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ing nearly under the fame parallel with Montreal. 

 From the entry of the lake Michigan as far as this 

 ifland, the coaft is very fandy ; but after you have 

 got ever fo fmall a diftance up the country it appears 

 extremely beautiful, at leaft if we may judge of it 

 by the magnificent forefts with which it is covered. 

 It is befides extremely well watered and we made 

 not si fingle league without difcovering either fome 

 large rivulet or fine river ; and the more you ad- 

 vance to the fouth the larger the rivers, and they 

 likewife come from a greater diftance, the peninfula 

 which feparates lake Michigan from lake Huron, 

 growing broader in proportion as you advance to- 

 wards the fouth. Moft part however of thefe ri- 

 vers are but of an indifferent breadth, and have no 

 great depth at their mouth. There is one fingular cir- 

 cumftance attends them which is, that almoft im- 

 mediately after you have entered them, you meet 

 with lakes of two, three, or four leagues in circuit ; 

 which comes no doubt from the great quantity of 

 fand which they carry down with them ; thefe 

 fands being driven back by the waves of the lake, 

 which come almoft conftantly from the weft, gather 

 in heaps at the mouth of the rivers, the waters of 

 which are ftopt by thefe dykes which they with dif- 

 ficulty get paft, and fo by degrees hollow out thefe 

 lakes or pools, which hinder the country from be- 

 ing laid under water, on the melting of the fnows. 



On the 3d I entered the river of Father Mar- 

 quette , in order to examine whether what I had been 

 told of it was true. This is at firft entring it, no 

 more than a brook ; but fifteen paces higher you 

 enter a lake which is near two leagues in circuit. 

 In order to make way for its difcharge into lake 

 Michigan, one would imagine that a great Hum- 

 mock which you leave on the left as you enter, had 



been 



