122 The Falls of Niagara, 



worst part. With that assurance, I made a second attempt ; 

 but so wild and disordered was my imagination with the 

 novelty of my situation, that, when I had reached half way, I 

 could bear it no longer, and hurried out much faster than I 

 entered, having taken but a hasty glance of the great sheet of 

 water over my head. From the base of the rock to the falling 

 water, there is a space of about one hundred feet. 



The ferry (g) is rather more than a quarter of a mile 

 from the Falls, in a straight line. Following the serpentine 

 direction along the verge of the cliff (^), the walk is very in- 

 teresting, from the views, seen through the openings of the 

 trees, of what are called the American Falls, and of the per- 

 pendicular rock (h) which forms one of the sides of this deep 

 natural channel. The small town of Manchester (z), situated 

 about half a mile from the Falls, and several large mills, give 

 a cheerful appearance to this part of the picture. A broad 

 steep path conducts from the edge of the precipice to the 

 ferry. Such is the comparative tranquillity of the water in 

 this part of the stream, that I was taken across by a boy, to 

 the landing-place on the other side (k), immediately below the 

 American Falls. The waters which expand to form the Ame- 

 rican and Canada Falls, after uniting, are here contracted into 

 a stream not more than 160 yards broad. The river is con- 

 fined between perpendicular rOcks ; and the quantity of water 

 that falls is estimated to be 100,000,000 tons in an hour: 

 hence, it might be thought that the current, for miles, would 

 be impassable for a small boat in this narrow channel. It 

 seems almost incredible, were not the fact decisively proved, 

 that, immediately below such an immense rush of waters, the 

 surface should be sufficiently tranquil to allow a boat to pass 

 across the stream with so much ease ; but, v/hat is still more 

 extraordinary, there is a current of back water on the Ame- 

 rican side of the river, running towards the main fall. The 

 explanation given by persons residing on the spot is, that the 

 depth of the river exceeds 1 70 feet, and that the water from the 

 Falls sinks beneath, and forms an under-current, which, in its 

 progress, dashing against the rocks at the bottom, causes the 

 water to rise, in different parts, in circular heaps to the sur- 

 face, and forms the back current. Having crossed the river 

 several times, I feel convinced that this explanation is correct : 

 indeed, so comparatively tranquil is the creamy surface, that 

 Doats often advance to the very base of the Falls. 



On ascending a zigzag staircase up the rocks, I arrived 

 at the ferryman's hut, and followed the path to the rapids 

 above the American Falls, over which there is a wooden 

 bridge, of curious construction, supported by the projecting 



