WATERS OF THE LAKES. 249 various places. How high the lake may rise, when it next begins to increase, past experience does not enable us to judge. As we are ignorant of the cause, we cannot say to what level a rise is possible in existing circumstances; we cannot, therefore, reason as to the cause or antiquity of the ancient lake-beaches, especially those which are not greatly elevated above the present waters, or draw safe conclusions as to the permanent change of level which the lakes may now be presumed to have undergone. Hence these oscillations in the lake-levels have been subjects of inquiry and discussion both by Mr Hall, one of the geologists for the State of New York, and by Mr Higgins, of the geological survey of Michigan. Variations in the fall of snow and rain in the lake country, and differences in the amount of evaporation, suggest themselves as the simplest causes of the phenomena. But such causes—unless, in this region, they act in obedience to some steady alternating law-will not explain the specialties of the case. The rise and fall of the lake-levels are so gradual, and continue to augment for so long a period, that a steady and increasing augmentation of the water poured into the lakes must go on while the level is rising, and a similar gradual and long-continued diminution while it is falling. Meteorological observations have not yet shown that such augmentations as these of the fall of rain and snow, or of lake evaporation, do take place in any part of the world. The quantity of water which escapes from the lake by its natural outlet, the Niagara River, is an important fact in this discussion. The Falls of Niagara, during the high-water of summer, allow 20,000,000 of cubic feet to fall over them*-a discharge which, taking the area of Lake Erie at 10,000 miles,† would lower the *This is Mr Barrett's, the latest and best determination. 250 PROBABLE CAUSE OF THIS CHANGE. level of the lake one foot in ten days; or, more correctly, if Niagara were dammed up, the level of the whole lake would be raised two feet in ten days-one foot by the usual supply of water poured into the lake from above, and another by the water prevented from escaping. Any sudden increase in the fall of rain or snow, therefore, would soon run off, and leave the lake at its usual level. If we consider the case of Lake Erie by itself, and compare its area of 10,000 square miles with that of all the upper lakes united, which cover 77,000 square miles, and suppose these upper lakes to be raised very high by one extraordinary fall of rain or snow, or by a great diminution in the evaporation of one short cold summer, then it is possible that the discharge from these upper lakes of this one unusual amount of water might, by the nature of the outlet into Lake Erie, be so regulated as to continue augmenting for a series of years, and again, as it lessens, to continue diminishing for another series. But this possible explanation seems to fail, when it is recollected that Lake Michigan itself, one of these upper lakes, exhibits similar oscillations of level. The source of the increased or diminished supply must, therefore, be sought for in Lake Superior, if this be considered a probable cause. But, unfortunately, the remoteness and hitherto generally wilderness state of the shores of this lake have prevented any observations being made, by which light could be thrown on this interesting point. Part of the country through which the railway conducted us on our way to Niagara was still uncleared or unstumped, and sprinkled with log-huts and apparently poor settlers, surrounded by indifferent crops of Indian corn, on soils evidently better adapted for wheat. We cross again, on this route, the belt of flat wheat-land, belonging to the Onondago salt and Niagara limestone VILLAGE AND HOTEL AT NIAGARA. 251 groups, which, as I formerly stated, stretches beyond the Niagara River far into Canada. As seen here, it is a clayey region, on which the system of thoroughdrainage is destined hereafter to produce most beneficial results. I reached the Falls of Niagara, on the American side, at a quarter past ten, in time to hear service well performed in a new, nicely-finished, though small Episcopal church. This village of Niagara consists chiefly of hotels and churches; and the running of a morning and evening train to Buffalo is considered indispensable to the success of at least one of these sets of establishments. At dinner at the Cataract Hotel, we had a large party of about a hundred and twenty, though not half as many as the room was fitted to accommodate. This universal dining in public, in the United States, of all sexes and ages, is one source of the forward boldness of so many of the young people. And although the mingling of all classes at these tables teaches the use of silver forks to persons who would never meet with such things at home, yet it roughens the general tone of speech and manners of all, and makes those who really know better fall into customs they would at home be the first to reprove. I may remark, however, that perhaps too much is said by travellers of the solecisms of guests at the American tables. I doubt very much if a similarly indiscriminate assemblage of persons of all classes at an English table would, on the whole, behave so well. Besides, the custom in the American hotels of loading the table at breakfast and dinner with a countless number of small dishes, not half of which are furnished with knives and forks, or spoons to lift their contents, leaves the majority of the guests no other resource, than either to be helped with their own, or probably to deny themselves what the dishes contain altogether, and leave them to less scrupulous neighbours. What amused me most at this hotel was the excellent discipline maintained by their chef among the eighteen black waiters who attended the table. In carrying out the first course, they all started at a signal, and marched en militaire in double file, each bearing his dish, and presently returned in the same order with the second course, opening into Indian file as they reached the head of the table; and when each had reached his station, depositing the whole at the same instant on a signal from the head-waiter, who was also dark-coloured. The peculiar proud swagger with which all this was done, the air of the men as they strutted along, and the evident "Isn't that well done?" which each of them looked as he lifted his cover, were most amusing to me, who had not yet had much opportunity of studying the peculiarities of the free coloured people in the northern States. My own sympathies have always followed this unhappy race of people, whether in slavery or in freedom, and I have usually found them civil and obliging. They are often, however, very conceited; and can be very saucy, as white servants in English hotels not unfrequently are. But they are in general very quiet and civil, and have a peculiar knack at waiting. Of absolute rudeness among this class of people, the only instance I met with was in the Irving Hotel in New York, where black servants are employed, and where, on the occasion of my visit, one peculiarly black and impertinent sheep had certainly found a place among the flock. In the afternoon, I went down to the Falls. I crossed over to the Canadian side, and spent several hours on the banks which overlook them. I afterwards walked to the suspension bridge a couple of miles below, which is itself a nervous thing to walk along, and from which SECTION OF THE ROCKS. 253 the view of the Falls, and of the ravine, is striking and beautiful. The section of the strata, as seen at this place, is as follows: This section is now well known, as well as the influence of the Niagara shale, in hastening the working back of the Great Falls. It illustrates, however, what I have had occasion to say in reference to the soils and geology of western New York. The numerous layers of red clay marl, among the red rocks of the underlying Medina sandstone, are in conformity with the economically important observation, in reference to the agricultural value of this group of rocks, to which I adverted in the preceding chapter-that the poorer Medina sandrock of the eastern counties of New York becomes more mixed with clay towards the west. Hence the rich soils to which it gives rise below the mouth of the Niagara River, and along the south-western borders of Lake Ontario, where it forms the surface of the country. Above the Niagara limestone, rest the Onondaga salt rocks and their debris; and though these are spread over the surface of the country in the neighbourhood of the village of Niagara, they are not seen in the section of the ravine as it appears from the bridge, nor on the immediate banks of the river. I attempt no description of the Falls. The first peep I had of them showed me how very little all I had read of them had impressed me with anything like a definite idea of the peculiar features of this great descent of water, or of what I was entitled to expect when I came to look upon it. I infer, from this, that they cannot be |