The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1852-02-19

OF the saucy, faming, frettng yet sPortive spftes
odffhe fall extends in an irregular line acros'
the river, its width being above third Of mile
The entire descent IN about three fourths OF {
mile is sixty fset-ihs perpendicular pitch at IL
maximum height being about twenty feet.tt The
portage round the falls is 900 rods long. During
the unprecedented floods in the summer Of 1850
the momentum Of the rolling water caused q
change in the shelf Of rock over which the torrent
pours its mighty volume. The sand-rock substra
tnm, yielding continually TO the actien Of the wa
ter, resulted in depression and contemporan aneou'
rsirocession Of the eatire breastwork of lmestops
superstrata. This retrocession of the falls within
the two past years extended nearly ninety feet or
the western side, and ON the eastern about eighty
feet; so it has been ascertained by actual meas
urement. 1t is asserted BY Prof. Owen, the
Wisconsin Geologst, that there are geological ev-
licences to warrant the belief that at some remote
period of the past, the cataract had its seat at OF
near the confluence of the St. Peters river, eight
miles below, and at three or four times its present
elevation; that it ras once q mighty Niagara
and that at no distant day, at the present. rate o
erosion, which is greater than at Niagara, the
Falls Of St. Anthony will be but a series o,
rapids!tt o,~ ...-. -....s "a. ....
1.-The entire formation of the vicinity is white
sandstone, overaid b. secondary limestone
Ample opportunity i. afforded for gecIoical studies
at Utmost any point; indeed to the student of na-
tural science it presents subjects of more than
common interest ast SO
"The mighty river has, in its passage, cut a
deep channel, leaving wall Of rock fossiIiferous
strata both Sides from 100 TO 1870 feet in height
from which, in qIanying, or IN amateur research
es, some Singular petrfacious have been taken
nuts, ac0rns and other vegetable predictions, re-
mains OF the Saurian family, trobites, shells, Sc.,
and from the gorge below the falls, some curious
looking stalacttes and siaagmites, cedar-sprigs
and MOSES. formed by the continual percolat on
and dropping Of water, holding in solution caribou
ate of lime. .i 1I rEftf
''Upon the whole, 1 am inclined to believe thai
there are few scenes in the natural topography ol
this section of the country, where the features o
rude subimty and picturesque beauty are blen-
ded with more harmony and effect. .
sit is, too, a remarkable fact that these falls
are the precise point of transition from the rugged
limestone crags and crannes Of the lower Missis-
sippi, to the granular formation Of the upper from
the broken land below to the gentle undulatinc
prairies of the country above:
''Those gurdens Of the desert
For which the speech Of England has no name
The PRAIRIEs.' s.'-Bryaat --G a-.g
And, with this change Of geological character,
we see corresponding one in the vegetable king
DOR, and the eye at one view embraces the oak
openings Of the praire-laads above, and the ce-
dars and pines, which characterize the calcareous
bluffs below. This seemingly strange transition
has been frequently noticed BY observing tourists
and is thought to add TO the charm Of the scene.
'Jt is indeed 4 lovely spot. The magic of The
pencil fails to transfer the pauorama justly 10 the
virgin page. The bard sings in vain 10 celebrate
its beauty. Words are too impotent, toe poor to
give the scene its due effect. 1t must DC seen aad
oil bo faH
"Meihinks, to tint
Thy glorious features, with our pencils point,
Or woo thee to the tablet Of a song,
Were profanaton. Mrs. SigOurney.
Numa might have chosen it, for bis Egeria or
the Venusian lyrcist, Ter his Sabine retreat, and
his-filia puIchrior-Tyndaris! But. better still
where not long since, the red mans war-cry was
heard, blended with his demon-wai! and blind de-
| votion to his great WAUKAN, nolc the Holy
Church sings off and load to Cop THE Coon
AND GLORIOUS, her old Ie Deun song"SS
*Antonius de Padua, Franciscan friar, Of a
noble family in Lisbon, noted for his oratcry and
depth IN Theology. lie was called to Rome, and
received marks of honor from the Pope and Car
dinais. He was one of the mystic doctors, whose
province it was to 'draw out the inte rnal inices
and marrow Of the sacred books,'' i. g. to elici
their recondite sense. Notwithstanding his erud
tiOn, he was weak man ,-and his exposition yer,
clumsy. Many Of his sermons and treaties have
been printed. His legends are full of prodises
| His eloquence was said TO have been such tha
| the very fishes would leave The water to hear him
! lie died in 1851, and was canonized the year fol
lowing by Gregory TX. His name is to be fount
in the Roman Calendar for 18th June, as the Pa
tron Saint of Padua, where he is entombed.
| tUauLan, ga spirit. to which correspond
the .Nanito Of the Oibwa and other tribes Of ih
algonquin race This Mantle is 10 be distn
gui.hed from the Great Spirit Kechemd aito) anl
from the devil (.Nuchimanito,) y and meanssimply
spirit, of whomthc Indians believe there are ul
teid numbers, both good and bad; their characte
being distinguished by the prefix. The iheoIog,
Of the ancient pasans was similar. The Greel
Demon corresponds with Manic; the 'agaiho
damon ''good spirit. !" with Keche-m anito; caco
demon, ''bad spirit with .Nachi-manito. Th,
Indians are Of course Pantheists.
g. These deyo,ions consist of prayers and offer
ngs,i the latter of tobacco, (kinnic-kinnc) ar
rows, pieces Of cotton, &c. tWe fiod also col
lars Of porcelain, (wampum) tobacco, ears o
maize, skins SSe., by the side Of difficult and dan
gerous ways, or rocks, or by the side Of the falls
aud these are so many offerings made to tn
spirits which preside in those places. - Charlie
who made kind Of sacr ifice upon ar oak at tn
Cascade Of st. Anthonv OF Padau, upon the Mis-
sisippi.' - Hennepin. l'.t .1. .r'' 1,
S-uinne-sota, meaning, "tturbid water, com
mon name given by the Sioux TO the St. Peter
river--,he .Clapum Ii6erin ofthe Roman poe,
sroH.'Fatlrer Of Waters, pa poetical name--fouu
i believe in poem of Mrs Henans, for the Mis-
sissippi. The word is Oybwa, .uesi7sipi, gres
river
**"A rainbow Of emerald
sa'oias 81 The green memorial Of earth
The bow is described by ST. John, as near I
tho Throne Of God. (Kev. v. B. Retrospective
doubtless Of His Covenant promise, Gen. TX, 10.
cit may be fancifuI but is pleasing idea
says Tupper, ''that this rainbow was as it wer
a reflection Of the earth which God SO loved
and " hose universal robe is green.". s 3'a
,ii ttIts minimum estimate is I6 feet. sb ois
ftByFa traasea, survey Of the river, at tn
point we find, not many rods above the catarac
deep arater. Here the Jats will degenerate in'
mere rapids .v fe- .,e p. s..l s,s, j. ila..
4 ssTbe aIlusion 10 to the Lturgical services 4
the Protestant Episcopal Church, erected nea
the faiis- 1e1 -Il-A Z. - .'-.,'A7 f''a.
r,z-sHho pnstop pnst Savc ,bst +, nnrtv