Travelers' Original Accounts: 1 801 — / 840 

 The Falls of Niagara are certainly the greatest natural curi- 1807 



■ r I Schultz 



osity that I have ever seen. 



Figure to yourself the first collection of these waters, at a dis- 

 tance of upwards of two thousand miles, passing through the 

 Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, and several smaller, and at 

 length falling into Lake Superior, the Mediterranean of North 

 America, being of itself upwards of sixteen hundred miles in 

 circumference, and supplied by more than thirty considerable 

 rivers; from thence continuing its course into Lake Huron, eight 

 hundred miles in circumference, where, meeting the immense 

 collection of waters flowing from the south west through Lake 

 Michigan, still larger than Lake Huron, it continues its course 

 through Lake St. Clair into Lake Erie, which is also nearly eight 

 hundred miles in circuit; from thence, with a rapid current, 

 passing down the Niagara River to the frontier of what may be 

 called the upper country, with astonishing grandeur, it there dis- 

 charges this immense body of water down a perpendicular preci- 

 pice of nearly two hundred feet, which forms the celebrated 

 cataract of Niagara. 



• • • • • 



After having satisfied ourselves with the present view of 

 these falls, and conformed to the custom of the place, by engrav- 

 ing our names on a rock, we proceeded to the place leading 

 to the bottom, for which purpose I had understood there was a 

 convenient ladder; but, upon examination, found it so old and 

 crazy as almost to make me give over the attempt. You will 

 perhaps excuse my timidity, when you are informed that this 

 ladder, which is eighty feet in length, is placed in a perpen- 

 dicular direction over sharp and cragged rocks; and its being 

 spliced and bound together in several places with grape vines, 

 did not tend to lessen the ill opinion I had already conceived 

 respecting its sufficiency. However, there was no choice; our 

 guide, being accustomed to the descent, had already disappeared. 

 I endeavoured to prevail upon Mr. L. to lead the way, but to 

 no purpose; "he did not think it would pay for the trouble; 



137 



