LAKES. 



125 



Rainy ^ or Long Lake. 

 Rainy, or Long Lake, lies east of the Lake of the 

 -Woods, and is said to be nearly a hundred miles 

 long, and in no part more than twenty miles wide. 



Eastward of this lake lie several small ones, 

 •which extend in a string to the great carrying place, 

 and thence to Lake Superior. Between these little 

 lakes are several carrying places, which render the 

 trade to the north-west difficult, and exceedingly te- 

 dious, as it takes two years to make one voyage from 

 Michilimakinack to these parts. 



Lake Superior. 

 Lake Superior justifies the name which it has re- 

 ceived, it being ihe largest and most magnificent 

 body of fresh water in the world : the falls of St, 

 Mary, its northern extremity, being in lat. 46 deg, 

 51 m?h. north, and in long. 84 deg. v/est ; where 

 there is no variation of the compass, while its 

 southern extremity, at the river St, Louis, is in lat. 

 46 deg. 45 min. north, and long. 92 deg. 10 min, 

 west J its greatest breadth is one hundred and 

 twenty miles, and its circumference, including its 

 Tarious bays, is not less than one thousand two hun- 

 dred miles I 



It is clear, of great depth, and abounds in a great 

 raricty of fish, of an excellent kind. It may be de- 

 n-ominated the grand reFervoir of the river St. Law- 

 Tcnee ; as the great extent of country, from which 

 other rivers tiow in any direction, do not admit of 

 tlieir flowing into? it, by reason of the ridge that se- 

 parates them from the rivers that empty into Hud- 

 son's bay, the gulf of Mexicoj' antl the waters that' 



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