The Constable brothers saw many locales on their long journey—they lingered only briefly or simply passed through many, but waterfalls consistently were something that appealed to William’s romantic sensibilities especially. He describes sketching them repeatedly along their journey, but when he came to Niagara Falls, he was smitten. He describes in detail his four days spent clambering around the falls, sketching from various vantage points on both the Canadian and US side of the falls.

Friday, 12 September 1806

Falls of Niagara: …At 5 set off for Chippawa distant from the falls [Niagara Falls] 2 ½ miles, but a fine view of the falls from the road induced me to stop to make a slight sketch which I judged I should have time to finish before the night came on, darkness however overtook me and I was obliged to quit my work—D. C. [Daniel Constable] had left me and had gone on to Chippeway whither I follow’d and found him at Stephen’s Tavern. Where we supped—after supper a pretty heavy thunder tempest came up from the N. W. attended with incessant and very brilliant lightning; lightning so unremitting and so bright I never before saw during the whole storm a second of time could not have elaps’d between any two flashes, it is now (42 past 9) nearly subsided.

Saturday, 13 September 1806

Chippawa. Stephen’s Inn: Rose and breakfasted by myself soon after 6—walked out to the falls. The road from Chippewa to this place lies close on the river banks and is very beautiful, a mile before I reach’d them I felt the spray of the fall dropping from the air in my face. Resembling a slight misty shower at the same time a beautiful prismatic bow stretch’d itself across the sky upon the clear azure, where no appearance of cloud or mist was to be seen. Finish’d the sketch I began last night which employ’d me till about ten, when D. C. [Daniel Constable] coming to me went together down those to the falls about 12… from this went again to the falls and began a sketch which I could not get on with owing to the spray which often fell and wet me through which at the time we took for rain as it was cloudy and were much surprised on going away to find everything quite dry as supposed we had had several heavy showers. It was now too late to begin another sketch from a more favorable situation, I therefore went to my morning station and finish’d my first view a little with work…

Sunday, 14 September 1806

Birch’s Tavern: 4 miles N. of Niagara Falls. Breakfasted here, after breakfast went down to the river 1 ¼ miles to view a famous whirlpool which is formed by an angle in the course of the river but having separated accidentally from D. C. [Daniel Constable] in the wood leading to it, my whole time was spent in seeking him instead of the whirlpool and we returned without my having seen it. It is however at this time scarce worth notice. At the time of the freshets, it takes down whole trees and makes a thundering noise which is heard for miles round… Left W. Holmes’s about ½ past 5 interesting to go to the falls on this side [of] the river. About 10 minutes past sunset, we found ourselves on the top of the mountain which is contained on the Canada side running just above Lucentown[?], this place is justly celebrated for the fineness of the prospect it commands, we were rather too late to see it in its full perfection, we however saw enough to convince is it was the most extensive prospect we have yet met with Lake Ontario forms a principal part of the scene which extends a very long way. I should think full 1/3 part of the horizon, the river Niagara is likewise seen flowing from beneath our feet a beautiful piece of water from the woody country till it reaches the lake beyond which rise the faint blue water which skirts its northern shore about two or three miles from this we turned into a farm house kept by W. Hopkins.

Monday, 15 September 1806

W. Hopkins’s house Niagara River: Rose at 6 and departed, from hence to the falls is but about a mile or mile and a half. To We now cut thro’ the woods a part way to the falls where we descended the rocky cliffs to the river beneath, the road down here is a tremendous one to any whose heads are in the least given to dizziness. You descend some distance pretty securely having the roots and branches of trees and shrubs to hold by. After this you had 20 or 30 feet of a perpendicular rock to get down with no other help than what may be obtained from the accidental inequalities in the rock, which are so much fractured in some places as to make the stones appear very loose. Would one of these give way, inevitable destruction must follow as the unfortunate victim of curiosity would fall on a bed of frightful rocks perhaps 50 or 60 feet beneath him.