T H E
NortB-Carolina Chronicle or, Fay etteville Gazette
No- j 6, of Vol. II. J
MONDAY, D E G E M B E R
27 i79
Total No- 68.
IIST0R2.
I CARVER's TRAVELS.
( Continued.)
OME of my chief amufements W2S
that of filing for trouts. Tho'
the freights were covered with ice, we
fiand means to make holes through it,
ant Uttingdown ftrong lines of fifteen
yv-rdi in length, to which were fixed three
four hooks baireJ with the fmall fi.h
te: re defcribed, we frequently caujht
two at a time of forty pounds weight
c.i-h ; b i thi common iixc is from ten
rnt.venty pounds. Thefe are moa de
licious food. The method of prckrving
th-Ti during the three months the winter
generaliy U Is, is by haniag them up
in he air, and in one night they will be
ir en fo hard, that they will keep as
Wcii as if ih-y were curJ Ath f,w
I have only poiated out m the p'an of
my travels the circuit I made from my
leaving Michillimackinic till I arrived
ng un at the fort. Th fc countries that
tie nearer to the colonics hive been fo
oiren and fo minutely dcfcribeJ, thai
ar.y farther account rhri would be
Vi -iels. I ih til .h-xeforc only give my
leaders, in. the reminder of mr journ
al, as I at fir.l propo ed, ascription of
the odicr -oreat lakes. of C anada, many
ct which I h ve n.iv.Vatc j over, andre
Ure ar the fame time a few particular
la.iJentsthat I trnft will not be found
inapplicable or unentertainin.
; ; o
I In tine, 17.58. I hft MVK;n;.,.v.:
pxc, andeumcd in the Gtadwvn
ft-iooner, s, vcffd o ahoul c tns
b -rhen, ever lake Huron m lake, Sr.
ajre, where wf left the Ihip, and pro-
Jed ,n boats to Octroi:. Th:s lake is
a -mt ninety miles in circumference, aai
Jn hc.-ay oi Hiron n ver, which runs
Jr m ih.. louth corner of lake Hiiroa, re.
the wai-rs of th- hr- crrculak,;
-n.r, M:ch-.;an. and Huron. Its
l" i-- rather round, aniin'oni- places
T. 'U r?P,,ghfor lhff n-rion of
eiieis, but towa- ds ih? mi Idle of
V-aie loaded ixom paffi. g over it
Such as are in ballaft only, may find wa
ter fufficieat to carry them quite through.
The cargoes, however, of fuch as are
freighted, mutt be taken out, and after
being tranfported acrofs the bar in boats,
refliipped again.
The river that runs from lake St.
Claire to lake Erie (or rather the itrcight,
for thus it might be termed from its
name) is called Detroit, which is m
French, tire ftreight. It runs nearly
fouth, has a gentle current; and deptlrrf
water furSsieht for fhrps of confiderabl
burthen. The town of Detroit is fitu
ated on the weftern banks of this river,
abrut nine miles below lake St. Claire.
Almoft oppofi e, on the eaftern fnore,
h the village of the ancient Hurons : a,
tribe of Indians which has been treated
of by fo many writers, that adhering to
tlie rcitrictions I have lard myfelf under of
only defcribirrg places and people little
known, or incidents that have patfsd un
noticed by other, I ihall omit giving a
defcription of them. A miilionary of
the order of Carthufian Friars, by per
mitlion of the, jIiop of Canada, refidcs
among h m. "
The l a ks of the river Detroit,, both
above aud below thefe towns, arc cover
ed with fettlements that extend more
than twerty miles ; the country being
exceedingly fruitful, and proper for tlie
cultivation" of wheat, Indian com, oats,
and peas. It has alfo many fpots cf
fine pafiarzge ; but as the inhabitants,
who are chiefly French that fuhmkted to
the :nliih government after the con
que2 cf ;Lcfc parts by general AnJierft,
are more attentive to ihe Indian trade
than farming, it is but badly cultivated.
The tflwn of Detroit contains upwards
of one hundred houfes. The
fomewhat regular, and have a range cf
very convenient and handfome barracks,
ih a fpacions para'de at the fouth end.
On the well fide lies the king's garden,
belongirg to the governor, which is very
well laid nut and kept in good order.
The fortifications cf the town conilft of
a tlrong ftockade made of round ph??,
fixed Simly ia the groutd, ard lined
v. ith pali ades. Thcfe ae defended by
fon.e jrnall baRicns, on which are mount
ed a few rndiffrrenr C2nroa of an in cor. -fidsmtlc
Zac, - juil fcfScicDt for its de
fence againfl the Indians, or an eelny,
not provided with artillery. J
ral br 8nicn m time of peace, eon
fifts of two hundred
by a held officer, who afts as chief ma
giftrate under the governor cf Canada.
1 I theyear i762, in the month of Ju
ly, it ramed on this town and the parts
adjacent, a fulphureous water of the co
lour and., confluence of ink ; fome cf
whlch being collecled into bottles, and
wrote with, appeared perfectly ineligi
ble on the paper, and anfwered every pur
pofecf that -ufeful liquid. Soon after,
the Indian wars already fpoken cf, .'broke
out in thefe parts: I mean not to fay that
this mordent was: cminous of then, not
withflanding it is well known that innu
merable well, atteaed inftances of extra
ordinary phecnomena happening before
extraordinary events, have been record
ed in almofl every age by hiftorians ofwe
racity I only relate tne circBmRancc
as afaic of which I was informed br
many perfons of undoubted probity, and
leave my readers, as I have hitherto dene,
to draw their own conclufions frr m it.
Lake Erie receives the waters by which
it is fupphed from the three great lakes
through the ftrefghts of Detrcit, that,
he at its, north-writ corner This lake
is fmiated between forty one and forty
three degrees of north latitude, and be
tween ierenty-eight and eighty-three de
grees of weft lorgitnde.! It is near three
hundred mile- long from caft to weft,
and about ferry in its broadeft part :
and a remarkable lorg narrow point lies
on its north fide, that projects for fcveI
miles into the lake towards the fcuih-
; 1 here are fever al iftaiids rear the weft
end of it fo infefted with rattlc-fnake?,
that it is very dangerous to lard on thf-rr. '
n injpoiuDie mat any p?ace can
cucea weater number cf a l
1 - - .
Kir.cs c;
thrf, reptiles than this doer, prticuiav
wa.cr inaxe. 1 ms lake is envtrt i
near the bar.fcsof the iinds withedaige
j ond lily ; -he leaves oftvhith lie on the
water thick as to crvtr i: eat frK ft r
many rfcres trgetker ; r.d on ca-h cf
thele lay, when I piL-d t er ir, vrcaihs
cf water fnakis bidhirv in the- iun
vhich amcunted to myr?ard.s "
. The rr.oa rei?is:k2b cf the difcex: