Of exotic vegetables introduced into Michigan, all have succeeded which were suitable to the climate. Wheat, rye, oats, barley. flax, hemp, garden vegetables, and meadow grasses flourish. Neither farming, gar dening, or the management of meadows and orchards, are pursued with even tolerable skill by the inhabitants ; the beneficence of nature has to supply what is left un done by human ignorance and improvidence. Fruit, such as peaches, apples, cherries, and plums, are plen tiful and delicious, maugre defective husbandry. In brief, the rude essay already made, amply demonstrates that population, science, and industry are only wanting to render Michigan one of the most flourishing and de sirable sections of the United States.
A common observation is made, that the climate of Michigan is more mild than that of similar latitudes more to the eastward, towards the Atlantic coast. We are inclined to consider such an opinion founded upon erroneous principles. Lake Erie is only 565 feet above the Atlantic ocean, and no part of Michigan is perhaps 150 feet above the surface of Erie, or much more than 700 feet above the level of the Atlantic ocean ; whilst much of the intermediate space is double that elevation, and consequently much more subject to the action of frost. The rivers and lakes of Michigan are, however, annually frozen ; snows are heavy and lie long upon the earth, a circumstance in itself in a high degree salutary to fruit trees and small grain. The climate, in brief, differs in no essential respect from that in similar lati tudes, elevation, and exposure. The summers are often oppressively warm, which, acting upon such extensive masses of fresh water as almost encircle the country, and cover much of its surface, exposes the inhabitants to intermittents, and other complaints in autumn. The climate is, nevertheless, in general salubrious, and the inhabitants healthy.
animals. The land animals found native, were the elk, deer, bear, wolves, foxes, wild-cats, Innume rable flocks of migratory water fowl, such as geese, ducks, swan, teal, and some others, cover the extensive marshes and ponds of Michigan at the approach of win ter, in search of the fols avoine, and a milder climate. The same may be said of the wild pigeons, which often visit this country in countless thousands.
The fisheries in Erie, Huron, and Michigan lakes, compose a very important part of the domestic policy of the inhabitants of Michigan, as at once affording em ployment and subsistence to a large portion of their number. The fish usually caught are, the white fish, and salmon trout ; both of exquisite flavour and taste.
Many other species are however caught, of excellent quality.
Domestic animals, introduced into the country, are the same as found in every other section of the United States, and therefore need no particular mention.
Inhabitants, towns, government, counties, population, and historical epochs. The first civilized inhabitants of Michigan were Canadian French, from Montreal and elsewhere. A small trading post was formed at De troit, long before the final conquest of Canada by the British, in 1759. After that event, the post at Detroit w as continued by the conquerors. The original French remained, and their descendants multiplied, and now compose more than a moiety of the population of the territory. The residue is composed of a medley of emigrants from the United States, Canada, and Europe. The manners of the people are mild and affable. Edu cation is neglected, and literary information confined to a few. The people who inhabit Michigan. are the most detached portion of the inhabitants of the United States ; their external intercourse is very limited, which perhaps superinduces an indifference for those intellectual en dowments which confer marked superiority on those who possess their advantages. Extended and approxi mating population will remove this, and many other evils, against which our frontier inhabitants have to contend.
The only town yet formed in Michigan worthy of particular description, is the city of Detroit, which is situ ated in Wayne county, and stands upon the right hank of the strait or river of the same name ; N. Lat. 42° 15' 36"—W. Long. from Washington City 5° 36'—or W. from Greenwich. Detroit contains about 200 dwell ing houses, and about 1200 inhabitants ; a number of taverns and stores ; one church, a court-house and jail, and an academy. The site of the city rises by a gentle acclivity from the river to the main street, and thcnc ex tends backwards level, or very gently rolling. Being the entrefiot between the United States and Canada, and the interminable Indian country in the interior of the conti nent, a military and naval post, and the scat of territorial government, more activity prevails at Detroit than could be expected from its remote and isolated position: it is in reality a thriving and prosperous town.
Munroe on the riviere Raisin in Munroe county, Brownstown above the mouth of Huron of Erie, and Ma guaga in Wayne county, and Mount Clemens in Ma comb county, have received the appellation of towns, though neither have assumed adequate importance to merit farther notice in this review. .