the Caledonia Springs, on the Ottaway River—­with whom, and his lovely daughter, I had travelled from Toronto—­I started by the ferry-boat for the American side.  This gave me another fine view, as we went close under them.  On landing at the other side, we had to ascend a ladder about 200 feet high.  We ordered a carriage at the Cataract Hotel, and drove to the whirlpool, four miles down the Rapids.  This is an awful place, and indescribable.  We then walked over Bath Island and Iris (or Goat) Island:  here again is a splendid view.  We saw Gull Island, where man has never been; and in the Rapids we saw the hull of the ship Detroit, fitted up in 1841 for the purpose of being sent over the Falls, but she went to pieces before she got over the Rapids.  It got dark, and descending those long stairs, and crossing the Niagara River, was not to my mind.  However, we landed safe.  Tired, and to bed.

Monday morning.—­Visited Mr. Barnett’s Museum.  Bought some sticks peculiar to Niagara, and Indian curiosities; and looked into the large camera obscura, which reproduced every sight at the Falls.  Ascertained from Mr. B. that the Canada Fall is half a mile in circumference, and the American a quarter of a mile.  The depth of the water on the verge of the Horseshoe Fall is twenty feet.  The Falls can be heard from five to twenty miles, according to wind and atmosphere:  it is said they have been heard at Toronto, forty miles.  The quantity of water supposed to go over the Falls in one hour is 102,093,750 tuns.  I must now take my leave of the Falls with regret, as my friend Mr. Stephenson called, and drove me to see a Canadian farmer.  I was much pleased with his farm and husbandry, and his domestic fireside.  He makes L50 a year by his bees, and grows almost everything that the family eats.  We then drove to the burning springs in the Niagara River, and over to Chippeway, where Mr. S. has a saw-mill, of twenty-horse power, that will cut up 11,000 superficial feet of wood a day.  Chippeway has 700 inhabitants.  We left it per steamer, and saw the Rapids to great advantage before they dashed over the Falls.  Here, to the right, is Navy Island, of 304 acres, which was occupied by Mackenzie, Van Ransselaer, and about 400 Patriots, in 1837-8, for five weeks.  Their object was to collect recruits to revolutionize Canada.  On the American shore, on the left, is Schlosser landing and wharf, where the Caroline was moored when Capt.  Drew, the commander of a squadron of five steamers, cut her out, towed her into the stream, set fire to her, and sent her over the Falls blazing.  The patriots fled after this.  M’Leod was tried by the Americans, and acquitted.  Opposite Navy Island was the place where poor Usher lived that was shot by two Yankees, who suspected he knew of the Caroline affair.  About thirty miles up the Niagara River we got into Lake Erie, 300 miles long; and on the right (Canada side) is the Welland Canal, which connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,