6 fectly safe, and, though short, delightful, as it affords a superb view of both the Falls above, and of the dark river below. The current is not very rapid, and near the American side actually sets up toward the Falls; by the help of which eddy the boat regains what it had lost in the middle of the stream. We land almost directly at the feet of the American Fall, and by walking a little way to the right, may place ourselves in its spray Now look up, and the height will not disappoint you. Now attend to the voice of the cataract, and it will fill your soul with awe. It seems as if the waters which are above the firmament' were descending from the heights of heaven, and as if the fountains of the great deep were broken up' from below. The noise, which permits free conversation to those who are on the bank above, is here imperative and deafening. It resembles the perpetual rolling of near thunder, or the uninterrupted discharge of a battery of heavy ordnance, mingled with a strange crashing and breaking sound. resemblance to the roar of artillery is heightened by the sight of the large bodies of spray, which are continually and with immedse force exploded from the abyss. The impression of superior height is gained, not so much from the fact, that the American Fall is actually ten or twelve feet higher than the British, as from your having a complete profile view of the one, from brink to base, which you cannot well obtain of the other. This Flights of secure wooden steps bring us to the top of the bank, where we again stand on a level with the descending Falls. We soon found that the greatest variety of interest was on this, the American side. The village of Manchester is situated on the rapid, just above the Fall. A bridge is thrown boldly over the rushing and "arrowy" rapid to a small Island, called Bath Island, where there are one or two dwellings and a * On this bank, near the ferry-house, there is a stone embedded in the ground, rudely carved on which, there has lately been discovered, by removing the moss which had grown over it, the following inscription:-I. V. 1747. This is by far the most ancient date to be found in the vicinity. I. V. whoever he was, when he looked upon the Falls, must have been surrounded by a perfect wilderness. What poet will speak in his name, and describe his feelings, and record his thoughts, as he stood here alone with God? paper-mill; and from this spot another bridge runs with equal boldness to Goat Island. The whole breadth of the space thus traversed is one thousand and seventytwo feet. Goat Island is a paradise. I do not believe that there is a spot in the world, which, within the same space, comprises so much grandeur and beauty. It is but about a mile in circumference, and in that mile you have a forest of tall old trees, many of them draperied with climbing and cleaving ivy; a rich variety of wild shrubs and plants, several views of the rapids; an opportunity to pass without discomfort under the smaller American Fall, and the very finest view, I will venture to say, of the great Crescent, or Horseshoe Fall. Turn to the left, as you enter this Eden, and you come out into a cleared and open spot, on which you discern a log hut. with vines round its door and windows, and a little gar den in front of it, running down to the water's edge; a flock of sheep feeding quietly, or reposing pleasantly under scattered clumps of graceful trees; while, beyona this scene of rural repose, you see the whole field of the rapids, bearing down in full force, upon this point o their division, as if determined to sweep it away. Or, turn to the right, and treading the shady forest, step aside to the margin of the smaller American Fall,* and bathe your hands, if you please, in its just leaping waters Then, pursuing the circuit of the island, descend a spira! flight of stairs, and treading cautiously along the narrow footpath, cut horizontally in the side of the cliff, enter the magnificent hall formed by the falling flood, the bank of which you have just left, and command your nerves for a few moments, that, standing as you do about midway in the descent of the Fall, you may look up, eighty feet, to its arched and chrystal roof, and down, eighty feet, on its terrible and misty, and resounding floor. You will never forget that sight and sound. [To be concluded.] This is separated from the greater Fall by a diminutive island, covered with trees, which tenaciously maintains its terrible position, in emulation, as it were, of Goat Island. This lesser Fall, small as it is, compared with the others, would of itself be worth a journey HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND-No. VIII. WILDERNESSES OR DESERTS. FREQUENT mention is made in the scriptures of Wildernesses or Deserts, by which we usually, though erroneously understand desolate places, equally void of cities and inhabitants: for the Hebrews gave the name of desert or wildnerness to all places that were not cultivated, but which were chiefly appropriated to the feeding of cattle, and in many of them trees and shrubs grew wild. Some of them are mountainous and well watered, while others are sterile sandy plains, either destitute of water, or affording a very scanty supply from the few springs that are occasionally to be found in them; yet even these afford a grateful, though meagre pasturage to camels, goats, and sheep. In this latter description of deserts it is, that the weary traveller is mocked by the distant appearance of white vapors, which are not unlike those white mists we often see hovering over the surface of a river in a summer evening, after a hot day. When beheld at a distance, they resemble an expanded lake; but, upon a nearer approach, the thirsty traveller perceives the deception. To this phenomenon the prophet Isaiah alludes (xxxv. 7.); where, predicting the blessings of the Redeemer's kingdom, he says, The glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty soil bubbling springs. uous. The deserts of the Hebrews frequently derived their appellations from the places to which they were contigThe most celebrated is the Great Desert, called the Wilderness or Desert of Judah (Psalm lxiii. title.) The desert of Judæa, in which John the Baptist abode till the day of his showing unto Israel (Luke i. 80.), and where he first taught his countrymen, (Matt. iii. 1. Mark i. 4. John x. 30.), was a mountainous, wooded, I and thinly inhabited tract of country, but abounding in pastures: it was situated adjacent to the Dead Sea, and the River Jordan. In the time of Joshua it had six cities, with their villages. (Josh. xv. 61, 62.) This country also produced some WOODS or FORESTS mentioned in holy writ, such as those of Hareth in the tribe of Judah, to which David withdrew from Saul (1 Sam. xxii. 5.); of Ephraim, where Absalom received the due reward of his unnatural rebellion (2 Sam. xviii. 6-9,); that of Lebanon, where Solomon erected a sumptuous palace (1 Kings vii. 2.); the forest of Bethel, supposed to have stood near the city of that name (2 Kings ii. 24.); and the Forest of Oaks on the hills of Bashan. (Zech. xi. 2.) The FERTILITY of the soil of the Holy Land, so often mentioned in the sacred writings, (and especially in Deut. viii. 9—9. xi. 10—12. Gen. xxvi. 12. and Matt. xiii. 8.) is confirmed by the united testimonies of ancient writers, as well as by all modern travellers. We are assured that, under a wise and beneficent government, the produce of the Holy Land would exceed all calculation. Its perennial harvest; the salubrity of its air; its limpid springs; its rivers, lakes, and matchless plains; its hills and vales-all these added to the serenity of its climate, prove this land to be indeed "a field which the Lord hath blessed," (Gen. xxvii. 28.); "God hath given it of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine." Such being the state of the Holy Land, at least of that part of it which is properly cultivated, we can readily account for the vast population it anciently supported. Its present forlorn condition is satisfactorily explained by the depredations and vicissitudes to which it has been exposed in every age; and so far is this from contradicting the assertions of the sacred writings, that it confirms their authority; for, in the event of the Israelites proving unfaithful to their covenant-engagements with Jehovah, all these judgments were predicted and denounced against them (Lev. xxvi. 32. Deut. xxix. 22. et seq.); and the exact accomplishment of these prophecies affords a permanent comment on the declaration of the royal psalmist, that God "turneth a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein." (Psal. cvii. 34. Never quit your hopes. Hope is often better than enjoyment. Hope is often the cause as well as the effect of youth. It is certainly a very pleasant and healthy passion. A hopeless person is deserted by himself; and he who forsakes himself is soon forsaken by friends and fortune.-BERKELEY. TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, NO. V. VIEW OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES FROM JERUSALEM. His crown of thorns, his cross, his future glory;- Wonder and weep, they pour the song of sorrow, With their loved Lord, whose death shall shroud the morrow Pierpont's Airs of Palestine. THE Scenery of Palestine is alive with holy recollections. The modern traveller, at this distance of time from the date of the grand transactions which have rendered Judea a land of sacred classics forever, can scarcely place his foot where there is not a fragrance exhaling from ancient story connected with the dust, the rocks, the hills, vales and tombs of the land of Canaan. So striking is the face of nature now, that the mind is lost in wonder in striving to conceive the glorious appearance of the country, when it was emphatically the glory of all lands-when the hills were green to the summits, the vales warm and irriguous, and the tops of the elevations crowned with fortresses and battlements that frowned defiance to the invader. But Jerusalem itself, with its temple-crested mountain, and the scenery |