The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-10-01

ID. DlOhht VI ohC DufNGV Oi bTltlSu
Guiana. Being short of provisions and at a
great distance from his boats, Mr.. Brown was
not able to devote more than couple of hours
to the examination OF the falls, which by hasty
barometrlcal observations, he found to be near
ly 90U feet in height, the breadth OF the river
at the top of the falls being 100 yards and its
depth 10 feet On his return TO Georgetown,
in consequence OF the strong desire express
ed by the community that careiui survey
Brown was instructed by the governor to pro-
coed at once to the falls for that purpose, &C
companied by Sir G. Young, Mr.. Charles
Mitchell and Mr.. King The result of their
journey is embodied in the inclosed article
published in Demerara paper on the Sd inst,
which, perhaps you will deem of sufficient IL
terest to insert in the column OF your widely
circulated journal.
Sir George Young gives the following de-
tailed description OF the cataract to a George
town paper:
although am anxious that Mr.. Brown,
as dscoverer of the Great kaieteur Fall and
the director of the successful expedition
which we were permitted to accompany,
should have the telling of his own story, yet
| can understand that his friends in George
town viii be anxious to hear at once OF his
success. The Fall has a clear descent, ac-
cording to barometrical observations taken
simultaneously by Mr.. Brown at the bottom,
and by nay colleague Mr.. Mitchell, at the top,
of $50 feet Above, the Potaro glides smooth
ly in slight depression OF the table Of con-
glomerate sandstone, and disappears over the
edge in body which we estimate as eighty
yards in width, and of depth uncertain in the
center, but Swallowing rapidly towards either
bank. When Mr.. Brown discovered the fall
in April, the rocky channel was completely
covered, and the stream must have had a
width of at least 100 yards. At present it is
diminished in volume, and as the Indians as
sured us, will continue to be SO till October,
when only the central and deeper portion,
about one third of the whole, will remain.-
The best time, therefore, for a visit is in
spring, at the end OF which appears to lie the
rainy season OF this elevated tract.
AS we saw the fall cannot imagine any
thing more beautiful The central portion,
which is never dry, forms small horse shoe
or re-entering angle, and the water in this
part preserves its consistency for short dis
lance from the ledge. But everywhere else
and here also, at a few feet from the top, all
semblance of water disappears; it breaks up.
or blossoms, into fine foam or spray, which
descends in the well-known rocket-like
forms of the Staubbach and similar water
falls, but multiplied thousand times, into
small dark pool, over a semi-circular curtain
of precpice deeply followed by the action of
the spray. The cavern behind the fall is the
home OF thousands of swallows, which issue
from it in the morning. and may be seen re-
tuning in their mullitudes at night. The
fall itself is one vast descending column of
fine dry-looking, snow-white substance, bear
ing resemblance, in color and consistency,
to the snow of an avalanche, but surprising
all avalanches have seen in size, and in the
beauty OF the forms taken by the material of
the fall. Rainbows OF great splendor were
observed, one from the front Of the fall in the
morning, one from the summit IN the after
noon; but this last, reverted, forming co..
oled loop or ring, into which the whole mass
seemed to precpitate itself and disappear, and
dart out underneath black and foaming, at
the gorge and outlet of the pool.
We spent ii days in ascending the Esseque-
DO, which was heavy in flood, and detained
us double the time anticipated. Five days
brought us from Tumatumari, the lowest fall
on the Potaro, to the Patamona village. In
this stage there are five cataracts, two of which
at least are inaccessible. We spent two'days,
in visiting the foot and SCmmt of the TALL
and descended to the settlement, leaving
Messrs. Brown and King to complete the sur
vey and sketches of the country in four days
and hall. We expect our companions BY
the steamer on the first of August, when this
imperfect record will be supplemented. We
had fine weather, and suffered nothing from
the climate or from fatigue, for which we are
indebted mainly to Mr.. Browns foresight and
ability"
Mr.. Brown and Mr.. King remained at the
fall two days after The departure of Sir George
Young and Mr.. Mitchell, making sketches of
the tall and observations of the width, depth
and velocity of the stream above. On care
fully working out the mean result of five sep
arate observations taken simultaneously at
the top and bottom of the fall, Mr.. Brown
found that. they gave The total height of the
perpendicular fall and catelact, as SIT feet.
The depth of the cateraet was taken
| at the edge of the pool on the western side
by aneroid barometer, lit being impossible to
| carry large barometer to the foot OF the fall
| and found to be 81 feet making the height OF
the perpendicular fall 1876 feet. The width
OF the river 200 yards above the fall was 1874
yards, and its greatest depth Is feet inches,
feet less than at high water On the morn
ing of the 2lst of July, Mr.. Brown and Mr..
King started on their return, but at the mouth
OF the Curiebrong river Mr.. Brown remained
three days to make arrangements 10 ascend
THAT SITedIlf On
sion. They finally left the Tumatumari fall
five miles up the Potaro river) on the morn
ing of the goth ult., and after an unpreceden-
tedly rapid run down the Essequebo, arrived
at Bartica Grove on the evening of the 3Oth,
and at the settlement on the following morn
ing. They experienced moderately fine
weather throughout, and not a single mem
Der of the party, which numbered twenty
one all told, suffered even days sickness dur
ing the excursion.