CATARACTS, AND INUNDATIONS. 



miles farther northward are those stupendous cataracts, which are 

 not to be equalled by any other falls of water on this globe, and 

 which have been already described. 



Luke HURON is next in magnitude to lake Superior; its shape is 

 nearly triangular, and it is about a, thousand miles in circumference; 

 on the north side of it is an island, nearly an hundred miles in ex- 

 tent from east to west, but in no part above eight miles from north 

 to south ; it is called by the Indians Manataulin, which signifies 

 a plaor i:f spirits. At the west point of the lake are the straits of 

 Michillimackinac, which unite with lake Michegan ; and about 

 fifty miles to the north-east of these straits are those of St. Marie , 

 by which lake Huron communicates with lake Superior: they are 

 about forty miles long, and very unequal in breadth : here are 

 falls, but not perpendicular, like those of Niagara, but the waters 

 pass along a sloping bottom, which in that country is called a ra- 

 pid : this continues for nearly three quarters of a mile. The fall 

 here is not so impetuous as entirely to prevent the navigation of 

 boats and canoes downward. The southern point of lake Huron 

 runs into a strait, which soon after enlarges into a small lake called 

 St. Claire, from which runs another strait, which is only distin- 

 guished by the French name of Detroit (strait) ; this discharges it- 

 self into lake Erie, the distance between which and Huron is eighty 

 miles. Although the water here is level, yet the navigation of 

 large vessels is stopped by a bank of sand. The town of Detroit, 

 which contains upward of an hundred houses, is situated on the 

 western banks of this river, or strait, about nine miles below lake 

 St. Claire. At the north-east point a considerable river flows into 

 this lake, called the Souties, from which there is but a short car- 

 rying.place to the river of the Attawawas, which discharges itself 

 into the St. Laurence above Montreal. 



Lake MICHEGON, to the west of Huron, is long and narrow, 

 extending nearly two hundred miles from north-west to south. east, 

 and forty broad from north to south. Between these two lakes a 

 peninsula is formed, which runs into a point at the north-west, at 

 the straits of Michillimackinac, where is a fort of the same name, 

 which, in the language of the Cluppewaw Indians, signifies a tor- 

 toise. On the north-west side of this lake is a strait, about forty 

 miles wide, called the grand traverse, in which are many islands, 

 come of which are inhabited by the Otta\va\vs, and others by the 



