From war’s dread ravages again is seen,
A spacious town, and Buffalo the name,
Now rising from its ashes, spreads around.
Various new structures fill the empty ground.
From Tonawanta to Buffalo is eight miles, five of which they travelled on the canal which runs along the bank of the Niagara river as far as Black Rock.
Buffalo was burnt during the late war by the British, but it appeared to be already rising from its ashes with increased beauty.
This town will soon become an important place, in consequence of its situation near the mouth of the canal, and its harbour. At the entrance of the harbour is a light-house, and on the lake were seen a number of well-built vessels. A steam-boat called the Superior was ready to run with fifty passengers to Erie, and thence to Detroit. There was an amusing military spectacle. It consisted of a military parade, consisting of thirty men, including seven officers and two cornets. They were formed like a battalion into six divisions and performed a number of manoeuvres.
On the following day, 21st August, the company left Buffalo for the small village of Manchester, twenty-three miles distant, and situated on the right bank of the Niagara, near the falls. As far as the village of Tonawanta, the road passes along the canal. It was in a very bad condition, cut through the forest, and the trees thrown on the road side. On the left they had a view of the river and Grand Island. The river is more than a mile wide below the island. On the Canada side is the village of Chippewa. From this place, a distance of three miles, they could already see the rising vapours of the falls. The water, however, indicated no signs of the approach to the precipice. It is only a short distance from Manchester, where you perceive the lofty trees on Goat Island, with its heights situated in the midst of the falls, that the river becomes rocky, and the rapids commence; these form a number of small falls, which are nearly a mile long and the same in breadth, running as far as where the two great falls are separated by Goat Island.
At Manchester they took lodgings at the Eagle Tavern, and hastened immediately to the Falls; their steps were guided by the mighty roaring. In a few minutes Alida and her company stood near the precipice, and saw before them the immense mass of water which rushes with a tremendous noise into the frightful abyss below. It is impossible to describe the scene, and the pen is too feeble to delineate the simultaneous feelings of our insignificance on the one hand, with those of grandeur and sublimity on the other, which agitate the human breast at the sight of this stupendous work of nature, which rivals that of all other countries, in grandeur, beauty and magnificence. We can only gaze, admire and adore. The rocks on both sides are perpendicular, but there is a wooden staircase which leads to the bed of the river. They descended, but in consequence of the drizzly rain which is produced by the foam of the water, they had by no means so fine a prospect from below as they anticipated. On this account, therefore, they soon again ascended and satisfied themselves by looking from above upon this sublime and majestic sight. As they returned, full of these mighty impressions, to the Eagle Tavern, they found to their great joy a fine opportunity to speak of the grandeur and magnificence they had just beheld. There was another party just arrived from New-York, to render homage to this great natural curiosity.
In company with these gentlemen and ladies, they took a walk to Goat-Island, by a convenient wooden bridge, thrown over the rapids about seven years since. The first bridge leads to a small island called Bath-Island, which contains a bath-house; the second to Goat-Island, which is about one mile in circumference, and overgrown with old and beautiful trees.