The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-08-29

lindcfxigablc activity The oldea Inhabitants OF the
country, asMr. Weld obierves, remember having
ieen the cataract feveral PAGES beyond its prefsnt
IPlace--an EngGh officer who has been na,ion
ed atFort Erie thefe thirty years. mentioned to him
/ poative facts, proving that rocks then exiting had
been undermined and fwallowsd up-the winter af.
ter my Wifi, thae of 1907, the thaw and floods breke
oil comfortable blocks, that checked the paage of the
water-and if Europeans iince tAey firR faw il (which
is more than century and half ago, had taken aecu.
rate Of the Rate OF the fall we houd by this
time have had fome idea Of that progrefs, which our
! reaion would lead US to expect, and which number
of local indications attelt at every ttep.
1 During five days that l fpent at the houfe Of
, Judge Powell who has feat miles from the Plato,
had eiiure Witt the chafm at place where there
is kind OF large bay in Of it's fides This bay
is remarkable for great eddy, that carries into il
mott Of the floating iubtance, brought down by the
cataract, and confines them there. AT this place we
perceive, that the river, Popped by The harnefs of
the rock has carried it's fall to feverai points, t
finding out the weakeR, i. continued it's courfe by
/ this.
Here. as we'll as a. the breach in the Plato, the
ltratum of rock at the furface !, cacarous and we
may reatonably preumc, that il the fame through
the whole ceurie of the chaf ince the bed of the
cataract is 70 ikewfe, and of the kind called prin
tive or eryifalized lin,etoue. DIR Barton, who hs,
ex1nitied 1t more at eilure than could climates it
ne OcIieVcs ehs itratuul
OF sieitone reits on itrata of blue chiR Containing
large proportion of fu!phur. found many Of ,heie
iclis, the borders OF Lake Erie and il is proba
bic, that the fame rata form it's bed and that of the
river Niagara. Some ages hence, If the river con-
tinuing it's operations, ceafe to find the calcareou,
rock that checks it, and with fofter firata the
fall will ultimately arrive at Lake Erie and then
one OF thoe great deilecations will take place. of which
the valleys of the Potowmach, Hudfon and Ohio. af
ford iDflan The
be accelerated by the afanee Of caufes that appear
to have been very active in forming the ruaure Of
the whole country; fpeat of volcanoes aud earth
quaes the phyGcal traces and rhetorical renlembran
ces Of which found in abundance Throughout the
Atlantic eoaf, as fha prefently have location to
obierve more at large P.IiO
| We were truck with this narrative, as we began TO
| perceive period, when the whole of Lake Erie
might be precipitated Lower Canada; but we
thlsk the iupicion without foundation On viewing
MT. tiihers drawing, were furpred a, its gene
raj resemblance to father Eennepins rough ketch of
! it,ppbliihed in Engilh in 1888, but taken about
eighteen years before On recurring TO the good IA
Tiers DESCRIPTION, we fouHd comfortable familiarity,
10 faras his general account would allow but, what
IS OF more Importance to the preent Guetion is the
ditance recorded by each author ror, Lake Ontario.
Father Hennepin makes 1t two leagues, and III. Vol
i-SJ irisiuy as 10
prevent US from tnppotng the dihancs greatly chang
ed IN the conrie Of more than 100 years IL nun be
evident that fuch violent agitation NUT occaiionaIly
diipaee rocks and produce violent CONNEXIONS; but
there is no reafn ths the real ua,ion of the ca
tarset greatly changed. The height may indeed be
leiened tor father Hennepn climates it at COO feet
ms height, however, is mentioned incidentally, and
evidently includes the depth Of the water which wa.
not known-a diminuton may, however, be fairly al
! lowed
| The Cenehee, river that falls from the hipb
lands on the South into Lake Ontario has ieveral fall,
which, together. equal thofe of Niagara. The ref.
Pective levels the iame and the falls nun confe
quentiy be iinar Various other cafcades of ieis i'm,
Portanee, are mentioned.-But we mutt refuine this
work future location.