Introduction 



and classified on the basis of the different interests or aspects 

 from which the Falls may be viewed. He felt that in this way 

 the history of the Falls and the development of knowledge con- 

 cerning them and their use would best appear as an orderly 

 evolution. The presentation of the subject, it need hardly be 

 said, is essentially popular in style. 



In many cases the limits of the book forbade quotation and 

 only the most interesting and valuable bits have been taken and 

 the selection so made as to avoid needless repetition and yet 

 afford as much information and present the Falls from as many 

 points of view as possible. But as the aim has been to preserve 

 the accounts in their integrity rather than to quote mere scraps 

 and mutilations, some repetition has been unavoidable. Extracts 

 generally have been chosen on their own merits. It may there- 

 fore happen that comparatively unknown writers have been cited 

 at greater length than authors of wider fame. Where extracts 

 have not been given or where further information seemed desira- 

 ble, critical estimates or short summaries have been inserted after 

 the title. In these cases the opinion of an authority has been 

 used wherever this was available as of more value than the 

 author's personal judgment. No attempt has been made to 

 exhaust or even to indicate the various editions of the books cited. 

 Generally speaking, the first issue of the narratives has been 

 given. In the case of the early French accounts the first English 

 edition has been, as a rule, also indicated. Rare books have 

 been cited in their latest and most accessible reprint. 



In some cases it has been difficult to decide where a given 

 account belonged in the chronological scheme. This was 

 especially true of some of the reminiscent descriptions of the Falls 

 written from memory a long time after the Falls had been viewed 

 by the writer in question. In general, however, the early accounts 

 have been listed in the order of the time of the visit which they 

 describe. Where it was impossible to ascertain this, the date of 

 publication was of course the only resort. In accounts of more 

 recent times, especially those dealing with the industrial and 



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