ny magnitude helps to
supply Lake Superior, a vast number of small streams fall in from among
clefts and glens along the rugged shores;[121] there are also many large
islands; one, Isle Royale, is more than forty miles in length. In some
places lofty hills[122] rise abruptly from the water's edge; in others
there are intervals of lower lands for sixty or seventy miles, but every
where stands the primeval forest, clothing height and hollow alike. At
the south-eastern extremity of this lake, St. Mary's Channel carries the
superabundant waters for nearly forty miles, till they fall into Lake
Huron; about midway between, they rush tumultuously down a steep
descent, with a tremendous roar, through shattered masses of rock,
filling the pure air above with clouds of snowy foam.

Lake Huron is the next in succession and the second in magnitude of
these inland seas. The outline is very irregular, to the north and east
formed by the Canadian territory, to the southwest by that of the United
States. From where the Channel of St. Mary enters this lake to the
furthest extremity is 240 miles, the greatest breadth is 220, the
circumference about 1000; the surface is only 32 feet lower than that of
Superior; in depth and in pure transparency the waters of this lake are
not surpassed by its great neighbor. Parallel to the north shore runs a
long, narrow peninsula called Cabot Head, which, together with a chain
of islands, shuts in the upper waters so as almost to form a separate
and distinct lake. The Great Manitoulin Island, the largest of this
chain, is seventy-five miles in length. In the Indian tongue the name
denotes it the abode of the Great Spirit,[123] and the simple savages
regard these woody shores with reverential awe.

To the north and west of Lake Huron the shores are generally rugged and
precipitous; abrupt heights of from 30 to 100 feet rise from the water's
edge, formed of clay, huge stones, steep rocks, and wooded acclivities;
further inland, the peaks of the Cloche Mountains ascend to a
considerable height. To the east, nature presents a milder aspect; a
plain of great extent and richness stretches away toward the St.
Lawrence. Many streams pour their flood into this lake; the principal
are the Maitland, Severn, Moon, and French Rivers; they are broad and
deep, but their sources lie at no great distance. By far the largest
supply of water comes from the vast basin of Lake Superior, through the
Channel of St. Mary. Nea