My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
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My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

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274 MY LIFEthough we were a little late to see them in perfection.Where we landed, I was delighted to see wild vinesclambering over the trees, as well as the Virginiacreeper, and there were also sumachs and othercharacteristic American plants. The situation of thegreat American Military College is splendid, on anelevated promontory in a bend of the Hudson, surroundedby rugged wooded hills, and with magnificentviews up and down the river.In March, 1887, on my way back from Toronto(where I had been to lecture) to Washington, Ispentfour days at Niagara, living at the old hotel on theCanadian side, in a room that looked out on the greatfall, and where its continuous musical roar soothedme to sleep. It was a hard frost, and the Americanfalls had great ice-mounds below them, and rangesof gigantic icicles near the margins. At night thesound was like that of a strong, steady wind at sea,but even more like the roar of the London streetsheard from the middle of Hyde Park. When in beda constant vibration was felt. I spent my whole timewandering about the falls, above and below, on theCanadian and the American sides, roaming over GoatIsland and the Three Sisters Islands far in the rapidsabove the Horse-shoe Fall, which are almost asimpressive as the fall itself. The small Luna Islanddividing the American falls was a lovely sight ; thearbor-vitae trees {Thuya Americana), with which it iscovered, young and old, some torn and jagged, butall to the smallest twigs coated with glistening icefrom the frozen spray, looked like groves of gigantictreecorals, forming the most magnificent and fairylikescene I have ever beheld. All the islands arerocky and picturesque, the trees draped with wildvines and Virginia creepers, and afford a sample ofJ

;A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 275the original American forest vegetation of very greatinterest. During these four days I was almostentirely alone, and was glad to be so, I was nevertired of the ever-changing aspects of this grand illustrationof natural forces engaged in modelling theearth's surface. Usually the centre of the great falls,where the depth and force of the water are greatest,is hidden by the great column of spray which risesto the height of four hundred or five hundred feetbut occasionally the wind drifts it aside, and allowsthe great central gulf of falling water to be seennearly from top to bottom—a most impressive sight.Before I left Washington, Judge Hoi man, withwhose family I sat at meals, took me one morning tocall upon the President, Mr. Cleveland. The judgetold him I was going to visit California, and thatturned the conversation on wine, raisins, etc., whichdid not at all interest me. There was no ceremonywhatever, but, of course, I had nothing special to sayto him, and he had nothing special to say to me, theresult being that we were both rather bored, and gladto get it over as soon as we could. I then went tosee the White House, some of the reception-rooms ofwhich were very fine ;but there was a great absenceof works of art, the only paintings I saw beingportraits of Washington and his wife.Washington itself is a fine and even picturesque city,owing to its designer having departed from the rigidrectangularity of most American cities by the additionof a number of broad diagonal avenues crossing therectangles at different angles, and varying from oneto four miles long. The broadest of these are onehundred and sixty feet wide, planted with two doubleavenues of trees, and with wide grassy spaces betweenthe houses and the pavements. Wherever these

;A LECTURE-TOUR IN AMERICA 275the original American forest vegetation <strong>of</strong> very greatinterest. During these four days I was almostentirely alone, <strong>and</strong> was glad to be so, I was nevertired <strong>of</strong> the ever-changing aspects <strong>of</strong> this gr<strong>and</strong> illustration<strong>of</strong> natural forces engaged in modelling theearth's surface. Usually the centre <strong>of</strong> the great falls,where the depth <strong>and</strong> force <strong>of</strong> the water are greatest,is hidden by the great column <strong>of</strong> spray which risesto the height <strong>of</strong> four hundred or five hundred feetbut occasionally the wind drifts it aside, <strong>and</strong> allowsthe great central gulf <strong>of</strong> falling water to be seennearly from top to bottom—a most impressive sight.Before I left Washington, Judge Hoi man, withwhose family I sat at meals, took me one morning tocall upon the President, Mr. Clevel<strong>and</strong>. The judgetold him I was going to visit California, <strong>and</strong> thatturned the conversation on wine, raisins, etc., whichdid not at all interest me. There was no ceremonywhatever, but, <strong>of</strong> course, I had nothing special to sayto him, <strong>and</strong> he had nothing special to say to me, theresult being that we were both rather bored, <strong>and</strong> gladto get it over as soon as we could. I then went tosee the White House, some <strong>of</strong> the reception-rooms <strong>of</strong>which were very fine ;but there was a great absence<strong>of</strong> works <strong>of</strong> art, the only paintings I saw beingportraits <strong>of</strong> Washington <strong>and</strong> his wife.Washington itself is a fine <strong>and</strong> even picturesque city,owing to its designer having departed from the rigidrectangularity <strong>of</strong> most American cities by the addition<strong>of</strong> a number <strong>of</strong> broad diagonal avenues crossing therectangles at different angles, <strong>and</strong> varying from oneto four miles long. The broadest <strong>of</strong> these are onehundred <strong>and</strong> sixty feet wide, planted with two doubleavenues <strong>of</strong> trees, <strong>and</strong> with wide grassy spaces betweenthe houses <strong>and</strong> the pavements. Wherever these

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