612 
minifh much the defolate and bleak ap- 
pearance of the fea-coaft, and give a pecu- 
liar chara€ter to the fcenery. We = pro- 
ceded along the fandy fhore of the lake, 
till we reached its outlet communicating 
with lake Ontario; and here wewere ferried 
over a very rapid fream below Fort Evie to 
Upper Canada. 
FALLS OF NIAGARA: 
I now felt that lively intereft excited in 
m2 which it' is natutal to experience on 
approaching one of the greateft wonders 
of the world. The land{feape about us 
fo magnificently wild—thée number of In- 
dians difperfed over it—the profpeét of the 
grand lake, all confpired to tell me I was 
in that remantic country deicribed by the 
firft travellers in America. 
The waters of Lake Erie iflue through 
an outlet on its eaftern extremity over an 
horizontal bed of lime-ftone rocks, and 
running in a northern courfe through a 
channel between one and two miles wide, 
and down the falls at Niazara, empty them- 
felves into leke Ontario. The land on 
the fouth of this great lake is confiderably 
elevated, and the waters of the principal 
rivers flowing into it from that quarter, 
QCuchas the Black river, the Genefee, and 
the Ofwego) fall in cataracts before they 
ifve into the lake. On the banks of the 
‘out-let from lake Erie, the country is ge- 
nerally level, and continues fo for'the maft 
part till within a fhort diftance of lake 
Ontario. The traveller then finds him- 
feif on a high flation, floping towards the 
north, which commands the view of a 
magnificent expanfe of country, and ex- 
tends a great dittance from eaft to weit, 
forming a large embankment as it were to 
lake Oniario. The river, at the diftance 
of feven or eight miles from this fteep, de- 
fcends to the leyel of its bafe, and appears 
to have wrought a natural canal through 
the folid ftrata of horizontal rocks, which 
form high clifs on each of its fhores from 
the falls at Niagara. 
On the Canadian fide of the river, the 
land has been recently cleaved of its wood. 
The oppofite fhore is totally uncultivated. 
We rode from lake Erie along the weftern 
banks of this out-let, which, branching 
out, forins a large ifland in its courfe, till 
we reached the block-houfe and village at 
Chippewa. At the diftance,of about ten 
Faiies, we diitinctly heard the thunder of - 
the great cataraét at Niagara, and obferv- 
e 1 Ae = 
ed a thick cloud rifing to the northward. 
‘The out-let being a fine expan{e of water, 
abaut two miles wide, flows ferenely be- 
tween the level and woody banks of Chip- 
pewa ond Fort Schloefer on the defart fhore 
Country South of Lake Ontario. 
‘[Sept. 
of the flute of New York.. The princi- 
pal body or water then fuddenly takes 2 
bend to the weftward, and precipitates it- 
felf in foaming furges ever an immenfe 
bed of rocks for the diftance of nearly half 
aimiule, till it tumbles at the great falls. 
art of the river, without effentially al- 
tering its courfe, pafies along the eaftern 
fhore, and leaves an ifiand which fevers its 
channel over the rocks till it has fallen 
down the fleep. Standing on, the Cana- 
dian fhore, which becomes elevated as the 
river de{cends, and where it makes a curve 
pafiing down the rapids; the profpeét be- 
fore me was truly majeftic. ‘The fmooth 
and tranquil courfe of the waters along 
the woody fhore of Fort Schloefler, about 
two miles above; the {mall and piéturefque 
iflands, covered with cedars, which are 
formed by a part of the river winding 
round the rapids; the foam and impetuo- 
fity of the water burfting over-the rocks, 
prefented an aflemblage of grand and 
beautiful objects, forming a picture un- 
equalled by any thing I ever beheld in na- 
ture. Having fufficiently gazed on this 
divine {cene; in order to have a full and 
perfect view of the falls below, I found 
it neceffary to go fome diflance reund— 
Pafling under a heavy fhower of rain, 
caufed by the {pray of the falls, and pro- 
ceeding through a thick wood of pines, I 
found myfeif on the brink of an awful 
precipice, which overhung the river, 
boiling below in tremendous agitation 
after its fall. The whole of the ftream 
after its defcent refumes nearly its ori- 
ginal courfe ; but it falls in two divifions 
intoan immenfe bafon, from the bottom of 
which you obferve one part of the great 
cataract falling, on the fouth fide, over a 
concave ledge of rocks; and on the eaftern - 
fide, the other divifion of the falling river 
feparated by an ifland covered with large 
trees, and fupported on a bafe of rocks 
nearly rs0 feet hich. Having defcended 
with fome difficulty to the river, I clam- 
bered to the top of a rock. which com- 
mands the whole of this fupendous fcene. 
After lifting my eyes to the fublime and 
awful {pectacle of the great falls to the 
north, I involuntarily caft them down, 
overpowered by a fentiment of amazement 
mingled with terror. The greater body 
of this deep river, two miles wide, appears 
flowing to the centre of a femicircle, where 
it ruthes into conflict and falls with a fury 
and impetuolity which the eye cannot fol- ~ 
low or fuftain. ©The recoil is almoft as 
terrible as the fall, and the whole of the 
river below feems veilatilifed in one ftorm 
of foam and fpray, whith covers the fheet. 
of 
