318 Notice of the Peninsula of Michigan. 
ned at night, they range during the day undisturbed by 
wolves. 
The peninsular situation and numerous streams of Michi- 
gan are highly favourable for commerce, and will enhance the 
value ofits agricultural productions, by affording easy access 
to market. Three fourths of the territory is within a day’s 
journey of navigable waters, and there is not a section that is 
more than fifty miles froma lake or boatable river. The 
abundant supply of water, the little elevation of the interior, 
and ease of excavation, render this country very favourable 
for artificial navigation. Acanal irom the St. Joseph to lake 
Erie, would insulate the territory, and save a circuitous voy- 
age of eight hundred miles. It would be the route of nume- 
rous emigrants to ihe southern desirable part of the North- 
West and Missouri territories, and to the adjacent states. Navi- 
gation will in time be much extended by a canal down the 
rich valley of the Illinois, uniting the waters of Lake Michi- 
gan with the Mississippi. The descent is supposed to be 
about one hundred and fifty feet. By an extra deep cutting of 
a few feet at the summit level, the lake would afford a never 
failing supply of water for a canal of any magnitude. 
There is a resemblance in many features, between the ter- 
ritorial peninsula of Michigan and East Florida: they have 
much the same shape and extent; both present alluvial plains 
on their eastern borders, and an undulating surface in the inte- 
rior and western sections, where thickets, openings, prairies, 
and wet meadows, and numerous lakes, are interspersed. In 
their surface soil, silex generally predominates with a basis of 
compact earth or clay, embracing carbonate of lime. Both 
have many circular basins or sinks, and light coloured secon- 
dary limestone as the predominant rock ;—but in Michigan 
the soil is much less sandy, and is a far better medium, than 
in most parts of Florida, and there is no comparison in res- 
pect to the extent of surface fit for tillage. There will proba- 
bly be as little waste ground in Michigan as in any section of 
the Union, of equal extent, and if that paralyzing disease, the 
fever and ague, should cease like an incubus to oppress the 
land, it may in forty years present a population of a million, 
busily engaged in agriculture, manufactures, and commerce. 
A rapid settlement of the peninsula will be promoted by the 
ease of clearing, low price and good quality of land, and 
the security of title derived from government. For years, a 
good domestic market will exist for thesurplus products, from 
