AMERICA

This amazing fall of water is made by the river St. Lawrence, in ils passage from lake Erie inlo Ihe lake Ontario. The St. Lawrence is one of the largest rivers in the world ; and yel the whole of ils walers is discharged in Ihis place by a fall of a hundred and fifty feel perpendicular. Il is nol easy to bring the imagination to correspond to the grealness of the scène. A river extremely deep and rapid, and thaï serves to drain the walers of almost ail North America inlo ihe Allanlic Océan, is hère poured precipitalely down a ledge of rocks, ihal rises, like a wall, across the whole bed of ils stream. The river, a liltle above, is near ihree quarlers of a mile broad; and the rocks, where it grows narrower, are four hundred yards over. Their direction is not slraight across, but hollowing inwards like a horseshoe ; so Ihat the cataracl, which bends to the shape of the obstacle, rounding inwards, présents a kind of théâtre the most iremendous in

nature. Just in (lie middle of this circular walI of waters, a liltle island, lliat lias braved the fury of Ihe currenî, présents one of its points, and divides the stream at top inlo iwo parts; but Ihey unité again long before they reach the bottom. The noise of the fall is heard at the distance of several leagues ; and the fury of the waters, at the termination of their fall, is inconceivable. The dashing produces a misl Ihat cerises to the very clouds; and which forms a most beautiful rainbow, when the sun shines. It will readily be supposed, that such a cataracl entirely destroys the navigation of the stream ; and yet some Indians, in their canoës, as it is said, hâve ventured down it with safety.

{Goldsmilh.)