34 Whirlpool and Rapids below the Falls of Niagara. 
into the whirlpool, I was led to think that in all probability, there 
was atime when the cataract thundered through this channel, 
now nearly filled with drift, and its waters emptied into the lake 
or sea, through the opening at St. David’s. That this assertion 
may not appear altogether visionary, I would state that it is an 
ascertained fact, that this ancient valley extends from the whirl- 
ol to St. David’s, about six miles from Queenston, as was first 
suggested by Mr. Hall to Mr. Lyell, when the latter having called 
Mr. Hall’s attention to this bed of drift at the whirlpool. “ As- 
cending,” says Mr. Lyell, “the steep bank formed of these ma- 
terials, we soon reach the general level of the table land and pass 
over it for two miles before we begin to enter the depression, 
which deepening gradually, carries us down to St. David’s. This 
valley is entirely excavated in the boulder formation, and we 
may infer that the latter maintains its full depth between St. Da- 
vid’s and the whirlpool, from sections obtained in sinking a well in 
the intervening township of Stamford, where a great thickness 
of drift was passed through.”* 
It is perhaps worthy of remark that the direction of this valley 
from the falls to St. David’s, does not materially differ from a 
straight line. The width of this valley, at the whirlpool, (FG, 
fig. 1,) which is deserving of particular attention, Mr. Lyell gives at 
about one hundred and seventy yards. Now this width, whether 
more or less than one hundred and seventy yards, agrees so nearly 
with the width of the ravine at the entrance into the whirlpool, 
1B, that it is difficult to resist the conclusion that they had. both 
one origin, but at periods of time immeasurably remote from each 
other. The continuous appearance now presented is accidental. 
sea. The width of the valley at St. David’s, which is about two 
miles, militates nothing against the assumption that the waters 
once rushed over the precipice at St. David’s. It is reasonable to 
and that in process of time the valley would contract, 
waters were concentrated and were brought to act with greater 
energy on a given point on the various strata of hard and soft 
rocks; this increased erosive action of the waters would go on 
until the cataract would finally assume a wall-like appearance 
as is now seen at the falls. This process appears to have gone 
* Lyell’s America, Vol. ii. 
