Preservation of the Falls 



brought on ourselves the utter contempt of the crowd of would-be 1874 

 showmen, yet remaining firm in our determination not to be Whe ' ha «n 

 " done," we were all the more prepared to enjoy the magnificent 

 spectacle awaiting us. 



The stupendous grandeur of the scene that met my gaze far 

 surpassed all I had imagined. 



Niagara has been regarded with various feelings and from 

 various mental points of view. Men of business have thought 

 it has a good site for building; John Bull has pronounced it 

 " a very nice waterfall, and a bigger stream than the Thames.'* 

 Sentimental girls have gazed into its misty splendours with super- 

 stitious awe, and fancied they saw their fates there. The 

 Yankee calls Niagara " some, in the way of water power." The 

 Red Indian prays to it, " Oh, Father of mighty waters, grant a 

 blessing on your child." But with whatever feeling the traveller 

 from the East may view the Falls of Niagara, his eyes can have 

 looked on no grander picture ; and far as he may wander towards 

 the setting sun, he cannot hope to see another so splendid. 



All this time we have been looking at the Great Horse-shoe 

 Fall, over which the enormous mass of water pours with tre- 

 mendous force. Till it reaches half-way down, the water seems 

 to hang like a green curtain as it rolls over the cliff; then, gradu- 

 ally breaking, the mighty mass spreads out in foam and falls 

 into the gulf below. It is not its rapidity but its slowness which 

 is so awe-inspiring: 



Wie das Gestern, 

 Ohne Hast 



Aber, ohne Rast. 



But no words can describe the grandeur of such a scene. 



We retraced our steps a short distance towards the American 

 Fall, which is smaller than the Horse-shoe or Canadian Fall, but 

 equally impressive. 



1109 



