An extensive gathering of pleasing to the eye Black and White plus some color and hand-coloured images - A collection of superb Gallery Prints on archival quality Fine Art Paper or Artists Quality Matte Canvas - Creating a fabulous History, Nostalgia and Decorative Wall Art Centre of images dating back through the 1800s to early 1900 Niagara

Note: Each picture holds a story from long ago.
The facts about the event or location depicted in each of these pictures are noted in a related to the image document that is included with your artwork and is suitable for display with your picture. You’ll find these true stories fascinating and many are stranger than fiction

Decorate your home or place of business walls with some interesting conversation pieces from the past.

Niagara Writer Old Time Gallery Prints – Official Gallery Print Edition

Subject:
Niagara – The Region along the Niagara River Border in 1842
It’s a collection of scenes and stories that tourist from that time in long ago Niagara experienced…

Therefore we’ll begin our 1842 tour with an excerpt from the guide introduction…

THE wonderful cataract of Niagara, the most grand and stupendous natural curiosity in the world, is annually visited by so many thousands of people from the different countries of Europe and America, that a work which shall serve the purpose of a guide to the Falls, and point out, in a plain perspicuous manner, a judicious routine of observation, so that the stranger may be enabled, by its assistance alone, to find his way without loss of time or unnecessary toil, to every place which it is desirable to visit, and every point from which a good view may be obtained, must be a desideratum to traveling public.

A work, which in addition to this, embodies a full account of this remarkable phenomenon, and the region of wild and picturesque beauty in which it is situate, illustrated and embellished by accurate maps, and numerous engravings, from original and careful surveys and drawings, must present still stronger claims to popular regard, and be, indeed, indispensable to the Niagara visitant (tourist of the day).

It was the hope and wish of the author, to render this such a work, - to embody all that is known of the Falls, and the strait by which they are formed; with full, yet concise direction of the visitor, for prosecuting his examination of the cataract and other interesting objects of curiosity, in their neighbourhood; and a brief, but full account of the leading historical, and fortuitous events, which have transpired at the Falls, or in their vicinity, down to the present date (1842); and to enrich it with maps, charts, and engravings, - to make it, in short, not only useful, and even essential to the traveler, but interesting and ornamental, - such a work as must prove to the purchaser of real utility and value.

To what extent we have succeeded in this hope, is for others to determine.

Dateline: Buffalo, April, 1842
Since this work has been in press, some changes and improvements have been made. Our friend, Mr. C. B. Griffin, has taken the Clifton House, from which Mr. Chrysler has retired. Whether or not, the Eagle Hotel will pass into new hands, is yet undecided. At the Mineral Spring, a Boarding House, and Baths have been erected, for the accommodation of visitors, and particularly invalids. The sixty-seventh British Infantry have been ordered home to England. These are the most important.

Having arrived at the Falls, and chosen your hotel, enter your name on the register, secure your room, procure a copy of the PICTORIAL GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS, which contains many views of the cataract, and other objects of interest, in its vicinity, and full directions for finding all the best points of view, so as to employ your time to the most advantage, and proceed at once, to Prospect Point, from which you have the best view of the Falls, on the American side. Feast your eyes on the splendid scenery of river, banks, rapids, and cascades, as long as you desire; and then pass up the stream and along the shore to the bridge. Cross that to Bath Island, register your name, pay twenty-five cents toll, and then continue on to Iris Island. Having ascended the bank, turn to the right, and follow the path to the lower end of the Island. Gaze there as long as you list, at the Central and American Falls, and the magnificent vista of river and cliff below, and then cross the bridge to Prospect Island, and enjoy a most magnificent view of the American Fall

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This stupendous cataract is situated in latitude 43° 6' north, and longitude 2° 6' west from Washington. It is twenty-two miles north from the efflux of the river, at Lake Erie; and fourteen miles south, from the introgression of the stream into Lake Ontario. The whole length of the river is therefore, thirty-six miles — its general course is a few points to the west of north. Though commonly called a river, this portion of the St. Lawrence is, more properly speaking, a STRAIT, connecting as above mentioned, the lakes Erie and Ontario, and conducting the superfluous waters of the great seas and streams above, through a broad and divided, and afterwards compressed, devious and irregular channel, to the latter lake, into which it empties — the point of union being about forty miles from the western extremity of the lake.

Niagara is a word of Indian origin — the orthography, accentuation, and meaning of which are variously given by different authors. It is highly probable that this diversity might be accounted for and explained, by tracing the appellation through the dialects of the several tribes of aborigines, who formerly inhabited the neighbouring country.

Such an investigation, however interesting to the philologist, would present but little attraction to the general reader, and is therefore quite foreign to our present purpose.

There is reason to believe that the etymon belongs to the language of the Iroquois, and signifies the Thunder of Waters. The word Niagara has also been defined "a large, neck (or strait) of water," — " across the neck for strait} of water," — "a fall of water," — "broken water," — "running water," — "the voice of waters," etc. That this name was applied by the natives to the river (or strait) as well as to the cataract itself, is certain: — adjectively, it has been retained by both — substantively, it should belong to the latter

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There are various routes by which travelers from distant parts of the country may approach Niagara Falls.

The principal ones however, terminate at Buffalo, the commencement of steam-navigation on Lake Erie. Or at Lewiston, or Queenston on the opposite Canada shore, the landing places of the lake Ontario, and St. Lawrence steamers. From either of these places, it is a short ride to the Falls, and there are different modes of conveyance. The travelers will of course, suit his inclination by choosing that which pleases him best.

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BUFFALO, the Queen of the Lakes, lies at the foot of Lake Erie, at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, at the effluence of the Niagara River, or Strait, and at the head of the Erie Canal. It has an excellent harbour, protected by a massy stone pier, at the extremity of which, there is a substantial stone light-house, constructed of the best materials, and in the most durable manner — a perfect model of that kind of architecture.

It was laid out in 1801, became a military post in 1812, was burnt by the British in 1813, was incorporated as a village in 1823, and chartered as a city in 1832. It is divided into five wards, and contains about two thousand houses, and nearly twenty thousand inhabitants. Most of the buildings are good, many of them large, and quite a number uncommonly spacious and elegant.

There are thirteen churches, two large markets, a splendid theatre, a fine courthouse, and several other public edifices of creditable size and architecture. The principal hotels are the American Hotel, the Western Hotel, the Mansion House, and the United States Hotel. These are all large and well conducted, and pleasantly situate. The two first have a fine and commanding appearance, and are surmounted by noble domes, from whence extensive views are presented of the city, lake, and river and surrounding country.

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The MANSION HOUSE at the junction of Main and Exchange streets, and opposite to the Terrace Market, is an old-established and excellent stand, conveniently near the principal points of departure, of high reputation, and deserving a generous share of patronage.

Under the management of its present worthy and experienced proprietors, Messrs. Hall and Van Tuyl, we are confident that it will merit and receive ample assurances of public favor

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The WESTERN HOTEL, an extensive and beautiful building, at the intersection of Pearl-street with the Terrace, is just completed, and opened under the most flattering auspices.

The site of this noble hotel is very fine; and its proximity to the harbour, the canal, and the rail-roads, commends it to the patronage of business men.

While its extensive accommodations, and the unsurpassed views it affords of the Lake, the Niagara River, and the Canada shore, make it an attractive sojourn for pleasure-travelers. Its numerous advantages of construction and position, assure it’s becoming immediately one of the most popular, and best-sustained hotels in the country.

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The AMERICAN HOTEL is one of the best and most commodious in the Union, and cost nearly one hundred thousand dollars. This hotel, the theatre, several of the churches, and a large number of other buildings, comprising many of the best in the city, were erected by Benjamin Rathbun, to whom, more than to any other individual, Buffalo is indebted for its present size, prosperity and beauty.

Possessing a powerful and ambitious mind, and a vigorous, though not robust frame of body, he was enabled to conceive and carry on a scheme of improvements, as gigantic and comprehensive in its extent, as it was lamentable and unfortunate to him in its result.

The streets were filled with his men, teams, and materials; his storehouses, workshops, and stables formed, as it were, villages of themselves; and he, a plain, frugal, unobtrusive, but active and talented man, was the "Girard of the West." Industrious, persevering, indefatigable, he had but one great fault, and that he is now expiating in the penitentiary. He trusted too implicitly in others…

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…It was to have been called the *' Buffalo Exchange," would have covered the whole square, measuring two hundred and forty-five by two hundred feet, and was designed to rear its proud and portly dome to a height of no less than two hundred and twenty-two feet.

Had this building (the massive foundation of which was partly laid) been completed, it would have been the pride of Buffalo and the West. The site is now an uncovered sepulcher of rubbish. At the Falls, too, the visitors will perceive many evidences of the talent and energy of this extraordinary man, and of the vastness of his designs, not one of which was illusory or impracticable; — but the consummation of these and other extensive plans of improvement was prevented by his arrest, imprisonment, and consequent failure.

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… Excursions from Buffalo to the Seneca Indian village, and to the ruins of old Fort Erie, are not uncommon with both citizens and strangers. They are the only places of much resort in the immediate vicinity of the place. To the former, it is a pleasant ride of three miles; to the latter, a delightful sail of about the same distance.

Buffalo is connected with the Falls, distant twenty-two miles, by a rail-road, on which the cars, propelled by steam, make two trips a day; leaving the former place at nine in the morning, and at five o'clock in the afternoon. With the ferry at Black Rock, two miles distant, there is also railroad communication, and the cars leave every half hour. The depot for both is on the Terrace, at its junction with Pearl-street, and fronting both the Western Hotel and the United States Hotel.

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Steamboats leave the dock every morning for the Falls, and return the same day. They land passengers both at Chippewa and Schlosser, where carriages are in waiting to take them over the two or three remaining miles.

Travelers can therefore choose between this mode of conveyance and the cars. Both routes are pleasant, and it may be advisable to go by one and return by the other. By adopting this plan, every part of the beautiful river and forest scenery above the falls will be seen; nor will Chippewa, Navy-Island, or Schlosser — now memorable places — be overlooked; or a splendid view from the river, of the rapids, and islands, be lost…

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The curtains and other walls were grouted with a cement of water-lime, evincing the greatest care for durability, and none for expense. The bastions were all flanked with this admirable stone work, and the whole surrounded by a deep ditch, further strengthened by pointed stakes, firmly and thickly planted in the fosse, inclining outward, and rising just above the water,- with which it was nearly filled. The fort was evidently designed by an able engineer, and might have been regarded as a miniature model of military architecture. Every avenue of approach, was enfiladed or exposed to a cross fire, and nothing seems to have been omitted that could contribute to the annoyance of a besieging foe, or the protection of its little garrison. By the Indians, it must have been deemed impregnable.

Fort Erie was, during the late war, the scene of some of the most memorable exploits of the Republican army. It was surrendered .on the third of July, at the first summons, to General Brown who, with a force of five thousand men, invaded Canada in 1814, by Major Buck, the officer in command; and the British garrison, consisting of one hundred and thirty-seven men of the Eighth, or King's Regiment, became prisoners of war. The troops under General Brown, after advancing upon Fort George, and fighting the celebrated battles of Chippewa and Niagara, fell back upon this point, and sustained a siege, remarkable for the gallantry with which it was pressed and repelled. Subsequently, the British forces having retired to 'winter quarters, the fort was abandoned and demolished, the campaign ended, and the American army having gained nothing but glory by the invasion, returned to their own country.

The fortification is now entirely in ruins, deserted and desolate; but its ancient defenses may still be traced out, and the little hillocks that dot the plain below, each marking a soldier's grave, attest the obstinacy with which the attack was urged, and the assault repulsed.

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WATERLOO is a pleasant little village on the bank of the river a mile and a half below Fort Erie, and opposite to Black Rock, with which it is connected by the ferry. It has probably sixty or seventy houses, and four or five hundred inhabitants.

From this place to the Falls, the road runs along the bank of the river, and the scenery is extremely picturesque. Horses and carriages may be had for excursions to Fort Erie or Niagara Falls, on livery, at reasonable rates.

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SCHLOSSER LANDING is nine miles below Tonawanda, and two miles above the Falls.

An old storehouse and tavern are the only buildings at this point. It is the landing place for steamboats from Buffalo, and visitors to the Falls are conveyed thence in carriages. This place is celebrated as being the spot where the Caroline lay at the time of her destruction. Navy-Island is opposite, and Grand Island, the Canada Shore, Chippewa, the head of the rapids, and Iris-Island are all within view. The railroad runs along the river but few rods from the shore.

Chippewa the bank of the river, at the mouth of Chippewa Creek, two and a half miles above the Falls. With the single exception of Waterloo, it is the only village on the Canada side above the cataract. It is a flourishing place—a port of entry—and has a very tolerable harbour. The stream is spanned by a wooden draw-bridge one hundred yards long, and is navigable about twenty miles up', for vessels of two or three hundred tons burthen. Steamboats from Buffalo land here, and the journey to the Falls is continued in carriages, which are in waiting. The population of the village is estimated at two thousand persons. The view of the rapids, and scenery above the Falls, is very fine. The battleground is two miles above, on the Buffalo road.

Chippewa is the lowest point to which the upper portion of the Niagara strait is navigable. From Queenston to this place, goods are carried by land, and the road has from the old French times, been called the Portage. The two villages are now connected by a railroad, but recently completed. It was at Chippewa that the troops and munitions of war were collected to oppose the Navy-Island patriots; and here the expedition against the Caroline was fitted out and dispatched, which resulted in the death of Durfee, and the destruction of that vessel.

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"High-seated on the crests of cliffs sublime,Like eaglets on the mountain tops of time,
In un-awakened energy repose
Cities in embryo — between which flows,
Down the dread cataract, and through the chasm,
With ever-angry rush and many a spasm,
A mighty torrent — ocean-like in size,
Whose mists and thunders mingle with the skies,
Bounded by frowning walls that shake with dread
At each vibration of its earthquake tread!"

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The EAGLE HOTEL, a few steps from the Buffalo and Niagara Falls rail-road, is a fine large building, fronting on Main-street, one hundred and twenty-five feet, and seventy feet deep.

It was formerly of wood, but its dimensions having been found much too small. the brick part was added by Mr. Rathbun, in 1835. This portion is substantially built, and is four stories high. The wooden part was well and tastefully constructed, and has magnificent colonnades on the front and south sides. The rooms are numerous, large, well ventilated, and convenient; and are admirably arranged, and elegantly furnished. The proprietor, Mr. C. B. Griffin, is a gentleman well known to the traveling public, as a most worthy, efficient, and obliging landlord. Visitors will find his table, wines, liquors, and attendance all that can be desired, and his charges reasonable. Connected with this hotel, which has ample accommodations for one hundred persons, there is a beautiful garden, well laid out with graveled walks, and containing a great variety of shrubs, plants, flowers, and fruit-trees—a most agreeable and pleasant place of resort, which should not be neglected. Of cherries, there are, in their season, great abundance, which are particularly recommended. There is in the same building, a small shop for the sale of canes, confections, Indian curiosities, and mineral specimens; and a fine billiard room just below.

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Mr. S. (Simon) HOOKER, guide to the Falls, has his office and residence next, south of the Eagle Hotel; and to all, who may desire such attendance, offers his valuable services. Mr. Hooker and his two sons are the only guides to the Falls who have made this their regular profession, and they deserve notice and patronage.

He is, in spite of his name, an upright, intelligent, and worthy man, who has resided at the Falls for twenty-six years, and has a perfect acquaintance with every point of interest, and every event worth relating. His sons, born and bred in the very roar and spray of the cataract, and familiar with that and the surrounding scenery from childhood, are in every respect quite competent to the creditable discharge of their duties to strangers who may engage their assistance.

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The CATARACT HOTEL is a few yards further south, and near the Lockport and Lewiston railroad depot.

It fronts on Main-street one hundred and fifty feet, and is ninety feet in depth. It is three and four stories high, and the southern parts has colonnades or piazzas on front and rear

The internal arrangements of this hotel combine every advantage of quiet, comfort, and convenience. And the rooms, among which are two extensive dining halls, are tastefully and even richly furnished.

It stands but few feet from the bank of the river, and the rapids roll and foam along almost beneath its balconies. Bathing apartments are connected with it; and recently improved by large additions. It has now accommodations for nearly two hundred permanent guests. Viands that delight both the eye and palate, liquors and wines, pure in quality and mellowed by age, and servants ready without impertinence, and prompt without bribery, are advantages that render it a most agreeable place of entertainment.

This Hotel is kept by General Whitney and sons, who are too well and favorably known to need any recommendation. General Whitney was one of the earliest settlers at the Falls, and has given so many proofs of his enterprise and public spirit, that his name belongs to the history of the place.

He established the ferry, and built the first staircase down the bank. The first bridge to Iris Island, and the Terrapin Bridge were also constructed by him; and many other conveniences about the falls, owe to him their origin or suggestion. He has kept a public house there for many years, and princes, dukes, marquises, counts, and lords, have been his patrons, in addition to gentry of every other degree in life.

But he is still a staunch republican, and a true patriot; frank, hearty, and familiar in his manners, plain in appearance, and upright in all his transactions.

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…It was to have been called the Niagara Falls Hotel — was to front one hundred and seventy feet on Main-street, one hundred and ninety feet on Fall-street, to be, to the top of the dome, one hundred and twenty-five feet high, and was to have ample accommodations for above six hundred persons. Had this hotel been finished, it could not fail to have been one of the best and most profitable pieces of property in the Union ; but it was destined that his career of improvement should stop in its midland course, and most unfortunately for the village of Niagara Falls, it did so.

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The road leading up from the river at the ferry, divides the two places

Niagara # 1842 12062
Clifton House

The CLIFTON HOUSE, a large, elegant, commodious, well-finished, and well-furnished hotel, stands on the brow of the bank, near the ferry, and commands a splendid view of the Falls, in which all their majesty and glory are revealed.

It is a noble structure, with triple colonnades of ample length and area, and an interior that leaves nothing to be regretted. Mr. Chrysler, a "fine old English gentleman," and a veteran host, is proprietor and landlord of this superb establishment, which is conducted, under his personal superintendence, in a manner that speaks for itself, and needs no eulogy.

Are you fond of hunting? — He keeps a pack of hounds and has a passion for the chase. You could not wish for a better sportsman or a more jovial companion, and cannot fail to like him in either capacity, — as host or hunter.

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Under the quiet shelter of these great heights — the mountains of Father Hennepin — and on opposite sides of the river, which seems now to smile and gladden at its escape from the dark rock-bound channel, through which it writhed and struggled like a wounded snake, repose the peaceful villages of Lewiston and Queenston, shaking hands across the deep water like twin brothers, by the ferry that connects them. These are the landing places of the Ontario and St. Lawrence steamers; and this the highest point of river navigation below the cataract of Niagara. Both villages are connected with the Falls by rail-road.

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Niagara # 1842 12070
Fort Massasauga

FORT MASSASAUGA stands on the extreme point of the peninsula, at the junction of the river Niagara with Lake Ontario; and is one and a half miles below Fort George, on the same side of the Strait. It is constructed of earth, with a large stone blockhouse of a septagonal form, in the centre, which at present mounts a single cannon of twenty-four lbs. caliber. This fort is manned and garrisoned, is kept in good repair, and is said to be a very strong post.

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FORT NIAGARA on the American shore, occupies a similar position, and its defenses are washed by the river on one side, and by the lake on the other. The French, English, and American flags have successively floated over its ramparts, and i has probably experienced a greater variety of fortunes, and been a silent witness of more striking and diversified events, than any other place in North America, unless perhaps, Quebec. It was originally settled in 1678 by a French officer, M. de La Salle, who obtained permission of the Indians to build a storehouse, seduced them to join in a hunt, and in their absence, erected a fortress. On their return, they were enraged at the deception, but he found means to soften their anger while he strengthened his position, and ultimately to pacify their resentment. From this point the savages were thence accustomed to sally forth upon the English settlements, and hither they returned after completing the work of slaughter and spoliation, to receive the wages of murder and robbery…

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Niagara # 1842 12091
Chart of Niagara Falls

its lovely islands, its giant caves, its deafening roar, — these, and a host of other marvels and beauties, combine to make up that wonderful thing, Niagara) and each of these claims especial attention, and is worthy of particular praise. The river Niagara, after a course of twenty-one miles, has a rapid declination, and rushing down with inconceivable fury, is impeded by rocks and ledges, dashing around and over which it is thrown into terrible confusion, and, leaping here, plunging there, raging, tumbling, whirling, foaming on, boiling in one place, billowing in another, and maddening every where, is so convulsed and tossed about that it resembles literally a "hell of waters." Such are the rapids — more particularly that part of them nearest the American shore. On the opposite side, the bed of the river has a greater declivity, the water is much deeper, and the in tumescence less apparent. There, however, they, are immensely grand, and the prodigious volume of water rushing down from ledge to ledge, with an impetuosity beyond conception violent, forms a scene less turbulent, but, if possible, even more magnificent…

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…Having looked at the Falls as long as you desire, from these places, pass up the river along its shore, feasting your eyes upon the wild waters, and the splendid scenery of banks and islands, till you reach the bridge leading from the American shore to Bath Island — from which you have a magnificent view of the rapids, dashing and foaming beneath and around you. The water drives along with such immense velocity and force, that one can scarcely conceive how this bridge could have been built. . Only sixty-four rods above the cataract, and in the very rush and whirl of the mad torrent, it is no wonder that strangers inquire with an eager curiosity how it was possible to construct it in so dangerous and difficult a place. The modus operandi was this: —

An abutment of proper size and solidity was first made; then two large and long timbers were projected far over it, the hinder ends of which were firmly secured by piling on tons of weight. Upon these timbers planks were then laid, and a temporary bridge thus formed, from the extremity of which large stones were let down into the stream, till the pile rose above the water, when a firm pier was built around it, by framing timbers together, sinking them, and filling up with stone. This pier and the abutment were then joined by a section of the permanent bridge, firmly and strongly built. The long timbers were then again thrust forward, and a second pier made, and united to the first, by another section of the bridge. Proceeding in this manner from pier to pier, the whole bridge was finally constructed, and a safe and easy communication established to Bath Island. By the same process, Bath Island was connected with Iris Island, by a similar bridge, and the object accomplished — Iris Island being now united to the main land, and rendered accessible to all.

The first bridge to Iris Island was built by General Whitney, in 1817…

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…Upon leaving the bridge from Bath Island, turn to the right, and pass along the bank of Iris Island to the Hog's Back, — a narrow ridge so named from its shape — at its lowest extremity.

From this point, you have a fine view of the Central Fall, the American Fall, the river below, and the picturesque scenery through which it flows. At the farthest point of the stream you see a small white spot like a speck of foam: it is the commencement of the Whirlpool rapids, and is nearly two miles distant.

The Central Fall is formed by a small portion of the river — cut off by Prospect Island from the American branch, — which rolls in a clear, beautiful and sparkling volume to the precipice, where it bounds away, like a gladsome and fearless thing, in a smooth and almost unbroken sheet…

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…From the Hog's Back, a singular phenomenon is presented to view. It is that of three profile figures of the human face, upon the rock under the edge of the American Fall, so fully and clearly defined, that one can scarcely believe them to be the work of chance, and not of the sculptor's art.

They are of gigantic size, but well proportioned, and are situated as shown in the engraving above. The first or upper one represents an African, the next, a young and well-favoured man, of the European race, and the lowest, an elderly and spectacled personage of the same descent. They appear to be of the male sex, and the features of each are singularly well defined. They were first observed last season, and are now regarded with no little interest. This strange trio certainly exhibit a very remarkable coincidence of casualties…

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…At the Biddle Stair-case, the visitor is provided with a suitable dress by Mr. Smith, — a worthy and well-informed gentleman, perfectly familiar with the Falls, and both competent and willing to impart any information that may be desired on the subject—who has for sale the usual curiosities, canes, and refreshments, and who, for a small fee, furnishes the traveler with every thing necessary to enable him to pass behind the sheet, and into the Cave of the Winds. No change of dress is required, if the visitor does not wish to penetrate the regions of spray, and of course no charge is incurred. But these scenes should never be overlooked: —they are full of wonder and sublimity.

Properly equipped, you descend the stairs, from the head of which you have a noble view of the Horse-shoe Fall; and pass up the stream to the grand cascade. This course is advised, because, usually, a person gets so thoroughly drenched in the Cave of the Winds, that dry clothing is an object of immediate desire, and it is therefore best to visit that place the last, before a change of apparel. As you advance along the pathway at the foot of the cliff, with the vast mass of ragged rocks impending above your head, and, apparently, threatening instant destruction, it will be strange if you do not feel a deep sense of danger. Innumerable pieces of stone seem as if on the very point of tumbling down; and all around you lie the broken fragments that at different times have fallen. But there is little fear: — among the thousands and tens of thousands of persons who have sauntered along the path you are treading, not one has been injured. Only a single accident of the kind is known ever to have occurred, and that happened near the Central Fall…

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Niagara # 1842 12138
Cave of the Winds

You are on the steps descending into the cavern. The majesty, the sublimity of the scene cannot escape your notice, and you will feel what 1 find it impossible to express. A wall of rock rises frowning on one side; the falling sheet arches the other. You see it leap from the cliff far above, and lash the rocks far below. You seem between two eternities, with a great mystery before you, whose secrets are about to be revealed. What a moment is this! From the vast cavern in to which you are passing, comes the sound of a thousand storms. You hear the mad winds raging around the walls of their imprisonment, and mingling their fearful roar with the reverberating thunders of the cataract!

The spray falls thick around you, and, almost overpowered with intense emotion, you hasten on, descend the steps, reach the bottom, instinctively retire from the rushing waters, and, having gained the centre and back of the cave, pause to look around. You seem all eyes, all ears, all soul! You are in the sublime sanctuary of Nature; her wonderful and fearful mysteries are above, beneath, and around you. God is Infinite, you are nothing! This is His temple, you are His worshipper! It is impossible in such a place to be irreverent. The proudest, here is meek; the haughtiest, humble; and the loftiest, lowly. The sights and sounds that crowd upon your gaze, and fill your ears, will be remembered to the latest day of your life; nor will the emotions that swell your bosom, and thrill your very soul, be ever forgotten.

The Cave of the Winds has long been known, and by that name, than which none can be more appropriate. In 1834 it was first…

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Niagara # 1842 12145
House Hermit of the Falls

Continuing your walk around the Island, you mark the commencement, progress, and wild violence of the American rapids, and accord them the reward of wonder and praise.

At length you reach an old log house, with a low stone addition to the rear, now lone, dreary, and deserted. It was here that Francis Abbot, the Hermit of the Falls, for a long time resided: — of this singular and unfortunate individual, we shall elsewhere relate all that is certainly known.

On an elevated sandy part of the bank, about midway of the garden, there were formerly a number of small mounds, into which excavations were made, some years since, and human remains discovered. They had been buried in a sitting posture, and each individual had a separate grave. None of the skeletons were found perfect, and most…

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Niagara # 1842 12156
Table Rock

Table Rock is on the same level with the Fall, and is a continuation of the ledge or strata from which the torrent-flood is precipitated. It projects over the bank, and beyond the curve of the cascade to a considerable distance, and from this circumstance, derives its name ; having, in some respects, a tabular aspect. Creep to the edge and look down,—the sensation is awful. There is nothing but the invisible and imponderable air between the thin leaf-like crag, which supports you, and the massy blocks of limestone that lay coaeervated more than one hundred feet beneath, where they have fallen from the dizzy elevation whence you look, and been rent and scattered by the shock. There is a strange and indefinable fascination in the terrible depth that confronts you,

“Charming the eye with dread;"

and it requires an effort to withdraw from that horrible verge of danger and death.

Table Rock was formerly of much greater extent than it is at present; large portions of the cliff having at different times been broken off, and dashed to pieces by the fall.

In 1818, an immense mass, — one hundred and sixty feet in length, and from thirty to forty feet broad, — was torn from the brow of the bank, hurled down the steep, and shattered to fragments at the foot of the precipice. The disruption took place about midnight, and the shock of its fall startled and awoke the inhabitants for miles around, by whom it was mistaken for that of an earthquake. In the years 1828 and '29, other smaller portions of the rock fell; and a deep fissure, which cannot but be observed, embracing within its circumference an enormous mass of rock, shows that at no very distant date a similar catastrophe may be expected.

The old building and…

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…The shape or outline of the British Fall is undergoing almost constant change, from the disruption of large portions of the ledge or cliff, by which it is produced. * In 1678 it was nearly straight across. Since that time, it has become deeply indented, and has at different periods, taken different forms of curvature, from one of which, it derived the name of Horseshoe.

It is worthy of note that the outline of this cascade assumes a different shape to the eye, at every point from which it is seen. Consequently, it is presented in a new and striking aspect at every change of place; and as many fine views are obtained as there are separate stations from which to observe. From the Clifton House, the Pavilion Hotel, and the Barracks, it appears under forms having but slight similitude to each other, — varying from concave to square, and from square to triangular, — but all extremely interesting; — the view from the former is, however, immeasurably the most grand and superb.

After having sufficiently examined and admired the scene from Table Rock, you return along the plank pathway to the rooms of Mr. Starkey, where there is a Staircase down the bank, and where you will procure proper apparel and a guide to Termination Rock, which is behind the great sheet. Provided with these essential requisites, you descend a long flight of spiral stairs, erected some years since by Mr. Forsyth from the foot of which, taking the path to the right, you soon arrive at the misty, spray-washed entrance to the cavern, which it is your purpose to explore. Here you pause, to enjoy a most sublime view of the cataract, and particularly of the Horseshoe Fall, which comes thundering down, above and before you, stretching far away to the left in its huge and awful proportions. Another, and, in some respects, a better view of the same grand spectacle, is seen from the river-margin, to which you descend.

From this point, more than any other, you appear to realize the vast height of the precipice, and the prodigious weight and impulsion of the torrent.

It seems a god-hurled flood, and you…

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…The Mineral Spring is about one and a fourth miles beyond Point View, a few rods from the river, and is sheltered and shaded by a pretty and graceful open building of Grecian architecture, erected by Mr. Rathbun. The water wells up between the rocks, and is collected in a stone basin; — it is strongly impregnated with sulphur, contains also lime and magnesia, and is said to be quite similar to that of Harrowgate, England. From the road, a short distance beyond this spring, the first view of the Falls is obtained by persons coming from the direction of Lockport or Lewiston. It is extremely beautiful, and is that with which Capt. Hall was so much pleased…

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…Half a mile below the Whirlpool, there is a deep, dark cove, or chasm, in the rocky bank, called the Devil's Hole, which, from its own gloomy grandeur, and the historical associations connected with it, is an object of no inconsiderable interest, and of much' resort. One of the most wild, rugged, high, and massy cliffs in the world rises above it, bleak, bare and projecting, from which a noble view of the river and gulf is presented. A stream, called Bloody Run, usually small, and often dry, in the summer, but swollen to a torrent size in the fall and spring, pours its dark waters down this fearful chasm, and over the vast rocks that form its bed, to the river below.

The road passes close by this cove, or hole, and an old sawmill stands upon the brink of the precipice.

By a long, tedious, difficult, but not dangerous route, starting from the top of the bank, about twenty rods below the Devil's Hole, (*The remains of an old flight of steps are still at the Devil's Hole, "but so much broken and decayed as to be unserviceable.) winding your way down and around the precipice, you descend into this frightful gulf, clamber down and over huge moss-covered rocks, fallen trees, and accumulated rubbish, that almost bar the passage, and toil on to the river side. Unless you do this, you can form but a very faint and imperfect conception of the wild and savage grandeur of the place, into whose dark rock-shut, forest-hidden recesses not a ray of sunlight has ever forced its way. An air of sullen sublimity pervades its gloom; and when in its shadowy depths, yon seem cut off from the world, and confined in the prison-house of terror. It is akin to the cataract and the whirlpool, in the awe it inspires; but has not a single feature in common with the one or the other. It is a wild, dark, savage, gloomy cavern; and its exploration should not be omitted. To appearances, it is a fit place for a demon dwelling; and hence, probably, derives its name. It is memorable as the scene of a tragic event, elsewhere to be narrated, which occurred during the old French war, and was of a strange and bloody character…

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…LEAVING Lewiston, and crossing the river in a boat, propelled by horse power, you land in her Britannic Majesty's dominions, at the village of Queenston, and ascend the heights, so memorable for one of the most desperately-contested battles of the late war, in which the American forces, finally lost a thrice-won victory, and were compelled to lay down their arms, and surrender at discretion; and the English sustained an irreparable loss in the death of General Brock, which no victory could compensate. He was killed by a musket ball, in the early part of the action, while cheering on the brave troops under his command. When struck, he was standing by a cherry-tree, still pointed out, in an orchard to the right, at the foot of the mountain-plain.

From the heights at Queenston, a similar but less obstructed, and therefore, more extensive view of the country, river, and lake, is presented, to that of the opposite elevation…

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…From the top of the monument, nearly five hundred feet above the river-level, it was still more grand and comprehensive; but, considered as an observatory, that towering structure is among the things that were, having been nearly demolished by an explosion of gunpowder.

This monument, standing upon the most lofty point of Queenston Heights, was erected by the Provincial Legislature, to the memory of General Brock, whose remains were removed from Fort George, and deposited in its vault, with those of his Aid, Colonel McDonald, who was mortally wounded in the same action, and died the following day. In addition to its value as a work of art, it had other and stronger claims to respect. It was erected in honour of a good and gallant man, whose name and deeds form a part of the history of the times; and whose uniformly kind treatment of American prisoners-— so very different from that of too many of his contemporaries — will ever be held in grateful remembrance by the American people. Wantonly to destroy such a monument, raised in commemoration of such a man, would be base indeed; but there was not wanting some wretch, infamous and despicable j enough to be guilty of the outrage.

On the night of the seventeenth of April 1840, the monument was blown up by some villain, or villains, unknown, and completely ruined. The stairs were thrown down, the shaft rent in several places nearly from top to bottom, the inscription-tablet fractured quite across, the key-stone forced out, and the whole structure, in short, irremediably injured. The damage was at first supposed to be much less than the event proves it to have sustained. In February of the following year, a large portion of the top fell; and now, the dome is entirely gone, the balustrade almost destroyed, and scarcely a single part unbroken. The interior is a literal heap of ruins, and the ground for many yards around, covered with the fallen fragments.

This execrable transaction has been attributed to the notorious Benjamin Lett, — who is now in the penitentiary, for an attempt to blow up the steamer Great Britain, — but with what justice, we are unable to say. Whoever did it, richly deserves a short shrift and a strong halter; and this we believe to be the sentiment of every generous mind. Any wretch, so depraved, as to war against the ashes and honors of the dead, is unfit to associate with the living…

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…About half a mile further, and you come again to the Whirlpool, of which, from the summit of the Canada Cliff, a capital view is afforded. The rapids entering this imprisoned sea are almost directly in front; and those at the outlet, immediately below you. The view is in many respects, better than that from the height opposite.

Descending a long and tortuous, but neither difficult nor dangerous succession of steps and slopes, to the foot of the precipice, you find yourself on a ledge of rocks, with the Whirlpool on your right, and the mad rapids plunging impetuously past you, through the narrow opening. The scene, from this point, is inconceivably grand and impressive, and one you should not fail to witness. Turning to the right, and carefully picking your way along the margin of this mighty basin, you may make the circuit of the Whirlpool, and get a better idea of its wild and terrible sublimity, than can be otherwise obtained. It is a long, and somewhat fatiguing walk, but the toil will be richly rewarded. Of the entering rapids,—surpassing in grandeur, in proportion to the breadth of the stream, even those above the cataract — you will thus get a near and most splendid prospect…

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…—A shout — the crack of a pistol — the flying man falls heavily to the earth — blood and brains flow from a new-made wound — a shiver — stillness — an immortal spirit has gone to its great account — Durfee is dead — and the very soil of American Freedom has been outraged by the unprovoked slaughter of one of her sons!

The Caroline is silently receding from the shore, — a spark — a blaze — flames! — Heavens, they have fired her! Quickly the flames spread — onward passes the doomed vessel — the rapids gather about her — and her blazing timbers fling a lurid and fearful glare upon the mad sea of waters — the dark scenery of shores and islands — and the black heaven above.

A bright beacon flares up, and lights the far-off shore, — a shout comes booming over the waters — and a yell of hatred and defiance rolls back from McKenzie's host.

But the Caroline! — on, still on! — Hark! Was that a shriek? — it may be fancy; — is that a human form? — God only knows!

* It is believed, that there -were several persons on board the Caroline, when she went over the Falls, who had concealed themselves in terror below, at the time of the attack. Certain it is, that five or six individuals were missing from that night, of whose fate no other supposition is probable.)

— On dashes the flame-wrapped vessel — the waters rage more impetuously beneath her — she reels — plunges — the forked flames play like demons around her red-hot pipes and bars, and over her glowing deck — the surges beneath her hiss, and sparkle, and flash — on she drives with a tempest-speed through the torture of fire and flood — she nears the precipice — gains the brink — a fiery plunge — the secrets of the deep were revealed in an instant's flash — the jaws of the abyss opened and shut — then — all was dark, and the Caroline was gone forever!

The destruction of the Caroline and the murder of Durfee excited the American people along the frontier to a degree almost incredible. In the first fervor of indignation, had any daring mind proposed such a step, and headed the movement, a force might have been poured into Canada, compared to which, the army of McNab would have been a mere cypher. But, although every-body was in motion, although execration was on every lip, and arms in every hand, no one thought of crossing the river, and taking vengeance for the deed. The reason was this. They thought the outrage so great, so unparalleled in its atrocity, that the government must take the matter at once in hand; and that, unless the perpetrators were instantly given up, Canada would be immediately invaded with fire and sword. The people waited for the government, and so a war, a bloody and sanguinary war, was averted.

The force on Wavy Island was now about six hundred strong…

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But, alas! The site of the city was an untouched wilderness: Buffalo was the nearest place of any magnitude, and there, accordingly, the grand, imposing, and never-sufficiently-to-be-remembered ceremonial took place. The corner stone was borne in solemn state, to the Episcopal church of St. Paul; the self-appointed Ruler of the Hebrews, the self-constituted Governor of the Jews, and the self-created Judge of Israel, in the flowing robes and rich vestments (*An old tragedy-dress, borrowed from the Park Theatre) of his assumed functions — "pride in his port, exultance in his eye," — himself headed the vast procession, composed of more than three hundred men, women, children, idlers, loafers, and ragamuffins. The inaugural address delivered, and the exercises over, the numerous assemblage, the Governor, Judge, and Corner Stone retired in the same order of procession, with the same pomp, decorum, and dignity.

The corner-stone was soon after planted on Grand Island, but never took root, and grew up to a Synagogue; and the only memorials of these great and wonderful events, and the great and wonderful city which was to be, but was not, are to be found in the Books of the Chronicles of the times, and the monument, erected on the Island by the Governor, Judge, and- Ruler of the Jews, which is composed of brick, mortar, and wood, which is yet standing, and which bears on its eastern front, a stone tablet, on which are engraved the following words, figures, and characters.

ARRARAT,

A CITY OF REFUGE FOR THE JEWS: Founded by Mordecai M. Noah; in the month Tizri, 5586, September, 1825, in the 50th year of American Independence.

The foreign Priests, and Rabbis of the Jews, could not, and would not — at all events, did not, recognize or ratify the self-assumed powers of Mordecai Manuel Noah, Rabbi Ben Rabbi Ben Humbug, and the whole scheme, the city, the synagogue, and the offices of Governor and Judge vanished into thin air. Here endeth the history of Mordecai the Jew.

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