Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. While dwelling upon the importance of the com mercial life of the Inland Seas, I wish also to empha sise the fact that I have kept always in mind another large class of people who are keenly interested in my subject, though not from a commercial stand point. The present volume is designed to interest this latter class by portraying another side of Lake life - the human side, the romance and the tragedy that have played their thrilling parts upon these waters; the wonders of their progress; the story of their ships, their men, their wars, for of all the pages in the history of the North American continent none are more thrilling, or more filled with the romantic and the picturesque, than those which tell the story of our fresh-water seas.

While dwelling upon the importance of the com mercial life of the Inland Seas, I wish also to empha sise the fact that I have kept always in mind another large class of people who are keenly interested in my subject, though not from a commercial stand point. The present volume is designed to interest this latter class by portraying another side of Lake life — the human side, the romance and the tragedy that have played their thrilling parts upon these waters; the wonders of their progress; the story of their ships, their men, their wars, for of all the pages in the history of the North American continent none are more thrilling, or more filled with the romantic and the picturesque, than those which tell the story of our fresh-water seas.