ful things that had been related by others. Since Father Hennepin's time, this fall, in all the accounts that have been given of it, has grown less and less; and those who have measured it with mathematical instruments, find the perpendicular fall of the water to be exactly 137 feet. When the water is come down to the bottom of the rock of the fall, it jumps back to a very great height in the air; in other places it is as white as milk or snow; and all in motion like a boiling caldron.You may remember, to what a great distance Hennepin, says the noise of this fall may be heard. All the gentlemen who were with me, agreed, that the farthest one can hear it, is 15 leagues, and that very seldom. When the air is quite calm, you can hear it to Niagara fort, 6 leagues; bút seldom at other times, because when the wind blows, the waves of Lake Ontario make too much noise there against the shore. They informed me that when they hear at the fort the noise of the fall, louder than ordinary, they are sure a north-east wind will follow, which never fails. This seems wonderful, as the fall is south-west from the fort; and one would imagine it to be rather a sign of a contrary wind. Sometimes, 'tis said, the fall makes a much greater noise than at other times; and this is looked on as a certain mark of approaching bad weather, or rain the Indians here hold it always for a sure sign. When I was there, it did not make an extraordinary great noise just by the fall, we could easily hear what each other said, without speaking much louder than common when conversing in other places. I do not know how others

two

have found so great a noise here; perhaps it was at certain times as above mentioned. From the place where the water falls, there rises abundance of vapours, like the greatest and thickest smoak, tho' sometimes more, sometimes less. These vapours rise high in the air when it is calm, but are dispersed by the wind when it blows hard. If you go nigh to this vapour or fog, or if the wind blows it on you, it is so penetrating, that in a few minutes you will be as wet as if you had been under water. I got young Frenchmen to go down to bring me from the side of the fall at the bottom, some of each of the several kinds of herbs, stones, and shells they should find there they returned in a few minutes, and I really thought they had fallen into the water; they were obliged to strip themselves quite naked, and hang their cloaths in the sun to dry. When you are on the other, or east side of Lake Ontario, a great many. leagues from the fall, you may, every clear and calm morning, see the vapours of the fall rising in the air; you would think all the woods thereabouts were set on fire by the Indians, so great is the apparent smoak. In the same manner you may see it on the west side of Lake Erie, a great many leagues off. Several of the French gentlemen told me, that when birds come flying into this fog or smoak of the fall, they fall down and perish in the water; either because their wings are become wet, or that the noise of the fall astonishes them, and they know not where to go in the darkness: but others were of opinion, that seldom or never any bird perishes there in that manner; because, as they all agreed, among Cc4

the

the abundance of birds found dead below the fall, there are no other sorts than such as live and swim frequently in the water; as swans, geese, ducks, water-hens, teal, and the like. And very often are great flocks of them seen going to destruction in this manner; they swim in the river above the fall, and so are carried down lower and lower by the water; and as water-fowl commonly take great delight in being carried with the stream, so here they indulge themselves in enjoying this pleasure so long, till the swiftness of the water becomes so great, that it is no longer possible for them to rise, but they are driven down the precipice, and perish. They are observed when they draw nigh the fall, to endeavour with all their might to take wing and leave the water; but they cannot. In the months of September and October, such abundant quantities of dead water-fowlare found every morning below the fall, on the shore, that the garrison of the fort for a long time live chiefly upon them. Be sides the fowl, they find also several sorts of dead fish, also deer, bears, and other animals which have tried to cross the water above the fall; the larger animals are generally found broken to pieces. Just be low, a little way from the fall, the water is not rapid, but goes all in circles, and whirls like a boiling pot; which however does not hinder the Indians going upon it in small canoes a fishing; but a little further and lower begin the other smaller falls. When you are above the fall, and look down, your head begins to turn; the French, who have been here a hundred times, will seldom venture to look down, without at the same time

keeping fast hold of some tree with one hand.

It was formerly thought impos sible for any body living to come at the island that is in the middle of the fall: but an accident that hap pened twelve years ago, or thereabouts, made it appear otherwise. The history is this: Two Indians of the Six Nations went out from Niagara fort, to hunt upon an island that is in the middle of the river, or strait, above the great fall, on which there used to be abundance of deer. They took some French brandy with them from the fort, which they tasted several times as they were going over the carrying-place; and when they were in their canoe, they took now and then a dram, and so went along up the strait towards the island where they proposed to hunt ; but growing sleepy, they laid themselves down in the canoe, which getting loose, drove back with the stream, farther and farther down, till it came nigh that island that is in the middle of the fall. Here one of them, awakened by the noise of the fall, cries out to the other, that they were gone! Yet they tried if possible to save life. This island was nighest, and with much working they got on shore there. At first they were glad; but when they had considered every thing, they thought themselves hardly in a better state than if they had gone down the fall, since they had now no other choice, than either to throw themselves down the same, or perish with hunger. But hard necessity put them on invention, At the lower end of the island the rock is perpendicular, and no wa ter is running there. The island has plenty of wood; they went to

work

So

work then, and made a ladder, or shrouds, of the bark of the lindtree (which is very tough and strong) so long till they could with it reach the water below v; one end of this bark ladder they tied fast to a great tree that grew at the side of the rock above the fall, and let the other end down to the water. they went down along their newinvented stairs, and when they came to the bottom in the middle of the fall they rested a little; and as the water next below the fall is not rapid, as before-mentioned, they threw themselves out into it, thinking to swim on shore. I have said before, that one part of the fall is on one side of the island, the other on the other side. Hence it is, that the waters of the two cataracts running against each other, turn back against the rock that is just under the island. Therefore, hardly had the Indians begun to swim, before the waves of the eddy threw them down with violence against the rock from whence they came. They tried it several times, but at last grew weary; and by being often thrown against the rock they were much bruised, and the skin torn off their bodies in many places. So they were obliged to climb up stairs again to the island, not knowing what to do. After some time they perceived Indians on the shore, to whom they cried ont. These saw and pitied them, but gave them little hope or help; yet they made haste down to the fort, and told the commandant where two of their brothers were. He persuaded them to try all possible means of relieving the two poor Indians; and it was done in this manner:

The water that runs on the east side of this island is shallow, especially a little above the island towards the eastern shore. The commandant caused poles to be made and pointed with iron: two Indians took upon them to walk to this island by the help of these poles, to save the other poor creatures, or perish themselves. They took leave of all their friends as if they were going to death. Each had two such poles in his hands, to set to the bottom of the stream, to keep them steady. So they went and got to the island, and having given poles to the two poor Indians there, they all returned safely to the main. Those two Indians who in the above-mentioned manner were first brought to this island, are yet alive. They were nine days on the island, and almost ready to starve to death.-Now since the road to this island has been found, the Indians go there often to kill deer, which have tried to cross the river above the fall, and are driven upon the island by the stream: but if the King of France would give me all Canada, I would not venture to go to this island; and were you to see it, Sir, I am sure you would have the same sentiment.On the west side of this island are some small islands, or rocks of no consequence. The east side of the river is almost perpendicular, the west side of the river more sloping. In former times a part of the rock at the fall, which is on the west side of the island, hung over in such a manner, 'that the water which fell perpendicularly from it, left a vacancy below, so that people could go under between the rock and the water; but the prominent part

some

some years since broke off and fell down.-The breadth of the fall, as it runs in a semicircle, is reckoned to be about six arpents. The island is in the middle of the fall, and from it on each side is almost the same breadth; the breadth of the island at its lower end is two thirds of an arpent, or thereabouts. --Below the fall, in the holes of the rocks, are great plenty of eels, which the Indians and French catch with their hands without any other means: I sent down two Indian boys, who directly came up with twenty fine ones. Every day, when the sun shines, you see here from ten o'clock in the morning to two in the afternoon, below the fall, and under you, where you stand at the side of the fall, a glorious rainbow, and sometimes two, one within the other. I was so happy as to be at the fall on a fine clear day, and it was with great delight I viewed this rainbow, which had almost all the colours you see in a rainbow in the air. The more vapours, the brighter and clearer is the rainbow. I saw it on the east side of the fall in the bottom under the place where I stood, but above the water. When the wind carries the vapours from that place, the rainbow is gone, but appears again as soon as new vapours come. From the fall to the landing above it where the canoes from Lake Erie put ashore, (or from the fall to the upper end of the carrying place) is half a mile. Lower the canoes dare not come, lest they should be obliged to try the fate of the two Indians, and perhaps with less success.-They have often found below the fall pieces of human bodies, perhaps

drunken Indians, that have unhappily come down to the fall. I was told at Oswego, that in October or thereabout, such plenty of feathers are to be found here below the fall, that a man in a day's time can gather enough of them for several beds, which feathers they said came off the birds killed at the fall. I asked the French, if this was true? They told me they had never seen any such thing; but that if the feathers were picked off the dead birds, there might be such a quantity. The French told me, they had often thrown whole great trees into the water above, to see them tumble down the fall: they went down with surprizing swiftness, but could never be seen afterwards; whence 'twas thought there was a bottomless deep or abyss just under the fall. I am too of opinion, that there must be a vast deep here; yet I think if they had watched very, well, they might have found the trees at some distance below the fall. The rock of the fall consists of a grey limestone.

Here you have, Sir, a short description of this famous Niagara cataract; you may depend upon the truth of what I write you. You must excuse me if you find in my account, no extravagant wonders, I cannot make nature otherwise than I find it. I had rather it should be said of me in time to come that I related things as they were, and that all is found to agree with my description, than to be esteemed a false wonder-maker.

I am, Sit, your's, &c.

PETER KALM,
AN

Extracts from several letters concerning the Roman antiquities, and the temples of the ancients.

A

FTER all the wonders that have been related of the temples of Jupiter Olympius, Diana of Ephesus, Serapis, &c. it may well be questioned, if, upon the whole, those ancient edifices surpassed the modern churches in grandeur and riches. To determine the point, it will be necessary to take a view of the temples built in the plains, and those erected in great cities.

Traverse the open countries of Greece, Peloponnesus,and the adjacent isles, and you will every where meet with little edifices, said to be temples; some half in ruins, others in tolerable good condition, without any thing material to distinguish them; no external ornaments, most of them brick, and the best of them finished in a dome or roof, ornamented with some slight sculpture. A few indeed there are surrounded with groves, consecrated by superstition, or designed to shade the worshippers of the idol; all of them placed in desarts, uninhabited, except by here and there a hermit, who makes it his whole study to amuse travellers with fables. It is not therefore among these structures that

you are to look for the magnificence of the Grecian temples.

The Romans, who were also accustomed to erect temples in the country, derived all their deities, celestial, terrestrial, and infernal, from Greek origin. There was not

a single canton of Attica, or Thes saly, where some metamorphosis had not been wrought, or some divine combat happened. These exploits served to extend superstition, and multiply the monuments that were to perpetuate it. But the Romans, who were the petty imitators of the Greeks, fell short of their masters in the dimensions of their insulated; temples.

It may perhaps be said, that we give the name of temples to edifices, which in ancient times were never considered as such; but without entering into a discussion, let it suffice, that the buildings we are speaking of, were sacred and public; still retaining their first furniture of sta tues, altars, and tripods. We meet with nothing more essential to the ceremonious part of worship among the larger temples of Athens and Corinth. If no other structures were to be comprehended in the denomination of temples, but those whose extent is to be measured by acres and stadia, it must be admitted that Rome herself, the city of all the Gods, had no more than three; those of Jupiter Capitolinus, of Peace, and the Pantheon. These are the only ones that were above the ordinary size; the last still subsisting, is but 144 fect in diameter. Time has also spared the temple of Fortuna Virilis, and of Vesta; the one is an oblong square, the other round: the Pantheon will hold them both.

We know to what heights the bold imagina ions of the ancient

archis