University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXXII.

PASSAGE OF THE OHIO CANAL AND LAKE ERIE TO THE FALLS OF NIAGARA, FROM THE 21ST
TO THE 30TH OF JUNE.

Portsmouth is rather an inconsiderable town, with low houses, and broad, unpaved
streets, built in the angle of the confluence of the Sciotto with the Ohio. Here begins the
Ohio Canal, which connects that river with Lake Erie. This fine canal is navigated by numerous
boats, which are built in the same style as the keel-boats of the Missouri, but have many
convenient small chambers; they are from seventy-seven to eighty feet in length, fourteen in
breadth, and are drawn by two horses, on which the driver is seated. These Ohio Canal boats are
not so well arranged and fitted up as those on the Erie Canal, where they have distinct boats for
passengers and goods, which is not here the case. They are also slower, because fewer horses are
employed. In the middle of the boat is the long space for the goods; in front two small cabins;
and at the back is the saloon or dining room. At the sides of the cabins are cushioned seats,
on which, as well as on the floor, the beds are arranged for the night. In the other cabins are
berths for the ladies.

On the afternoon of the day on which we arrived we went on board a canal boat, where I
met with an agreeable, well-informed, travelling companion in Dr. Pitcher, an attentive observer
of nature, and military physician of Fort Gibson, on the River Orkansa, who was accompanied by
his family. We set out at six o'clock in the afternoon, with very fine weather. The banks of
the canal were covered with wood, especially sugar maples. Before night we came to some

sluices, and a mill with seventy saws for cutting freestone, which is found in the neighbourhood,
into blocks for building, tombstones, &c.

On the 21st we passed through very fine forests of sugar maples and beeches, where numerous
baltimores were flying about. The country is very fertile; it was formerly clothed with
wood; and the detached block-houses of the settlers are constantly met with. On many spots of
the surrounding hills the may-apple (Podophyllum) grew in abundance; others were covered with
an undergrowth of the papaw tree: the kingfisher was frequently seen on the banks of the canal.
Near three combined sluices is a feeder, which connects the canal with the Sciotto. There is a
weir in the river, in the deep waters of which it is said there are a very great number of soft-shell
tortoises. About a league and a half from Chillicothe, after passing Indian Creek, the canal is
carried over a stream called Paint Creek. This aqueduct is broad, has three arches, and two
stone pillars, over which the water of the canal flows; and on each side of the aqueduct is a
floored way, with a railing for the horses and foot passengers. Towards evening we arrived at
Chillicothe, a small town, with 2000 or 3000 inhabitants, in the wild and fertile valley, which is
evidently in a state of rapid improvement. There are about 150 Germans here, who are in
general well spoken of. The breeding of cattle is the chief occupation of the inhabitants of this
part of the country, and they export oxen and swine. They have, however, begun likewise to
follow agriculture, and now export a small quantity of wheat.

When the first planters settled here, they found two Indian tribes—the Shawnees of the
Americans, or Chavenons of the French, and the Wyandots, who had been driven hither from the
north. On the spot where the town now stands were formerly several conical Indian barrows, in
one of which were found some bones, potsherds, and beads, which were made of hard wood.
Another barrow was composed, at the upper part, of stones; it contained bones, and two copper
bracelets, which appeared to be beaten or hammered, not cast. A third barrow, overgrown with
trees, which still exists, and is situated on a rather lofty wooded eminence, had at the summit a
mixture of sand and stones, and then clay, under which were ashes mixed with bones, which
crumbled away when exposed to the air.

An extremely violent thunder-storm, with torrents of rain, surprised us when we were
leaving Chillicothe, at nine o'clock in the evening, where an obliging German, of the name of
Bauman, had given us hospitable entertainment. We proceeded during the night, and early in
the morning of the 22nd passed several sluices, and then traversed a low, wooded country on the
Sciotto, which is here full of small verdant islands, covered with trees. Fine lofty forest trees
adorned the country; the elder bushes were in blossom; and the red-headed woodpecker and the
kingfisher everywhere displayed their beautiful plumage. We now came to the considerable
town of Circleville, which has many brick buildings, and must have increased greatly since

it was visited by Duke Bernhard of Saxe Weimar. The duke gives a detailed description of the
remarkable ancient walls, in the interior of which this place was built; but they have been greatly
demolished since that time. The court-house stands in the centre of the Indian circle wall, and the
greater part of the town still lies within it. This wall enclosed a space of seventeen acres and
three quarters, but the greater part of it has now disappeared. Withoutside the western extremity
lies a hill, from whose summit an admirable view of the town, &c., is obtained. Here, too,
we see another deplorable instance of the love of destruction which animates the Americans; for,
instead of preserving these interesting ancient remains with the greatest care, they have erected
buildings exactly on the site of the levelled walls, respecting the former state and opening of
which nothing now remains, except some scanty, superficial accounts given by Attwater and other
American writers.

After we left Circleville we saw, on the canal, a great number of shells (Unio), of a greenish
colour, with darker stripes, which are very frequent here; most of them were floating without the
animal, which was, however, found dead in some of them. The canal traverses a country agreeably
diversified with wood and meadows, which was formerly covered with uninterrupted primeval
forests. We saw, likewise, some low, marshy land, overgrown with rushes and reeds, upon which
the beautiful oriole (Psaroc phoeniceus), with its splendid plumage, was sitting. This fine bird
lives chiefly in the marshes and by the water-side, where it builds its nest. Sandpipers, and other
birds of that kind, animated the low meadows; and among the bushes I saw the rice-bird.

After traversing a wooded country, with remarkably fine sugar maples and walnut trees, we
came to Walnut Creek, which flows through a shady forest. Near the litttle town, Lockbourn,
which was founded only three years ago, there are eight sluices close together, where the
Columbia feeder issues from the canal, which rises at this place about 100 feet, and then runs
along the eminence. The forest is not so lofty on the summit, and the tops of many of the trees
are withered. Thus we traversed by water the fine forest of the state of Ohio, and, as it was
Sunday, saw the inhabitants in their best dresses. It was a most agreeable journey, during which
we sat quite at our ease on the deck. We had left the Sciotto at Lockbourn, passed Waterloo,
Winchester, Havensport, New Baltimore, and Millersport, and on the morning of the 23rd
reached the highest point over which the canal has to pass. This point is called Licking Summit,
because it is in Licking township, in the county of Muskingum, which contains the towns of Irville
and Nashport. From Portsmouth to the highest point of the canal there are fifty-one sluices.
At sunrise we reached Hebron, a town commenced in November, 1825, in Union township, on
the great national road from Zanesville to Columbus, which commences at Hegerstown, comes
from Cumberland, on the Potomac, and passes through the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
Many workmen were employed upon the road, and a quantity of stones was brought, on the
canal, in large square flat boats. About nine o'clock we passed the first three sluices downwards,

for the canal gradually descends from Licking Summit to Lake Erie. We came to Licking
River, and soon after to the little town of Newark, through which the canal passes. In the year
1830 Newark had 1000 inhabitants, but has now considerably increased. This town has broad
streets, a large market-place, and several new churches. All the plantations and fields in this
part of the country have fences, on which the red-headed woodpecker is frequently seen. Seven
miles from Newark the canal joins Licking River, a very pretty little stream, which flows through
a picturesque rocky valley, overgrown with pines and other trees. The rocks, which appear to
consist of grauwacke, have a singular stratification, with caverns in which the cattle seek the protection
of the shade from the sultry sun. The passage of about a mile or a mile and a half
through this beautiful wooded chain of hills is very romantic. It is succeeded by open spots
with plantations, where the canal leaves the Licking, which it soon afterwards approaches more
closely. In the hollow between the two waters many lofty trees were growing, especially planes
and poplars, partly entwined with lovely climbers. It is sixteen miles from Newark to Nashport,
a small place, where some Indian barrows still exist. The bank of the canal is covered with
verbascum in flower, which was introduced from Europe. Ironstone and coal are found in the
vicinity. On the banks there is always some wood, but not so tall or luxuriant as on and near
the Ohio. Sometimes we came to picturesque spots, then to sluices, and to a great many
bridges, under which the boats have to pass: sometimes the canal runs in a straight line through
beech forests. About twenty-three miles from Newark it is carried, at a considerable height, over
the Tomaha Creek. We then came to the village of Frazeysburg, a place with detached wooden
houses, where many witch-hazel bushes grow on the side of the canal, the branches of which were
formerly used for divination, like those of the hazel bush in Europe; for this superstition was
brought by the emigrants across the Atlantic Ocean.

During the night we passed the little villages of Webbsport and Roscoe, and at daybreak
came to Evansburg, and then to New-comers Town, a village which has now only seven or eight
houses. The country round is pleasant and diversified. In the canal a yellow-striped snake
swam rapidly past us. We had seen the black snake and the water snake the day previous.
Near the village of Port Washington, the valley was broad and wooded; having passed which, we
came to Gnadenhütten, a village consisting of about seven houses, originally founded by the
Moravians, who have, however, abandoned it. The present inhabitants are chiefly of German
origin; they speak German, and among them were some newly arrived German settlers. In this
country, near Trenton and Newcastle, are considerable coal mines.

At Lockport, a small village in Tuscarora county, there are beautiful prospects from the
river; the banks are clothed with forests, the stagnant branches are covered with nymphæa, and
other water plants, and immense planes stand in the valleys. At Dover, a neat little town, in an
agreeable situation, the canal comes very near the river; over this is a large covered bridge, in the

erection, much timber has been needlessly expended. Not far from Dover is Zoar, a pretty
settlement of Wurtemberg Separatists, at which we arrived in the cool of the evening. A man
named Bäumler, who is advanced in years, but said to possess considerable talents, is the chief of
this colony; it is in Tuscarora County, on the east bank of the river of the same name. In the
year 1833, this colony had sixty very neat buildings, all roofed with new red tiles, which are not
common in America, and which looked remarkably well in the green valley. At a distance we
observed considerable buildings, and the inn in the form of a church. The Ohio Gazetteer says,
that the settlement was originally founded on a piece of land of 4,000 acres, which the company
purchased in 1810, and the greater part of which is now well cultivated. The Separatists possess,
besides, 1500 or 2000 acres of land in the vicinity, as well as some vineyards, which are said to produce
very good wine. The situation of Zoar, at the bottom of the broad level valley, with luxuriant
fields and lofty trees, at a short distance from the river, is extremely pleasant. The inhabitants are
said to be very industrious, and to have several manufactories, and I regret that I was unable to
make myself better acquainted with this interesting place. A long wooden bridge is thrown across
the canal and the river: close by is an inn, built by the inhabitants, and called the Zoar Canal
Hotel. Just as I was at the spot, the shepherd drove a numerous flock of sheep over the bridge,
and answered my questions in genuine Swabian German. His entire dress and equipments were
quite in the German fashion: a shepherd's crook, a broad leather bandolier, ornamented with
brass figures, a flat broad-brimmed hat, and a large grey coat; a costume very uncommon in
America. His dogs, too, were exceedingly careful in keeping the flock together. During the
night we passed the villages of Bolivar and Bethlehem, and at daybreak, on the 25th of June,
were at Massillon, a picturesque spot, in Stark County, which was founded in 1826, and has
now 100 houses and 500 inhabitants.

At eight o'clock we reached Fulton, a village with some neat houses in Stark County. This
whole country was manifestly once covered with a primeval forest. The cat-bird was common on
the banks; we observed turtles, bull-frogs, and tree-frogs, and often saw snakes swimming rapidly
across the canal. There were most charming wood scenes on the Tuscarora, where a dwarf-rose
grew in abundance, and had a most pleasing appearance with its large flowers. About noon
we reached the town of Newportage, where the traders used formerly to convey the goods which
were intended for the trade with the Indians, from one river to the other. Soon afterwards we
came to a marshy place, with a forest of larches, which shed their leaves in the winter time:
it grows round a small lake, through which the canal passes. A bridge is built over the whole
length of the lake, for the horses which tow the canal boats. A little further on, where
the canal expands into a kind of small lake, is Akron, a considerable town in a remarkable
situation. It was founded in 1825 in Portage County, and has already an extensive trade,
many neat wooden houses, stores, manufactories, an iron foundry, and an establishment where,

by means of a wheel, bedsteads and other articles of furniture are turned. At Akron the valley
begins to decline rapidly: the canal passes through the middle of the town, and, in order to
bring the boats down from a considerable, steep, rocky eminence, ten or twelve sluices are
erected one above the other. The vicinity is one of the most curious spots on the course of
the canal, with scattered buildings, a busy population, much water, and fine forests. On reaching
the foot of the eminence, you glide along the beautiful dark brown mirror of the canal, through
luxuriant verdure, where wood and meadows alternate, and the tall tulip, walnut, and sassafras
trees reflect their graceful forms in the unruffled surface of the water. The sluices, of which we
counted twenty-one in a space of two miles and a half, were at greater intervals from each other as
we approached the River Cayahoga, which the canal follows to Lake Erie.

The next morning we were still five miles from Lake Erie, a distance which we accomplished
at about ten o'clock, when we reached the little town of Cleveland. The sea-like expanse
of the large Lake Erie was very striking when emerging from the wooded valleys, and the sight of
it reminded me of my approaching voyage to my native country. The dark blue lake stretches to
the far horizon, like the ocean; the eye is attracted by the white sails and the smoke of the steamboats;
while the finest weather and the purest atmosphere favoured the illusion.

Cleveland is a large, rapidly improving town, with several thousand inhabitants, full of
life, trade, and business. It is situated in Cayahoga or Cuyahoga County, and is built partly on a
high ridge, partly on the river below. The outskirts are scattered, but the principal streets
are regular. It contains many large buildings, several churches, a school or academy,
a prison, good inns, and numerous shops and stores; the trade is very considerable in consequence
of the junction of the great lakes with the Ohio and the Mississippi. Numbers of canal
boats are assembled here, and also the two-masted schooners which navigate the lake. Several
large, commodious steamers, generally full of passengers, come and depart daily. The Cayahoga
flows through the lower part of the town; both sides of the mouth of the river are lined with wood;
and on the right bank there is a long mole, with a lighthouse at the extremity. A second lighthouse
is built a little to the right, upon an eminence; and in the far distance, on the right hand,
the coast is lost in the misty horizon, and, on the left, disappears amid thick forests.

We met with many Germans at Cleveland, especially newly-arrived emigrants, and also an
obliging young fellow-countryman, whom I had seen at Pittsburg, and who had obtained a good
situation in a mercantile house in this place. Several steam-boats arrived and departed, bound to
Detroit, and, at length, the Oliver Newbery came in, on its way to Buffalo. I immediately availed
myself of the opportunity to visit that town, and set out from Cleveland at noon. On leaving the
mouth of the Cayahoga there is an uninterrupted view of the vast expanse of Lake Erie, the splendid
bluish-green waters of which, like those of all the great Canadian lakes, are exactly of the same
colour as those of Switzerland. The dark brown waters of the Cayahoga are strongly contrasted

to a considerable distance, with those of the lake.[1] We steered along the south bank, where we had
a fine prospect of Cleveland, and we were favoured by the most charming weather, which showed the
lake to great advantage: in a storm the waves often run very high, and prove dangerous to navigation.
The southern or American shore is not much elevated; the northern forms the boundary
of Canada, the English possessions in North America. The south coast has no lofty eminences,
and is entirely covered with forests. The steamer touched at Fairport, Achtabula, and Salem,
where great numbers of bats were hovering over the entrance into the port. After leaving Salem
our engine got into disorder; and on the following morning, the 27th, we reached Dunkirk, a small
place, built in the Dutch fashion, of which there is no mention in the Ohio Gazetteer of 1833. A
lighthouse stands on a neighbouring point of land. At eleven o'clock we came in sight of Buffalo,
lying at the end of the lake, where we saw a race between two large steam-boats. As we approached
the town, where we landed at twelve o'clock, a great number of steamers presented a very animated
scene. Buffalo has been rapidly improving of late, and in a few years will be a considerable
and important place. It has at present about 1000 houses, and 12,000 inhabitants, and promises to
become one of the chief commercial ports of the country. The Erie Canal, which connects the
great lakes with the eastern seaports of the Union, commences here. In the summer months, the
neighbouring Falls of Niagara attract a great number of strangers, all of whom visit Buffalo. The
streets of this town are, for the most part, regular and broad, crossing each other at right angles, and
contain many handsome brick buildings, large inns, nine or ten churches and chapels, and good shops
and magazines of every kind. In the lower part of the town, the water of the lake and the canal has
been conducted into the streets, forming small harbours, where numbers of ships lie in perfect security.
The town extends along the slope, and on the ridge of a gentle eminence; and from one of the
highest points there is a striking prospect of the bright mirror of Lake Erie, which vanishes in the
misty distance, and on the land side, of the Niagara River, and its opposite or Canadian bank.
Buffalo was burnt by the English in 1814; it is said that only one house was left standing. The
town was not immediately rebuilt, and it is only since the construction of the fine Erie Canal that
it has risen so rapidly. When we consider the shortness of the time, the sudden improvement of the
town, which is now of so much importance, really seems incredible; and perhaps there is no other
country in the world where such a sudden rise would be possible. They are now laying down iron
railroads, one of which is to lead to Niagara. There are at present above thirty steam-boats for the
communication between Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and Niagara, and the number increases every
year. The object, however, which most attracted me was the village of the Seneca Indians, in the
vicinity of Buffalo. They possess a piece of land, which begins a mile and a half south-east of
the town. Here they live in small, neat, wooden houses, which are surrounded by their fields
and plantations, in a wooded country, and the pretty little church is in the centre of this
Indian colony. The Indians who are settled here are employed in agriculture, the breeding of
cattle and horses; and, like other country people, they go to the town with their wagons. Their
dress is nearly the same as that of the Whites. Both the men and women frequently wear round
felt hats: the men have, in general, a red girdle under their large blue upper coat, and the women
wrap themselves in blankets. I found the physiognomy of most of these people quite genuine
and characteristically Indian, as well as the brown colour, and their smooth, coal-black hair; some
of them do not much differ in this respect from the Missouri tribes. A good many of them speak
English, but some are quite ignorant of it; and, in their communications with each other, all use
the old Indian dialect. It is said that there were at first 900 Indians settled here, mostly Senecas,
mixed with a few Onondagos and Cayugas; but their numbers have decreased. All these tribes
spoke the same language. They received from the government 49,000 acres of very fine fertile land.
They have a clergyman and a school. The inn is kept by a half-breed Indian, who, however, did not
appear to value himself on his Indian descent, but rather desired to be considered a white man.

The Senecas are one of the six nations who, in former times, were the enemies of the
French in Canada, and, with the exception of the Oneidas, assisted the English, in the war of
1775, against the Americans. The works of Charlevoix, Lahontan, and Colden, give information
respecting the history of these once powerful, warlike people, who dwelt on the borders of
the great lakes. The six allied nations were the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagos, Tuscaroras,
Oneidas, and Mohawks; the latter came from the south, and were admitted at a later period into
the union of the five tribes.

We visited some of these families, who showed us their bibles and prayer books in the Indian
language; we bought specimens of their work, adorned with porcupine and other dyed quills, and
likewise bows and arrows, which they still esteem. Deeply regretting the destruction of the
remarkable aboriginal inhabitants of the east of North America, I returned in the evening to
Buffalo, where our baggage and the live animals were embarked under the superintendence of
Dreidoppel, on board an Erie Canal boat, for Albany, a distance of 363 miles. I myself took
a place in the stage for Niagara, and we left Buffalo on the 28th of June. The road lies along the
Erie Canal, which is here parallel with the River Niagara, passes through the village of Blackrock,
and, near the hamlet of Tonawanta, crosses the creek of that name, which falls, at no great distance,
into the river.

The River Niagara issues from the east end of Lake Erie, forming the channel which connects
it with Lake Ontario, the level of which is lower. The length of the course of the Niagara, from
Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is 36½ miles, and its fall in this distance amounts to 322 feet. It is
the frontier between Canada and the United States, and forms, between the two great lakes, the
celebrated waterfall. Its surface is adorned with several islands, the largest of which, called

Grand Island, was sold in 1815, by the Seneca Indians, to the state of New York, for 1000 dollars,
and an annuity of 500 dollars. This island is said to be twelve miles long, and from two
to seven broad: it is in the vicinity of Lake Erie, and the river is afterwards pretty free from
islands till you come near the falls, where there are several small ones. The water of the
Niagara has the splendid green colour of the Swiss lakes, and is nearly twice as broad as the Rhine;
on the opposite bank is the village of Chippeway, where, on the 5th of July, 1814, there was an
action, in which the English were defeated.

There is a considerable population along the road from Tonawanta to the falls of Niagara,
which are twenty-two miles from Buffalo. Towards noon we came to the village of Niagara,
which we entered at the side furthest from the river, and put up at a very good inn. It
is a small village close to the falls, forming two irregular unpaved streets, but containing some
good houses. The banks present a very picturesque diversity, with pines and other trees, bearing
a general resemblance to the scenery of Switzerland. Opposite to our inn was the house of
a man named Hooker, who acts as guide to travellers visiting the falls, and has a small collection
of natural curiosities, and specimens of Indian manufacture.

The grand, sublime scene, which we now visited, has been described by a vast number of
travellers—Larochefaucault, Liancourt, Wells, Volney, and many others since their time; so that
all accounts must be in some measure mere repetitions; but, as the diversity of such descriptions
can but tend to give a more correct view of the subject, a few remarks may not be considered
irrelevant here.

At a short distance from the village of Niagara, the river, which, according to Volney, is
1200 feet in breadth, begins to flow in an uneven rocky bed, with a rapid descent, and its whole
surface is, in many places, in violent commotion, covered with white foam, and, as it were, boiling,
in consequence of its breaking in high waves against the masses of rock. Portions of these rocks,
the larger of which deserve the name of islands, are covered with pines, some green, others in a
decayed state: of these rocky islets there are fifteen above the falls. The pines being frequently
broken and snapped, and here and there piled up in the water, greatly contribute
to heighten the effect of the savage grandeur and sublimity of the scene. The roaring of the
cataract is heard at a considerable distance,[2] and lofty columns of mist and vapour ascend into
the air. The stranger is conducted from the village to the above-mentioned rapid, and then proceeds,
by a long, strongly-built wooden bridge over the end of the rapid, to Bath Island, where
there are warm and cold baths (a, in the subjoined woodcut). A considerable paper-mill has

been erected here, and a toll for passing the bridge is paid, once for all, for the whole time you
may remain here. The toll-keeper sells refreshments and various curiosities of the country,
minerals, Indian rarities, and the like.

A second bridge leads from Bath Island to Goat Island, which is about seventy acres in
extent, entirely covered with a beautiful forest of sugar maples, beeches, horn-beams, elms,
birches, &c., beneath which the asarabaca, mayapple, and various other plants, are growing; none
of them were, however, in flower. The shores of this island are shaded by old pines and
very large white cedars, such as we should in vain look for in Europe, and many fine
shrubs grow on the banks. There were formerly a great number of Virginian deer in this beautiful
forest, but they grew so familiar, and became so troublesome by running after strangers,
that they were removed. The blueheaded jay and the Hudson's Bay squirrel are numerous.
From the bridge which leads to Goat Island there is a convenient path, on the right hand, which
goes along the shore through the wood; and, after proceeding a short distance, the stranger suddenly
finds himself on the rather steep declivity, immediately above the fall of the right or southern
arm of the river, which is called the American branch. The sight is striking, and much grander
than all the descriptions I had read of it led me to conceive. The broad expanse of bright
green water falls perpendicularly 144 to 150 feet into the abyss below, which is entirely concealed
by the vapour, the whole torrent of falling water being completely dissolved into foam
and mist in the midway of its descent. Below the fall, and before its surface is quite calm, it
recovers its green colour, which is, of course, totally lost in the rapidity of its descent. To make
my description more clear, I subjoin a little plan of the cataracts drawn by Mr. George Catlin,
and published in Featherstonehaugh's "Essay on the Ancient Drainage of North America,
and the Origin of the Cataract of Niagara," in the Monthly American Journal of Geology, Vol. I.,
July, 1831.

[ILLUSTRATION]

The southern or American part of the fall, c, is divided above by a narrow rocky island, f,
to which a bridge has been thrown. This rocky island is closely overgrown with white cedar

(Arbor vitæ), the tall, thick, whitish trunks of which, with their stiff, extended boughs, scarcely leave
space for the shrubs that grow between them, in which the cedar bird (Bombycilla cedrorum)
builds its nest. The northern chatterer or silk tail, of which the Prince of Musignano has given
a plate in his "Supplement to Wilson's Ornithology," is likewise found here in small companies
during the winter. After we had admired the lesser, or American part of the fall, we returned to
the top of Goat Island, again following the path which now runs along the eastern edge of the
island through the dark shade of the forest, and, having gone between 500 and 600 paces, came in
sight of the second larger fall, which is called the English or Horse-shoe Fall, b, which is formed
by the left, or the northern arm of the river. This splendid waterfall occupies the whole breadth
of the bed of the river, forming, towards the Canadian shore, a receding angle, where the
masses of water from both sides of the Horse-shoe meeting each other, fall, with a thundering
noise, in one conjoined body, 150 feet perpendicular height. The clouds of vapour that rise from
this cataract are far more considerable than those of the American fall. They cover and veil the
neighbouring rocky, wooded banks, by their rising columns, in which the sun forms the most
beautiful rainbows. In the angle of the fall, where the waters, pouring from three several
sides, meet with a fearful concussion, and, dissolving into snow-white spray, are lost to the eye in
vapour, they rage and boil with tremendous fury. This is the focus from whence rise the clouds of
steam and vapour which involve the circumjacent country to a great distance in rain and mist,
and, according to the direction of the wind, assume manifold and most fantastic forms.

In order to approach nearer to the sublime scene, a staircase has been contrived on the steep
bank at the place where we now stood, and where a small house, with seats, m, has been built;
and below, at h, a wooden tower is erected, with a winding stair, from the upper gallery of which,
as well as from windows made here and there at the sides, there is a view of the wonderous scene,
gradually changing as you ascend. Here we were struck mute at the overwhelming sight of this
abyss of waters.

Beautiful plants grow among the boulders the rocks on the banks of the river, such as the
gueldar rose, the white cedar, the Rubus odoratus, now flowering in all its loveliness, the lime,
maple, and sumach. By proceeding from the waterfall, below the bank of Goat Island, along the
river, and round the point of the island, we come to the cauldron of the American fall, and can
almost go under the precipitous mass of waters, at the risk of encountering the penetrating rain
and wind. In the same manner one may likewise get under the Horse-shoe Fall, and both are
points of view indescribably interesting. We now ascended the wooden stair, and came to the
small house, from whence, in the gloomy shade of the forest, we enjoyed a view of the surpassing
scene from above. The walls are here completely covered with names and initials of visitants from
all quarters of the globe. After resting here, the delighted spectator is conducted, by another stair,
to the river below, and thence, across a long wooden bridge, to a high stone tower, built on the

rock, in the water. This tower is erected immediately over the angle of the Horse-shoe
abyss; it is ascended by a stair, and the visitor is suddenly transported into an entirely new
scene of stupendous magnificence. The eye is lost in the depth of the foaming whirlpool, the
light spray of which envelops the admiring spectator, whose ear is stunned with the roaring
sound of the cataract. No language can describe the grandeur and sublime impression of the
scene, from which we could with difficulty tear ourselves. We remained long lost in admiration
while contemplating the unique phenomenon; and, returning to our inn, made an excursion,
some time afterwards, to the other side of the river. For this purpose we descended, by a
covered wooden staircase, from the village of Niagara to the south side of the American fall, and
came to the bank of the river below the falls. Though not more than 300 or 400 paces beneath
them, the water is but very slightly agitated, and we were soon ferried over to the Canadian bank.
Here we had the falls directly before us, and enjoyed an excellent view of both. From this spot
Mr. Bodmer took his general view of this sublime scene, which is the best that I have yet
met with, and is, in every respect, perfectly faithful to nature. (Plate XXXIX.) On the eminence
above there is what is here called a confectionary, in which there are some tolerably good representations
of the falls by Megarey. From this place we went to an isolated house, in which
an Englishman has placed a zoological cabinet, which contains a fine collection of the birds of
Canada. It occupies two stories of the house, and is shown for money. There are many interesting
specimens, but I met with only a few that I could purchase. At a short distance from this house
is a small projection from the high bank, called Table Rock, from which there is an incomparable
view of the Horse-shoe Fall, which has been described by many persons. At a neighbouring
dwelling the curious traveller is provided with a covering of oiled silk, or oiled cloth, to enable him,
without getting wet, to descend a high flight of steps which leads him under the rushing mass
of waters of the Canadian fall.

The next day being Sunday, I took the opportunity to go and see divine service performed
among the Tuscarora Indians, who are settled about eight miles from the Falls of Niagara. The
road to it leads towards Lake Ontario, along the high banks of the beautiful Niagara River,
alternating with woods and fields, where the inhabitants live dispersed in their wooden
houses. The forests consist of firs, Weymouth pines, oaks, chestnuts (the latter in full bloom),
sassafras, and wild cherry trees, the fruit of which was not yet ripe. The European fruit trees
were loaded with fruit, and appeared not to have suffered from the frost, but the Italian poplar
does not seem to thrive in this climate. About three miles from Niagara, the view, looking
back on the falls, was very striking; the clouds of spray and vapour rose at this time very high, and
were most splendidly illumined by the sun's rays. A mile and a half further on we looked down into
a wild ravine, 150 or 200 feet, overgrown with pines and other trees, under which the river
forms a rapid, covered with white foam. This rapid is called the Devil's Hole; but the descriptions

given of it are greatly exaggerated, for in Europe, in Switzerland for instance, there are much
grander scenes of this kind. A small English corps here suffered a defeat in the American war,
being driven by the Americans and their Indian allies into this ravine.

When I had passed the wood and came again into the fields, where the scattered houses
of the Indians, built in the European style, are situated, I saw before me their small white
church, and had a near and charming view of the wooded rocky shores of the splendid green
Ontario.[3] The scenery about that lake and the Niagara, and that on the banks of the Hudson, is,
unquestionably, the finest that I saw in North America. The road leads along the edge of the
valley of the Niagara, and affords a wide view into the distant plain beyond Lake Ontario. A
gloomy forest extends, without interruption, to the distant horizon, and in the fore-ground there is
a dark inlet, where the end of the lake is hidden by lofty trees. Volney very accurately describes
this scene as "Une vêritable mer de forêts, parsemées de quelque fermes et villages, et de nappes
d'eau des lacs Iroquois."

I drove up to the church, which was crowded with Indians; the clergyman was already in
the pulpit. As he did not understand the language of the Tuscaroras, he preached in English,
and the schoolmaster at his side interpreted all he said. When the sermon was ended and prayers
read, during which all the Indians remained sitting, the interpreter began to sing, and the congregation,
in which there were only three or four Whites, joined in a very good tone, the men generally
singing a second part. The clergyman, a young man, who had not been long in this parish,
gave me some account of his congregation, which consisted of about 300 souls. Another portion
of the Tuscaroras is settled, I think, on Grand River. Very few understand English: they are
Presbyterians, and live on the whole like the Senecas, whom they resemble in external appearance,
and whose language is the same. There is less originality among them than among the
Senecas at Buffalo. Their features, colour, and hair seem to be more changed by their intercourse
with the Whites; yet I saw, now and then, a characteristic physiognomy, especially among
the women. They are of middle stature, and their dress is like that of the Senecas at Buffalo.
They were allied with the English in the American war.

After a stay of several days, the greater part of which was passed on the banks of the great
falls, lost in admiration of their sublimity, I took the stage to Tonawanta, intending to return to
New York by Lake Erie and the River Hudson.