OF THE DISTRICT. 171 
These are found in all the dales, and most of the lateral valleys, 
where the Yoredale series occurs ; but it is in Wensleydale, where that 
series is most complete, that the waterfalls are most frequent, varied, and 
interesting. It is difficult to resist the desire of describing some of 
these ornaments of Yorkshire scenery; for nothing can be conceived 
more delightful to a tired wanderer on the mountains, after a long day’s 
hammering, drawing, and measuring, than to rest at the foot of the 
lofty cascade of Hardrow (96 feet), or listen to the everlasting murmur 
of the broken streams among the rocks and woods of Cotter force. (See 
Turner’s beautiful drawings of these fine waterfalls.) The different 
picturesque falls round Hawes, in Moss dale, and above Gale, the two 
fine ‘ forces’ on Millgill near Askrigg, Bow force, several falls in Bishop- 
dale, and round Simmer water, besides the well known cataracts of the 
Yore at Aysgarth, might afford more just subjects for description and 
painting than many more fashionable scenes. But I must be content 
to point out the cause or leading condition of all these falls. It is a 
constant law of such phenomena, that the upper part of the cliff of 
the waterfall is guarded by a durable ledge of limestone or gritstone, 
and its lower part formed of wasting argillaceous beds. It is not so 
much the absolute difficulty of wearing through limestone, or gritstone, 
as the relative facility of excavating shale, that makes the water e force 
as it is expressively termed in Yorkshire. The more rapid waste of the 
shales above and below soon reduces a channel of uniform descent to 
a series of terraces on limestone or hard gritstone, and steep slopes on 
plate ; the further waste of these soft beds causes cascades at every 
ledge of rock ; and in the continuation of the process the shales below a 
fall, incessantly crumbling away in the damp atmosphere, betray the 
foundation of the limestone, and breadth after breadth, block after 
block, yields, and falls, and thus the place of each waterfall is slowly 
changed, the edge of the rock recedes, and a long often tortuous avenue 
of lofty cliffs, which once formed the side screens of the waterfall, leads 
far into the mountains, before we reach the actual cataract (Millgill 
above Askrigg, Hardrow force, &c.) Amidst the great number of 
falls in the Yorkshire dales, very few (Millgill upper fall, and Aysgill) 
z 2 
