New-York daily tribune., 1842-11-08


again ere long.
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA
Between and o'clock in the morning we ar.
rived at Buffalo, where wo breakfas'ed, and, beng
700 near the Great Fails to wait patiently any
where else, we set of by the train the same morn,
ing at g. Whenever the train halted, hsteneo
for the roar: and was constantly straipng my eyes
in the direction where | knew the Falls must De-
from seeing the river rolling on toward tne,, es-
cry moment expecting TO behold the spray. /" "ilhlh
few minutes Of my stopping | ss'% TWO great
wb;te clouJs rising up slowly and maJestcaiiy
from the depths of the earth. ihhs was an' a,
length yge aiighed; and then, tor Inc rrst ti.ne'
banrJ ~. mighty rush Of water, and felt the
oco,rd ,,embIe underneath my feet. The bank
,s,s very steep, and was slippery with rain and
balsmelted ice hardly know how ] got down,
but wa. soon at the bottom, and climbing with
,ypo English officers who were crossing, and had
;oined me, over some broken rocks, deafened by
The noise, half blinded by the spray and wet 10
The skin. we were at the foot OF the American fall
| coxld see an immense torrent oil water tearing
headlong down fiom some great hight but had no
idea of shape. situation, or any thing bat vague
immensity When we were seated in the little
ferry beat and were crossing the swollen river i'm
rncdiately before both cataracts, began to feel
i
unable to comprehend the vaetncss of the scene
1t was not until came on fable Rock and Looked
great Heaven, on what fall of bright green
water that it came upon me in its full might and
majesty. Then, when felt how near to my Gre
stor was standing-the first effect, and the en-
during one--instant and lasling-of the lrenend-
Gus spectacle was peace-peace OF mind-tran-
quillity--calm recollection of the dead-greai
thoughts of eternal rest and happiness; nothing OF
gloom and terror.
Niagara was at once stamped upon my heart an
image Of beauty; to remain there changeess ana
indellble until its pulses cease to beat forever
Oh. how the strife and trouble of our daily life re-
ceded FROM my view and iessened in the distance
during the ten memorable days we passed on that
enchanted ground What voices spoke from out !
the the laundering water; what faces faded from |
the Garth looked out upon me from its cleaning |
depths; what heavenly promise glistened in those
angels tears, the drops of many hues that show
cred around and twined themselves about the gor-
yeous arches which the changing rainbows made.
never stirred all that time from the Canadian
side, whittier had gone at first; never crossed
the river again; for I knew there were people on
the other shore, and in such place 1t IS natural
10 shun strange company. To wander to and fro
all day, and see the cataract from all points OF
view; to stand upon the edge Of the great Horse
shoe Fall, marking the hurried water gathering
as it approached the verge, yet seeming,
TOO, to pause before it shot into the gulf below;
TO gaze upon the rivers level up at the torrent,
it came streaming down TO climb the neighboring |
nights and watch it through the trees, and see the
wreathing water to the rapids hurpiug on to take |
its fearful plunge to nger in the shadow of the |
solemn rocks three miles below; watching the |
river, as stirred by visible cause, it heaved and
eddied, and awoke the echoes being troubled ye
far down beneath the surface of its giant leap; 10
have Niagara before me, lighted by the sun and
by the moon, red in the days decline, and gray as
evening sewly fell upon it; to look upon it every
day, and awake in the night and hear its cease
less voice this was enough!
A NATIVE CHIEFTAIN.
There CHANGED to be on board this beat, in addi.
1ion to the usual dreary crowd of passengers, one
Pitchynn, chief Of the Chectaw tribe of Indians,
who sent IN his card to me, and with whom had
the pleasure of long conversation,
He spoke English perfectly we'll, though he had
not begun to learn the language, he told me, until
he was young man grown. He had read many
books, and SCOTS poetry appeared to have left
strong impression on his mind, especially the open
ing Of s'The Lady of the Lake, and the great
battle scene in /" Marmion," in which, no doubt,
from the congenality of the subjects to his owl
pursuits and tastes, he had great interest and de-
light He appeared to understand correctly all he
had read, and whatever fiction had enlisted his
sympathy in its belief, had done so keenly and
earnestly, ! might almost say fercely. He was
dressed in ordinary every day costume, which
hung about his fine figure loosely and with indis-
ferent grace. On my telling him that regretted
not to sec him in bis own attire, he threw up his
H. Ia ha ri
ishing some heavy weapon, and answered, he
let il fal! again. that his race were losing many
things beside the dress, and would soon be seen
upon the earth no more but he wore it at home,
he added, proudly
He told me that he had been away from his
home west of the Mississippi, seventeen months :;
and was now returning. He he had been chiefly al
Washington on some negotiations pending between
his tribe and the Government; which were not
settled yet (he said in n melancholy way and he
feared never would be; for what could few poor
Indians do against such well skilled men OF busi-
ness as the whites
He had no love for Washington; tired of towns
and cities very soon and lonsed for the forest and
tho prairie,
asked him what he thought 81 Congress, He
answered. with u smile, that ii waited dignity in
an Indians eyes.
He would much like, he said, to see England
before he died and spoke with mach interest
about the great things to be seen there. When |
told him OF that chamber in the British Museum
wherein preserved household memorials of a
race that ceased to be, thousands of years ago he
he was very attentive, and it was net hard to see
that he had a reference in his mind to the gradual
fading away of his own people
This led us TO speak of Mr. Catlin's gallery,
which he praised highly, observing that his own