Lakes and Rivers.] It may in truth be said, that no part of the world is fo well watered with fprings, rivulets, rivers, and lakes, as the territory of the United States. By means of these various ftreams and collections of water, the whole country is checkered into islands and peninsulas. The United States, and indeed all parts of North America, seem to have been formed by nature for the most intimate union. The facilities of navigation render the communication between the ports of Georgia and New-Hampshire, infinitely more expeditious and practicable, than between those of Provence and Picardy in France; Cornwall and Caithness, in Great-Britain; or Gallicia and Catalonia, in Spain. The canals propofed at South-Key, Susquehannah, and Delaware, will open a communication from the Carolinas to the western counties of Pennfylvania and NewYork. The improvements of the Patomak, will give a passage from the fouthern States, to the western parts of Virginia, Maryland, Pennfylvania, and even to the lakes. From Detroit, on Lake Erie, to Alexdria, on the Patomak, fix hundred and seven miles, are but two carrying places, which together do not exceed the distance of forty miles. The canals of Delaware and Chefapeek will open the communication from South-Carolina to New-Jerfey, Delaware, the most populous parts of Pennsylvania, and the midland counties of New-York. These important works might be effected, an accurate and well informed computer fuppofes, for two hundred thoufand guineas; and North-America would thereby be converted into a cluster of large and fertile iflands, communicating with each other with ease and little expence, and in many inftances without the uncertainty or danger of the fea.

There is nothing in other parts of the globe which resembles the prodigious chain of lakes in this part of the world. They may properly be termed inland seas of fresh water; and even those of the second or third class in magnitude, are of larger circuit than the greateft lake in the eastern continent. The beft account of those lakes that I have feen, is in Carver's Travels in North America. This book is my authority for the defcriptions which follow.

The Lake of the Woods is fo called from the large quantities of wood growing on its banks; fuch as oaks, pines, firs, fpruce, &c. This lake lies nearly caft of the fouth end of Lake Winnepeek, and is the fource or conductor of one branch of the river Bourbon. Its length from caft to weft

is about seventy miles, and in fome places it is forty miles wide. The Killiftinoe Indians encamp on its borders to fifh and hunt. This lake is the communication between the Lakes Winnepeek and Bourbon, and Lake Superior.

Rainy or Long Lake lies eaft of the Lake of the Woods, and is nearly an hundred miles long, and in no part more than twenty miles wide.

Eastward of this lake, lie several small ones, which extend in a string to the great carrying place, and thence into Lake Superior. Between these little lakes are feveral carrying places, which render the trade to the northweft difficult, and exceedingly tedious, as it takes two years to make one voyage from Michillimackinac to these parts,

Lake Superior, formerly termed the Upper Lake, from its northern fituation, is fo called from its magnitude, it being the largeft on the continent. It may juftly be termed the Cafpian of America, and is fuppofed to be the largest body of fresh water on the globe. Accordingly to the French charts it is fifteen hundred miles in circumference; Carver fuppofes that if the utmost extent of every bay was taken, it would exceed fixteen hundred. A great part of the coaft is bounded by rocks and uneven ground. The water is pure and transparent, and appears generally, throughout the lake, to lie upon a bed of huge rocks. It is worthy of remark, in regard to the waters of this lake, that although their surface, during the heat of fummer, is impregnated with no small degree of warmth, yet on letting down a cup to the depth of about a fathom, the water drawn from thence is fo exceffively cold, that, when taken into the mouth, it has the fame effect as ice.

The fituation of this lake, from the most accurate observations which have yet been made, lies between forty-fix and fifty degrees of north latitude, and between nine and eighteen degrees of weft longitude from the meridian of Philadelphia.

There are many islands in this lake, two of them have each land enough, if proper for cultivation to form a confiderable province; especially Inle Royal, which is not less than an hundred miles long, and in many places forty broad. The natives suppose these islands are the refidence of the Great Spirit.

Two very large rivers empty themselves into this lake, on the north and north-caft fide; one is called the Nipegon, which leads to a tribe of the Chipeways, who inhabit a lake of the fame name, and the other, is the Michipicooton river, the fource of which is towards James's Bay, from whence there is but a fhort portage to another river, which empties itself unto that bay.

Not far from the Nipegon is a small river, that, juft before it enters the lake, has a perpendicular fall from the top of a mountain, of more than fix hundred feet. It is very narrow, and appears at a diftance like a white garter fufpended in the air. There are upwards of thirty other rivers which empty into this lake, fome of which are of a confiderable fize. On the fouth fide of it is a remarkable point or cape of about fixty miles in length, called Point Chegomegan. About an hundred miles weft of this cape, a confiderable river falls into the lake, the head of which is compofed of a great affemblage of small streams. This river is remarkable for the abundance of virgin copper that is found on and near its banks.

Man

Many fmall islands, particularly on the eastern fhores, abound with copper ore lying in beds, with the appearance of copperas. This metal might be eafily made a very advantageous article of commerce, as it colts nothing on the fpot, and requires but little expence to get it on board boats or canoes, in which it might be conveyed through the falls of St. Marie to the Ifle of St. Jofeph, which lies at the bottom of the ftraits near the entrance into Lake Huron, thence into Lake Ontario, from which it may be conveyed by water into the Mohawks river, except two portages, one of twenty yards, and the other of about a mile; down Mohawks river in the Hudfon, except the portage at the Cohoes; thence to New-York. The cheapnefs and cafe with which any quantity of the ore may be procured, will make up for the diftance and expence of tranfportation. This lake abounds with fifh, particularly trout and fturgeon; the former weigh from twelve to fifty pounds, and are caught almost any season of the year in great plenty. Storms affect this lake as much as they do the Atlantic Ocean; the waves run as high, and the navigation is equally dangerous. It discharges its waters from the fouth-east corner through the Straits of St. Marie, which are about forty miles long, Near the upper end of these ftraits is a rapid, which, though it is impoffible for canoes to afcend, yet, when conducted by careful pilots, may be defcended without danger.

Though Lake Superior is supplied by near forty rivers, many of which are large, yet it does not appear that one tenth part of the waters which are conveyed into it by these rivers, is discharged by the abovementioned ftrait. How fuch a fuperabundance of water can be difpofed of, remains a fecret. They doubtlefs have a paffage through fome fubterraneous cavities, deep, unfathomable, and never to be explored. The entrance into this lake from the ftraits of St. Marie, affords one of the most pleasing profpects in the world. On the left may be seen many beautiful little islands, that extend a confiderable way before you; and on the right, an agreable fucceffion of small points of land, that project a little way into the water, and contribute, with the islands, to render this delightful bafon calm, and fecure from thofe tempefluous winds, by which the adjoining lake is frequently troubled,

Lake Huron, into which you enter through the ftraits of St. Marie, is next in magnitude to Lake Superior. It lies between forty-two and fortyfix degrees of north latitude, and between four and ten degrees weft longitude, Its fhape is nearly triangular, and its circumference about one thousand miles. On the north fide of this lake is an island one hundred miles in length, and no more than eight miles broad. It is called Manataulin, fignifying a place of fpirits, and is confidered as facred by the Indians. About the middle of the fouth-weft fide of this lake is Saganaum Bay, about eighty miles in length, and about eighteen or twenty miles broad. Thunder Bay, fo called from the continual thunder that is heard there, lies about half way between Saganaum Bay and the north-west corner of the lake. It is about nine miles across either way. The fish are the fame as in Lake Superior. The promontory that separates this lake from Lake Michigan, is a vaft plain, more than one hundred miles long and varying from ten to fifteen miles in breadth. This plain is about equally divided between the Ottowaw and Chipeway Indians. At the northeaft corner, this lake communicates with Lake Michigan, by the Straits of Michillim.ackinac. It is remarkable, that although there is no

diurnal

diurnal flood or ebb to be perceived in the waters of thefe ftraits, yet from an exact attention to their ftate, a periodical alteration in them has been discovered. It has been obferved that they rife by gradual, but almost imperceptible degrees, till in feven years and an half they had reached the height of about three feet; and in the fame fpace of time, they gradually fell to their former ftate, so that in fifteen years they had completed this inexplicable revolution.

The Chipeway Indians live fcattered around this lake; particularly near Saganaum Bay. On its banks are found amazing quantities of fand cherries.

Lake St. Claire lies about half way between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, and is about ninety miles in circumference. It receives the waters of the three great lakes, Superior, Michigan and Huron, and discharges them through the river or ftrait, called Detroit, (which is in French the Strait) into Lake Erie. This lake is of a circular form, and navigable for large veffels, except a bar of fand towards the middle which prevents loaded veffels from paffing. The cargoes of fuch as are freighted muft be taken out, and carried across the bar in boats, and refhiped. The town of Detroit is fituated on the western bank of the river of the fame name, about nine miles below Lake St. Claire.

Lake Erie is fituated between forty-one and forty-three degrees of northlatitude, and between three and eight degrees weft longitude. It is nearly three hundred miles long, from eaft to weft, and about forty in its broadest part. A point of land projects from the north fide into this lake, feveral miles, towards the fouth-eaft. The islands and banks towards the weft end of the lake are fo infefted with rattle-fnakes as to render it dangerous to land on them. The lake is covered near the banks of the islands with the large pond lily; the leaves of which lie on the furface of the water fo thick, as to cover it entirely for many acres together; on these, in the fummer feafon, lie myriads of water-fnakes bafking in the fun. Of the venomous ferpents which infest this lake, the hiffing snake is the most remarkable. It is about eighteen inches long, fmall and fpeckled. When you approach it, it flattens itself in a moment, and its spots, which are of various colours, become visibly brighter through rage; at the fame time it blows from its mouth, with great force, a fubtil wind, faid to be of a nauseous fmell; and if drawn in with the breath of the unwary traveller, will infallibly bring on a decline, that in a few months must prove mortal. No remedy has yet been found to counteract its bareful influence. This lake is of a more dangerous navigation than any of the others on account of the craggy rocks which project into the water in a perpendicular direction, many miles together, affording no fhelter from ftorms. This Lake at its north-eaft end communicates with Lake Ontario, by the river Niagara, which runs from fouth to north about thirty miles. At the entrance of this river, on its eastern fhore, is Fort Niagara, which is at prefent, contrary to the treaty of 1783, in poffeffion of the British government, as are most of our north-western pofts. About eighteen miles north of this fort, are those remarkable falls which are reckoned one of the greatest natural curiofities in the world. The waters which fupply the river Niagara rife near two thousand miles to the north-weft, and paffing through the lakes Superior, and Michigan, Huron and Erie, receiv

ing in their courfe, conftant accumulations, at length, with aftonishing grandeur, rush down a ftupendous precipice of one hundred and forty feet perpendicular; and in a strong rapid, that extends to the diftance of eight or nine miles below, fall near as much more; the river then lofes itfelf in Lake Ontario. The noise of these falls, (called the Niagara Falls) in a clear day and fair wind may be heard, between forty and fifty miles. When the water strikes the bottom, it bounds to a great height in the air, occafioning a thick cloud of vapours, on which the fun, when it fhines, paints a beautiful rainbow.

Lake Ontario is fituated between forty-three and forty-five degrees of latitude, and between one and four weft longitude. Its form is nearly oval. Its greateft length is from fouth-west to north-eaft, and in circumference about fix hundred miles. It abounds with fish of an excellent flavour, among which are the Ofwego bass, weighing three of four pounds. Near the South-eaft part it receives the waters of the Ofwego river, and on the north eaft-it discharges it itself into the river Cataraqui, or as it is now more commonly called, Iroquois. This river, at Montreal, takes the name of St. Lawrence, and paffing by Quebec, empties into the Gulf of the fame name.

Lake Champlain is next in fize to Lake Ontario, and lies nearly east from it, dividing the ftate of New York from that of Vermont. It is about eighty miles in length from north to south, and in its broadeft part, fourteen. It is well stored with fish, and the land on its borders, and on the banks of its rivers, are good. Crown Point and Ticonderoga are fituated on the bank of this lake, near the fouthern part of it.

Lake George lies fouth-west of Lake Champlain, and is about thirtyfive miles long from north-eaft to fouth-weft but narrow. -The adjacent country is mountainous; the vallies are tolerably good.

The Miffiffippi is the great reservoir of the waters of the Ohio and Illinois, and their numerous branches from the east; and of the Missouri and other rivers from the weft. These mighty ftreams united, are borne down with increasing majefty, through vaft forefts and meadows, and discharged into the Gulf of Mexico. For an ingenious, beautiful and authentic description of this river, take the following, given by Mr. Hutchins, geographer to the United States. The great length and uncommon depth of this river, and the exceffive muddinefs and falubrious quality of its waters, after its junction with the Missouri, are very fingular*. The direction of the channel is so crooked, that from New Orleans to the mouth of the Ohio, a distance which does not exceed four hundred and fixty miles in a strait line, is about eight hundred and fifty-fix by water. It may be shortened at least two hundred and fifty miles, by cutting across eight or ten necks of land, fome of which are not thirty yards wide, Charlevoix relates that in the year 1772, at Point Coupeé, or Cut Point, the

* In a balf pint tumbler of this water has been found a fediment of twa inches of flime. It is, notwithstanding, extremely wholesome and well tafted, and very cool in the hotteft feafons of the year; the rowers, who are there employed, drink of it when they are in the ftrongest perfpiration, and never receive any bad effects from it, The inhabitants of New Orleans use no other water than that of the river, which, by being kept in jars, becomes perfely clear.