277 



CANADA. 



CANADA. 



278 



varies from 60 to 70 miles, and the average elevation of the country 

 ie estimated at rather more than 1400 feet above the sea. This range, 

 which up to 75 W. long, continues in that direction, east of that 

 meridian turns to the south and joins the Catskill Mountains on the 

 banks of the Hudson (near 42 N. lat.). Between the north-eastern 

 extremity of this ridge of high land and another ridge which begins 

 near 74 W. long, and 43 20' N. lat. on the southern shores of Lake 

 St. George, the edge of the basin of the St. Lawrence is not formed 

 by a ridge, but by nearly a flat country, which is not more than 500 

 feet above the level of the sea. Through this break the Great Erie 

 Canal in the state of New York has been cut. From the south comer 

 of Lake St. George the edge of the St. Lawrence basin runs first north 

 by east, but having approached to the distance of 70 miles from the 

 banks of the river, it turns north-east, and runs parallel to its course 

 up to 70 20' W. long., where it follows the mountain ridge which 

 extends from the origin of St. John's River northward till it ap- 

 proaches within 20 miles of the St. Lawrence. This distance it 

 maintains on an average up to Cape Roziere, at the mouth of the wide 

 aestuary of the river. The high land forming the edge of its basin 

 east of Lake George is probably never less than 1500 feet above the 

 level of tide-water. 



The whole basin of the St. Lawrence is calculated by Darby to 

 contain 537,000 square miles, of which ; 



Sq. miles. 



The upper basin, or that of Lake Superior, contains . 90,000 



The middle basin, terminating at the great falls of the 



Niagara 160,000 



The lower basin, to the mouth of the St. Lawrence . 287,000 



537,000 



Of this area Lake Superior covers 43,000 square miles, Lake Huron 

 16,500, Lake Michigan 13,500, Lake Erie 10,900, Lake Ontario 

 12,600, and the river St. Lawrence with its wide aestuary 52,500 

 square miles, making in all 149,000 square miles. 



According to this calculation the country drained by the efflux of 

 the basin comprises 388,000 square miles, of which about 290,000 

 belong to Canada and 98,000 to the United States of America. The 

 five great lakes extend from west to east over nearly 15J degrees of 

 longitude, with a difference of latitude of about 8J degrees. Their 

 content* amount to more than half of all the fresh water on the face 

 of the globe. 



Lake Superior, the true source of the St. Lawrence, is the greatest 

 of all known fresh-water lakes. It is crescent-shaped, convex to the 

 north, and terminating to the south-east and south-west in narrow 

 points. It measures on a curved line drawn through the centre more 

 than 400 miles in length ; its extreme breadth is 175 miles, and its 

 circumference, following the sinuosities of the coast, about 1740 miles. 

 Ita surface is 627 feet above the tide water in the Atlantic, and appears 

 from various indications on the shores to have been 40 or 50 feet 

 higher at some remote period. Its depth varies much, but is gene- 

 rally very great, and at its maximum is probably 1200 feet. When 

 its surface is agitated by storms it resembles the ocean. It ia subject 

 to a considerable rise at the time of the spring-freshes, especially after 

 a rigorous winter. The Thunder Mountain, one of that class of 

 mountains which in some places approach near and form the margin 

 of the lake, is a bleak rock about 1200 feet above the level of the lake, 

 with a perpendicular face of its full height towards the west. It is, 

 says Simpson, " one of the most appalling objects of the kind I have 

 ever seen." The rivers which fall into Lake Superior are not long, 

 but they amount to upwards of 50 of some size, and several are broad 

 at their mouths. In general they are not navigable, or only for a 

 short distance, as they descend in their short course from heights 

 which are from 500 to 614 feet above the lake. The St. Louis, the 

 moat considerable of these tributaries, which enters at the extreme 

 south-west angle, is the channel of communication with the Upper 

 Mississippi ; it rises 551 feet above the lake. Along the north shores 

 of the lake the rocks are from 300 to 1500 feet high, and would 

 render the navigation dangerous during a gale but for the numerous 

 small islands near the entrance of inlets and bays, in which vessels 

 find shelter. The country is dreary and almost without trees or 

 vegetation ; the climate is cold, and game and esculent plants exceed- 

 ingly scarce. Along the south shore extends a low sandy beach, 

 intersected with rocks of limestone rising 100 feet above the surface 

 of the water. The navigation is dangerous in this part, owing to 

 there being no bay on the whole extent of the coast. Islands only 

 occur along the north shore and toward/* each extremity of the lake. 

 The largest, called Isle Royale, is said to bo 100 miles in length by 

 40 miles in breadth, but on most maps it has not half these dimensions. 

 The waters accumulated in Lake Superior are carried off by a river 

 issuing at its most eastern angle, called St. Mary's River or Strait. 

 About 12 or 15 miles from the lake it forms the rapids of St. Mary, 

 which are produced by a great mass of water forcing its way through 

 a confined channel. . The rapids are nearly 2 miles long, and have 

 altogether a fall of 22} feet perpendicular height. Canoes sometimes 

 venture to descend the rapids, but generally avoid them by means of 

 a portage about 2 miles long, which connects the navigable parts of 

 the river. As far as the falls the river runs east, but below them it 

 turns to the south-east, and dividing into several channels incloses 



numerous islands, of which the most considerable are St. George or 

 Sugar Island, St. Joseph, and Dnunmond ; the island of St. Joseph 

 belongs to Canada ; the other two to the United States. This part of 

 the river is navigable for boats and sailing vessels of 6 feet draught. 

 Above the island of Drummond the river widens and soon enters 

 Lake Huron after a course of above 40 miles, in which it falls 32 feet, 

 the rapids included. 



Lake Huron is only second to Lake Superior in extent, its greatest 

 length in a curved line between St. Mary's Strait and its outlet being 

 above 240 miles. From south to north it is 186 miles. Its extreme 

 breadth, which lies nearly west-north-west and east-south-east, is 

 about 220 miles ; its circuit exceeds 1000 miles. The surface is 

 595 feet above high water in the Atlantic ; the average depth is 1000 

 feet, but leads have been sunk 1800 feet off the inlet called Saginaw 

 Bay without finding bottom. It is divided into two unequal portions 

 by a series of islands called Manitouliu Islands, and by a peninsula 

 called Cabot's Head. The Manitoulin Islands begin on the east of 

 Drummond's Island in the very mouth of St. Mary's River, and 

 extend east with an inclination to the south for 120 miles. They 

 belong to Canada. One of them, Great Manitoulin, is upwards of 

 72 miles long, and varies in breadth from 3 to 23 miles, being singu- 

 larly indented by inlets and coves, which give it a very irregular and 

 broken outline. Its name is derived from the language of the Indians, 

 who regard it as the dwelling of the Great Spirit, or ' Manitou.' It is 

 settled exclusively by Indians. These islands are divided from Cape 

 Hurd, the northern extremity of the peninsula of Cabot's Head, by a 

 strait about 10 miles wide, which contains a few small rocky islands. 

 Cabot's Head projects from the south shores of the lake, about 

 50 miles into the lake, with an average width of 12 miles. That 

 portion of the lake which is thus separated from its main body is 

 called Georgian Bay, and measures in length from the southern extre- 

 mity of Natawasauga Bay to St. Mary's Strait about 225 miles. Its 

 south portion east of Cabot's Head has an average width of 50 miles, 

 and lies south-south-east and north-north-west ; but between the 

 Manitoulin Islands and the north shores of the lake it does not exceed 

 7 or 8 miles, and sometimes contracts to 3 miles. At Natawasauga 

 Bay the shores are high, but the lake is free from rocks. Farther 

 north the shores are much indented and fringed by a multitude of 

 small islands and rocks. There is a small naval station at Penetan- 

 guishene, an excellent harbour near the head of the bay about 3 miles 

 in length, narrow and landlocked by hills on both sides. The main 

 body of Lake Huron contains very few islands, and is generally of 

 great depth. The shores of Lake Huron opposite the Manitoulin 

 Islands are elevated and broken, especially between 81 and 82 

 W. long., where there is a bold ridge of hills called Cloche Mountains 

 extending about 40 miles along the coast, and exhibiting distinctly 

 three or four elevated summits. From Cabot'-s Head to the outlet of 

 the lake the shores are in general low, or of very moderate height. 

 This is a dangerous part of the coast, having no shelter for large 

 vessels from the violent westerly winds except the artificial harbour 

 of Goderich. The western shores of the lake do not rise to a great 

 height, and form nearly in the middle a deep and wide inlet Saginaw 

 Bay, which is 60 miles long by 20 miles wide. Among the rivers 

 falling into Lake Huron three are remarkable -the Francais, or 

 French River, the outlet of Lake Nipissing ; the Muskoka, the outlet 

 of the lake of that name ; and the Severn, which issues from Lake 

 Simcoe. The Severn is not navigable. At its north-western extremity 

 Lake Huron is united to Lake Michigan by the Strait of Machillimaki- 

 nac, which is only 6 miles long and 8 miles wide. Lake Michigan is 

 nearly 300 miles long, with an average width of 75 miles, and very 

 deep. Its form is elliptical and regular, except a break in the west 

 coast, which forms the Green Bay, and is said to extend 100 miles 

 parallel to the lake, and another bay on the opposite side called Graud 

 Traverse Bay. Its shores are everywhere of a moderate height. This 

 lake is surrounded by the territories of the United States. Its level 

 is lower than that of Lake Huron, and a current constantly sets into 

 it from the latter. 



The river St. Clair issues from the south point of Lake Huron, and 

 runs 30 miles between moderately high banks till it expands into 

 Lake St. Clair, which is about 30 miles in diameter and shallow, but 

 has sufficient depth in its channel to admit steamboats and schooners ; 

 and the same is the case with the river St. Clan-. The shores of the 

 lake are low and level ; and it receives from the east two considerable 

 rivers, the Great Bear River or Creek and the Thames. Issuing from 

 the south-west angle of Lake St. Clair the river is called Detroit. It 

 first runs west, and then bends in a regular curve about due south 

 to its influx into Lake Erie. Its length is 29 miles, and it is navigable 

 for such vessels as are employed upon the lakes, being from 7 to 8 

 feet deep. At Amherstburg near its mouth is an excellent harbour. 

 The banks of the river are moderately elevated. The fall between 

 Lake Huron and Lake Erie is 30 feet. 



Lake Erie is 265 miles Jong and 634 miles broad at its centre : its 

 circumference is computed at 658 miles ; and its surface is 665 feet 

 above the sea. It is the shallowest of all the great lakes, its average 

 depth being 85 feet only, with a rocky bottom. The navigation on 

 this lake has rapidly increased since the Great Erie Canal in the state 

 of New Tork and the Wetland Canal in Canada have been formed ; 

 but several circumstances combine to render it tedious and dangerous. 



