The English Period 



Now since the way to this island has been found, the Indians 1750 

 go there often to kill deer, which having tried to cross the river am 

 above the fall, were driven upon the island by the stream: but if 

 the King of France would give me all Canada, I would not 

 venture to go to this island; and were you to see it, Sir, I am 

 sure you would have the same sentiment. On the west side of 

 this island are some small islands or rocks of no consequence. 

 The east side of the river is nearly perpendicular, the west side 

 more sloping. In former times a part of the rock at the Fall 

 which is on the west side of the island, hung over in such a 

 manner, that the water which fell perpendicularly from it, left a 

 vacancy below, so that people could go under between the rock 

 and the water; but the prominent part some years since broke 

 off and fell down; so that there is now no possibility of going 

 between the falling water and the rock, as the water now runs 

 close to it all the way down. . . . The breadth of the 

 island at its lower end is two thirds of an Arpent, or there- 

 abouts. — Below the Fall in the holes of the rocks, are great 

 plenty of Eels, which the Indians and French catch with their 

 hands without other means; I sent down two Indian boys, who 

 directly came up with about twenty fine ones. — Every day, when 

 the Sun shines, you see here from 1 o'clock in the morning to 2 

 in the afternoon, below the Fall, and under you, when you stand 

 at the side over the Fall, a glorious rainbow and sometimes two 

 rainbows, one within the other. 



I was so happy to be at the Fall on a fine clear day, and it 

 was with great delight I view'd this rainbow, which had almost 

 all the colours you see in a rainbow in the air. The more 

 vapours, the brighter and clearer is the rainbow. I saw it on the 

 East side of the Fall in the bottom under the place where I 

 stood, but above the water. When the wind carries the vapours 

 from that place, the rainbow is gone, but appears again as soon 

 as new vapours come. From the Fall to the landing above the 

 Fall, where the canoes from Lake Erie put on shore, (or from 

 the Fall to the upper end of the carrying-place) is half a mile. 



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