IRIS ISLAND. Go to the cool and shady bowers, Where flow the wild cascades; Stroll through each green and deep recess, And dark romantic glades. Then, rest thee, on the mossy bank, Or onward further stray, And gaze upon the mighty stream, That winds its course away." THE ISLANDS. "Say, shall we wind Along the streams? or walk the smiling mead? Or court the forest glade? There are several islands, which, from their locality and peculiar position, in reference to the Falls, have attracted the attention and curiosity of strangers; and a visit, to some of them, is never neglected by those who have an opportunity. The one most interesting is Iris, or, as it is commonly called, Goat Island. Many years since, a resident at Schlosser put some goats on the island, and hence the name. The present proprietors have given it the name of Iris Island. As that is very appropriate, it is proper that it should be generally adopted. It lies in latitude 43 deg. 6 min. and longitude 2 deg. 5 sec. west from Washington city; and contains between 60 and 70 acres. Though the soil is an accumulation of earth upon a heap of rocks, yet it is very fertile, producing all the native plants of the country in great luxuriance. A circuit round it, which visiters usually take, is about a mile. By the Boundary Commissioners, who were appointed under the Treaty of Ghent, it was very properly adjudged to belong to the United States; and the Indian title being extinguished, it fell into the hands of private individuals. Just at the upper end of the island, commence the terrific rapids that lead on to the Falls. There the river divides; the main body passing on the south-western side, and the lesser on the north eastern. The lower end of the island is like the main |