AMERICAN LAKES.
The northern parts of this division of the globe are distin-guished by their numerous and immense lakes, the fiveprincipal of which lie either wholly, or chiefly, in thetwo Canadian provinces : these are the Lakes Superior ,Huron, Ontario, Erie, and Michigan . These vastassemblages of fresh water, which are neither put inmotion, nor alternately raised and sunk, by tides, are sup-posed to contribute veiy considerably to the greater degreeof cold felt in the northern parts of America , than inthe same parallels of latitude in Europe . They are situatedWithin about seven degrees of latitude, and fourteen oflongitude, or from 41° 35' to 49® north, and from 75*20' to 92 ° west.
This great North American Lake is justly entitled tome distinguished name it bears, not only because it is thelargest expanse of fresh water , j the known world, sur-passing in magnitude the Asiatic salt-water lake improperlydenominated “ the Caspian sea, ” but because it has amuch greater elevation than the other lakes of that country,me level of its waters being several hundred feet higherman the river St. Laurence. Its circumference is estimatedat about fifteen hundred miles; but it has been observed,y an intelligent navigator, Carver, that “ if it wereft coasted round, and the utmost extent of each oft, the bays taken, it would exceed sixteen hundred!”
coasted nearly twelve hundred miles on the northmd eastern -shores. “ When it was calm,” he ob-t rv es, “ an d the sun shone bright, I could sit in myc auoe, where the depth was upward of six fathoms, andtc plainly see huge piles of stones at the bottom.
<t . u water at this time was pure and transparent as the“ H, r ’ an d m y canoe seemed as if it hung suspended in“ th e ^ ement - It was impossible to look attentively,„ through this limpid medium, at the rocks beneath, for■ eve n a few minutes, without feeling the head swim,