The English Period 



hence I walked a mile, through a thick wood and swamp, and 1768 

 then descended a steep, rugged precipice, suspended by hands 

 and feet; sometimes on notched wood, half decayed, and at 

 others by broken points of rocks, at the verge of destruction, the 

 idea a delirium always distresses me with, till I got to the lower 

 bed; and scrambling about a mile over vast slippery rocks and 

 loose stones, fallen out of the precipice, I arrived at the foot of the 

 falls, where the immensity of the impending rush of the water, 

 and diversity of the falls and spray, the various reflections of 

 the sun, the regurgitations, foamings and vortices, bewilder and 

 astonish beyond conception. . . . 



The best view, here below is from a projecting rock just under 

 the bare precipice, opposite to Stedman's island. To go further, 

 only serves to fatigue beyond measure; for under the Falls 

 . the spray obstructs the sight, all is noise and confusion, 

 one continued uproar. You are wet to the skin in a moment, 

 and if you persist in pressing on under the sheet of water, you 

 lose your breath by the violence of the spray, which happened to 

 me in two attempts. 



The letter is signed "A. B." The description of Niagara is pre- 

 faced by an account of the difficulties and delays of the journey thither. 

 The whole letter is very well written and the account of Niagara is not 

 only excellent but convincing. Especially interesting is the first-hand 

 account of the trip to what is now known as Goat Island. Both the 

 dangers of this trip and the difficulties of the descent to the foot of the 

 Falls are in striking contrast with the accessibility of the Falls in our own 

 time. 



1785 



(CreVecouer, Hector St. John de.) Voyage dans la haute !7S5 

 Pensylvanie et dans l'etat de New York, par un membre adopuf de la ^ Teveco ^r 

 nation Oneida. Traduit et publie par l'auteur d'un culrivateur American. 

 Paris: DeCrapelet. 1801. Vol. II, pp. 148—193. 



" Though called a translation this is believed to be an original work by 

 Crevecouer." The pages relating to Niagara contain a detailed descrip- 

 tion of the Falls together with the author's reflections and emotions at the 

 sight. He attempts to estimate the height and volume of the Falls. The 

 account is accompanied by two plates both highly imaginary and inade- 



69 



