Niagara Falls 



1826 witnessed could so powerfully have affected me. I recollect but 

 little of it, now, and would most probably speak but coldly of 

 its beauties. Such things affect me only when present. 



Only two strata are visible at the falls — the calciferous slate 

 and the geodiferous lime-rock. At Devil's Hole, 5 miles below, 

 the rest are visible, in the same order in which they are at Genesee 

 falls. This place we intended to have visited, but want of time 

 prevented it. During the excursion two porcupines (Histrix 

 dorsata) were slain. Their quills were not more than 3 or 4 

 inches in length. 



On Goat Island (by some called Iris) we were shown a piece 

 of a grapevine about six feet long, which must have averaged six 

 inches in diameter. The podophyllum peltalum was in flower, 

 and vegetation seemed to be far more forward in the immediate 

 vicinity of Niagara than at points more remote, owing probably 

 to the continual moistness of the atmosphere. They say that they 

 are exempt from the late frosts which are so injurious to the 

 agricultural interests of this section of our country. 



The bridge to Iris was constructed under the direction and at 

 the expense of Augustus Porter. Every pier is protected by an 

 eddy or by an immense rock there placed by the hand of nature, a 

 circumstance which was particularly remarked by Red Jacket, 

 and drew from him the exclamation, " The damned Yankees 

 take advantage of everything! " 



On the island and on the shore we were shown some of the 

 Lockport specimens which were for sale at the moderate price 

 of $3 apiece — that is, common ones — the better ones some- 

 times rising much higher (one he asks $25 for) and the worst 

 being rather lower. They were handsome, but any man can 

 procure as good ones for the trouble of detaching them from the 

 rocks at Lockport. On inquiry I found that this rascally attempt 

 to impose upon the public originated as usual from the ignorance 

 and extravagance of our Southern brethren, those pigeons for 

 every knave to pluck. At the foot of the American stairs once 



454 



