Science, Geology and Physics 



It deals with the origin of the lakes, here anticipating Gilbert and other 1831 

 more modern geologists, then takes up the origin of the river and the reces- Feather- 



—T,, __ , 11 i ■ r i stonehaugh 



sion of the Falls. The author realizes the complexity or the recession 

 problem and dissents from Lyell's computation, which is based on the 

 assumption that the disintegrating power of the river was equal throughout 

 its course. 



I shall in this paper make some general observation upon the 

 ancient drainage of North America, and then apply the oper- 

 ating principle to the history of the origin of the cataract of 

 Niagara. 



There are many persons, among the great number who 

 annually visit this magnificent waterfall, who cannot be made to 

 comprehend, that it is a reasonable matter, to suppose the cataract 

 in ancient times, went over the Queenston ridge, now near six 

 miles distant from the present falls ; and an engineer x of the state 

 of New York, who appears to have had much experience in the 

 surveys of that State, has published a paper in the proceedings 

 of a learned society, 2 in which he denies that supposition, and 

 supposes the ravine between Queenstown and the falls through 

 which the Niagara river flows to be a natural gorge. I shall in 

 this paper attempt to settle this question upon strict geological 

 principles, and in a manner consistent with those obvious features 

 which the physical geography of the lake country presents. 



In ancient times, when the whole country was under water, 

 and Ontario and Erie were on a level, the cataract of Niagara 

 did not exist: but when the general subsidence of waters took 

 place, when Erie fell below the level of the Illinois, and Ontario 

 below the level of Queenstown ridge, the waters of Erie would 

 of course take a direction to join the great eastern line of 

 drainage. 



. . . Here then we find the origin of the falls of Niagara, 

 which would have their perpendicular height increased with the 



1 Mr. Geddes. 



2 Albany Institute. 



521 



