The English Period 



June 10. In the morning I went to view the Falls of Niagara, 1793 

 of which so much has been said. The appearance was far short Lincoln 

 of the ideas I had formed of them. It is said that the water 

 falls one hundred and thirty-seven feet perpendicularly. Had I 

 been called to give an opinion respecting the fall, I should not 

 have judged that the water fell more than forty or fifty feet. 

 From whence arises the deception, I know not; the fact as to the 

 magnitude of the fall, I cannot doubt, as that has been accurately 

 taken, mathematically. After breakfast we pursued our journey 

 towards Buffalo Creek, a few miles up which lives a number of 

 the Seneca tribe. We found in our route a bad road, the lands 

 flat, and a great proportion of the timber white oak. Near Lake 

 Erie we found both better. The land generally, for the distance 

 of fifteen or twenty miles, is about seven feet above the waters, 

 between the Falls and Lake Erie, at this dry season of the year ; 

 sometimes the water must be much nearer the surface of the earth. 

 On finding that we could not cross the ferry, the waters which 

 divide the United States from the Province of Upper Canada, 

 we lodged about three miles below the ferry. 



June 1 5. Col. Pickering, Mr. Dean, and myself crossed the 

 river, and went to Fort Slauser, eight miles above Queenstown, 

 on the opposite side of the river, and just above the Falls. At 

 this place the goods, after being taken across land from what is 

 called the Landing, were re-shipped and carried into Lake Erie, 

 and thence on to Detroit. Since this side is in the limits of the 

 United States, the British have made a way on the west side of 

 the communication between the lakes. All goods must be carried 

 by the Falls ten miles on one side, or eight on the other (U. S.). 

 At Fort Slauser, where there is a corporal's guard, we found 

 Mr. Stedman, whose attentions and friendship were such as 

 could not fail to make our stay with him very agreeable. 



We went towards evening to visit the Falls on the east side; 



we had seen them before on the west. Here we could approach 



them on the same level with the water when it rolled over the tops of 



the rocks. In this situation the fall appeared greater to me, than 



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