160 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA 
seven feet water, namely, Long Point and Point 
Abineau; and these only afford a partial shel¬ 
ter. If the wind should shift to the southward 
whilst vessels happened to be lying under tlsem, 
they are thereby exposed to all the dangers of 
a rocky lee shore. On the southern shore, the 
first harbour you come to in going from Fort 
Erie, is that of Presqu* Isle. Vessels drawing 
eight feet water may there ride in perfect 
safety ; but it is a matter of no small difficulty 
to get into the harbour, owing to a long sand 
bar, which extends across the mouth of it. 
Presqu’ Isle is situated at the distance of about 
sixty miles from Fort Erie. Beyond this, near¬ 
ly midway between the eastern and western 
extremities of the lake, there is another har¬ 
bour, capable of containing small vessels at the 
mouth of Cayhega River, and another at the 
mouth of Sandusky River, which falls into the 
lake within the north-western territory of the 
States. It is very seldom that any of these 
harbours are made use of by the British ships; 
they, indeed, trade almost solely between Fort * 
Erie and Detroit River; and when in prose¬ 
cuting their voyages they chance to meet with 
contrary winds, against which they cannot 
make head, they for the most part return to 
Fort Erie, if bound to Detroit River; or to 
some of the bays amidst the clusters of islands 
situated towards the western extremity of the 
