hake Cham plain. 39 



within a French mile of the fort, but after 

 that, it is covered with a thick foreft. At 

 the diflance of about ten French miles from 

 fort St. Frederic i the lake is four fuch miles 

 broad, and we perceive feme iflands in it. 

 The captain of the yacht faid there were 

 about fixty iflands in that lake, of which 

 fome were of a confiderable fize. He 

 aflured me that the lake was in moft parts 

 fo deep, that a line of two hundred yards 

 could not fathom it; and clofe to the {here, 

 where a chain of mountains generally runs 

 acrofs t^he country, it frequently has a 

 depth of eighty fathoms. Fourteen French 

 miles from fort St. Frederic we faw four 

 large iflands in the lake, which is here 

 about fix French miles broad. This day 

 the fky was cloudy, and the clouds, 

 which were very low, feemed to fur- 

 round feveral high mountains, near the 

 lake, with a fog ; and from many moun- 

 tains the fog rofe, as the fmoke of a 

 charcoal-kiln. Now and then we faw a 

 little river which fell into the lake: the 

 country behind the high mountains, on the 

 weflern fi.de of the lake, is, as I am told, 

 covered for many miles together with a 

 tall foreft, interfered by many rivers and 

 brooks, with marllies and fmall lakes, and 

 very fit to be inhabited. The (liores are 

 C ^ fome- 



