as a beautiful country, with a rich limestone soil, and well adapted for agricultural purposes. These lakes lie in a row, from northwest to southeast, the largest being the upper, or most northwesterly, called the Fourth lake. The other three are of nearly equal size, and about equal distances apart. Their outlet, called the Catfish creek, is a valuable stream, affording several fine sites for water power, and might easily be made navigable for small boats. From the report of Capt. Cram, many interesting facts relative to the Catfish and the Four lakes are here given:

"The FIRST LAKE has a circumference of nine and a half miles, and contains five square miles of surface; its longest diameter points due east and west, and is three and one-eighth miles in extent; and the north and south diameter is two miles long. The water is pellucid and has a depth along the boat channel, varying from seven to ten feet, excepting near the outlet, where, as is usual with these lakes, there is a bar, over which the water is but two feet deep. The shores, with but few exceptions, are good; in some places they are rolling and uneven, being broken by bluffs, and interspersed occasionally with small marshes. The timber is scanty, and of inferior quality."

The SECOND LAKE is next above the First. Its length is three and a half miles, and its width nearly two miles. The water is pure, and along the boat track has a depth of nine feet. On the north and east the shore is marshy, with a low, gravelly bank intervening between the marsh and the water's edge; on the southern and western shores, the land is elevated, undulating, presenting high knobs and bluffs.

The THIRD LAKE is intermediate in size, as well as position, between the Second and Fourth lakes, being three and a half miles long, and occupying an area of about six square miles. Its waters are very clear, and about ten feet deep; the banks are high and undulating, bearing a scattered growth of burr oak and white oak trees. Madison is

on the north shore of this lake, occupying the narrow strip of land between it and the next.

FOURTH LAKE is the uppermost and largest of the Four lakes. It has a periphery of nineteen and one-fourth miles, and covers an area of fifteen and sixty-five hundredths square miles. Its longest diameter bears due east and west, and is six miles in length; and the transverse diameter is four miles long. The water is cold and pure, and of a depth sufficient for all the purposes of navigation by small steamboats-supposed to be from fifty to seventy feet at some places. "The land bordering upon it is hilly, undulating, and in many places broken. On the north side it is well timbered, chiefly with hard wood; and lime, and siliceous stone are found in abundance; the quality thereof, however, has not been sufficiently tested to enable one to form a just estimate of its value for building purposes." This is a beautiful lake, with clean, white, gravelly shores, and is mostly supplied from springs, having only one small tributary. It is fifteen miles from the Wisconsin river, at the nearest point; and it is supposed that a canal might be constructed uniting these waters at Arena, by the valley of the Black Earth creek. The country around the lake rises gradually to a considerable elevation; it is underlaid by limestone. Chalcedony, agates, and carnelians, have been found among the pebbles on the shore of this lake. The surface of the Fourth lake is estimated to be two hundred and ten feet above Lake Michigan, or seven hundred and eighty-eight feet above the level of the ocean; and it is estimated by Capt. Cram to be twenty-two inches higher than Third lake.

There are eight other small lakes in Dana county.— (Twelve in all.) The largest, called WINGRA, lies west of Third lake, and is one and three-fourths miles in length, and three-fourths of a mile wide. The others have not yet been named, and several are quite small.

The CATFISH RIVER, or outlet of the Four lakes, between

the Fourth and Third lakes, one mile, has a width of from sixty to one hundred feet, and a depth of three feet, except near the Fourth lake, where the width is only thirty-five feet, and the depth two. The descent is estimated at a little less than two feet. Between the Third and Second lakes the descent is but very little; the average width is about three hundred and fifty feet, and the depth varies from one to nine feet; distance, seven-eighths of a mile. Between the Second and First lakes, three and a half miles, there are three slight rapids, having a total descent of about two feet; and the depth of water varies from one to three or four feet. From the First lake to Dunkirk Falls, nine miles, there is but little fall in the river, the water being usually deep, and about one hundred and thirty feet average width. The best method of improving the navigation of this stream would probably be, to build a dam at this point, about six feet high, which would increase sufficiently the depth of the channel, and bring all the lakes to the level of the Fourth lake, thus making a connected navigation for small, steamboats through the whole distance, without further expense.

At the Dunkirk Falls there is a rapid, in which the descent is six feet, in a distance of one and one-fourth miles, there being no perpendicular fall. The banks are from fifty to sixty feet high, and the valley is much contracted. From this point to Rock river, twelve miles, there is a constant succession of rapids-one having seven feet and four inches descent in a distance of about one mile. The whole descent on these rapids (twenty-five in all) was ascertained by Capt. Cram to be thirty-four and sixty-eight hundredths feet. The Catfish enters Rock river eleven and a half miles below the foot of Lake Koshkonong. The whole length of the stream, from the head of the Fourth lake, is forty miles, twenty-eight of which could be made navigable by the erection of one dam at Dunkirk, not exceeding six feet in height.

KOSHKONONG CREEK lies chiefly in Dana county, having its source about eight miles northeast from Madison, and running nearly parallel with the Catfish, along the east line of the county, enters Lake Koshkonong (hence its name) in Jefferson county. It receives the waters of two or three small lakes, and its length is about thirty-five miles.

SUGAR RIVER takes its rise in the western part of this county, its head branches approaching near those of the Black Earth creek, which runs in an opposite direction from the great dividing ridge, and enters the Wisconsin at Arena, in Iowa county.

MADISON is the only village of any size or importance in this county, though a great many others have been laid out, and some of them may hereafter be built up.

The BLUE MOUNDS are two conical hills, or mounds, one in Iowa, and one, the largest, in Dana county, twentyfive miles west of Madison, and twelve miles south from the Wisconsin river. Their elevation is such that they can be seen at a distance of fifteen or twenty miles or more; and in the first explorations of the country they were very important landmarks to guide the traveller in his course through the boundless prairies. The Indian name is Mucha-wa-ku-nin, or Smoky Mountains, applied to them, it is said, on account of their summits being usually enveloped in a cloud, or fog. From the summit of these mounds, which are covered with vegetation all the way up, there is a very grand view of the surrounding country, extending far beyond the Wisconsin on the north, and embracing a wide circle on all sides. The Platte Mounds, which are similar in many respects to the Blue Mounds, and may be considered as rivals, are seen at the southwest. Near the Mounds are the remains of a Fort, built during the Black Hawk war, in which several families were protected from the savage foes. The stranger is here shown the grave of Lieutenant Force, who was killed by an Indian hid in the tall in a small ravine, near the place where the grave grass,

is now seen. This Indian was afterwards killed, near the Four lakes, in a skirmish with General Dodge's volunteers, and a gold watch belonging to Lieutenant Force was taken from the pouch of the Indian, and restored to his family.

The following is a geological section, extending from the summit of the eastern mound to the Wisconsin river, at Helena, as reported by Dr. Locke:

1. Cornitiferous rock, or beds of chert, forming the peak of the
Mound,

2. Geodiferous lime rock, or lead bearing rock,
3. Blue limestone (of Dr. Locke), very thin, or wanting,
4. Saccharoid sandstone,

5. Alternations of sandstone and limestone,

6. Sandstone,

7. Lower limestone,

Total,

Feet.

410

169 00

40

188

3

190

1000

Lead mines have been opened on the southern slope of the principal mound, which afford, in addition to the usual kind of ore, another called "white mineral" by the miners -probably the carbonate of lead. Its external characters are so much unlike the common ore, that its real nature would not be suspected until a more careful examination was made. It is not very abundant, and is seldom worked as an ore, on this account. The smelters give only half as

much for this as for the common ore.

Dane County has now adopted the township system of government, and is divided into towns as follows:

ALBION townships five and six, in range twelve.

DUNKIRK-township five, in range eleven.

ROME-townships five and six in range nine, and township six in range ten.

RUTLAND township five in range ten.

SUN PRAIRIE-townships eight and nine, in ranges eleven and twelve

MADISON-embraces all the country not included in the towns above named.