Niagara Falls 



1849-1850 



1849-50 Stuart- Wortley, Lady Emmeline Charlotte Elizabeth 



Stuart- (MANNERS). Travels in the United States . . . during 1 849 and 



Wortley 1850> j^j . Bentley ] 85 1 . Pp. 1 8-30. 



Before I came here, I erroneously supposed that one should 

 be immensely struck, and overpowered, and enchanted at first, 

 but that afterwards there would be a certain degree of monotony 

 attached to that unvarying sublimity, which I wrongly believed 

 to be the great characteristic of Niagara. But, how miserably 

 did I do it injustice ! Perhaps the most peculiar and transcendent 

 attribute of this matchless cataract, is its almost endless variety. 

 The innumerable diversities of its appearance, the continual 

 countless rapid alterations in its aspect; in short, the perpetually 

 varying phases which it displays, are indeed wondrous and truly 

 indescribable. This is a great deal owing to the enormous 

 volumes of spray which are almost incessantly shifting and 

 changing their forms like the clouds above. Niagara, indeed, 

 has its own clouds, and they not only give it the great charm and 

 interest of an ever-beautiful and exquisite variety, but also environ 

 it with a lovely and bewildering atmosphere of mystery, which 

 seems the very crown of its manifold perfections and glories. 



Niagara has its changes like the sea, and in its lesser space 

 circumscribed, they seem fully as comprehensive and multitu- 

 dinous. I have dwelt long on this, because I do not remember 

 to have seen this mighty and transcendent feature of Niagara 

 particularly noticed in any of the descriptions I have ever read 

 of it, and it has most especially delighted and astonished me. 



We were so very fortunate as to have a tremendous thunder- 

 storm here on Tuesday night, and it may be guessed what a 

 tremendous thunder-storm must be here! The heavens seemed 

 literally opening just over the great cataracts, and the intensely 

 vivid lightning, brighter than day, lit up the giant Falls, and 

 seemed mixed and mingling with the dazzling mountains of spray, 

 which then looked more beautiful and beatific than ever. It was 



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