A Trip Around The Lakes

Here we are on the great waters 01 Lake Michighan, far froin sight of land, thinking how to amuse your numerous readers with the inauy Httle inoidents of a trip of sevon hundred miles around the lakes. How few of our people have ever enjoyed the many comforts and pleasures of such a journey at so small an expense. Some prefer the dust and heat of railroad travel, going long distances to reaoh the variouB fashionible watering places there to ape the wealth and extravagance of the day, and after getting well fleeced of their greenbacks return home worn out, thinking they have enjoyad the best mode of travel. Others, if their purses are long enough, cross tho ocean - wander up the old castle-lined Khine, over the cloudcapped Alps, down the fainous Tyrol, over the vine-clad plains of Italy - nevor dreaming that our own beloved America has her more charming rivera, more Alps in her old rocks, from whose beetling crags " leaps the live thunder," more sunny plains teeming with fruits, flowers, and all tbe rich products of nature, not surpassed in any foreign clime. We took passage on the iron steamer Jauan at Detroit for a three days trip to Chicago. This ia a atanch craft and one of the fineat on the lakoa. Hor length is 234 feet; beain, 36 feet ; huil, 10 feet; tonnage, 1,479. She cost $235,000, the engine and boiler $25,000 of that ainount. Her inside finiah is in the most auperb style trom native woods - birdseye maple, ash and walnut - the atate-rooma elgant models of neatne83 and oomfort. Captain McDougall, her commander, is just the right man in the right place - genial, social, end alwaya on the lookout for comfort and ploasure of bis seven ty passengera. We firat passed up Detrait river with quite a fresh breeze, the passongera all on the qui vive to view the scenery on either ahore. Soon we reaoh the singular little lake St. Clair, sixty miles wide and only twenty miles long. At the entrance on the American shore at Grosse Poiat are quite a number of beautiful villas built for a quiet summer resort by soine of the more wealthy families of Detroit. Passing to the head of the lake we arrive at the famous St. Clair flats, where haa been built a canal for the safe passage of ves8els. ïhanks to Uncle Sam for this long needed iiuprovement. At the head of the canal ou the marshes has been built a nice hotel by a Detroit boat olub as a resort for tishing parties, who have rare sport taking in the large black baas and pickerel. How such a place would please " boss " Kintner and other noted anglers of Ann Arbor. Just at thia aeaaon of the year the many thousand acres of marshea in thia región proBont a beautiful appearance. The tall, grasses have a coloring of the most exquisita tints of green, with here and there a space of deeper color for contrust ; and as the bright sunlight flashes over its waving and velvet-like surfaoe presenta a rich and gorgeous pioture for the artist. We now enter St. Clair river and make our firat port at Marine City, where the passengers were amused to see a rustió oouple come aboard. They saw our boat coming in, and being at a house a short distance away gtarted in graat haste for the doek. Wheu near the landing, a boy carne running at f uil speed with a huge pair of' boots in his hand. The man looked down to nis feet aad saw that he in his haste had left his boots behind and had started on a journey in a pair of slippers. At Port Huron we arrived in the evening, and the night was dark and cloudy. A fresh breeze is blowing, and we were about to launch out upon the foaming billows of lake Huron, ing that before morning our boat would be battling with the tremendous seas of Saginaw Bay. Tiusting to a faithful pilot and our iron-bound oraft we retire, perchanoe to dream of home joya and frienda left behind, but fearing we inight awake in the morning with a heaving stomach and no particular desire for breakfast. Morning came and our noble vesael was heaviug and plowing through the white-created wavea still onward. 8ome of the pasaengers had lost their appetites, while others go to the table and partake a hearty meal. In a short time we are over the bay and on our direct route to Mackinaw, aoine fifty miles off the shore. ' There are aome strange fticts connected with these lakes. For instanoe, lake Michigan haa a depth of 900 feet ; lake Huron 700 feet, and lake Erie only 125 feet, and from Chicago to Buffalo, a diatanoe of 1,000 miles, there is a fall of only thirteen feot. Who would auppose that lake Superior was 700 feet aboye the level of the Atlantic ocean ? Agaiu, how wonderful that such immense inland seas should exist without itny visible inlets, with their deep, clear waters ever moving on toward old ocean aud yet never exhausted. Aa we approach the rocky heights of fort Mackinaw in the evening, the lights in the fort and hotels look like twinkliug stars in the far distauce. As soon as we entered the port the passenger went ashore and amused theinselves visiting the f une y shops filled with Indian curioaities. A national park is soon to be laid out on this ialand, now covered with groves and forests. It has some remarkable natural curiosities and is quite a resort for invalida, being noted for its pure and bracing atinosphere. This is a great tiahing point. Üur best 1 white iish and trout are caught here. Gill nets are sunk froui seventy-five to two hundred feet when the fish are runnin g. The Straits of Maokinaw are only three miles wide at thia place, but Boon spread out into a broad expanse as we approach lake Michigan. To our right lay the Manitou Istauds - the Indian name for the home of the Great Spirit. On these islands some Mormous once settled. Their leadrtwaa killed by one Strong ; the others flod from the islands and all their property feil into the hands of the fishermen. We now enter lake Michigan, the last lake on our age, and the deepeat and moat dangerou8 to navigate ; but fortune favor us. Skies are olear, the blue watera are at rest, and a quiet Sabbath prevails. Strangera when we met, have now formed frieudships to be lasting. How true the linea, "A fellow feeling makes us wondrous kind." How fitting now to hear the aweet gongs of praise and the eloquent words of the preacher as he tolla us about the Golden City, that haven of rest we hope to reach when Ufe s storiny voyage is over.