and the St. Lawrence river. Its situation corresponds exactly with that of Chicago, it being the chief port, and at the head of navigation of a great lake, and the point where the railroads from the interior of the State will terminate. As Wisconsin and the States and Territories lying north and west of it advance, and the commerce of Lake Superior increases, as that of Lake Michigan has done, there is no reason why Superior may not become a second Chicago. Its position at the furthest extremity of Lake Superior, commanding the country lying north and west of the lake, and east of the Rocky Mountains, shows that Nature has marked this spot for the great commercial city of this mighty inland sea. Nor is there any apparent limit to its increase. The great States and cities which are growing up in the Northwest, will find their cheapest outlet to the seaboard by the channel of the lakes. Peopled, as they are now being, with a rapidity which has no parallel, these new States are fast rivalling in wealth and importance the older communities of the Eastern frontier, and are drawing from them, rapidly and steadily, the capital and vitality which were once all their own. Railroads are in process of construction to the Mississippi river, and to other points beyond, which will soon command the produce and commerce of the interior. The experiment of an uninterrupted navigation from the Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean was proved by the successful voyage of the schooner Dean Richmond, in the spring of 1856, from Chicago to Liverpool, and the arrival of the British schooner Madeira Pet, the 14th of July, 1857, with a cargo of merchandise from Liverpool, at Chicago. These voyages are destined to work an entire revolution in the internal traffic of the Western States, and will lead to an extended and increasing intercourse with Europe. The application of steam will overcome the delays of navigation, and the path opened by the "Dean Richmond" and the "Madeira Pet" will be thronged with the flags of every nation. What is true of Chicago is true of the City of Superior. What is possible by the St. Lawrence river and canals is equally possible with the Sault Ste. Marie. The unrivalled chain of inland navigation to the heart of this continent does not end with Chicago. It is complete to the City of Superior. What may be said in favor of the lakes as an outlet from the great West, may, for all purposes of business and settlement, be urged for them as an inlet from the ocean. The productions of the Northwest are now shipped, in the very centre of America, for the remotest parts of Europe, and the best class of emigrants-always an invaluable cargo embark almost at their own doors, and are conveyed to the very places in which they desire to settle. An advantage of the highest importance, as it saves them from the inconveniences, delays, and impositions, which now too often attend their journey westward. In a short time, emigrants can purchase tickets for Wisconsin in the very heart of Europe, which will take them over two thousand miles into the interior of America, without transhipment, and with no greater inconvenience than might attend their journey from their homes to the ports of departure.' We will give the distances from Liverpool to Quebec, to prove that the sailing distance between them is if the Straits of Belle Isle be followed, 400 miles, and if the southern route be taken, some 200 miles. shorter than between Liverpool and New York. 1 At present, large numbers of emigrants are daily reaching Wisconsin through Canada. On arrival at Quebec, they take passage on steamboats for different ports on Lakes Michigan and Superior. The distances are as follows: From Quebec to Liverpool, via north of Ireland and Straits of Belle Isle.......... From Quebec to Galway, via north of Ireland and Straits Miles. 2680 1800 2815 3073 Another advantage of this route is, that a third of the distance to Quebec is within the Gulf and River St. Lawrence, where a steamer will sail faster, being less impeded there than by the heavy swells of the Atlantic. Miles. The distance from Quebec, via daily steamers, to Montreal, is... 180 Montreal to Cleveland, daily steamers, is..... 661 The To appreciate the magnitude of the canals and their locks on the St. Lawrence, it is necessary to give a description of some of the most important of them. Welland Canal is a very important work, connecting Lakes Ontario and Erie. Its locks are 150 feet in length of chamber, by a width of 262 feet, its dimensions being well suited for the class of vessels best adapted to the Western lakes, of which large numbers pass through it, as well of Canadian as American crafts. This canal is 28 miles in length, having about 30 cut-stone locks, and is lighted with gas for the night operations; the brilliant burners marking its course for a long distance. Notwithstanding these precautions, it is with difficulty that the immense trade between the upper and lower lakes can be accommodated. It surmounts an elevation between Lakes Ontario and Erie of 330 feet, while the elevation from tide water to Lake Ontario being over 200 feet, is overcome by the St. Law |