The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-26
THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION.
HoV IL IL COMPOSED md What II IL to Doth
Difficulties OF the hlarch.

Difficulties OF the harch.
The British expedition to Red river is to rem
devious at COllingwood, and will consist of 600
regulars and 400 volunteers The expedition
will proceed thence by steamers to Fort William,
provided permission can be obtained from our
Government to pass through the Sault Ste.
Marie Canal At Fort William the actual diff
culties of the march commence. There are,
first, 2S miles of a march to Dog Lake, where
the boats will be called into requisition. The
next stage is along Dog Lake and river, dis
tance OF 35 miles. The river is sluggish and
winding stream, about % yards wide, rising only
1S feet in 35 miles, and running through fiat
and swampy valley about one mile wide. At its
head there are three portages, five miles in
length, risiig 205 feet, and traversng the height
of land between the levels of Lakes Superior
and Winnipeg.
= These are the Prairie, Middle, and Savanne
portages and are easily made, though the last
is swampy and would require drainage. Over
all these the boats must be dragged by oxen or
horses, and the provisions, etc., conveyed by
hand. Taking to water again, the troops pro-
ceed down the Savanne river, a muddy and
meanderng stream, much clogged by drift
wood, to Lac des Mile Lacs nineteen miles,
and across the lake. thirty-six miles, to the
Seine. This lake is studded with numerous
islets and the scenery is bold and rocky. En-
teIing the Seine, which is from one hundred to
two hundred feet wide, and winds through a
fiat, wooded valley, sail of ten miles brings us
to the Little Falls at the junction with the Fire
Steel river. These are literally Little Falls, only
twenty-five feet high. Down the Seine, bounded
by low hills of the primitive formation, a course
of sixty.six miles, with five portages, leads to
Rainy Lake.
This lake contains some 500 islands, mainly
composed of pale red granite and chloritic and
greensboro slate; and though they are very
picturesque, they are desolate and barren. There
are some 1900 Indians here of the Saulteux
tribe, and loyal to England. The distance over
aud along the lake to Fort Francis is fifty miles.
Here, at the Hudson Bay Company's post there
is portage of 200 yards past Rainy Falls 90
feet high, and entering Rainy river. This is a
stream from $50 to 450 yards wide winding
and studded with groves of maple, birch and
oak. There are a quarter of million of acres
of the finest land in the world here and navigs-
1ion is only interrupted by two Insignificant
rapids. In the whole "A miles of river the fall
is only 2615 feet The river debouches into the
Lake of the Woods. The Lake of the Woods
crosses its northern angle, S4 miles, and here
the boats must be left. The lake is crowded
with numerous islands on which the Indians
grow maize, and wild rice springs up every
where in the water. The line OF march is due
west, over the prairie.
The first 60 miles are wooded and swampy,
the last SO are open prairie. The Government
road has been built as far as the White Marth
river crossing the Red river, about 300 feet
wide after 534 miles by steamer, 345 miles by
batteau, and 120 miles by road-a total distance
from Collingwood of exactly 1000 miles-at
Fort Garry. The town of Winnipeg contains
only some $50 or 800 inhabitents; the total
population of Red river settlement is between
1200e and 15,0 600. This is now RieIs head.
quarters. 1t is IA miles from Pembina and 5SC
from St. Paul.
The expedition, it is understood, will leave
Collipgwood about the 1st of June. A detach
ment will leave Fort William on the LIST of May
to clear the way, open the portages etc.