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176 | THOMPSON'S COAST PILOT. situated on both sides of the River Raisin, three miles above its en- trance into Lake Erie, and about 40 miles from Detroit. It is con- nected with the lake by a ship canal, and is a terminus of the Michi- gan Southern Railroad, which extends west, in connection with the - Northern Indiana Railroad, to Chicago, Illinois. The town contains about 4,000 inhabitants, a court house and jail, a United States Land Office, eight churches, several public houses, and a number of large stores of different kinds. Here are two extensive piers, form- ing an outport at the mouth of the river, the railroad track running to the landing. A plank road also runs from the outport to the city, which is an old and interesting locality, being formerly called French- town, which was known as the scene of the battle and massacre of River Raisin, in the war of 1812. The Detroit, Monroe, and Toleco Railroad, just completed, passes through this city. Steamers run from Detroit to Toledo, stopping at Monroe. LAKE ONTARIO. This Lake, the most eastern of the great chain of Lakes of North America, receives the surplus waters of Niagara River ; it is 180 miles in length, and 60 miles in extreme breadth ; being about 480 miles in circumference. The boundary line between the British Possessions and the United States runs through the middle of the lake, and so continues down the St. Lawrence to the 45th degree of north latitude, where the river enters Canada. The lake is navigable throughout its whole extent for vessels of the largest size ; and it is said to be in some places upwards of 600 feet in depth. Its surface is elevated 234 feet above the Atlantic, | and lies 330 feet lower than Lake Erie, with which it is connected by the Niagara River and by the Welland Canal in Canada. It has also been proposed to construct a ship canal on the American side. The trade of Lake Ontario, from the great extent of inhabited country surrounding it, is very considerable, and is rapidly increas- ing. Many sail vessels and splendid steamers are employed in navigating its waters, which owing to its great depth, never freeze, except at the sides, where the water is.shallow ; so that its naviga- tion is not so effectually interrupted by ice as some of the other large Jakes. The most important places on the Canadian or British side ©