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Show TRAVELS THROUGH NORTH AMF.RICA: averao-c, ~bout four in breadth. The foi1 of this iGand is fertile, and it r~ b f.1.i 1 tl:at fi\'C hnndrc l people arc fcttkd upon it. The Bro:>.d Lake is nearly fifty miles in ]c 1gth, and gr;lclna lly narro :vs till it terminal s in a large river calkd Chambly, Ricblicu, or Sorcllc, which runs into the St. Lawrence. The foundings of Lake Champlain, except at the narrow parts at either end, arc in general very de p; in many places fi. ty and fcv<.:llty, and in fomc eveil one hunJre fathoms . In proportion to its breadth and depth, the water is more or Jef cl ·ar ; in the broacJ part it is as pure and tranfparcnt as poffiblc. On the weft f1de, as fu· as Cumberland Day, the bke is bound ·d for the moll: part by O:ecp mountains clo(e to the edge of the w:1tcr; at Cumberland Bay the ridge of mount:tins runs off to the north weft, and the Chore farther on is low and fwampy. The Eafl: or Vermont !horc is not much lcvated, except in a fi·w particu1ar places; at the di. ancc of twelve miles .• however, from the lake is a confiderablc mountain. The {hor~s on both fides arc very rocky; where there arc mountains thde rock jut out vei-y boldly; bu at the eafi: fi de, where the lanLl is ]ow, they appear but a little ab :ve the water. The inan ls alfo, for tl1c mofl: part, arc furroundcd with rocks, · n fome parts, 01e1ving down into the lake, fo that it · is d<lngerous to approach within one or two miles of them at particular fid s. From fomc p:uts of the eafl:ern 01orc the r cks a1fo run out in the fame manner for a confiderablc difl:ancc. Sailing along the iliore when a breeze is blowing, a hollow murmuring noife is always heard from the waters !1)la0Jing into the crannies of thcfe rocks. There are many fl:rcams which fall into the lake: the mouths of all thofc on the wefrern fiue are ohfi.ruB.ed by falls, fo that none of them are navigable. Of thofe on the caficrn o' V errpont f1de, a few only arc navigable for fmall heats, and that for a. fhort diibnce. The f~enery a1ong various parts of the lake is extr mcly grand and pi8:urcfqne, particularly beyond Crown Point; the !bores arc there beautifully ornamented with hanging woods and rocks, and the mountains on the wefl:ern fide rife up in ranges one behind the other in the moil: magnificent manner. ' It wa·s on one of the fincft evenings poiTtble 2 that LA K E C HAM P LAIN. 17 3 that we patTed along this part of the lake, and the fun fctting in all his glory behind t lC mount:1ins, fpread the. richcfl: tints over every part of the prof}1e8:; th~.:: moon alfo appearing ne:u·ly in the full, fhortly after the day had lofcd, a{rorded us an opportunity of bd10lling the furrounding fccncry in frcfh though Ids brilkwt colours. Our little bark was now glidino- tinoothly along, whilfl: every one of us remaineJ wrapt up in fd t nt contemplation of the folcmn fc nc, when fuddcnly fhc {l:ruck upon one of the !hdving rocks: nothing but hurry and confuGon was now vifible on bo:1rd, every one knding his affiil:anc.e; however, at lafi:, with fume difllcnlty, we got her off; but in a minute fl1e fi:ruck a fecond time, an I after \Ve had again extricated her, even a third and a fourth time; at laO: {he Huck fo bil: that for a ihort time we dcfpaired of being able to move her. J\t tl c cnc1 of a quartc of an hour, however, we again fortumtely ·other into deep water. \V' had before fufJ ,eB:e i that our boatman did not know a rent dc.a1 about the n; \'igation of the lake, and on quefl:ioning him now, it c1me o t, that he lwd been a coblcr all his life, till within the la f1 nin mont 1s, when he thought proper to change his bufi neG, ::~nd turn f::~ilor. P 11 the know! ·dgc he h:n.l of the fl10r s of the lake, was what he had pick d up duriJw that timt, as he failed fl:rai ht backward and forwaru b~twe 11 St. John's and Sken~fborough. On the preft:nt occafion he haJ mifl:akcn one b:1y for another, and had the waves b en as high as they fomctimcs arc, the boat would inevitably have been dJfhccl to pieces. The humhlc roof of another judge, a plain Scotch lal onr r, afforded us fhclt r for thi night. lt was ncar clcv n o'clock, however, when '"c got there, and the f.1mily l1aving retired to rdl: we h::~d t remain r:~pping and calling at the door for half an hour at lcafl:, before we could get admittance. The }'leoplc at laO: being rouft:d, open d their doors, cheerfully o-ot us {ome [upper, and prep:ncd their befi: bed for u . In the morning, having paid our re koning to the judge, he returned to his plough, and we to our boat to profccu te our voyage. We fet ofT thi day with a remarkable fine brce:te, and being ddirous of terminating our voyage as [oon as po1ll blc, of which we began now to be fomewhat tired, we i1: ppe i but once in the courfc of the day, and dctem \ned .. |
