The English Period 



head. The principal reasons they seem to give for this opinion 1787 

 are two: First, from the abrupt rise of the banks of the river at yt 

 the Landing, which from being of a moderate height and almost 

 every where accessible from the water's edge, they become at 

 once very high and perpendicular clifts; at the same time the 

 river becomes much more narrow and rapid than before — The 

 second reason seems to have more reason in it, and is, that accord- 

 ing to their language the Falls have altered their position or 

 retreated since the memory of men. Having made all the inquiries 

 I could concerning this movement, I found that about twenty 

 years since, there was a projecting rock at the end of the centre 

 island which had fallen and seems to be the only ground work 

 for this strong contested opinion. One thing I must grant, that 

 it is possible that in a very long series of years they may alter a 

 little and for this reason: the spray rising from the bottom con- 

 tinually striking against the clifts wears it away and forms a 

 kind of cavity over which a large rock projects, as the Table 

 Rock already mentioned, which, when it becomes so undermined 

 that it is not able to sustain the weight of water which overflows 

 it in great floods, must naturally fall. How long it may take 

 the water to excavate its clifts in this manner I cannot determine ; 

 all I can say is, the place where the rock fell twenty years ago 

 does not yet appear to be the least worn by its influence, nor does 

 any one pretend to remember the Table Rock any other than it 

 now is, projecting very far over its base. By which I conceive 

 we may fairly conclude it will take many centuries to bring about 

 this revolution, which when done only alters one. small part of 

 the Fall for a yard or two. At that rate, how long it would 

 have taken to have retreated from the landing I shall leave to those 

 who pretend from such causes to ascertain the age of our terrestrial 

 globe. But even if we should for a moment grant the possibility 

 of their favourite maxim, what is become of the immense quan- 

 tity of stone, which must from time to time have fallen during 

 its movement. This seems to me to be a question none can 

 answer, certain a great quantity of stone must have been in a 

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