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Show TRAVELS THROUGH UPPER CANADA: H.lVing kft this place, we returned once more through the woods bordering upon the precipice to the open f1eld , and then direclcd our courfc by a circuitous F ath, abollt one mik in length, to a part of th~ cliff \ ·here it 1s poDiblc to defcend to the bottom of the cat.lr;lct. The river, for many miles below the precipice, is boundc i on each fide by fl:eep, and in moil parts perpendicular, cliffs, furmc:d of earth and rocks, :11 d it is im ofTi bk to deCce1H.l to the bottom of them, except at two places, where large man·es of earth and rocks have crumbled down, and hdd rs have b en placed from nc break to another, for the accommodation of paffcng rs. The fidl: of thcfe places which you come to in walking 'tlong the river, from the Horfe-{hoe Fall downward , is called the " Indian Ladder," the ladders luving been onfhutted there by the Indians. Thefc ladder , as they arc called, of wh id1 there arc feveral, one bJow the ther, confi!l: fimply of long pine trees, with notches cut in tb ir fi lcs, for the paflengcr to rcfi his feet on. The trees, even when firfl: placed there, would vibrate as you fiepped upon them, owing to their being fo long and f1cnder; age has rendered them ilill 1 fs firm, and they now cer tainly cannot be deemed {;_1fe, th u h many perfons arc fiill in the habit of defcending by their means. We did not attempt to get to the bottom of the cliff by this route, but proceeded to the other place, which is lower down the river, called Mrs. Simcoe's Ladder, the ladders having been originally placed there for the accommodation of the lady of the late governor. This route is mu h more frequented than the other; the ladders, properly fo called, are firong, afld firmly placed, and none of them, owing to the frequent br aks in the cliff, arc required to be of fuch :11. great length but what even a lady might pafs up or down them without fear of danger. To defcend over the rugged rocks, however, the whole way down to the bottom of the cliff, is certainly no trifling undertaking, and few ladie ), I believe, could be found of fuflicient ilrength of body to encounter the fatigue of fuch an expedition. On arriving at the bottom of the cliff, you find yourfelf in the midil of huge piles of mifhapen rocks, Wl h great maifes of earth and rocks projeCting • F A L L S 0 F N I A G A R A. jeCl:ing from the fide of the cliff, and overgrown with pines and cedars hanging over your head, apparently ready to crumbL down and crufh you to atoms. Many of the large trees grow with their heads downwards, bein o· fufpcnded by their roots, whi ch ba l taken fitch a firm h old in th~ ground at the top of the clifi: that wiH.:n part of it gave way the tree cl td not fall altoge ther. The river before yon here is { mewhat more than a CJ.Uarter of a mile wide ; an l on the o pofite fide of it, a little to the right, the Fort Sc!Jloper Fallis [cen to great advantage; what you f<·e of rhe IIorfe-{hoe fall alfo appears in a v ry f.1vourablc point of view; the projcC1ing cliff cone als nearly one half of it. The Fort cbJoper Fall is {kirted at bottom Ly mill· white foam, which afccnd in thick volumes from the rocks; but it is not fcen to rife above the fall like a cloud of finoke, a i the cafe at the IIorfe-!hoe FJll; nevcrtltc] e(s the fpray is fo confiderable, that it ddi ends on the oppofite fide of the river, at the foot of Simcoe's Ladder, like rain. Having reached the margin of the river, we proceeded towards the Great Fall, along the fl:rand, which for a confiderablc part of the way thither confifis o[ horizontal beds of limeflone rock, covered with gravel, except, indeed, where great piles of fl:ones have fal len from the I fides of the cliff. Thefe hori%:ontal beds of rock, in fome places, extend very far into the river, funning points which break the force of the emrent, and occafion fl:rollg eddies along particular parts of the fhorc. Here gr at numbers of the bodic of fin1 cs, fquirrd , foxes, and various other animals, that, unable to fi em the current of the riv r above the falls, bave been carried down them, and confeqnently killed, are wall cd up. The n1orc is 1ikewife found fl:rewed with trees, and large pieces of timber, that hav ... been fwept away from the faw mills above the falls, and carried down the precipice. The timber is generally terribly lhattered, and the car a( s of all the large animals, partic;.Jlar y of rhe large fi!J1es, are found very much brui(ed. A dreadful french arifes from the quantity of putrid matter lying on the al re, . nd numb rlefs birds of prey, attraCted by it, are always feen hove:ring a:wut the place. Amongfl: the numerous ilorics current in the coun try, relating to this wonderful cataraCt, there is one that records the hap-lcfs ' |