The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1824-07-22


Gus din seemed to fall upon the ear in tangi
bic and ccasclcss strokes, and surrounded by
an unimagnable and oppressive grandeur.
Nv mind rccoiled for the immensity Of The
ttlmblng tide and thought of time and of c.
tcrnitv, and felt that nothing but its own inn
mortality could rise against the force of such
an element.
The guide now stopped to take breath.
He told us by hallooing in our cars at the
top Of his voice, that we must turn our
heads away from the spray when it blew
against us, draw the band downwarls over
the face ii wc felt giddy and not rely too
much on the lose pieces Of rock" With
these Instructions he began to conduct us,
one by one, beneath the sheet. .AiFcw steps
farther, and the light of the sun no longer
shonc upon us. There Was Il grayclikc
twilight which enabled US to see our way,
when the irregular blasts Of wind drove the
water from US; but most of the time it was
blown upon us from the sheet with such
fury that every drop seemed q ting, and in
such quantities that the weight Was almost
insupportablc. My situation vas distrac-
ting; II grew darker at every step, and in
addition to the general trcmcr with which
every thing i'll the ncighborhood Ct Niagara
is shuddcriDg, could feel the shrcds and
splinters Of the rock Yield, as J seized them
for support, and my feet were continually
4 slipping upon the Shiny stones. was oblig-
ed more than once to have recourse to the
prescription Of my guide to cure my giddi-
ness, and thought | would have given the
world to retracc WY steps felt myself fol-
/ lowing his darhcncd figure, vanishing before
me, us the mlninc, faithful - the phantoms
| OF his illusion, pursucs it TO his doom. M
nv faculties Of terror seemed strained TO
their cXtrcmc and my mtld lost all sensation
except the idea OF an universal, prodiSious
and uubrokcn motion.
| Although the noise exceeded by far the
extravaganza of my anticipation, | was in
some degree prepared for this lcXptctcd
too, the loss Of breath from the compression
of the air, tho not the suifocation OF the
spray but the wind--thc violence of wind
exceeding, as | thought, in swittncss and
power, the most dcsolating hurricanc-how
came the wind there there too, in such vio-
lencc & variety, as if it were the cave of II
olus in rebellion. Orc would think that the
river above, fearful Of the prccipicc to Which
it was rushing, in the folly OF its desperation
had seized, " It'll giant arms, upon the upper
air, and i'll its half va: course abandoned il
in agony.
We now came opposite a part of the sheet
which was thinner, and Of course lighter
The guide stopped, and pointed upwards
loolicd-antl beheld the sun, shorn Of hi,
beams indeed, and SO qrlcnchcd with the
multtudnons waves, that his faint rays shct
but pale and silvery hue upon the ,raggct
and ever humid walls of the cavern.
Nothing can be looked at steadily beneath
Niagara. The hand must constantly guarC
the ewes from the main body Of the fail
lnnl l, I,n, va vert
from IL steady position, to escape the suddcl
and vehement blast of wind. One is con
stantly exposed to the sudden rising of tht
spray, which bursts up like smoke from Z
} furnace, till it fills the whole cavern, ant
| then condensed with the rapidity of steam
is prccipitatct in rain, in addition to which
there is TO support but flakes OF the rock
which are constantly dropping off; and no.
thing to st;.nd upon but Il bank OF loose stone:
covered with imumcrable cclS
Still there are moments when the eye, al
one glance, can catch glimpse of this mag
niiccnt saloon. On one side the enormous
ribs of the prccipice arch themselves with
Gothic grandeur more than one hundred
feet above our heads, with lottenness more
threatening than the waters under which
/, they Sroan.
We had now penetrated to the inmost re-
cess. y pillar oi the preclplce JhtS oifcciN
ont into the sheet, and beyond it no human
; foot can step, but to immediate ainihilation
The distance from the edge of the falls te
; the rock which arrests our progress IS said
to be forty five feet, but do not think that
> this has ever been correctly asccrtaincd. The
arch undcr which we passed, is evidently
undergoinga very rapid decay at the bottom
!, while the top, unwasted, juts our like the
leaf of table. Consequently a fall must
happen, and Judging from its appearance
may be expected every day; and this is
probably the only real danger in going be-
meath the sheet. We passed to our Temporal
~ home, through the valley which skirts
the upper stream, amid gilded clouds and
!. rain bows and wild flowers, and experienced
consummation OF curiosity; that we ha(
looked upon that, than which earth coult
offer nothing to the eye or heart Of man more
awful or more magnificent"
. -------------------------
: AN UNFORTUNATE RUSSIAN PRINCESS
r An English traveller, who had beer
5 through the Northern countries of Europe
c thus describes this unfortunate victim O
h Russian barbarity-.ifter speaking Of tn;
i various public edifces at St. Petersburg, he
o says -
a "Here we had fine view Of the countr,
n over the Wbourg suburbs, and i'll distan