75 
It was in a very bad condition, cut through the forest, and no 
pains have been taken to remove the trees, which are thrown on 
the road side, and the most beautiful trunks are permitted to spoil 
in a pitiable manner. On the left we had a view of the river and 
of Grand-Island, thickly studded with timber. The river is 
more than one mile wide below the island. On the Canada side 
is the village of Chippewa. From this place, a distance of three 
miles, we could already see the rising vapours of the falls. The 
water, however, indicated no signs of the approach to the preci¬ 
pice. It is only a short distance from Manchester, where you 
perceive the lofty trees on Goat-Island with its heights, situated 
in the midst of the falls, that the river becomes rocky, and the 
rapids commence; these form a number of small falls, which are 
nearly a mile long and the same in breadth, running as far as 
where the two great falls are separated by Goat-Island. 
At Manchester, we took lodgings at the Eagle Tavern, and 
hastened immediately to the Falls: our steps were guided by their 
mighty roaring. In a few moments we stood near the precipice, 
and saw before us the immense mass of water which rushes with 
a tremendous noise into the frightful abyss below. It is impos¬ 
sible to describe the scene, and the pen is too feeble to delineate 
the simultaneons feelings of insignificence and grandeur which 
agitate the human breast at the sight of this stupendous work of 
nature! We can only gaze, admire, and adore. The rocks on 
both sides are perpendicular, but there is a wooden staircase which 
leads to the bed of the river. We descended, but in consequence 
of the drizzly rain which is produced by the foam of the water, 
we had by no means so fine a prospect from below as we antici¬ 
pated. On this account, therefore, we soon ascended and satis¬ 
fied ourselves by looking from above upon this sublime and ma¬ 
jestic sight. As we returned, full of these mighty impressions, 
to the Eagle Tavern we found to our great joy a fine oppor¬ 
tunity of speaking of the grandeur and magnificence we had just 
beheld. Lieutenants De Goer and Van Vloten, of the Pallas, 
had just arrived to render homage to this great natural curiosity. 
In company with these gentlemen we took a walk to Goat- 
Island, by a convenient wooden bridge, thrown over the ra¬ 
pids about seven years since. The first bridge leads to a small 
island called Bath-Island, which contains a bath-house and bil¬ 
liard-room: the second to Goat-Island, which is about one mile 
in circumference, and overgrown with old and beautiful trees. 
The Indians who formerly resided in this part of the country, 
considered the island as sacred. They used to say that the 
Great Manito or Great Spirit inhabited it. And in fact, how 
could the Great Spirit manifest himself more irresistibly than in 
the destructive might of the tremendous Falls? 
