rived and derivable from the climatic influence of our mighty inland waters.*

In the introduction to my former paper, I was led to remark that it is now seventeen years since my attention was first attracted to these interesting philosophical subjects, by remarking the great difference in the newspaper reports of the temperature, direction of the winds, and state of the weather in different parts of the Province at the same time, as compared with each other, and by having been in the habit for seven years, at my residence on the banks of Lake Erie, of noticing the constant extraordinary fluctuations in the level of that noble Lake; at times consisting only of slight irregularly recurring oscillations; at others, showing a sudden change of level, apparently caused by the temporary impulse of passing storms; at others, evincing a longer continued state of elevation or depression, in evident accordance with the more enduring influence of winds blowing from the same quarter for days together; and at others, and more especially and unaccountably, of a longer maintained rise of several feet above the usual level, sometimes lasting for a whole season, or even more, as was the case during the memorable years, 1838-39-regarded at the time by some of my neighbors as the traditional seven years' flood.

Being much struck with these singular phenomena, and yet not being sufficiently at leisure, besides feeling myself otherwise disqualified for attempting a scientific investigation of their causes, I naturally felt, nevertheless, a strong desire to ascertain what had been written on the subject, or might be, from time to time, by more able philosophical observers; and I accordingly made a practice of taking notes from all such published works, and other sources of information, as referred to them, as they happened to fall in my way, until I had, in the course of years, accumulated a mass of miscellaneous memoranda-not to call it testimony on the subject, of so conflicting a character as frequently rather to add to the perplexity than promote the elucidation of the object in view; and the consequence was, that, after vainly attempting to classify and reconcile the information therein contained, regarding the rise and fall of the Lakes generally, and comparing it with my own passing observations and enquiries respecting Lake Erie in particular, I came to the con

* As a remarkable instance of the tempering influence of the proximity of the Lakes, it may here be mentioned, that in the immediate vicinity of Cleveland, the temperature during ten years has in no instance fallen below zero, while at Columbus, Marietta, and Cincinnati, from 120 to 150 miles farther south, it has frequently sunk to 5 deg. and 10 deg. below it; and that in Northern Ohio, generally, the tender vegetation is usually cut down within five days of the 25th of October, whereas the Lake shore remains untouched for two weeks later; and during the winter, when deep snow falls elsewhere, there is comparatively little near the Lake. -American Journal of Science, 2nd Series, vol. xiii, pp. 215 to 219.

clusion that there was still much room for further investigation, as all the Lakes did not appear to be always governed by simultaneous influences;* and therefore, that the only chance of arriving at a correct knowledge of the state of the whole matter, would be the adoption of some such course of long continued meteorological and tidal observations throughout the country, as that which I ventured to propose in my last paper.

Having in that communication enlarged principally on the value of a wide-spread series of simultaneous meteorological observations, as the more important brauch of the great object in contemplation, I propose to confine myself, on the present occasion, to the no less interesting, though minor, part of the undertaking-aiming at the institution of a simultaneous record of the daily variations in the level of the great Lakes, with the view of throwing light on, and, if possible, deciding, the three following doubtful points: 1st, How far there is any foundation for the traditional report, that there is a septennial rise and fall in the waters of the Lakes, and if so, to what height; and whether such phenomenon takes place in all the Lakes simultaneously or otherwise. 2d, The amount of the better known annual variations in the level of the different Lakes; and how far these changes occur in each at the same time; and whether they are solely due to the annual amount of the rain and snow in the surrounding country, compared with that of the evaporation during the summer months, or to any other cause there with combined. And 3d, How far the daily or other more frequent oscillations, or irregular tides, observable in the different Lakes, are general, and arise from the temporary force and direction of winds passing over their surface, or are peculiar only to certain localities; and whether they are in any sensible degree influenced by atmospheric pressure, or lunar attraction, or otherwise. All which, it

is hoped, would in the course of time be satisfactorily decided, by a daily record of the actual level of the Lakes, combined with that of the prevailing winds and weather, at a fixed number of stations, at hours simultaneous with the other meteorological observations.

Taking it, at all events, for granted that such will be the case, I proceed, as an indispensable preliminary step, to take a discursive view of a yet debateable state of the question, as brought home to my mind by a comparison of the casual observations made by myself on Lake Erie, compared with the recorded opinions expressed by others, possessing either greater ability, or more leisure and better opportunities, for prosecuting such an enquiry, as far as the very miscellaneous and disjointed memoranda accumulated by me will enable me to do so.

This will be found patiently illustrated in a tabular view of the Rise and Fall of Lake Erie, incorporated in this paper.

In accordance with this intention I may, in the first place, remark, that though the phenomena connected with the various periodical fluctuations in the level of the lakes appear to have attracted the notice of philosophic travellers near two centuries ago, they remained altogether uninvestigated till very lately. The minor tides or oscillations were first alluded to by Fra Marquette, the Jesuit, in 1673, and more particularly by the Baron La Hontan in 1689: and they were afterwards further noticed by Charlevois in 1721, and also by the British travellers, Mr. Carver in 1766, and Mr. Weld in 1796; but it was not till twenty years afterwards that the whole subject began to engage the particular attention of men of science in America, and especially of the talented individuals engaged in the Geological Surveys of the States of New York, Ohio, and Michigan: in this period, I find them successively noticed by Col. Whiting in 1819 and 1829, Mr. Schoolcraft in 1820, General Dearborn in 1826, and Governor Cass in 1828; and more particularly by Professors Hall and Mather, Colonel Whittlesey, Dr. Houghton, Mr. Higgins, and others, in their valuable official reports, from 1838 to 1842; as well as by various observant British officers and travellers, such as Captains Bayfield and Bonnycastle, and Messrs. McTaggart, Macgreggor, and others, the purport of all of whose observations will be found more or less glanced at in the sequel:-and yet, strange to say, these singular phenomena still remain involved in mystery!

It so happens that the observations of all the early writers on this interesting subject were confined to Lakes Superior, Michigan and Erie, and were directed more to the daily fluctuations or tides remarked at particular places, than to the actual existence of the traditionary great septennial rise and fall of the waters of the whole Lakes. Thus, for instance, Baron La Hontan, on reaching Green Bay, at the northern extremity of Lake Michigan, at its conjunction with Lake Huron, remarks that where the Fox river is discharged into that Bay, he observed the waters of the Lake swell three feet high in the course of twenty-four hours, and decrease as much in the same length of time. And he also noticed a contrariety and conflict of currents in the narrow strait which connects Lake Huron and Michigan, which were so strong that they sometimes sucked in the fishing nets, although two or three leagues off. In some seasons it also happens that the current runs three days eastward, two days westward, and one day to the south, and four days to the northward, sometimes more and sometimes less.

Charlevois also noticed similar appearances; and supposes Lakes Huron and Michigan to be alternately discharged into each other through the Straits of Michilimackinac; and mentions the fact that in passing that Strait his canoe was carried by the current against a head wind.

But it was not till fifty years afterwards that we were indebted to that intelligent British traveller, Mr. Carver, for any great additional light on this mysterious subject, as well as for other particulars regarding the then unknown region of Lake Superior, from information acquired on the spot. But as his remarks are alluded to by a subsequent equally respectable and observant English writer, Mr. Weld, who visited Canada in 1796, we are content to refer to the interesting volume of the latter for the following (much condensed) appropriate observations.*

"It is confidently asserted, not only by the Indians, but also by great numbers of the white people who live on the shores of Lake Ontario, that the waters of this Lake rise and fall alternately every seventh year. Others, on the contrary, deny that such a fluctuation does take place; and, indeed it differs so materially from any that have been observed in large bodies of water in other parts of the globe, that I am tempted to believe it is merely an imaginary change. Nevertheless when it is considered, that, according to the belief of the oldest inhabitants of the country, such a periodical ebbing and flowing takes place, and that it has never been clearly proved to the contrary, we are bound to suspend our opinions on the subject. For instance: a gentleman who resides close upon the borders of the Lake, not far from Kingston, and had leisure to attend to such subjects, told me that he had observed the state of the Lake for nearly fourteen years, and that he was of opinion that the waters did not ebb and flow periodically; yet he acknowledged the very remarkable fact that several of the oldest white inhabitants in his neighborhood declared, previous to the late rising of the Lake, that the year 1795 would be the high year; and that in the summer of that year the Lake actually did rise to a very uncommon height. He said, however, that he had reason to think

*I take the opportunity of here remarking that I might easily have imparted a seeming greater degree of originality to this paper by continuing to make only occasional reference to parts of information derived from different writers, and connecting them with a few second-hand observations in my own language; but feeling myself already dissatisfied on that head, and being desirous of exhibiting the whole evidence on the question, independent of any opinion of my own, I have adopted a more equitable course, in allowing as much as possible, my authorities to speak for themselves, in their own language. I may at the same time add, that, in perusing the following and other hurriedly copied extracts and memoranda, accumulated at uncertain intervals during a course of more than fifteen years, and frequently at times when opportunities of access to books were "like angels' visits, few and far between," it must be borne in mind that they were made without any view to publication, and simply for the purpose of furnishing the means of hereafter comparing the observations of different writers on an important philosophical question in which I had long taken a deep interest; and that they will, therefore, perhaps often be found neither altogether verbatim nor regularly connected, and perhaps even betraying not a few verbal errors; but whatever their defects may be, compared with the originals, the reader may be assured that there was no intention to alter or distort the meaning or merits of the author, and that they may therefore be considered as a faithful epitome of more extended observations.

that the rise on this occasion was wholly owing to fortuitous circumstances, and not to any regular established law of nature; and that its being greater than usual was more imaginary than real; and he formed this opinion from the circumstance that when the Lake had risen to its unusual height in 1795, he had questioned some of the oldest people as to the comparative height of the water on this and former occasions, when they affirmed that they had seen it equally high before." Now, a grove of trees which immediately adjoined this gentleman's garden, of at least thirty years' growth, was entirely destroyed this year by the waters that flowed amongst them; and if, therefore, the Lake had ever risen so high before, this grove would have been then destroyed; a circumstance militating strongly against the evidence as to the height of the waters, but which only proved that they had risen on this occasion higher than they had done for thirty years' preceding, and not that they had not during that term risen periodically above their usual level.*

What Mr. Carver relates concerning this subject rather tends to confirm the opinion that the waters of the Lake do rise periodically. "I had like to have omitted (he says) a very extraordinary circumstance relative to these Straits (of Michilimackinac, between Lakes Michigan and Huron). According to observations made by the French, whilst they were in possession of the fort there, although there is no diurnal flood or ebb to be perceived in these waters, yet from an exact attention to their state a periodical alteration has been discovered. It was observed that they arose by gradual but almost imperceptible degrees till they had reached the height of three feet. This was accomplished in seven and a half years; and in the same space of time they as gently decreased, till they had reached their former situation. So that in fifteen years they had completed their inexplicable revolution. At the time I was there, the truth of these observations could not be confirmed by the English, as they had then been only a few years in possession of the fort, but they all agreed that some alteration in the limits of the Straits was apparent." "It is to be lamented (added Mr. Weld judiciously) that succeeding years have not thrown more light on this subject. A long series of observations are neccessary to determine positively whether the waters of the Lakes do or do not rise and fall periodically. It is well known, for instance, that in wet seasons they rise much above the ordinary level, and that in very dry seasons they sink considerably below it; a close attention, therefore, ought to be paid to the quantity of rain that falls, and to evaporation; and it ought to be ascertained in what degree the height of the Lake is

The destruction of these trees would depend more on the length of time they were inundated, than on the mere fact of their having been temporarily flooded. -R. L.

SECOND SERIES, Vol XIX, No. 55.-Jan., 1855.