at Suspension Bridge, 2 M. to the N.; and there are also stations on the Canadian side at Clifton (see p. 270), Niagara Falls, Ontario (for the Clifton House), and Falls View (comp. p. 271). Niagara Falls, N. Y., is also connected with Suspension Bridge by tramway (5c.).

Carriages. The former extortionate charges and impertinent demeanour of the Niagara hackmen have been greatly abated. The rates are $11/2 for the first and $1 for each addit. hr., with two horses $2 and $112; but it is always advisable to make a distinct bargain with the driver, and lower terms than the legal rates may often be obtained, especially by a party. It should be expressly stipulated who is to pay the tolls in crossing the bridges, etc.; and the driver should be strictly enjoined not to stop at any of the bazaars or other pay-places unless ordered to do so. A single-horse conveyance should not cost more than $3 for half-a-day or $5 for a whole day. - Park Vans make the round of the American Reservation at frequent intervals (fare 25 c., for Goat Island 15 c.), and passengers are entitled to alight at any number of points and finish the round by any subsequent vehicle on the same day. Omnibus from the station to the hotels 25 c.

Fees. Since the establishment of the American and Canadian National Parks and Reservations, most of the former extortionate fees have been abolished; and any visitor who is able to walk a few miles can see all the chief points at very little cost. Goat Island and all the best views of the Falls are free; and the only extra expenses which the visitor is advised to incur are the trip in the 'Maid of the Mist', including the visit to the Canadian side (50 c.), the Cave of the Winds ($1), and the view of the Grand Rapids from the Canadian side (50 c). A visitor who 'does' Goat Island and Queen Victoria Park and takes these three trips may safely disregard all other attacks on his pocket. At present a toll (20 c., incl. return) is exacted for crossing the bridges, but there is some hope that this may be abolished and a real International Park formed. Driving is quite unnecessary on the American side.

Bazaars. While the hackman nuisance has been abated, the bazaar nuisance continues in full force; and it is so serious an annoyance that many travellers hurry through their visit and leave Niagara much sooner than they intended. It is impossible to walk through the streets or look into the shop-windows without being annoyed by the most impudent and persistent solicitations. A stony disregard of all such importunity is imperatively necessary, especially in the bazaars through which one approaches the inclined railways. The 'No charge for admission' is almost as impudent a fraud as the 'Entrée Libre' of the Parisian cafés-chantants. No purchases should be made at places to which tourists are taken by hackmen. Those who wish Indian curiosities should buy from the Indians themselves.

The

Reservations. The New York State Reservation at Niagara comprises 107 acres and was opened in 1885. It includes Prospect Park. Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park, on the Canadian side, covers 154 acres and was opened in 1888. The New York Commissioners issue a folder of useful Suggestions to Visitors', which may be obtained (free) at any of the hotels or from the officers of the Reservation.

Plan and Season of Visit. The description in the text follows the best order in which to visit the Falls. The American side is seen to greatest advantage in the morning, the Canadian side in the afternoon, the sun being then at our backs as we face the Falls. The Grand Rapids are best seen from the Canadian side. It is possible to see all the chief points in one day, but it is better to allow 2-3 days for the visit. May, the first half of June, the second half of Sept., and Oct. are good seasons to visit Niagara, which is hot and crowded in midsummer. No one who has an opportunity to see them should miss the Falls in the glory of their winter dress.

The **Falls of Niagara ('Thunder of Waters'), perhaps the greatest and most impressive of the natural wonders of America, are situated on the Niagara River, 22 M. from its head in Lake Erie

and 14 M. above its mouth in Lake Ontario. This river forms the outlet of the four great Western lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior), descending about 330 ft. in its course of 36 M. and affording a channel to a large part of the fresh water in the globe. Its current is swift for about 2 M. after leaving Lake Erie, but becomes more gentle as the channel widens and is divided into two parts by Grand Island. Below the island the stream is 21/2 M. wide. About 15 M. from Lake Erie the river narrows again and the rapids begin, flowing with ever increasing speed until in the last 3/4 M. above the Falls they descend 55 ft. and flow with immense velocity. On the brink of the Falls, where the river bends at right angles from W. to N., the channel is again divided by Goat Island, which occupies about one-fourth of the entire width of the river (4750 ft.). To the right of it is the **American Fall, 1060 ft. wide and 167 ft. high, and to the left of it is the **Canadian or Horseshoe Fall, 158 ft. high, with a contour of 3010 ft. The volume of water which pours over the Falls is 15 million cubic ft. per minute (about 1 cubic mile per week), of which probably nine-tenths go over the Canadian Fall. Below the Falls the river contracts to 1000-1250 ft., and rushes down foaming and boiling between lofty rocky walls. Two miles farther down it is barely 800 ft. wide, and at the Whirlpool (see below) the huge volume of water is compressed into a space of 250 ft. Within 7 M. these lower rapids descend over 100 ft., but at Lewiston the river once more becomes wider and smoother.

The gorge through which the river runs has been formed by the action of the vast body of water rushing through it, and the Falls themselves are receding up the river at a rate which in 1842-90 averaged 21/5 ft. per annum on the Canadian side and 2/3 ft. on the American side. The rocks passed through by the receding falls are sandstone, shale, and limestone. At present the formation over which the water pours is limestone, with shale lying 80-90 ft. below it; and the frequent fall of great masses of limestone rock is probably occasioned by the erosion of the underlying shales. At the Whirlpool the continuity of the rock-formation is interrupted, and the whole wall of the ravine is formed of drift. Geologists tell us that a farther retrocession of about 2 M. will cut away the layers of both limestone and shale and leave the falls stationary on the sandstone, with their height reduced about 50 per cent.

Niagara Falls appear under the name of Ongiara in Sanson's Map of Canada (Paris, 1657), but the 6rst white man known to have seen Niagara Falls was Father Hennepin, a member of La Salle's party in 1678. He described them as 'a vast and prodigious Cadence of Water, which falls down after a surprizing and astonishing manner, insomuch that the Universe does not afford its Parallel' The Waters which fall from

this horrible Precipice do foam and boyl after the most hideous manner imaginable, making an outrageous Noise, more terrible than that of Thunder; for when the Wind blows out of the South, their dismal roaring may be heard more than 15 leagues off'. The sketch he made of the Falls shows several points of difference from their present state.

The Indians have a tradition that the Falls demand two human victims every year; and the number of accidents and suicides is perhaps large enough to maintain this average. Many lives have been lost in foolhardy attempts to cross the river above Goat Island.

t The international boundary passes through the middle of the socalled Canadian Fall..

The American city of Niagara Falls closely adjoins the river and contains (1890) 5502 inhabitants. The chief source of its prosperity has long been the influx of sightseers; but it now carries on many manufactures and when the great tunnel (see below) is completed, it expects to take a high place among the industrial centres of the country. It is estimated that about 400,000 tourists visit the Falls yearly. The Museum and Cyclorama need not detain the visitor. A TUNNEL, 29 ft. deep and 18 ft. wide, is being excavated through the solid rock from a point just below the Suspension Road Bridge to a point about 114 M. above the Falls, where it will still be 165 ft. below the level of the river. It passes below the village at a depth of about 200 ft. A short canal will divert a portion of the river to the head of the tunnel, where a maximum of 120-150,000 horse-power will be attained by the descent of a stream of water which will not perceptibly diminish the volume of the Falls. The district upon which the mills are to be erected is quite out of sight of the Falls, the picturesque grandeur of which will not be any way marred by signs of intrusive utilitarianism. It is expected that the tunnel will be finished in 1893.

We may begin our visit to the Falls by entering Prospect Park, 12 acres in extent, which adjoins the gorge close to the American Fall. At Prospect Point, protected by a stone wall, we stand on the very brink of the Fall and see it dash on the rocks below. Hennepin's View, a little to the right (N.), commands a good general *View. The Library Building in the Park contains maps and charts. Near the point is the Superintendent's Office, whence an Inclined Railway (5 c.) and a Flight of Steps descend to the bottom of the gorge and the dock of the 'Maid of the Mist' (see below).

Following the parkway to the left (W.) from Prospect Point, we reach (3 min.) the Goat Island Bridge (360 ft. long), crossing the right arm of the river, a little above the American Fall. It commands a fine view of the Upper Rapids. To the right are several little rocky islets, including Avery's Rock, where an unfortunate man found foothold for 18 hrs. before being swept over the fall by the impact of a boat let out with ropes in an attempt to save him. The bridge ends at Bath Island, whence another short bridge crosses to *Goat Island (80 acres in extent). Here we follow the path to the right to (4 min.) *Luna Island, a rocky islet between the main American Fall and the *Centre Fall, named from the lunar rainbows seen here at full moon. The continuation of the path along the W. side of Goat Island leads in a minute or two more to the Biddle Stairs (free) and the office where a guide and dress are obtained for a descent to the Cave of the Winds (fee $1; small gratuities expected by the guide and the boy who helps you to dress).

Everyone should descend the stairs and follow the path along the foot of the cliffs towards the base of the Horseshoe Falls; but only those of strong nerves should attempt the trip through the Cave of the Winds, which, however, is said to be safe and is often made by ladies +. For those who can stand it the experience is of the most exciting and pleasurable de

The first fatal accident here occurred in 1892 and seems to have been due to the unfortunate victim's own rashness.

scription. After passing over the gangways and bridges amid the rocks and spray in front of the Centre Fall, we are conducted through the 'Cave of the Winds' behind it, where the choking, blinding, and deafening tumult of wind and water defies description. The visitors grasp each other by the hand and sidle through on a narrow ledge, with a perpendicular wall of rock within an inch of their noses and the mighty volume of the fall at their backs.

Beyond the Biddle Stairs the path on Goat Island leads to (4 min.) Porter's Bluff, overlooking the Horseshoe Fall, the Canadian Rapids, and the ravine below the Falls. A staircase and bridge descend hence to **Terrapin Rock, on the edge of the Horseshoe Falls, affording the best view of these from this side. The tower which used to be here has been removed as unsafe.

"The river here is evidently much deeper than the American branch, and instead of bursting into foam where it quits the ledge, it bends solidly over and falls in a continuous layer of the most vivid green. The tint is not uniform, but varied, long strips of deeper hue alternating with bands of brighter colour From all this it is evident that beauty is not absent from the Horseshoe Fall, but majesty is its chief attribute. The plunge of the water is not wild, but deliberate, vast, and fascinating' (Tyndall). A condemned warship sent over the Fall in 1829 drew 18 ft. of water, but passed without touching the ledge.

Our path next leads along the S. side of Goat Island to (7-8 min.) the series of bridges leading to the Three Sister Islands, which afford the best view of the imposing Canadian Rapids, running at the rate of 30 M. an hour. The Third Sister is adjoined by a smaller rock known as the Little Brother.

We may now return through the centre of Goat Island to (5 min.) the bridge leading to the mainland, but those who have time should follow the path to (4 min.) the 'Parting of the Waters' at the head of Goat Island, where we obtain a good view of the broad and quiet river above the cascades, with Grand Island (p. 205) in the background. Thence the path leads back along the N. side of Goat Island, affording a view of the American Rapids, to (5-6 min.) the bridge.

We may now cross to the Canadian side of the river by the *New Suspension Bridge, about 250 yds. below the Falls (see p. 200).

The present graceful structure, which has a span of 1268 ft. between the towers, was erected in 1889 in place of a similar bridge which was carried away bodily by the tremendous storm of Jan. 10th in that year. It is 190 ft. above the level of the water.

'Of all the bridges made with hands this seems the lightest, most ethereal; it is ideally graceful, and droops from its slight towers like a garland... In front, where tumbled rocks and expanses of naked clay varied the gloomier and naked green, sprung those spectral mists; and through them loomed out, in its manifold majesty, Niagara, with the seemingly immovable white Gothic screen of the American Fall, and the green massive curve of the Horseshoe, solid and simple and calm as an Egyptian wall; while behind this, with their white and black expanses broken by dark-foliaged little isles, the steep Canadian rapids billowed down between their heavily wooded shores' ("Their Wedding Journey', by W. D. Howells). On the American shore is seen the so-called Bridal Veil, the end of a poor but respectable mill-race, which has devoted itself strictly to business, and has turned mill-wheels instead of fooling round water-lilies' (Howells). Above are the few mills and manufactories that have been left in the neighbourhood of the Falls. Below is the mouth of the tunnel described at p. 202.

On reaching the Canadian end of the bridge, we turn to the left, pass the Clifton House (p. 199), and reach (3 min.) the entrance to the *Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park, which extends along the river for 21/2 M. Splendid general views are obtained as we proceed of the Falls and the gorge, especially from the (3 min.) *Rambler's Rest and (4 min.) *Inspiration Point. To the right, 3-4 min. farther on, are Picnic Grounds and a Restaurant; and in 3 min. more we reach the Table Rock House and **Table Rock, which affords an indescribably grand view of the Horseshoe Falls. Beautiful rainbows are seen on the spray in the afternoon. The roar of the water is deafening.

-

The name of Table Rock still adheres to this point, though the last portion of the overhanging ledge that gave rise to it fell into the abyss in 1850. An elevator here affords an opportunity to those who wish to go under the Falls (25c, with dress 50 c.). This trip is not so interesting as that to the Cave of the Winds, but may be taken by those who wish to exhaust the sensations of the Falls.

Visitors with time to spare may extend their walk through the Park above the Falls to (3-4 min.) Cedar Island and (1 M.) *Dufferin Islands, enjoying good views of the Canadian Rapids (p. 203). On the mainland, just beyond the Dufferin Islands, is the interesting Burning Spring (adm. 50 c.), highly charged with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, which burns with a pale blue flame. Falls View Station of the Michigan Central R.R. (see p. 271), lies just outside the Park, opposite the lower end of Cedar Island. A road diverging near Table Rock leads to the battlefield of Lundy's Lane, where the Anglo-Canadian forces defeated the Americans after a bloody struggle on July 25th, 1814.

No one should omit to take the ***Trip in the little steamer the Maid of the Mist, which starts near the foot of the Inclined Railway descending from the Library (see p. 202), steams up the river nearly to the foot of the Horseshoe Fall, and touches at a wharf on the Canadian side (fee 50 c., incl. water-proof dress). The **View it affords of the Falls is one of the best to be had; and the trip is perfectly safe. Passengers may disembark on the Canadian side (where a steep path ascends to the National Park) and return by any later trip of the steamer the same day.

The river and its banks below the New Suspension Bridge are not included in the National Reservations, but offer many points of great interest. The Lower Rapids and the Whirlpool (see p. 205) are both seen to greatest advantage from the Canadian side.

From the N. end of the bridge we follow the road descending along the edge of the cliff to (2 M.) the *Cantilever Bridge of the Michigan Central Railroad, one of the first examples of this method of construction, completed in 1883. It is entirely of steel and has a total length of 900 ft. The two cantilever arms, 395 ft. and 375 ft. long, are connected in the centre by a fixed span of 125 ft. It is 245 ft. above the water. About 100 yds. below this bridge is the Railway Suspension Bridge, finished in 1855, with a roadway below the railroad track (toll 10 c. for each pers., incl. return). and 245 ft. high, and is used by the Grand Trunk and Erie Railroads. It commands a fine view of the Whirlpool Rapids, but the