the mighty work of discharging the surplus 
waters of so many inland seas down a precipice of one hundred 
and eighty feet was carried on. In father Hennepin’s curiously 
interesting description of this “vast and prodigious eadence of 
water,” he represents himself or his friends as being so overcome 
by the noise, that the hands were applied to the ears by way of 
dampers. ‘The marvel to me is, that they make so little noise. 
It cannot be denied, however, that the state of the atmosphere 
and direction of wind, have much to do in regulating the soun 
produced by the fall of this immense body of water. if 
After these preliminary remarks, I will now confine mysé 
more particularly to the object for which this communication oa 
