The Country of the Neutrals / (As Far As Comprised in the County of Elgin), From Champlain to Talbot

This is a copy of Galinee's map of 1670, the first made from actual exploration in which Lake Erie appears. It was printed in Faillon's Histoire de la Colonie Française, and in The History of the Early Missions in Western Canada. The plate was very kindly placed at the service of the Elgin Historical and Scientific Institute, for use in this work by the Very Reverend Dean Harris, the author of the last mentioned book.
The following explanations refer chiefly to the western portion of the map:
Title: Map of the country visited by Messrs. Dollier de Casson and de Galinee, missionaries of St. Sulpice, drawn by the same M. de Galinee. (See M. Talon's letter 10th November, 1670). L. Huron: Michigan or Fresh-Water Sea of the Hurons. (These lakes were erroneously supposed to be but one). N. End: Bay of the Pottawatamies. Islands near Mackinac: I entered this bay only as far as these islands. W. of St. Clair River: Great hunting ground. At Detroit: Here was a stone, idol of the Iroquois, which we broke up and threw into the water. Essex Peninsula: Large prairies. Lake Erie: I mark only what I have seen. Long Point: Peninsula of Lake Erie. North Shore Opposite: Here we wintered. The Bay Opposite: Little Lake Erie. Grand River: Rapid River on Tina-Toua. East Side Grand River: Excellent land. West Side Grand River: (up the river): The Neutral Nation was formerly here. West of Burlington Bay: Good land. Niagara River: This current is so strong that it can hardly be ascended. At its Mouth: Niagara Falls said by the Indians to be more than 200 feet high. Lake Ontario: I passed on the south side, which I give pretty accurately. North Shore: Mr. Perot's encampment. Here the missionaries of St. Sulpice established themselves.
The writer of this paper has been acquainted with the old fort, as it was called, since the year 1867. At that time it was in the midst of the forest. Since then the woods have been cleared away, except within the fort and north of it. Indeed, a considerable number of trees have been felled within the southern part of the enclosure. In the mounds themselves trees are abundant, and there are many in the moat or ditch between. The stumps of those which have been cut down are so many chronological facts, from which the age of the fort may be conjectured with some approach to accuracy. A maple within the enclosure exhibits 242 rings of annual growth. It was probably the oldest tree within the walls. A maple in the outer embankment shows 197 rings; between the inner and outer walls a beech stump shows 219 rings, and an elm 266. Many of the trees were cut down a good many years ago. Judging from these stumps, it would be safe to calculate the age of the forest at about two hundred years, with here and there a tree a little older. The area enclosed is level. In the field south there are numerous hummocks formed by the decayed stumps of fallen trees. The walls were manifestly thrown up from the outside. There is an exception on the south-east. Here the ground outside was higher, and to get the requisite elevation the earth was thrown up on both walls from the intervening space, as well as on the exterior wall from the outside. Each of the walls runs completely round the enclosure, except where the steep bank of the little stream was utilized to eke out the inner wall for five or six rods on the west side, as shewn on the plan. Opposite the south end of this gap was the original entrance through the outer wall. The walls have been cut through in one or two other places, doubtless by settlers hauling timber across them.