MICHIGAN-HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL. 



The following paper was prepared by our deceased and lamented 

 friend, Rev. Charles Fox, and published in Debow's Review, May, 

 1853. It is a valuable and instructive paper, therefore we copy it into 

 our volume of Transactions for 1855. Indeed, a short time previous 

 to the decease of our friend, at our request, he had promised to furnish 

 for the Transactions a similar paper to include statistics of a later date : 



The State of Michigan is naturally divided into two portions, the 

 the southern peninsula and the northern or Lake Superior country. 



The first is bounded on the west and north-west by Lake Michigan, 

 and on the east and north-east by Lake Huron, the River and Lake St. 

 Clair, the Straits of Detroit and Lake Erie. At the south, it rests upon 

 Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The south line is one hundred and seventy 

 four miles east and west; and the length of the Peninsula north and 

 south, three hundred miles. 



The northern or upper Peninsula begins at the eastern end of Lake 

 Superior, runs southerly along the Sault Sainte Marie River, lies nearly 

 at right angles with the southern Peninsula, and is separated from it by 

 a part of Lake Michigan as far as the Menomonee River. It then 

 takes a north-west course to the Montreal River, from the mouth of 

 which it follows the southern shore of Lake Superior to the place of 

 beginning, presenting an irregular and nearly isolated form, varying 

 from twenty to one hundred and twenty-five miles in width. 



If a hairier of eighteen feet high existed across the foot of Lake 

 Huron, Lakes Huron and Michigan would rise to a level with Lake Su- 

 perior; and if a similar barrier of thirty-one feet was placed across the 

 foot of Lake Erie at Buflalo, the four lakes would become one uniform 

 level, and merged in one immense inland sea. 



