driving
the French northward overthrew their fortifications and took possession
of the land. When the Revolution broke out some years later, the
Indians, terrible and unscrupulous wagers of guerilla warfare, fought on
the British side.

The Niagara River, upon which the Falls are situated, 22 M. from its
head in Lake Erie, and 14 M. from its mouth in Lake Ontario, forms the
outlet of four of the five Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan and
Superior). It descends about 330 ft. in its course of 36 M. About 15 M.
from Lake Erie the river narrows and the rapids begin. In the last three
quarters of a mile above the falls, the water descends 55 ft. and the
velocity is enormous. The basin of the Falls has a depth of from 100 to
192 ft. During cold winters the spray covers the grass and trees in the
park along the cliff with a delicate veneer of ice, while below the
Falls it is tossed up and frozen into a solid arch. Adjoining the left
(Canadian) bank is the greater division, Horseshoe Fall, 155 ft. high
and curving to a breadth of 2,600 ft. The American Fall, adjoining the
right bank, is 162 ft. high and about 1,400 ft. broad. In recognition of
their aesthetic value the province of Ontario and the State of New York
have reserved the adjacent land as public parks. In the midst of the
Rapids lies a little group of islands, among them the famous Goat
Island. Besides the wonderful view it affords, its western end gives a
unique example of absolutely virgin forest.

The Indians used to fish and hunt, crossing the Rapids on foot
and supporting their steps with tall wooden poles spiked with
iron. The necessity, on one occasion, of saving two marooned
comrades on the island, taught them this means of crossing, which
they had never before attempted.

The Niagara River runs half its length on an upper plain, then drops at
the falls into a narrow gorge through which it courses seven miles to
the escarpment, the crest of which is a bed of limestone--60 ft. thick
at the falls. The water plunges into a deep basin hollowed out of soft
shale, which, as well as the escarpment, is being constantly worn away.
The site of the cataract retreats upstream and the gorge is lengthened
at a rate of about five ft. a year. It is evident that the whole gorge
has been dug out by the river, and many attempts have been made to
determine the time consumed in the work. The solution of the problem
would aid in establishing a relation betwe