Niagara Falls 



1834 and looked like large crystal balls, of a much lighter dye than 

 Lieber when it was united in one mass. These balls again subdivided 



into smaller ones, and became of course lighter in colour with 

 each subdivision, while the friction of the air caused particles of 

 the surface to fly off as little satellites of spray. The balls now 

 divided so much, that they appeared like drops of melted glass. 

 You may have seen the exact appearance, in glass works> when 

 drops of melted glass are allowed to fall into water, to pro- 

 duce Prince Rupert's drops. I was reminded at the time of 

 these heavy drops, which deviate from the globular form by 

 having a larger (lower) and a somewhat tapering (upper) end. 

 The tapering end of the water-drop becomes thinner, and the 

 colour, from a state of transparency, changes to a white, owing 

 to the intermixture of air, and a foam appears on the outside of the 

 drops, which now assume the form of descending comets, with a 

 tail of foam, and compact body of water for its head. This 

 soon splits, forms rapidly a number of other smaller comets, which 

 gradually split again until they become mere spray. A part of 

 this changes into mist, and rises out of the valley of roar and 

 struggle. Like a heavy cloud it is sometimes seen hovering over 

 the scene of contest, and, in fair weather, little clouds now and 

 then detach themselves from the larger mass, and rise to unite 

 themselves with some high cloud of the sky, as if to tell the tale 

 of the fearful contest below, and to sail away with it to calmer 

 regions. 



The rise of the mist depends much upon the state of the 

 weather, the wind, and the time of the day. A very heavy spray 

 often rises out of the deep basin, draws over Table Rock and 

 drenches the trees. My observations respecting the forms of the 

 water in descending, apply, of course, only to the outer parts. 

 In the centre those heavy masses are precipitated, which reach 

 the water below entire, and create the rumbling thunder which I 

 mentioned. Behind the Central Fall, on Mr. Ingraham's path, 

 I observed the same changes of forms, which, in fact, are very 

 easily accounted for. 



538 



