The lake Superior, Michigan, and Huron, in this point of view,
form one large, inland Tea, -which; might ..be called the fea of Canada, or
that, of Huron-. This expan (ion of water;, as already mentioned-, is
about 35o miles in length, and more than I oo at its. greateft breadth:
according:, to the. French charts.that part of this-: feaf which is called!
Lake Su per io r , is not lefs than 1500 miles in circumference. The
greater part of the ceaft feems -to coofi f t o f rocks- and uneven ground,
like thofe o f the fea -of- Baikal. TheUWater-iS pure and tranfparent; and
the bottom generally compofed 'of large -rocks. ! Th ere are feveral iflands,
one of which called Minong is about-60 miles in length: the fav ages
fuppofe that thefe iflands are refidences of the Great Spirit. More than
thirty rivers fall into this lake, home ■ of them .o f ■ confiderable fize,
but the geography is -far from- being perfect.- The'banks, of a river on
the N. W. abound with native copper. The chief filh .ajjgaifey^geon
and trout; the latter being ;caught at all fea&ras,- and faid. to weigh from
twelve to fifty pounds»5 This -part|of:the Saa' of Canada-opens1 i^to the
lakeHuron*. by - the ftraihT pfBt. Many, about/49 nsales im lengtj|§i Said
in fome places-only one or two miles in breadth r; ,with:arapine (tit^fdEds
the N. W. extremity, which may; however. he • defixended .hy-> f$p6es,
and the profpedts are here delightful . i The ftorm&oh;4his:lang£ ejplpainle
of water are as dangerous as thofe on the ocean, tfceuvrolebhieakmg
more quick, and running nearly as-liigh. The cir£umferene«ipf'|bat
part called Lake H uron is faid to;be about i®<ao;!mile6; and .onfths
northern fide are fome iflands called Manatulan, implying the place of
fpirits. Another Ihort ftrait leads into the third lake called M ic h ig a n ,
alfo navigable for Ihips of any burthen. When the population of North
America {hall have diffufed itfelf towards the weft, thefe lakes may become
the feats; o f flourifhing.. .cities, and of arts and feiences. now unknown
in Europe. Their latitude correfponds with thafiof1 the Black
Sea, and the gulf of Venice,.; nor are the rigours of the Baltic here to be
apprehended. From the.defcriptions it does not appear that thefe lakes
are ever impeded with ice.*
5 Morfe, 127, . * ,
* Mr. Morfe, p. 136, fays that thefe lakes never freeze, but the communications between
them are-frozen for a confiderable time; and Hudfon' River"is impeded with ice for three months
in the year. The climate however gradually becomes warmer.
BBThe
The lake of Winnipeg or Winipie may alfo well afp-ire to the name L akes."
o f an inland fea :* but it-yields considerably to the great Slave lake, or Winipie. -
rather fea, a recent difeovery, from which Mackenzie’s river extends its
co-urfe to the Arctic-ocean. The Slave-fea, according to Mr. Arrow- slave fea.
fmith’s’ maps, is about 200-miles in length, by 100 at its greateft
breadW. The geography^? this lake fe rfe^rflSihpbrihd:; ’and’itris'ncit
inipl^i^ble th'at' firabf ^rgePl’Ik^niay-ieToUrid'^niithe^eftern regions
tipNo'rth America/ vfhieh remain'unexplored: j.
T h e Tinalldlriakes ftiall b e^i^i^^f^l'W^lW^dld^iftlDfts-of fpfri-
tofy^^w&'ifeh they ■ belbng^,,(It nfay ■ helfeUfufE’cfr ta^lMr-y^fflit'4hSfe
are’ fftobablyiaboVe two Jhun!dred laktes '»bf ^lohfifefa-MW'fiifeliin -'Morfh
Am$®ra« aTmgiilarity wmcH*4'diftingUM§^w»i^m? Afhef'T®i'tibQ
OTtffef^loBe. ^ighflpfefBa^'cdrfflhWffis^feriddiridhli' arguMerit'for
*the UoVelty-of this coritirferft, as the wa-te'rs t‘$Kll'$!$vef To
mu^frfcfflfsTuiface.
In'the •a,nci‘dhiti:ontinent theriivefsand1moun1Si-ri9,'iaf,¥''u:ftiarl;lj4^©nfeded JRIvcr*.
withMfth'eTirffis bfifome‘greatTate, td'v^Hihh“ cfffcbuWerithb "^Ffefibfhki
beco&ds* aff^ffe^riated; ’But in America^hefe'Te^t-ufe.afe con.rio-^reat
a They’pervade ‘imlnerife territbr i*eif adftSfed ^aTrioWg diffirMt . , -
nations, whence it would be difficult to aflign a juft arrangement. The
river of Amazons, for example, purfues a long courle in Spanifh Arne-»
lica, and an equal extent through the Portuguefe territory,
cfffh’ot now- claim the nbtthetn^ihdre,. The 'fiver MifflHippi,^|ifafh&c
Miflburi, belongs in part to the American States and in ’part to Spain.
Amidft this uncertainty, it feems preferable to deferibe the chief rivers
and mountains under the general heads of North and South America. ;
Length of courfe feems univerflilly and juftly confidered as the chief
diftindtion of a river, which becomes noble as it were by the';extent of
its genealogy; while the great breadth and depth of a fliort ft ream »
lifting'from a lake ’would deferve little attention. In this point of view MllTouri.
the Mifliflippi is the, mod diftinguilhed among the rivers pf North
..Atneriaa; its fource having already bee^' traced ,to fhreb. fmall rilakes
•* According to Mr. Mackenzie, p. lxii. this lake difeharges it felf in to Hud fo n ’ s Bay, by the
river Nelfon, an elongation of the Sallsilhawin, ’ See Arrowfmifh’s map of N. America, edition jHlfl
l8o*,"
above