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/cin deer. He is 4 or 5 feet in height, and feeds
upon the buds and tender twigs of the forest.
He is shy and has very acute senses. His flesh
is highly esteemed by the hunters and Indians,
and the horns when soft are a great delicacy.
The elk has often been domesticated.
The soil is various : the alluvions of the rivers
are fertile; along the shore of Lake Michigan
it is sandy and sterile. The chief mineral pro-
duction is lead, for which See Lead Mines Cop-
per was formerly thought to exist here in great
abundance, but this does not appear to be the
case. Iron is found in various parts. The cli-
mate of the southern parts is mild, but in the
north the winters are severe. One of the most
valuable natural productions is the wild rice
which grows on the marshy borders of the lakes
nd rivers. It grows in 6 or 7 feet depth of
water where the bottom is mud'dy ; the stalk
is 12 or 14 feet in length; the leaves and spikes
resembles those- of oats. Sheaves of them are
bound together while growing, to preserve them
from the birds who resort to these spots in mil-
lions for the purpose of feeding upon the rice.
After it has ripened in this manner, the Indians
roiv their canoes through the rice and beat the
grain with sticks into the canoes where blankets
are spread to receive it.
There are miny Indians residing in this ter-
ritory. The tribes are the Cbippeways. Winne-
bagoes, Menomonees and Ottawa*. Their num-
bers amount to abont 30A Terr groat
proportion of the county is still in a wild state,
and the settlements are chiefly within the penin-
sula. The counties in the territory are IS. The
pop. exclusive of Indians is 31,260 of whom
27 are slaves. Detroit is the capital. The
Methodists have 11 preachers in the territory;
the Presbyterians 6: the Episcopalians 5; the
Baptists 2; and there are some Catholics.
A settlement was made here at Detroit by the
French, so early as 1670, but they never occupied
much of the country. The territorial government
wins established in 1805. The peninsula was over-
run by the British in 1812 shortly after the com-
mencement of the war, but they were driven
from the territory by General Harrison the next
year.
Michigan, Lake, one of the great chain of lakes
in North America. It lies wholly within the
limits of the United States, inclosed in the terri-
torv above described. It is 290 m. in length, 55
in breadth, and 500 in circumference, ft com-
municates with Lake Huron at the northern ex-
tremity bv the Strait of Michilimackinac, which
has 12 feet depth of water. The lake is deep
enough to be navigated by ships of any burden.
It abounds with fine trout, sturgeon and various
other kind* of fish. Canals are in contemplation
to connect it with the waters of the Missis-
sippi
MtcnMSTtllt. p.v. Hartford Co. Maryland.
MiehHirtarkinac, a county of Michigan. Pop.
877. It comprises all the northern part of the
Territory. Michilimackinac or Mackinac, on the
island of that name, is the capital.
Miehilimaekinac, a strait which unites the lakes
Michigan and Huron. It is 6 m. wide ; and on
its S. E. side, in Lake Huron, is an island, with
a fort and village of the same name. Long. 84.
30. W7., lat. 45. 48. N.
Michilimackinac, Little, a river of the state of
Illinois, which enters the Illinois 200 in. above
xe2x80x98ts junction with the Mississippi. |
Middleborough, ph. Plymouth Co. Mass. 40
m. S. E. Boston. Pop. 5,008. Here are manufac-
tures of nails and iron, which are supplied with
bog ore from ponds in the neighbourhood.
Middlebrook, p.v. Augusta Co. Va. and Mont
gomery Co. Maryland.
Middleburg, a large commercial town of the
Netherlands, capital of the island of Walcheren,
and of all Zealand. The squares and public build-
ings are magnificent; particularly the town-houso,
formerly a celebrated abbey. The harbour is
commodious, and has a communication with
Flushing by a canal, which will bear the largest
vessels. Middleburg was taken by the Eritish in
July, 1809, but evacuated in the December fol-
lowing. 85 m. S.W. of Amsterdam. Lon*. 3. 37
E., lat. 51. 29. N.
Middleburg, a town ofthe Netherlands, in Flan-
ders, 5 m. S. E. of Sluys.
Middleburg, one of the Friendly Islands. See
Eaoowe.
Middleburg, ph. Schoharie Co. N. Y. Pop.
3,266 ; p.v. Union Co. Pa.; p.v.Fredricks Co. Md.
p.v. Loudon Co, Va.; also a village in Nelson Co.
Ken. and a township in Cuyahoga Co. Ohio.
Middleburg,pA. Addison Co. Vt. on Otter Creek.
33 m. N. AV. Rutland. Pop. 3,463. Here are man-
ufactures of cotton, iron and marble. A .quarry
of this last material exists on the banks of the
creek within the town. Middleburg College at
this place was founded in 1800. It has 5 instruct-
ors and 99 students. The libraries have above
4.000 volumes. There are three vacations, in
January. May and August, of 13 weeks. Com-
mencement is in August.
Middleburg, ph. New Haven Co. Conn. 36 m.
S. W. Hartford. Pop. 816; p.L Gennesee Co. N. Y.
Pop. 2,415; p.v. Portage Co. Ohio.
Middlefield, ph. Hampshire Co. Mass. 24 m. W.
Northampton. Pop. 721; p.t Otse*o Co. N. Y.
Pop. 3,238.
Middleham, a town in N. Yorkshire, Eng. with
a woolen manufacture. Here are the ruins of a
once stately castle, in which Richard the III. was
born, and where Edward IV. was confined after
being taken prisoner in his camp. It is seated
on the Eure, 11m. S.byW. of Richmond and 232
N. N. AV. of London.
Middle Island, p.v. Suffolk Co. N. Y. on Long
Island.
Middleport, p.v. Niagara Co. N. Y.
Middlesex, a county of England, bounded N.
by Hertfordshire, E. by Essex, S. by Surrey and
Kent, and W. by Buckinghamshire. It contains
an area of 179,200 acres, has two cities (London
and Westminister) and seven market towns, and
sends eigbt members to parliament. The air is.
healthy ; but the soil in general, being gravelly,
is not naturally fertile, though by means of its
vicinity to the metropolis many parts of it are
converted into rich beds of manure, clothed
with almost perpetual verdure. Besides the
Thames. Lea, and Coin, which are its boundaries
to tbe S., E. and W. Middlesex is watered by
several small streams, one of which, called the
New River, is artificially brought from near Hert-
ford, for the purpose of -supplying London with
water.
Middlesex, a county of Massachusetts. Pop.
77,968. Cambridge is the capital. A county of
Connecticut. Pop. 24,845. Middletown is the cap-
ital. A county of New Jersey. Pop. 23,157 New
Brunswick is the capital. A county of the E.difr
trict of Virginia. Pop. 4,122. Urbana is the capital |
