¥NITED STATES 



Lake Erie* 



Lake Erie is situated between 41 and 43 deg. of 

 north latitude, and between 3 deg. 40 min. and 8 deg. 

 west longitude. It is nearly 300 miles long, from 

 east to west, and about forty in its broadest part. A 

 point of land projects from the north side into this 

 lake, several miles towards the south-east, called 

 Long Point. The islands and banks towards the 

 west end of the lake are so infested v/ith rattle<* 

 snakes, as to render it dangerous to land on them. 

 The lake is covered near the banks of the islands 

 with large pond lily, the leaves of which lie on the 

 surface of the water so thick, as to cover it entirely 

 for many acres together ; on these, in the summer 

 season, lie myriads of water-snakes, basking in the 

 sun. This lake is of more dangerous navigation 

 than any of the others, on account of the craggy- 

 rocks which project into the water, in a perpendi- 

 cular direction, many miles together from the north- 

 ern shore, affording no shelter from storms. 



Presque Isle is on the south-east shore of this lake, 

 about lat. 42 deg. 10 min. From this to fort Le 

 Beuf, on French creek, is a portage of 15 1-2 miles. 

 About 20 miles ncrth-east of this is another portage 

 of 9 1-4 miles, between Chataughque creek, empty- 

 ing into lake Erie, and Ghatauglique lake, a water 

 of Alleghany river. 



Fort Erie stands on the northern shore of lake 

 Erie, and the west bank of Niagara river in Upper 

 Canada. This lake, at its north-east end commu- 

 nicates with lake Ontario, by the river Niagara, 

 which runs, from south to north ^ about 30 miles, iia- 



