pany, and is still mained as a military station by the United States, and used as the rendeous of the various Indian tribes, which resort thither annually to receive their government payments. Mackinac is now a place of considerable traffic, the principal exports being fish and furs, the latter becoming annually more and more scarce; and the imports, blankets, ready-made clothing, fishermen's supplies, and trinkets for the Indians, who rarely carry away much of their receipts in money. This point is distant from Chicago 340 miles; from Buffalo about 700, by water; and from the Sault Ste. Marie 120. No returns for its coastwise commerce are at hand for 1851. Its Canadian imports for 1851 were. Do do 1850 $3,967 3,261 706 $818 663 155 Increase on 1851..... Sault Ste. Marie is situated on St. Mary's river, the outlet of Lake Superior, at about 120 miles from Mackinac, 405 from Detroit, and 921 from Washington. It is pleasantly situated on the west side of the straits, and at the foot of the rapids, whence its name. These rapids are about three-quarters of a mile long, at about 20 miles below Lake Superior, with a fall of about twenty-one feet. The river St. Mary's is, in all, from Lake Superior to Huron, about sixty miles in length, flowing first a few degrees north of east, then bending abruptly and flowing a few degrees east of south. "Through its whole course it occupies the line of junction between the igneous and detrital rocks, forcibly illustrating to what extent the physical features of a country are influenced by its geological structure.' Between Mackinac and the Sault Ste. Marie there are innumerable groups of small islands, principally near the northern shore of Lake Huron and the mouth of the St. Mary's, their number having been estimated at thirty thousand. None of these are as yet of any commercial importance, unless it be St. Joseph's, which is beginning to export grain and live-stock. Hitherto the Sault Ste. Marie has been the head of lake navigation, in consequence of the interruption caused by the rapids at this point. When it is considered that the distance to be overcome does not exceed one mile, with a lift 22 feet, and that the banks of the river nowhere rise to above twenty feet above the water-line, and are composed of soft, friable rock, imbedded in easy soil, it is astonishing that a ship canal has not been opened long ago across this trivial portage-trivial in regard to the labor and expense of rendering it passable; the cost not being estimated as likely to go beyond a few hundred thousand dollars-which would open to the American lake marine the navigation of the finest lake in the world, furnishing and requiring all articles necessary to build up and maintain a large and prosperous trade. In no other respect, however, is this obstacle slight or trivial; for everything required for the facilitation of the v numerous and wealthy iron and copper mines of Superior, including machinery of enormous weight, and supplies and forage for the men and live-stock employednor this only, but the huge blocks of native copper and heavy ore returning down this route-must all be transported overland at extraordinary difficulty and expense. Even large vessels, several in number annually, are transported over this portage by means of ways and horsepower; nor is it in the least extravagant to say, that the aggregate amount of money thus unnecessarily expended year after year, without any permanent result, would, if collected for a few seasons, defray not only the interest, but the prime cost of this most necessary work. "Efforts have been made, and will doubtless be renewed," says the report of Messrs. Foster and Whitney on the copper regions of Lake Superior, "to induce the government to construct a canal around these rapids, and thus connect the commerce of Lake Superior with those of the lower lakes. The mere construction of locks is not, however, all that is required. It will be necessary to extend a pier into the river the rapids, to protect the work and insure an entrance to the locks. pier will be exposed to heavy currents, and at times to large accumulations of ice, and must be constructed of the firmest materials and strongly protected." Materials of the best quality can be easily obtained, as the report goes to show, from Scovill's Point, on the Isle Royale, or the Huron islands, for the completion of the works, which would not, it is believed, at any rate exceed half a million of dollars. The effect of the removal of this untoward obstacle-which deters a large, useful, and healthy population from settling in this regionkeeps the mineral lands out of the market, and in a very great measure debars the influx of mineral wealth, which could not be otherwise shut out-would be to give a general stimulus to trade, and an infusion of vigor, activity and spirit to the whole movement of the country, with a general increase to the national wealth, entirely beyond the reach of calculation. It were, therefore, undoubtedly a wise and prudent policy, founded on the experience of all ages, and in nowise savoring of rash or speculative legislation, to disburse the small comparative amount necessary at once to render this vast addition to the national wealth, commerce, and marine, available. It is clearly impossible that young and necessarily poor States-as all new States unavoidably must be, until their lands are rendered capable of producing, and their mines ready for exploitation-can construct such works at their own expense; and they must necessarily be raised by aid from government, or be left undone, from want of aid, to the great detriment of the community. Another though inferior consideration is this-that in case nothing is done by the United States government, a canal will undoubtedly be cut, even with the disadvantage of a ten-fold expense, through the hard, igneous rocks on the British shore, by the Canadian government, which never lacks energy or enterprise when channels of commercial advantage are to be opened or secured to itself. And the result of this would be the diversion from the citizens of the United States of the large sums payable, in the way of tolls, on a work ten times more expensive than would be requisite on the American side. The business of the Lake Superior country for 1851 is estimated as follows, for the articles which crossed the portage at the Sault: Imports, 100,000 barrels bulk; in which are included 2,000 bundles pressed hay; 20,000 bushels of oats and other kinds of grain; provisions, dry goods, groceries, general supplies, and five mining engines; forming an aggregate estimated value of $1,000,000. The exports passing around the rapids, for the same season, are as follows: 1,800 tons of copper, at $350... 500 tons of iron blooms, at $50 4,000 barrels fish, at $5. $630,000 25,000 20,000 The imports are about 40,000 barrels bulk in excess of the imports of 1850. The cost of transportation on the above one hundred thousand barrels bulk was an average of about nine shillings a barrel from Detroit, or a gross sum of $112,000 for the transportation of 100,000 barrels for a distance of 500 miles, all by water, with the exception of one mile. The opening of a ship canal at this point would undoubtedly reduce this cost by two-thirds within three years; and within six years the actual savings would defray the whole cost of construction. Above the Sault is the whole coast of Lake Superior, awaiting only free communication with the lakes below to send forth the rich mineral treasures of that region in exchange for the manufactures and merchandise of the east. The lake is 355 miles in length, having an American coast to the extent of not much less than 900 miles. The area of the lake is 32,000 square miles; its greatest breadth from Grand Island to Neepigon bay is 160 miles, and its mean depth of water 900 feet, with an elevation of 627 feet above the level of the sea, and 49 feet above the waters of Huron and Michigan. The water is beautifully clear and transparent, and abounds with the most delicious fresh-water fish, the flavor and richness of which infinitely exceed those of the lower lakes, so that they will always command a higher price in the market. One species, the siskawit, has only to be known in the New York and eastern markets in order to supersede all varieties of sea-fish, for unquestionably none approach it in succulence and flavor. This lake is fed by about eighty streams, none of them navigable, except for canoes, owing to the falls and rapids with which they abound. The more prominent of these rivers, flowing through American territory, are the Montreal, Black, Presque Isle, Ontonagon, Eagle, Little Montreal, Sturgeon, Huron, Dead, Carp, Chocolate, La Prairie, Two-hearted, and Tequamenen. The Ontonagon and Sturgeon are the largest and most important rivers, which, by the removal of some obstructions at their mouths and the construction of piers to prevent the formation of bars, might be converted into excellent and spacious har bors, in the immediate vicinity of some of the most valuable mines, where the want of safe anchorage is now severely felt. The mouth of the Ontonagon is already a place of some growing business, as is La Pointe, at the Apostle islands, where is a good harbor. Eagle and Copper harbors are also places of commerce for the importation of supplies and the shipment of mineral produce. Ance, at the head of Keweenaw bay, Marquette, Isle Royale, where there is a good harbor, are all places rapidly growing into importance. It would seem that the whole lake coast, from the Sault Ste. Marie to the Isle Royale, is rich in iron and copper ore, and it is scarcely possible to conceive the results which may be expected, when the present mines shall have been developed to their highest standard of productiveness, and others, as unquestionably they will be, discovered and prepared for exploitation. There are at present two steamers, four propellers, and a considerable number of smaller sailing craft, all of which have been dragged overland, by man and horse, across the portage, in constant employment carrying up supplies and bringing back returns of ore and metal. All these articles have necessarily to be transhipped and carried over the isthmus; and yet, under all these disadvantages and drawbacks, the traffic is profitable and progressive. This consideration only is sufficient to establish the positive certainty of success which would follow the construction of an adequate and well-protected ship canal. Indeed it may be asserted, without hesitation, that a well-concerted system of public works, river, lake, and harbor improvements, are only wanted to render the great lake regions, and this district not the least, the most valuable and most important, as they are now the most beautiful and most interesting portion of the United States. The enrolled tonnage for the Mackinac district, according to the of ficial reports of June 30, 1851, is stated at 1,409 tons, all sail. This is evidently inaccurate, as there were several steamers and propellers plying, at that very date, on the lake above the Sault, and several small steamers running regularly on the waters of Green bay, Lake Winnebago, and the Fox river. The extreme inaccuracy, looseness, and brevity of the returns kept and reports made from most of the lake ports of entry can hardly be too much deprecated or deplored, rendering it, as they do, impossible to compile a complete report of the lake commerce sufficiently explicit, and with details sufficiently full, to the perfect understanding of a subject at once so intricate and so important. Canada trade in 1851. Imports. $3,967 Duty collected.... $818 No. 16.-DISTRICT OF MILWAUKIE. Port of entry, Milwaukie; latitude 43° 3′ 45′′, longitude 87° 57′; population in 1840, 1,712; in 1850, 20,061. This district, which formerly was attached to that of Chicago, was erected in 1850, and the returns embraced in this report, being the first that have been made of its lake commerce, give little opportunity for comparison. The coast extends from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, southward to the northern line of the State of Illinois, a distance of about a hundred miles, embracing the ports of Sheboygan, Port Washington, Kenosha, or Southport, Racine, and Milwaukie. These ports are all situated in the State of Wisconsin, on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Sheboygan is immediately adjoining the district of Mackinac; has a good situation for business, though the harbor needs some improvement. The State legislature has authorized a loan for this purpose of $10,000. There is an excellent farming country in the rear of Sheboygan, the soil of which ordinarily produces good returns of the first quality of grain; in the last two years, however, the wheat crop has been almost a total failure. The imports of this port for 1851, were. Exports do Total... Entrances, 730. do do $1,304,961 121,705 1,426,666 Port Washington, twenty-five miles north of Milwaukie, is a port of a growing and important trade, its harbor being formed by the projection of a pier into the lake. The town is situated on a high bluff, which shields the pier from westerly winds. The country circumjacent is well adapted for agriculture, grazing, and wool-growing. The trade of this port is steadily on the increase. Imports of Port Washington for 1851.. Exports do Total... do $904,400 139,450 1,043,850 Southport, the name of which has been recently changed, with good taste, to the old Indian appellation of Kenosha, is a flourishing place situated on the bluffs, 35 miles south of Milwaukie, and sixty north of Chicago. Under the protection of the bluffs upon which the town stands, piers have been extended into the lake, alongside which vessels may lie and load or discharge cargoes, except during the prevalence of strong easterly gales, during the height of which the seas sometimes are heaped on the piers, and break with such violence as to compel the shipping to stand off into the lake for sea-room. Like the rest of this portion of the State of Wisconsin, the soil about Southport is of a nature to encourage agricultural pursuits; and in consequence the back country is increasing very rapidly in population, and the prairies beginning to export their rich and varied produce, the result of which is a growth of the commerce of the port beyond the anticipations of the most sanguine. The returns show the imports for 1851 to have been..... $1,306,856 Do exports for 1851 Total do Entrances, 856, 661,228 1,968,084 |