The Pennsylvania Gazette from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 1

''Numb. 11-36. A lie NNS LVANt'A Containing the Frefheft Ad- WM 7 ncesr Foreign- 'and. Dome Hick. ebtcmBer.

20. 17 so. c-- A Letter from Mr. Kalm, a Sweden, now on his Traves in America, to bis Iriend Philadelphia containing a particular Account of the Great Fall Niagara, .1 SIR, Sept; 2. 1 7 CO.

a pretty long Journey made in a fhort Time, I am come back to this Town. You may remember, that when I took. Leave of you, I told you I would this Summer, if Time Dermitted, take a View of Niagara Fall, efteemM one of- the greateft Curio-fities in the World. When1 -I came latt jYear Quebec, you enquired of me feveral Particulars concerning this Fall and I told you what I heard of it in Caz nada, from feveral French Gentlemen who had been there JBut this was ftill all relata refero I could not afttire ou of the Truth of it, becaufe I had not then feen it myfelf, sand fo it could not fatisfy my own, much lefs your Curiofity. Now, fince I have been on the Spot, it is in my Power to give you a more perfect and more fatisfadtory Delcription of it.

After a fatiguing Travel, flrfl 'on Horfeback thro! the Country of the Six Indian Nations, to OJhusgo, and from thence in a Battoe upon Lake Ontario, I came on the 1 2th of Auguji in the Evening to. Niagara Fort. The French there feem'd much perplexed at my firft coming, imagining was an Engljh Officer, that under Pretext of feeing Niagara Falls, came in fome other View but as1 foon as I Ihew'd them my PafTpoits, they changed, their Behaviour, and receiv'd me with the greateft Civility. Niagara Fall is fix Irench Leagues from Niagara Fort You go firft three Leagues by Water up Niagara River, and then three Leagues by Land over the Carrying Place. As it was late when I arriv'd at the Fort, I could not the fame Day go to the Fall, but I prepar'd my felf to do it the next Morning.

'The Commandant of the Fort Morife -all- the Officers and Gentlemen there to Supper with him. UI had read heretofore almoft all the Authors tL-at have, wrote any thing about this Fall and the lafl Yer in I had made fo many Enquiries about it, that I thought I had a pretty good Idea of it and now at Supper tI begg'd the Gentlemen to tell me all they knew and thought worth Notice relating to it, which they accordingly I obferv'd that in many things they all agreed in fome Things they were of different Qpinioiis, of all which I took particular Notice. When they had told, me all they thought they knew, I made feveral Queries to concerning what I had read and heard of it, Whether fuch and a thing was true or not and had their Anfwers on every Circum-ftance. But as I have found by Experience in my other Travels, that very Few obferve Nature's Works with Accuracy, or report the Truth precifely, I cannot now be entirely fatisfied without feeing with my own Eyes whenever 'tis in my Power. Accordingly the next Morning, being the 13th of Auguji, at Break of Day I fet out for the Fall- The Commandant had given Orders to two of the Officers of the Fort to go with me and fhevv me every Thing, and more oyer lent by, them an Order to Monfr.

Joncaire, who had liv'd ten Years by the Carrying-Place, and knew every Thing worth Notice of die Vail, better than any other go with me, and fhow anil tell me whatever he knew. A little before we came to the Carrying-Place, the Water of Niagara River grew fo rapid that four Men in a light Birch Canee, had much Work to get up thither. Canoes can go yet half a Lcagua above the Beginning of the Carry ing-Place, tneymuft work againft a Water extreamly rapid but higher up it is quite impoffible, the whole courfe of the Waterfar two Leagues and a half up to the great Fall, being a Series of fnialler Falls, one under another, in which the greateft Canoe or Battoe would in a moment bejturn'd up-lide down. We wentalhore therefore, and walkM over the Carrying-Place, having, bcfides the high and deep Side of the River, two great Hills to afcend; one above the other. Here on the Carrying-Place I jfaw above 200 Indians, mofl of them belonging tp the Six Nati-ons, bufy in carrying Packs of Furs, chiefly of Deer and Bear, over the Carrying-Place.

You would be furpriz'd Jo fee what Abundance of fuch Things are brought every Day over this Place. An Indian gets 20 pence for very Pack he carries over, the Diltance being three Leagues. Half an Hour pah: 10 in the Morning we came to the great Fall, which 1 found as follows; The River (or rather Strait) runs here from S. S. E.

to N. N. W. and the Rock of the Great Fall crcfTes it; not in a right Line, but forming aim 0 It the Figure of a Semicircle or HorfeShpe.v. Above the Fall, in the Middle of the River, isn Ifhnd, lying alfo and N.

N. Sides of the River its Length is about 7 or French Arpcnts (an Arpenc being i2D. Feet; Jower End of this Iflar.d is jail at the perpendicular Edge of the Fall. On both Sides of this Ifhnd runs all the Water that ccmcs from the Lakes of Canada, vis. Lake Superior, Lake Mifchigan Lake Huron, and Lake ErieT which you know are.

rather fmall Seas than Lakes', have befides a great many large Rivers that empty -their -Water into them; whereof the greateft part come; down this Niagara. FalL Before the Water comes to this -Hind, it runs but flowlj, compar'd with its Motion hen it approa-, ches the Ifland, where it grows the mbft rapid Water iri the World, running with a furpriztng Siviftnefs before it, comes to the Fall it is quite white, and in many Places is thrown high up into the Air The greateit and ftrongeft -Battoes wouldTiere in a Moment be turn'd over and over. The Water that goes down on the Weft Side of the Ifland, is more rapid, iri greater Abundance, whiter, and feems almoit to oiitdo an Arrow in When you are at the Fall, and look up the River, you may fee; that the River above the Fall is every where exceeding fteq almoft as the Side of a Hill. all this comes to the very Fall; there it throws, itfelf jdown perpendicular The Hair will rife land ftand upright '6u your Head, when you fee this I I cannot with Words exprefs how amazing this is! You cannot fee it without being quite terrified to behold fo Vaft a quawtity of Water-falling headlong from fo furprizing a Height 1 doubt not but you have a Defire to arrj the exaft of this great Fall. Father Hennepin, you know, calls it 600 Feet perpendicular i but he has gaihM little Credit in Canada the Namcof Honour-ihey7givc him there, is un grand Menteur, or The great Liar he writes of what he faw in Places where he never Tis true he faw this Fall But as it is the Way of fomc Travellers to magnify! every Thing, fo has he done regard to the Fall! of Niagara.

This humour, of Travellers, has occafioned me many Difappointments in my Tra vels, haying feldom been fo happy as to find the wonderful thingsthat had been related by others. For my Part, who am not fond of the Marvellous, I like to fee Things ju ft as they are, and. fotorelate them. Since Father Hennepin1 Time, this Fall, in all the Accounts that have been given of it, has grown lefs and lefs and. thofe who have meafur'd it with mathematical Jn-ftruments find the perpendicular Fall of the Water to be exactly 1 1-3 7 Feet.

Monfr. Morandrier, the King's Engineer in Canada, told me, and. gave it me alfo under his Hand, that 137 Feet was precifely the Height of it and ail the French Gentlemen that were prefent with me at the Fall, did agree with him, without the leaft Contradiction; It is. true, thofe who have try 'd to meafure it. with a Line, find it fometimes 14.0, fome- times 150 Feet, and fometimes more but the Reafon is, it cannot that way be meafured vith any Certainty, the Water carrying away the Line.

When thc a- ter is come down to tne Bottom of the Rock of the Fall, it jumps back to avery'great Height in the Air in other Places it is white as Milk or Snow and all in Motion like a boilingCaldron. You may remember, to what a great Diftance Hennepin fays the Noife of this Fall may be heard. All the Gentlemen who were with me, agreed, that the can hear it, is i Leagues; and that very feldom. When the Air. is quite calm, you can hear it tp Niagara Fort but feldom at other -Times, becaufe when the Wind blows, the Waves of Lake Chitario make too much Noife there againft the informed me, that when they hear at the Fort the Noife of the Fall, Jouder than ordinary, they are fure a North Eaft Wind will follow, which never This feems wonderful, as the Fll is South Well from the Fort and one would imagine it to be rather a Sign of a contrary Wind.

Sometimes; "tis faid, the. Fall makes a much greater Noife than'at other Times and this is lookM as a certain Mark of approaching-bad Weather, or Rain the Indians here hold it always for a fure Sign. "When I was there, it did not make an extraordinary great Noife Juft by theFali, we could eafily hear what each other faid, with-out fpeakirig niuch louder than common when ccnvcr-V fing in Places. -I do not know how others have fb'und fo great a Noife here peihaps it was at certain-Times, as above mentioned. From the Place where the Water fails, there rifes abunddnce of like the gfeateft Smoak, tho' fometimes more; iometimes lefs Thefe.

rap6urs rife hiVh in the Air when it is calm, aic difpersM bv the Wind when it blows hard, if you goiiih to-this Vapour or Fog, or if the Wind bloyvs it on you, it is fo penetrating that in a few Minutes you will be as. wet as if you had been under -1 got two young Frenchmen to go down, to bring from the Side of the Fall at the Bottom, feme of each of the feveral Kinds df Herbs, Stones and Shells; they ihould find there they returned in a few Minutes, and I really thought they had fallen into the ater 1 hey were obliged llrip themfel ves quite naked, and hang their Clothes in the Sun to you are on the other or Eaft Side of Lake Ontario, a great many Leagues from Fall, you may, every clear and calm, Mornmtj fee the Vapours of the Fall rifing in the Air you would think all the Woods thereabouts were, fet on Fire by. the Indians; (6 great is. the apparent In the facie Manner you may-fee it on the Weft Side of take Eriei a great many Leagues off. Several of th'e French 1 Gentlemen told me, that when Birds come flyiijig into this Fog or Smoak of the Fall, tliey fall down and pri(n.

in the Water either becaufe their Wings are beccmeVct, or that the 7 Noife of the Fall attonifhes themi and they know not where to go in the Daiknefs But others were of Opi- nion, that feldom or never any Bird psriihes there in that Manner becaufe as they all agreed, among the Abundance of Birds found deid below the Fail, there are no other Sorts than iucH as live and fvyim frequently in the. Water as Swans Geefe Ducks, Water-Hens, Teal, and the like. And very often are great Flocks of them feen going vioj Deftruclibn in this Manner 4 They fwim in the River above the Fall, ndfo are carried down lower and lower by the Water, and as Water-Fowl commonly take cat Delight in being carry M. with the Stream, fo jhere they indulge them-' felves in enjoying this Pleafufe fo long, till the Swiftnefs of the Water, becomes fo great, that 'fis no lor.ger poflible for them to rife, but they are driven down the Precipice, and perifh. They obferv'd when they draw nigh the Fall, to endeayoiir with all their Might to take Wing and leave the Water but they cannot.

In the Months of September, and Odober, fuch abundant Quantities of dead Watr-Fowl are found every Morning below the Fall, on tlie Shore, that the Garri-fon of the Fort for a long time live chiefly upon them. Befides the Fowl, they find alfo feveral forts of dead Filh, alfo Deer, Bears, and other Animals which have tried to crofs the Water ibove the Fall the larger Animals are generally found broken to Pieces. Juft be- low the Fall the Water is not rapid, but goes all in Circles and Whirls like a boiling Pot which however do not hinder the Indian's going ijpon it in fmall Canoes 3y Fifliing but a little lower begin the other fmaller Faljs. VVhen you are above, the Fal) arid look down, yoar Head begins to turn The French who have keen here 100 Times feldom venture tb look down without at the fame time keeping faft hold of fome Tree with one Hand. It was formerly thought impoffible, for any Body living to come at the Ifland that is in the Middle of the Fall: But an Accident that hajppend 12 Years ago, or thereabouts, made it appear otherwife: 7 he Hiftory is this.

Two Indians of the Six Nations went out from iarara Fort; to, hunt upon an Ifland that is in the Middle of the Riverj br Strb.it, above the great. Fall, on which there ufed to be abundance of Deer. They took fome French Brandy witn them, from the Fort, which they tailed feveral Time as they were going o-ver the Carrying-Place and when they were in their Canoe, they took now and then a Dram, and fo went along up the Strait towards th i Ifland where they proposed to hunt but growing fleepy, they laid them- felves down in the Canoe, iich getting loofe drove back with the Stream, farther and farther down till it came nigh ihat Jfland that is in the Middle of the Fall; Here one of them, awakened by the Noife of theFali, cris out to the other, that they were gone Yet they tried if pofiible to fave Life. This ifland was nigh- eft, and with much Working they got on fliore there. At firft they were glad but jvvhen they had confider'd every thing, they thought themfelves hardly in a better State than if they had gone down the Fall; fince they had now no other Choice, than either to throw them- felves down the fame, or to perifh with Hunger But hard Neceffity put them on Invention.

At the lower I nd.