Great North American Lakes. 91- 



The course of Green Bay is about S. S. W. 



The above observations were made by means of a stick, 

 graduated with inches, placed, perpendicularly below low wa- 

 ter mark. 



Letter from Capt. Henry Whiting of the U. S. Army. 



Detroit, Sept. llth, 1827. 



Dear Sir — I returned a short time since from Green Bay, 

 but my stay there was too brief for any observations upon 

 the waters, even if 1 had leisure to have made them. 



Gov. Cass, as you have probably seen by the newspapers, 

 was too busily engaged while in that country, for other than 

 Indian afiairs. I regret you cannot have the benefit of his 

 remarks.* 



I got back the papers, to which I have before alluded, and 

 as I promised, I send you the observations 1 made in 1819.t 

 I did not recollect, that they were so meagre, and unsatisfac- 

 tory. I was much engaged in military duty at that time, 

 and had only snatches of leisure. They amount almost to 

 nothing ; and yet I believe they are the only regular attempt 

 that has been made to solve this interesting problem. While 

 on the spot at this time, I asked many questions of the resi- 

 dents, but could not ascertain that any of them had accom- 

 panied their observations by any scale, or made any record. 

 Their recollections were of course very loose, and amount 

 to no more than an accordance with the popular belief. One 

 or two mentioned the fact, that a mill, which is placed about 

 ten miles up Devil river, a tributary of the Fox river, near 

 its mouth, is daily stopped by refluent water. Another gen- 

 tleman remarked, that he had frequently noticed in the win- 

 ter, when crossing the river, that the ice was often lifted 

 slightly, in the centre, while the two sides were partially cov- 



* See note, at the close of the letter, 



t The same as those appended to Doct. Lovell's letter. 



