noise of these falls, in a clear day and fair wind, may be heard between forty and fifty miles. When the water ftrikes the bottom, its fpray rifes a great height in the air, occafioning a thick cloud of vapours, on which the fun, when it fhines, paints a beautiful rainbow. Fort Niagara is fituated on the east fide of Niagara river, at its entrance into Lake Ontario. This fort, and that at Detroit, contrary to the treaty of 1783, are yet in poffeffion of the British Government.

LAKE ONTARIO, is fituated between forty-three and forty-five degrees north latitude, and between one and five weft longitude. Its form is nearly oval. Its greatest length is from fouth-weft to north-eaft, and in circumference about fix hundred miles. It abounds with fish of an excellent flavour, among which are the Ofwego bafs, weighing three or four pounds. It receives the waters of the Cheneffee river from the fouth, and of Onondago, at Fort Ofwego, from the fouth-eaft, by which it communicates, through Lake Oneida and Wood Creek, with Mohawk river. On the north-east, this lake discharges itself through the river Cataraqui, which at Montreal, takes the name of St. Lawrence, into the Atlantic Ocean.

About eight miles from the weft end of Lake Ontario is a curious cavern, which the Mellifaugas Indians call Manito' ah wigwam, or boufe of the Devil. The mountains which border on the lake, at this place, break off abruptly, and form a precipice of two hundred feet perpendicular defcent; at the bottom of which the cavern begins. The first opening is large enough for three men conveniently to walk abreaft. It continues of this bignefs for seventy yards in a horizontal direction. Then it falls almoft perpendicularly fifty yards, which may be defcended by irregular fteps from one to four feet diftant from each other.. It then continues forty yards horizontally, at the end of which is another perpendicular defcent, down which there are no steps. The cold here is intenfe. In fpring and autumn, there are, once in about a week, explofions from this cavern, which shake the ground for fixteen miles round.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN, is next in fize to Lake Ontario, and lies nearly caft from it, forming a part of the dividing line between the state of New York and the state of Vermont. It took its name from a French governor, whose name was Champlain, who was drowned in it. It was before called Corlaer's Lake. It is about eighty miles in length from north to fouth, and in its broadeft part, fourteen. It is well ftored with fifh, and the land on its borders and on the banks of its rivers, is good. Crown Point and Ticonderoga are fituated on the banks of this lake, near the fouthern part of it.

LAKE

LAKE GEORGE, lies to the fouthward of Champlain, and is a moft clear, beautiful collection of water, about thirty-fix miles long and from one to feven miles wide. It embofoms more than two hundred iflands, fome fay three hundred and fixty-five; very few of which are any thing more than barren rock, covered with heath, and a few cedar, fpruce, and hemlock trees, and fhrubs, that harbor abundance of rattlefnakes. On each fide it is fkirted by prodigious mountains, from which large quantities of red cedar are every year carried to New York, for fhip timber. The lake is full of fishes, and some of the best kind; among which are the black Ofwego bafs and large fpeckled routs. The water of this lake is about one hundred feet above the Jevel of Lake Champlain. The portage between the two lakes is one mile and a half; but with a fmall expence might be reduced to fixty yards; and with one or two locks might be made navigable through for batteaux. This lake, in the French charts, is called Lake St. Sacrament; and it is fid that the Roman Catholics, in former times, were at the pains to procure this water for facramental ufes in all their Churches in Canada: hence probably it derived its name.

The MISSISSIPPI RIVER, is the great refervoir of the waters of the Ohio and Illinois, and their numerous branches from the caft; and of the Missouri and other rivers from the weft. These mighty ftreams united, are borne down with increafing impetuofity, through vaft forefts and meadows, and discharged into the Gulf of Mexico. The great length and uncommon depth of this river, and the exceffive muddiness and falubrious quality of its waters, after its junction with the Missouri, are very fingular*. The direction of the channel is fo crooked, that from New Orleans to the mouth of the Ohio, a diftance which does not exceed four hundred and fixty miles in a strait line, is about eight hundred and fifty-fix by water. It may be shortened at least two hundred and fifty miles, by cutting acrofs eight or ten necks of land, fome of which are not thirty yards wide. Charlevoix relates that in the year 1722, at Point Coupeé, or Cut Point, the river made a great turn, and fome Canadians, by deepening the channel of a small brook, diverted the waters of the river into it. The impetuofity of the ftream was fo violent, and

In a half pint tumbler of this water has been found a fediment of one inch. It Is, notwithstanding, extremely wholesome and well tafted, and very cool in the hotteft feasons of the year; the rowers, who are there employed, drink of it when they are in the strongest perspiration, and never receive any bad effects from it. The inhabitants of New Orleans ufe no other water than that of this river, which, by being kept in jars, becomes perfectly clear.

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the foil, of fo rich and loofe a quality, that, in a fhort time, the point was entirely cut through, and travellers faved fourteen leagues of their voyage. The old bed has no water in it, the times of the periodical overflowings only excepted. The new channel has been fince founded with a line of thirty fathoms, without finding a bottom. Several other points, of great extent, have, in like manner, been fince cut off, and the river diverted into new channels.

In the fpring floods the Miffiffippi is very high, and the current fo Arong, that it is with difficulty it can be afcended; but this disadvantage is in part compenfated by eddies or counter-currents, which are found in the bends close to the banks of the river, which runs with nearly equal velocity against the ftream, and affift the afcending boats. The current at this feafon defcends at the rate of about five miles an hour. In autumn, when the waters are low, it does not run faster than two miles, but it is rapid in fuch parts of the river, as have clusters of iflands, fhoals, and fand-banks. The circumference of many of thefe fhoals being feveral miles, the voyage is longer, and in fome parts more dangerous than in the fpring. The merchandize neceffary for the commerce of the upper settlements on or near the Miffiffippi, is conveyed in the fpring and autumn in batteaux, rowed by eighteen or twenty men, and carrying about forty tons. From New Orleans to the Illinois, the voyage is commonly performed in eight or ten weeks. A prodigious number of iflands, fome of which are of great extent, interfperfe this mighty river. Its depth increases as you afcend it. Its waters, after overflowing its banks below the river Ibberville on the east, and the river Rouge on the weft, never return within them again, there being many outlets or ftreams, by which they are conducted into the bay of Mexico, more especially on the weft fide of the Miffiffippi, dividing the country into numerous iflands. Thefe fingularities diftinguish it from every other known river in the world. Below the Ibberville, the land begins to be very low on both fides of the river across the country, and gradually declines as it approaches nearer to the fea. The island of New Orleans, and the lands oppofite, are to all appearance of no long date; for in digging ever fo little below the furface, you find water and great quantities of trees. The many beaches and breakers, as well inlets, which have arifen out of the channel within the last half century, at the feveral mouths of the river, are convincing proofs that this peninfula was wholly formed in the fame manner, And it is certain that when La Salle failed down the Miffiffippi to the fea, the opening of that river was very different from what it is at prefent.

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