\ \KK\T1YI . .V) 



little south of west from Leech Lake, which ii placed, on our Km *st 

 maps, in forty-seven degrees sixteen mutates. The highest 

 northing attained by the Mississippi, is on the great diluvial 

 plateau, containing the contiguous waters of Lakes La Salle, 

 Marquette and Travers, which cannot vary more than a lew 

 minutes, from forty-eight degrees. These facts will explain the 

 error of the elder geographical writers, who supposed that the 

 parallel of forty-nine 9 would intersect the Mississippi 



Its origin in the remote and unfrequented area of country be- 

 tween Leei h Lake and Red river, probably an entire degree of 

 latitude south of Turtle Lake, which still figures on some of 

 our maps as its sottrcej throws both the forks of this stream out 

 of the usual route of the fur trade, and furnishes, perhaps the 

 best reason why its actual sources have remained so long en- 

 veloped in obscurity. 



The Mississippi river traverses more degrees of latitude than 

 any other river in America, and the remark might, perhaps, be 

 aded to the habitable globe. The extremes of its changes 

 in climate and vegetable productions, are, consequently, very 

 great It occupies more than three thousand miles of the dis- 

 tance between the arctic circle and the equator. Long as it is, 

 however, it has a tributary longer than itself, (the Missouri.) 

 Like the Niger, its mouth was discovered by expeditions down 

 its current, but unlike that stream, which has so long held the 

 geopraphical world in suspense, its sources have been also sought 

 from its central parts. Its entire course is, at length, known. And 

 we may now appeal with full certainty to the Balize and to Itasca 

 Lake, as its most extreme points. At the latter, it is a placid 

 , tf transparent spring waiter. At the former, it is as turbid 

 rtli in suspension can make it, and carries a forest of float- 

 ing trees on its besom. Below the junction of its primary forks, it 

 expands at very unequal distances, into eight sheets of clear water, 

 each of which has worthy of admiration. Pourofthe 



I , : Wi,,,,, pee. and Lake Pepin, are lakes 



of , magnitude, and striking scenery. The number of 



