It is quite clear, from the nature of the products of this country, that they must seek a distant market ; and that for some time, at any rate, the miners must obtain the great bulk of their supplies from the Eastern States. But the time must come when the agricultural resources of Minnesota, and a great part of Wisconsin, will be developed, and find their outlet in this direction. In 1851 the value of the imports which crossed the Sault was estimated at a million of dollars. They consisted principally of grain, dry goods, provisions, groceries, &c. The exports were valued at about 700,000 dollars, and consisted almost entirely of copper and iron. The population upon the southern shore of Lake Superior has, however, nearly trebled since then; and so, no doubt, has the traffic.

The great majority of the passengers on board the "Sam Ward" were going to take up their permanent abodes in these distant regions. This respectable craft had been built upon the lake, all the materials for her construction having been carried round the Sault rapids. She was large and roomy, but considered by a gentleman accustomed to the magnificent boats on the more civilised lakes, to be "tarnation old, and shaky some." However, we had very comfortable accommodation, and prosperous weather; and I cherish the most lively and agreeable recollections of my voyage in the “Sam.”

Towards evening the low wooded shores of the river Ste. Marie sank beneath the horizon, and we

found ourselves at last upon the broad bosom of Lake Superior. It was a calm moonlight night. The only airs that fanned my cheek, the only ripples that danced in the moonbeam, were caused by our rapid motion, as we ploughed our way through the clear still water. Land was nowhere visible; and as I leant over the sharp bows, and watched the silver spray as it sprang from beneath them, it was difficult to realise the fact that this monster boat, with her living freight of near three hundred souls, was already fifteen hundred miles from the ocean, and was bound upon a voyage of four hundred more.

CHAPTER X.

THE PICTURED ROCKS.-FATHER MARQUETTE.

Of the wonderful series of lakes which extends halfway across the North American Continent, Lake Superior is by far the most interesting, not only to the scientific man on account of the singular geological formation of its shores, but to the traveller in search of magnificent scenery, and who, if he is unable to perceive in its rock-bound coasts the traces of great natural convulsions at a former period of the world's history, can at least appreciate the scenic grandeur of which they have been the origin.

Lake Superior differs entirely from all the other American lakes. Instead of the low or gently rounded shores, clothed with the heavy timber of a more temperate climate, the scenery here is completely alpine. The coast is bold and lofty, formed of primitive rocks, and covered with pine. With an area of 32,000 square miles, Lake Superior is more than 600 feet above the sea-level, while its bottom at some places is about 300 feet below the surface of the

ocean.

THE PICTURED ROCKS.

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One consequence of its great extent and depth has been, that the action of its sweeping waves, upon a coast peculiarly susceptible to their influence, has been exhibited in a most striking manner, varying in effect with the nature of the formation in different localities. The most celebrated instance of this occurs at the Pictured Rocks, a spot we reached a little after daybreak on the morning following our departure from the Sault. We had heard so much of the interesting character of the coast, that we much regretted that our time did not admit of our exploring it at our leisure. Unfortunately we passed too rapidly, and at too great a distance, to be able to appreciate the wonders of this great natural curiosity.

A range of sandstone bluffs, perfectly precipitous, rise abruptly from the water to a height of upwards of two hundred feet. These extend for a distance of more than five miles, and present the most remarkable aspect. The lake surf, which has been dashing for centuries upon their base, has in some places excavated deep caverns, where it now thunders and reverberates as if triumphing in its mighty agency; in others, fantastically shaped grottoes project above the lake, supported by lofty sandstone columns, and surmounted with grotesque turrets. But the phenomenon to which the Pictured Rocks owe their name, is the singular distribution of colours over the face of the cliff, more particularly at the part called the Amphitheatre. Though we could distinguish some

thing of the painted appearance of the rock, we were too far off to perceive the full effect of the variety of tint, which, to judge from the accounts we received of it, must be singularly beautiful. They are thus described by Messrs Foster and Whitney, in their late report to the United States government :—

"The prevailing tints consist of deep brown yellow and grey burnt sienna, and French grey predominating. There are also bright blues and greens, though less frequent. All of the tints are fresh, brilliant, and distinct, and harmonise admirably with one another, which, taken in connection with the grandeur of the arched and caverned surfaces on which they are laid, and the deep and pure green of the water which heaves and swells at the base, and the rich foliage which waves above, produce an effect truly wonderful." In coming from the Sault, the first excavation is called the chapel; which, unlike the others in these cliffs, has been made in the rock at the height of about thirty or forty feet above the water. An arched roof of sandstone, from ten to twenty feet in thickness, rests upon four gigantic columns of rock, so as to leave a vaulted apartment of irregular shape, about forty feet in diameter, and about the same in height. The columns consist of finely stratified rock, and have been worn into curious shapes. At the base of one of them an arched cavity or niche has been cut, to which access is had by a flight of steps formed by the projecting strata. The disposition of