296 MISCELLANEOUS. 



and where the gallant General Holmes fell while defending 

 it. The ruins of the old stockade are well preserved. Other 

 points attracting the notice and admiration of the visitor are 

 Scott* s Cave, Sugar-loaf Rock, Arch Rock, Fairy Arch of the 

 Giant's Causeway, Point Lookout, Devil's Kitchen, Lovers' 

 Leap, Skull Cave and Chimney Rock. Many of these scenes 

 are sublimely beautiful, but space will not admit of descrip- 

 tions here. The island is covered with a thick growth of 

 cedar, balsam, fir, soft maple and some of the smaller varieties 

 of hardwood. Hard gravel roads in various directions form 

 delightful drives and enable visitors to reach with facility 

 every notable point. 



Fort Mackinac, with its frowning artillery and its sentinel 

 pacing his beat, reminds one of the necessity of securely 

 guarding this, one of the nation's natural strongholds, even 

 in time of peace. The fortifications are whitewashed, and 

 the barracks and officers' residences are painted white. 

 These, with* the surrounding evergreens, present a most 

 picturesque view. 



The greater portion of the island has been, by an act of 

 Congress, set apart as a national park, and a magnificent one 

 it will be when properly improved. 



The Astor House, one of the principal hotels of the vil- 

 lage, was at one time the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay 

 Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor was the head. 

 Many of the account books, records and papers, some of them 

 in Astor's own handwriting, are still kept here and are a 

 source of great interest to visitors. 



Our stay at the island was prolonged several days beyond 

 what we had intended, by reason of a heavy gale which blew 

 steadily from the west, rendering the lake so rough that the 

 steamer could not make the trip from Petoskey. We had no 

 occasion to regret it, however, for the fresh, invigorating 



