the strong hold, or forty from whföh/there is -h
sublime view. It is,situated about three and a
half or four.' miles eastward of the outlet of the
Niagara gorge at Lewiston, on a natural escarpment
of the ridge.
This ridge, which rises in otiè massy up-
towering pile, almost perpendicularity on the
brink itself as tYe follow
its/bourse eastward for a mile or two/, in a
second plateau, whicfar holds neafl;/a medium
position in relation to the altitude of the ridge.
This plateau attains, to a width of a. thousand
yards or more, extending an unexplored (Jis-
tancej in /the curving manner of the ridge, towards
Lockport. Geologically considered, its
upper stratum 4s the Niagara limestone/ which
in the order ofsuperposifion, immediately overlies'
the red shaly sandstoiie at the falls. Its edges are
jagged and broken, and heavy portions of ft
have been broken off, and slid down the precipice'
of red shaly undergrit, and thus assunied the
character of debris. Over its top there has been
a thin deposit of pebble drift/of puVely diluvial
character, forming, in general, not a very rich
soil, and supporting a growth of oaks, nqaples*
butternut, and other- species common to the
country. From the ascent of the great ridge,'
following the road from Lewiston to TUsearora
village, a middle road leads over this broad
escarpment, following, apparently, an/ancient
Indian trail, and winding about with sylvan
irregularity. Most of the trees appear to he of
second growth; they do not, at any rate, bear
the impress of antiquity, which marks the heavy
forests of the country. Occasionally there are
small openings, where wigwams once stood.
These increase as we pass on, till they assume
the eharaçtër of continuous open fields, at the
site of the . old burying^ ground, prehard and
play ground of the neighboring Tuscaroras. The
soil in these ! openings appears hard, compact
and worn out, and bears' short grass. The burial
ground is filled almost «entirely with sumach,
giving' it a bushy appearance^' which serves
to hide its ancient graves and small tumuli.
Among thèse, are two, considerable harrows, or
small elliptic/ mounds, the one larger than the
other, formed of èarth and angular stones. The
"largest is not probably higher than five foot, but
may haÿe a diameter of twenty feet in the
longest direction. ,
'Directly east ofthis antique cemetery, commences
the old, .orchard and area for hall playing,
on which, at the .time of my visit, the stakes
or goals were standing,. and thus denoted that
the ancient games are kept up on these deserted j
fields by the youthful population of the adjacent *
Tuscarora village. A small ravine succeeds,
with a brook falling into a gulf, or deep break
in the. escarpment, where once stood a saw mill,
and where may still he traced some vestiges of
this early attempt of the first settlers to obtain a
water power from a vernal brook. Immediately
after crossing this little ravine, and rising to the
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