[Clark:]
Fort Clatsop on the Pacific Ocian on the South Side of the Columbia River.
Thursday 30th January 1806 [15]
Nothing transpired today worthy of notice. we are agreeably
disapointed in our fuel which is altogether green pine.
we had supposed that it burned badly, but we have found by
splitting it burns very well.
The dress of the Clatsops and others of the nativs in the
neighbourhood differ but little from that described of the
Skilutes and Waukiacums; they never ware legins or mockersons
which the mildness of the climate I presume has rendered
in a great measure unnecessary; and their being obliged to be
frequently in the water also renders those articles of dress
inconveniant.
The Sac-a-commis is the groth of high dry situations, and
invariably in a piney country or on its borders, it is Generally
found in the open piney woodlands as on the Western side of
the Rocky mountains but in this neighbourhood we find it
in the praries or on the borders in the more open woodland's;
a very rich soil is not absolutely necessary, as a meager one
frequently produces it abundantly. the nativs on the West
side of the Rocky Mountains who can precure this berry
invariably use it; to me it is a very tasteless and insipid frute.
This shrub is an evergreen, the leaves retain their virdu[r]e
most perfectly throughout the winter even in the most rigid
climate as on Lake Winnipic. the root of this shrub puts
fo[r]th a great number of stems which seperate near the surface
of the ground; each Stem from the size of a small quill, to
that of a mans finger; these are much branched forming an
accute angle with the stem, and all more properly procumbent
than crossing; for altho' it sometimes puts forth radicles from
the stems and branches which strike obliquely into the ground,
those radicles are by no means general, equable in their distances
from each other nor do they appear to be calculated
to furnish nutriment to the plant but rather to hold the stem
or branch in its place. the bark is formed of several thin
layers of a Smothe thin brittle substance of a redish brown
colour easily seperated from the woody stem in flakes. the
leaves with respect to their position are scatter'd yet closely
arranged near the extremities of the twigs particularly. the
leaves are about 3/4 of an inch in length and about half that
in width, is oval but obtusely pointed, absolutely entire, thick,
smoth, firm, a deep green and slightly grooved. the leaf is
supported by a small footstalk of preportionable length. the
berry is attached in an irregular and scattered manner to the
small boughs among the leaves, tho' frequently closely arranged,
but always supported by a seperate short and small peduncles,
the incersion of which produces a small concavity in the berry
while its opposite side is slightly convex; the form of the
berry is a spheroid, the shorter diameter being in a line with
the peduncle or stem. this berry is a pericarp the outer coat
of which is a thin firm tough pellicle, the inner part consists
of dry mealy powder of a yellowish white colour invelloping
from four to six propotionably large hard light brown seeds
each in the form of section of a spheroid which figure they
form when united, and are distitute of any membranous covering.
the colour of this fruit is a fine scarlet. the nativs
usually eat them without any preparation. the fruit ripens in
September and remains on the bushes all winter. the frost
appears to take no effects on it. these berries are sometimes
gathered and hung in their houses in bags where they dry
without further trouble, for in their succulent state they appear
to be almost as dry as flour.
