travels in North America. 19^ 



Water enough for fome Barks which may ftill fail without any 

 Obftacle through all the Lake £r// till they come to Niagara, It 

 is true there is ho Communication between Lake Huron, and the 

 Upper Lake, but by a Canal of twenty-two Leagues, much en- 

 cumbered with Falls or Torrents ; but thefe Torrents do not hin- 

 der the Canoes from coming to unload at Michillimaki^iacy every 

 Thing that can be got from the Upper Lake, 



This Lake is two Hundred Leagues long from Eaft to Wefl^ 

 -p. r ' ' r many Places eighty wide from North 



Dejcriptic7i cf ^^^^^^ ^^^j^ ^nd pretty 



Upper Lake. ^^.^-^ . ^^^1^ dangerous to be fur- 

 prifed here by a North Wind. The North Side is more conve- 

 nient for failing, becaufe it is all along lined with Rocks, which 

 form little Harbours, where it is very eafy to take Refuge ; and 

 nothing is more necefîary when we fail in a Canoe on this Lake, 

 in which Travellers have obferved a pretty fingular Phcenome- 

 non. They fay, that when there will be a Storm they have No- 

 tice of it two Days before. At firfc, they perceive a little Trem- 

 bling on the Surface of the Water, and that lafls all the Day, 

 without any manifeil Increafe ; the next Day the Lake is cover- 

 ed with pretty large Waves, but they do not break all the Day, 

 fo that one may fail without Danger, and may alfo make a great 

 deal of Way if the Wind is fair ; but the third Day, when it is 

 leafl expedled, the Lake is all on Fire ; the Ocean ,^ in its greateil 

 Fury, is not more agitated, and one muft have inllantly fome 

 Afylum to fly to for Safety ; which we are fure to f nd on the 

 North Side, whereas on the South Coafl, one muft from the fé- 

 cond Day encamp at a good Diflance from Shore. 



The Savages, by Way of Acknowledgement for the Quantity 

 zr /; r /. c Filhthis Lake affords them, and through 



i< able of the ^a- the Refped they are infpired v/ith from its 

 ^oagesoftheV^l^^T ^^^^^^ havemad^ it aKind of Deity, and 

 offer Sacrifices to it after their Manner. But 

 I think that it is not to the Lake itfelf, but to the Genius which 

 prefides over it, that they offer up their Prayers : If we believe 

 them, this Lake has a divine Origin : 'Twas Michahou, the God 

 of the Wgters, who made it to take Beavers. In the Canal by 

 which it (fifcharges itfelf into Lake Huron, there is a Torrent 

 caufed by fome great Rocks ; our MifHonaries who once had here 

 a very flourilhing Church called it the Fall of St, Mary. Thefe 

 Rocks according to the Tradition of the Barbarians are the Re- 

 mains of a Caufey or Bank, which the God built to flop îheWaters 

 of the Rivers, and of the Lake Alimipegon^ which have filled this 

 Great Lake* 



Cc 



