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On Bath-Island a person may approach so near to the Ame¬ 
rican falls as to look into the abyss below. The animals in 
the neighbourhood are so careless of this, that the cows and 
horses go into the river to drink within five yards of the brink 
of the precipice. From the foot of the falls you can see nothing 
of the abyss, inasmuch as every thing is concealed by the foam 
and vapour. On Goat-Island a person may in the same manner 
approach the Canadian falls, in the centre of which is a semi¬ 
circular hollow, called the Horse-shoe, and here the noise is still 
more tremendous than on the other side. The vapour which rises 
from the Horse-shoe forms a thick mist, which may be seen at a 
great distance. To look into the Horse-shoe is awful and horrible. 
Nor can this bedonebutat the instant when the vapour is somewhat 
dissipated. You stand like a petrified being. The level of Lake 
Erie is said to be five hundred and sixty-four feet above that of 
the sea, and three hundred and thirty-four feet above the waters 
of Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is consequently two hundred 
and thirty feet above the level of the sea. From Lake Erie to 
the rapids the water has a fall of fifteen feet, in the rapids fifty- 
seven feet, and according to a recent measurement, the falls on 
the American side are one hundred and sixty-two feet high. 
From this place to Lewistown the river has a fall of one hun¬ 
dred and four feet, and thence to Lake Ontario, of two feet. 
The next morning, 22d of August, we made another visit to 
Goat-Island. We afterwards descended the stairs to the river, 
which we crossed in a small boat, at a short distance from both 
falls. The bed of the river is said to be here two hundred and 
forty-six feet deep. The current passes beneath the surface of 
the water, and does not again become visible till after a distance 
of three miles. On the Canada side you have a much better view 
of the falls than on the American, for you see both falls at the 
same time. There is on the Canada side a covered wooden stair¬ 
case, which we ascended, and approached the falls, amidst a 
constant drizzling caused by the falling water. The sun threw 
his rays upon the thick mist and formed a beautiful rainbow. An¬ 
other winding staircase leads down the rocks near the falls, under 
which you may walk to the distance of one hundred and twenty 
feet; several of the gentlemen present went in, but according to 
their report they could not see any thing. I was contented 
therefore to behold the falls from Table rock, which almost 
overhangs them. A part of this rock gave way several years ago 
and fell down the precipice, and the remaining part is so much 
undermined by the water that it will probably soon follow. The 
whole distance from the American to the British shore is four¬ 
teen hundred yards, of which three hundred and eighty belong 
to the American falls, three hundred and thirty to Goat-Island, 
and seven hundred yards to the Canada or Horse-shoe falls. On 
