Erie

(Lake,) (è're,) a large expanse of inland waters, lying bet. the U. States and Canada, in the middle division of the St. Lawrence basin, that is to say, bet. N. Lat. 41° 22′ and 42° 32', and W. Lon. 79-85°. Bounded N. by Upper Canada, it is confined by the States of New York and Pennsylvania on the E., S. by Ohio, and W. by Michigan. Its length, S.W. to N.E., is abt. 265 m., with a varying width of from 10 to 63 m. Its shape is that of an ellipse, broadest in the centre. Area, 7,800 sq. m. It is principally fed by the superfluous waters of the upper lakes, via the Detroit river. The depth of Lake E. varies from 200 to 270 feet, with a constant current setting E. Its N. shores are rocky and perilous, as indeed are those to the S.; the only safe harbors being situated at its extremities. In the winter, it is much obstructed by ice, and a large part of its surface frozen over. Several groups of small islands dot its W. end, and, with the exception of the Well and,it receives few rivers. It is brought into direct water-communication with the Atlantic by means of the Erie Canal, connecting it with the Hudson; and with the Mi i ippi by the Ohio Canal. The chief places on the American side of the lake are Buffalo, Erie, Sandusky, Cleveland, and Toledo; on the Canadian, Port Stanley, and Port Dover.-Lake Erie, during the war with England in 1812-13, was the scene of important naval operations between the two powers, and a severe action was fought near its W. extremity, Sept. 10, 1813, between an American flotilla, under the command of Com. Perry, and a British squadron, under Com. Bar clay, in which, after nearly 12 hours' desperate fighting, the latter were defeated, with the lo of 41 killed and 94 wounded. American lo , 24 killed, besides a number of wounded. The immediate effect of this action was the evacuation of Detroit by the enemy. [s. 339]