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By
Joseph Walton, M.P. London
: Sampson Low. Marston & Company (Internet
Archive) 1900
Sir
Joseph
Walton, 1st Baronet DL, JP (19 March 1849 – 8
February 1923) was an
English coalowner and Liberal Party politician. Walton
was born at Bollihope,
County Durham, the second son of John Walton from
Frosterley, a colliery owner.
He did not attend school and received his education
privately. In 1880 he
married Faith Gill, the daughter of a Middlesbrough
solicitor. Their home was
at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in Cleveland. In religion Walton
was an active Wesleyan
Methodist all his life. Walton began his
commercial career in Middlesbrough in 1870 in the coal
industry and allied
trades. He recognised the great expansion in the coal
industry which was
continuing to take place at that time and the key place
of Middlesbrough in its
development. He eventually built up a large business of
coal and coke related
merchants and colliery ownership. Walton’s success in
business enabled him to devote his time to political
activity. Walton got an
opportunity to enter the House of Commons when a vacancy
occurred at Barnsley
in 1897. Walton was adopted as the Liberal candidate for
the resulting
by-election and was elected. Walton held his seat at the
1900 general election
in a straight fight against the Unionists by a majority
of 3,193. In 1906 he
was returned unopposed. He held again in January 1910 by
a majority of 7,372
over the Unionists and was again unopposed at the
December 1910 general
election. It was clear that by this time Walton had the
respect of the
working-class community and in 1914 even the Barnsley
Trades Council was able
to announce that Walton was ‘not a bad representative’.
At the 1918 general
election, Walton stood again, this time as a Coalition
Liberal and was again
without opposition. Walton was created a
baronet, of Rushpool, in the County of York, in 1910. He
was a Justice of the
Peace for Middlesbrough and the North Riding of
Yorkshire and a Deputy Lieutenant
of the North Riding. He took a deep
interest in foreign affairs and in the development of
the British Empire. He
travelled extensively in India, Burma, Africa, America,
Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, various British Protectorates, as well as
visiting China, Japan,
Persia, Mesopotamia, Russia and the Balkans. As a result
of his interest in the
Far East, Walton gained the soubriquet “The Member for
China” in Parliament. He
often spoke on Chinese matters, especially after his
1899 visit. See
here
for a link to
complete texts of his speeches
in Parliament. His book includes the
full text of his lengthy statement on China made
to the House of Commons on March 30, 1900, after his
return. He is very critical of official policy. He was also a Fellow
of the Royal Geographical Society and a founder member
of the Royal Central
Asian Society. The book “China and the Present Crisis”
(1900) was his only publication.
Walton died at Bournemouth on 8 February 1923 aged 73
years. [Pages
274-312] [Walton
arrived at Yokohama from England, stayed in Japan for
about 10 days, took the
s.s. 'Higo-Maru,' reached Fusan on August 15, 1899,
took the boat on to
Chemulpo where it stopped for 24 hours, allowing him
just enough time to visit
Seoul and meet Mr. Jordan, the British representative,
for a few hours, before
being carried back to Chemulpo overnight and arriving
in Chefoo the following
day. He then travelled westward back to Europe,
visiting the countries listed
in the book.] During
my short stay in Japan I was very fortunate in meeting
politicians and
commercial men able to give me reliable and valuable
information with regard to
political and commercial matters not only in Japan, but
also in Korea and
China. I have obtained much new light on the political
events which preceded
the Chino-Japanese war, and on what happened during the
progress of that war
and subsequently. Through the kindness
of the British Minister, Sir Ernest Satow, and other
friends, I had interviews
with the Marquis Ito, Count Okuma, and Viscount Aoki,
who have played a most
important part in the recent political history of Japan.
MARQUIS
ITO To
Marquis Ito is mainly due the credit of the written
constitution which Japan
has recently adopted, after commissions had been sent
out to make close inquiry
in regard to the constitutions under which European
nations are governed.
Thirty years ago Japan was in a state of feudalism under
nobles, known as
'Daimios.' A revolution took place; the 'Daimios ' were
made to surrender their
feudal rights, and the whole population now owns
allegiance to the Emperor
alone. About ten years ago a
very important development took place when, under a
somewhat restricted
franchise, representative government was initiated by
the election of a House
of Commons. There is also a House of Peers, composed of
hereditary peers, life
peers, and selected peers. From both Houses all
direct representatives of religion are expressly
excluded, and there is,
therefore no question of the removal of bishops and
archbishops from the House
of Lords confronting Japan. There is no party government
as in England, and no
Conservative party as we understand it. Some call
themselves 'Liberals,' others
'Progressionists,' but there are few vital differences
in the matter of
political principles separating them. Party government
will, no doubt, gradually
arise; but meantime the electors vote for the men who
command their confidence,
and not merely in a party sense. This, after all, is the
natural result of
their feudal system, when loyalty to the chief of their
clan was the influence
which dominated them. Marquis Ito had a
most difficult task imposed upon him — to conclude the
treaty of peace at the
close of the Chino-Japanese war. Under strong pressure
on the part of Russia,
France, and Germany, Japan was largely deprived of the
fruits of victory. The
surrender of the Liao-tung Peninsula was so bitterly
resented in Japan that
Marquis Ito was driven from power; but the course he
pursued was the only one
open to him. At the present time he is by far the most
powerful politician in
Japan, and various political parties are striving to
induce him to become their
leader. Marquis Ito possesses
ability, shrewdness, and force of character, which make
him unquestionably
the most powerful statesman in Japan to-day. He is short
in stature even for a
Japanese. In our interview he
spoke of his fall from political power as the result of
his surrender of the
Liao-tung Peninsula under the Treaty of Shimono- seki;
this, of course, was due
to the joint intervention of Russia, France, and
Germany, and no fault of his.
Marquis Ito said the Chinese indemnity was first fixed
at 200,000,000 taels, or
32,000,000 L., and then he got 30,000,000 taels more in
consideration of giving
up the Liao-tung Peninsula. Had England only
supported Japan, and insisted, as she was asked to do,
that as a condition of
Japan's evacuation an agreement should be concluded
under which all the Powers
would bind themselves not to occupy the Liao-tung
Peninsula or Port Arthur, the
subsequent course of events in the Far East might have
been very different
indeed. Marquis Ito assured
me that Japan would welcome the co-operation of England
and America for the
upholding of their mutual interests in China, but that a
pious expression of
good will was of no use; there must be a definite
understanding. He remarked
that, in addition to having the strongest fleet in the
Far East, Japan could
put from 200,000 to 300,000 men in the field, and must
therefore be a valuable
ally. With regard to
currency, Marquis Ito stated that he was at one time
rather inclined to
bi-metallism, but that, after spending six months in the
study of currency at
the Treasury at Washington, he now supports a gold
standard. The Marquis is the
most trusted adviser of the Emperor of Japan. He
informed me that the Emperor
is forty-seven years old, and takes great interest in
the affairs of the State.
The present Emperor
has renounced Buddhism and is now Shinto. Marquis Ito
prefers Protestantism to Roman
Catholicism, but he does not mix religion and politics.
He said that the constitution
he framed gives complete religious liberty, and that his
faith is a matter for
the individual. He referred to his
visit of four months in 1898 to China. He reached Peking
at the time of the.
fall of the Reform party. He went up the Yang- tsze, but
was recalled from
Hankow by the Japanese Emperor to form a Cabinet, and so
was unable to arrive
at such an understanding with China as might have
powerfully influenced the
course of events in that empire. COUNT
OKUMA Count
Okuma is the leader of the Progressionist party, and a
man of strong
convictions, who enjoys the confidence of a very large
section of his country-
men. He is a fascinating man, with brilliant
conversational powers, and from
the keen interest he takes in a great variety of
subjects reminded me of our
Grand Old Man. He might be fairly described as the
Gladstone of Japan. He had
his leg shattered by a bomb in 1889. Our interview took
place at his house, a short distance out of Tokyo, where
he has a lovely
Japanese garden. Captain Brinkley accompanied me, and
very kindly acted as
interpreter. Count Okuma cannot speak a word of English,
and, though so well
informed in regard to the political affairs of all
nations, has never been out
of Japan. He referred in the most friendly terms to
England, and would be quite
willing also to act in concert with the United States of
America. In his
opinion, the interests of England, America, and Japan
are identical in the Far
East, and to co-operate actively must be mutually
beneficial. He thought a great
opportunity was lost when England and Japan neglected to
unite in regard to
Port Arthur, and that the present situation is largely
the result of that
blunder. Count Okuma expressed the opinion that the
advance southwards of Russia
in China can only be checked by the reorganisation of
the Chinese army under
British and Japanese officers. He said about sixty
Chinese were then studying
military science in Japan. He considered the financial
position of Japan good.
Thirty years ago the Government started with hardly any
revenue. They had
compensated nobles for destruction of feudal rights, and
undertaken great
public works, such as railways, posts, telegraphs,
schools, public offices, and
gaols, and yet, though the yen was worth only 2s. now as
compared with 4s.
then, the gold debt was no larger than twenty years ago.
He thought England
should have begun the construction of a railway from
British Burmah to the
Upper Yangtsze years ago, and that it should be extended
to Shanghai. He
believed that the Japanese would resist to a man the
taking of Korea by Russia,
as the nation had been associated with Korea for
centuries, and it was
imperative that it should be preserved as an outlet for
the surplus population
of Japan. VISCOUNT
AOKI With
Viscount Aoki, who is at present the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, I had two
interviews of a most interesting and instructive
character. He married a German
lady, and is strongly pro- German. He would like to see
the Protestant religion
of Germany and England spread in Japan, but hopes that
neither the Roman
Catholic nor the Greek Church will take root there. Viscount Aoki said
that Japan, with a population increasing at the rate of
nearly half a million a
year, and possessing only a very limited area of
cultivable land, must have a
suitable colony which should be exclusively Japanese, as
they do not intermix
readily with other races. Formosa, which was
ceded to Japan at the close of the Chino-Japanese war,
had entailed a heavy
financial loss on Japan hitherto, but is expected to
leave a surplus next year.
It is, however, unsuitable in point of climate for
Japanese settlers, and the
same applies to the Chinese province of Fukien, opposite
Formosa, over which
the Japanese have asserted priority of right. Korea, by its proximity
to Japan, its suitability in point of climate, fertility
of soil, fisheries,
and mineral resources, is just what they need for
expansion, and on no account
can the Japanese allow Russia to dominate or acquire
Korea. On strategical
grounds Japan must resist any occupation of Korea by
Russia; there is also the
sentimental interest of the Japanese in Korea, arising
out of the history of
their repeated fighting there for centuries past. They
conquered Korea three
hundred years ago, and afterwards withdrew when they
ought to have kept it. Viscount Aoki
expressed the same views as Marquis Ito and Count Okuma
as to the importance of
concerted action on the part of England, America, and
Japan in support of their
mutual interests in China. He was good enough to
give me letters of introduction to the Japanese
representative in Korea, and
also to their ambassador in Peking. I met other Japanese
politicians, including the Director of the Financial
Department, who gave me
the fullest information as to the financial position of
Japan. (....) With
regard to European diplomatists in Japan, I had
conversations with Sir Ernest
Satow and Count von Lyden, the German Ambassador, also
with Colonel Buck, the
representative of the United States of America, and
several men holding high
positions in China, who are at present invalided to
Japan. From the information
received from these and also from the Japanese I have
come to the conclusion
that it will be mainly the fault of England if there is
not in the future
greater co-operation between England, Japan, and the
United States of America
in respect to their mutual interests in the Far East. I left for Korea by
the s.s. 'Higo-Maru,' which called at Shimonoseki and
Nagasaki, in Japan. (....) I
left Tsushima after a stay of only a few hours, and so
ended my all too short
visit to Japan. KOREA
We
sighted the coast of Korea early on Tuesday morning,
August 15, and soon
anchored in the lovely bay of Fusan, which is encircled
by high bare green
rock-strewn hills, which were capped with mist and
reminded me of many hills
both in England and Scotland. The town of Fusan is
divided into two quarters, Japanese
and Korean. Behind the Japanese quarter rises a large
wood of pine trees, which
adds greatly to the picturesqueness of the bay. On
landing I found the Customs
in charge of a Frenchman and a German harbour- master.
An Italian official at
the Customs, with the most friendly feelings towards
everything English, became
my guide, and assisted me in despatching telegrams,
w^hich is not an altogether
easy process at a Korean telegraph office. FIRST
VISIT TO A MISSIONARY STATION IN THE FAR EAST I
went with a lady missionary to visit the missionary
station at Fusan. We had
half an hour's walk to reach it, uphill, in a warm
atmosphere. We found the
missionary nursing a baby, his wife being ill. He was
much exercised in his
mind about his domestic affairs, having been robbed of
money on two preceding
days by his Korean servants. We saw two other lady
missionaries there. When I suggested that as our time
was limited, and as I was
very anxious to get reliable information from those who
view matters from
different stand- points, the missionary might perhaps
stroll back with us to
the landing-place and give me further information, he
said he was sorry, but
the situation of his domestic affairs prevented. For the
life of me I could not
understand why one of the two lady missionaries should
not have taken the baby,
and the other been placed for half an hour on watch and
guard against robbers. DANGEROUS
COASTS Our
steamer route, especially between Fusan and Mokpo, was a
very dangerous one.
There were scores of islands, and many sharp jagged
rocks studded the surface
of the sea, with possibly many more similar rocks
jutting up nearly to the
surface of the water, but still unseen. Fortunately, the
weather was extremely
fine and there was no fog, otherwise I should not have
felt particularly safe.
I certainly should not care to voyage along the coast of
Korea in the winter
time. This is where H.M. cruiser ‘Bonaventure' recently
struck on a rock.
However, 'all's well that ends well,' and nothing in the
shape of an accident
befell us. THE
KOREAN PENINSULA The
Korean Peninsula stands in the unfortunate geographical
position of being
midway between China and Japan, and has been, like
Tssachar, the strong ass
crouching between two burdens. Both countries have for
generations sought to
claim the allegiance of Korea. They have both many times
invaded it, and from
time to time the influence of first one and then the
other has been predominant.
The King of Korea adopted the title of 'Emperor ' after
the close of the Chino-Japanese
war, which nominally secured its independence. It covers
an area estimated at
from 85,000 to 100,000 square miles. As in the case of
Manchuria, we are told
again and again that Korea is a barren and worthless
country, but from the most
reliable authorities I am in a position to state that
the climate is good and
the soil fertile, capable of growing the finest timber
and every fruit grown in
England, with the addition of many of a tropical
character. It
is estimated that not more than one-half of the
cultivable land is being
farmed. FISHERIES
The
fisheries of Korea are most valuable; unfortunately the
natives do not reap for
themselves the whole advantage of these, as they have
foolishly allowed the
Japanese fishing rights within the three miles limit.
With regard also to
whaling, Russia has succeeded in obtaining a concession
of land at three Korean
ports for the purpose of salting the whales; the greater
number of these are
not oil- producing, but after being salted are taken to
Japan and sold for food
there. A whale of average
size is stated to be worth about 2,000 dollars. The
importance of this concession
to Russia will be seen when I state that one
whaling-ship caught fifteen whales
in fourteen days last season. Russia ostensibly holds
these pieces of land on a
twelve years' lease, and it is stipulated that they are
still to remain under
Korean jurisdiction. Only time will disclose whether
this move on her part does
not mean that she will gradually take possession of the
three ports and use
them as bases for extending her influence in Korea. KORE
AN GOLD-FIELDS I
met on board the steamer a Mr. Hunt, an American, who
has got a concession from
the Emperor of Korea for the working of gold over an
area of 1,000 square
miles. He has already more than 1,300 men at work, and
is quite confident of
the success of his undertaking. The Germans have also
secured a concession of 270 square miles, which they are
prospecting. England
appears likely to be almost left out in the cold, as the
only concession
obtained by the British is that secured by Mr. Pritchard
Morgan. In addition to
gold, experts say that coal, iron, lead, and silver may
be found in Korea. RAILWAYS
The
Koreans realise the importance of having the country
opened up by railways, but
they have no money with which to construct them. They
have been induced to give
the Japanese the right to build a railway from Chemulpo
to Seoul, which is now
under construction; also from Seoul to Fusan — 350 miles
— but, owing to the
present financial condition of Japan, the necessary
capital is not forthcoming
to enable the latter to be proceeded with. The Germans
are trying to get a
concession for a railway from Seoul to Gensan, which the
Japanese are opposing.
France also had a concession from Seoul to Wigu, which
has lapsed owing to
their not having begun the construction of the line
within the specified time.
France has, however, in connection with the cancelled
contract, obtained a
written assurance from the Korean Government that
whenever the railway is built
French engineers will be employed, and that the whole of
the railway material and
rolling stock shall be manufactured in France, no matter
what may be the
nationality of the country constructing the railway. Similar stipulations
are inserted in the railway concessions obtained in
China by Russia, France,
and Germany. If this sort of thing is to go on
unchecked, I wish to know where,
in the future, the markets for the products of British
labour will be found.
Seeing that England depends largely on her exports for
prosperity, I ask
w^hether, owing to the supineness of British capitalists
or of the British
Government, British producers are to have no share in
supplying Korea with a
system of railways necessary to open up and develop the
country. There is no
completed railway whatever in existence. I inspected the
one which is in course
of construction from Chemulpo to Seoul; this will be,
when opened, the first
railway that Korea has ever had. THE
EMPEROR AND THE GOVERNMENT Mr.
Jordan spoke of the Emperor as taking a keen personal
interest in everything
that affects Korea. He is an amiable man, possessed of
some ability, but his
hands are greatly weakened in dealing with Korean
affairs by the rascality and
rapacity of the nobles and the official classes. He is said to be a
spendthrift, and though taking one-tenth of the national
revenue — viz. 600,000
dollars — for his own personal use, he is in a very
impecunious condition. It
is believed that those around him fleece him right and
left. The population of
this by no means insignificant empire numbers only from
eight to ten millions. Korea has an
historical antiquity contemporaneous with that of Thebes
and Babylon, but
possesses no ruins; and though boasting a separate, if
not an independent,
existence for centuries, is devoid of all external signs
of strength.
Foreigners have been excluded until recently, though
there is little or no
anti-foreign feeling. They have no representative
government whatever, no House
of Lords or House of Commons. There are eight Ministers
of State — viz. the
Prime Minister, the Ministers of Finance, Foreign
Affairs, War, Education and
Law, Imperial Household, Agriculture and Commerce, and
Public Works. These are
appointed by the Emperor and continue in office at his
pleasure. There is also
a Council of State of about fifteen members, to whom
matters of legislation are
supposed to be submitted for debate, but practically
this is, at the present
time, more ‘honoured in the breach than in the
observance.' I had the opportunity
of meeting the men most likely to understand the Korean
political situation,
and they hold the opinion that there is little chance of
its regeneration
except by the intervention of some foreign Power. At the
present moment the
Reactionaries are in power, and the Progressive leaders
are in exile. ATTITUDE
OF RUSSIA AND JAPAN There
is little doubt that the eyes of Russia, as well as
those of Japan, are turned
towards Korea, the former being desirous of rounding off
her territory north of
the Gulf of Pechili by its absorption; while, on the
other hand, Japan, with a
population increasing at the rate of nearly half a
million a year, would find
Korea, enjoying as it does a very similar climate to its
own, the most suitable
opening for expansion, which must come in some direction
or other. It is true
that Russia last year withdrew, by arrangement with
Japan, the financial
adviser and the military instructors she had at the
Korean Court, and the Russo-Chinese
Bank was closed; but I am inclined to think this rather
a pause on the part of Russia
than an actual relinquishment of her intention
ultimately to absorb Korea. PORT
HAMILTON Port
Hamilton, which is on a group of islands on the southern
coast of Korea, was
occupied by the British fleet in 1885, and England only
withdrew on Russia
undertaking that she would not occupy Korean territory
under any circumstances
whatsoever. Knowing as we do the facility with which
Russia ignores assurances
of this nature, I do not attach much importance to this
so-called guarantee on
her part. TRADE
The
countries which do the largest trade with Korea are
Japan and England. There
are only one or two English commercial firms established
in the country, and
these mainly represent steamship lines. Curiously, the
English trade with Korea
has been almost exclusively carried on up to the present
time by Chinese. There
are 6,000 in the country who are under the protection of
the British Government.
It is anticipated that the treaty between China and
Korea, placing the Chinese
under the jurisdiction of their own Government, the same
as Europeans, will be
speedily signed. The exports of England to Korea are
mainly Manchester cotton
goods, and we are holding our own well in the
competition for orders with
the Japanese, notwithstanding the supposed advantage
that they have from
cheap labour. The Koreans, like the
Japanese, are commercially unreliable and are naturally
lazy. Probably to a
certain extent this is the result of the conditions
under which they live, for
I am told that the provincial officials, known as
'Yangbans,' extort taxes at
their own sweet will and pleasure, and in the majority
of cases for their own
personal enrichment. REVENUE
The
total revenue of the Korean Government is about six
million yen, and it is
estimated that at least three times the amount that is
paid into the Exchequer
is extorted from the people by the local officials. This
condition of affairs
deprives the people of any incentive to industry, for if
they work hard and
save a little money, in many cases it only means that
they have been
accumulating it for the benefit of the local official. CURRENCY
The
currency of Korea is in a very debased condition. The
Government have issued,
wholesale, nickel pieces at five sens each, which have
cost less than one sen,
and at the present time 131 nickel sens are only
equivalent to one Japanese
yen. To a certain extent, however, Japanese paper and
silver are used. MONEY-LENDING
The
money-lending arrangements also greatly hinder the
prosperity of the Korean
people. The lowest rate of interest paid for borrowed
money is 12 per cent, per
annum, whilst 60 per cent, is a usual rate, and 120 per
cent, frequent. The law
does not allow any claim beyond double the loan,
therefore the lender at the
end of ten months threatens to enforce payment, and any
failure to pay means
floggings, stocks, and imprisonment. The borrower, as a
rule, agrees that the
interest and principal shall be added together and
constituted a fresh loan,
and if he goes on for twenty months the amount owing by
the luckless debtor is
four times the amount which he originally borrowed. The
local magistrates who
administer the law have full power, and so the
money-lender needs to secure
their favour by a substantial gift, while the debtor
probably counterworks on
the same lines. I do not forget that we have in England
a class of money-lenders
almost as rapacious as those of Korea, but stringent
legislation is proposed to
deal with the evil. Of course at home it prevails only
to a small extent, while
in Korea it is universal. RELIGION
The
Rev. F. Jones, of Chemulpo, gave me the following
statement as to the religion
of the Koreans : 'Confucianism
is the State religion of Korea. It has neither
priesthood nor supernaturalism,
but a good moral code with cult of worship. They rely
entirely on self-effort,
and do not look for divine assistance. ‘They have no temples
in the ordinary sense, but Tablet Houses, or Shrines, or
Halls of Learning. The
literati offer sacrifice twice a year to Confucius, the
saints of Confucianism,
and local celebrities. The offerings consist of green
fruit and liquor, which
are afterwards enjoyed by the celebrants. ‘Buddhism also exists
in a state of decay and is not widespread. Fetishism is
universal. Local
spirits which frequent the earth, air, and water
(corresponding somewhat to the
Fengshui of China), are propitiated by offerings of
green fruit, dogs, pigs,
and liquors, which are always consumed by the
worshippers. These celebrations
take place in cases where sickness or misfortune falls
upon a household, and
often at the end of a harvest.' Possibly they are based
to some extent upon the
same idea as our harvest homes. EDUCATION
The
Koreans are a very badly educated people. They have no
State schools, and a
decision on the part of the Government to build 330
Government schools
scattered over the country has not been carried out to
any extent. So far as
there is any education, it is at present being given
privately. Four good
schools have been established by the Korean Government,
in which the teaching
of English, French, German, and Russian is the special
feature. ANIMALS
The
tiger is the king of animals in Korea, while bears,
leopards, wild boars,
sables, ermine, otter, hares, and foxes, also several
kinds of deer, are found
in various parts of the country. Pheasants, every
variety of wildfowl,
including geese, swans, ducks, teal, water-hen, plover,
and snipe, also
bustards, cranes, and herons, pink and white ibis, and
eagles, are plentiful.
Korea is therefore a promising recreation-ground for the
sportsman. RACE
The
Koreans belong unmistakably to the Mongolian stock,
being a sort of
intermediate type between the Mongolian Tartar and the
Japanese. Nearly the
whole of the Koreans have jet-black hair and dark eyes.
As individuals, they
possess many attractive characteristics. The upper
classes are polite and
friendly to foreigners, priding themselves on their
correct deportment, while
the working people are generally good-tempered,
cheerful, and talkative, though
very excitable. KOREAN
HABITS AND DRESS The
chief vice of the Koreans is over-indulgence in drink.
They manufacture
fermented liquor from rice and barley; there is little
opium-smoking. The favourite method
of disposing of criminals sentenced to death is to
behead them, and in order to
impress the populace both the head and the body lie
exposed for three days. In
consideration, however, of the objections raised by
foreign residents, the
authorities have removed the place of execution some
distance outside the city
walls. The graveyards of the
Koreans are different from any others I have ever seen;
they are here, there,
and everywhere. Some rich men have one all to
themselves. Usually they are on
the hillsides, which are terraced, and the graves are
marked by mounds,
resembling in the distance hay pikes of freshly cut
grass. Unmarried women wear
their hair parted in the middle, and in a long plait
down their backs. The men
have their hair drawn up in a top-knot. Officials wear on
their heads, first, a band composed of a mixture of
human and horse hair;
secondly, an official cap, made of horse-tail hair,
forming what looks like a
sort of thin gauze; thirdly comes the regular black
dress hat, which is exactly
like the national hat worn by Welsh women. They have
besides triangular-shaped
glazed paper hats to put over their other hats when it
rains. They wear baggy white
trousers, tied in at the knees and ankles, with
leggings, heavily padded socks,
and white leather shoes, also a white flowing robe like
the kimono of Japan,
except that it has sleeves and is tied under the right
arm instead of by a
sash. They often wear a second outer robe of white, with
the addition of a blue
silk girdle. The Emperor's robes
are of scarlet — the royal colour. Some officials also
wear robes of this
colour, and others blue or yellow; but the Ministers and
chief notables are
usually dressed in blue or purple. Most of the garments
are of silk. Young men
of high rank often wear most charming robes of pink or
light blue. The women of Korea
are the drudges, while the men are the lords of
creation; in many cases the
women work hard and the men do nothing. If one of these
hard-working women were
asked what her husband was doing, the expression she
would use is that 'he is
sitting upon his heels.' The women of the upper classes
are rarely seen; they
generally dress in white and have a peculiar arrangement
by which the short
bodice covers the shoulders, but leaves the breasts
entirely exposed, while
voluminous petticoats, very full at the hips, all but
conceal the coarse white
or brown trousers below. They wear the same kind of
boots as the men, but their
stockings are not padded. The women of a certain rank
wear a sort of mantle
with sleeves which are not used. This is suspended from
a hood which covers the
head, and they close up the front with their hand to
shield themselves from the
gaze of passers-by. The favourite colour is green, and
these women form quite a
picturesque addition to a street crowd as tbey glide
about amongst the men,
who, except officials, are clad entirely in white. Their
hair is black, and is
wound in a big coil round the temples, and ornamented
with large silver coins. AMUSEMENTS
With
regard to arausements, kite-flying and kite-fighting are
most in favour. The
fighting consists in trying to draw one kite across
another when they are high
in the air, and thus to sever the string of the rival.
The Koreans are also the
most accomplished stone-throwers in the world; the
contests are conducted with
such savagery that loss of life frequently results. EXPEDITION
TO THE KOREAN CAPITAL On
arriving at Chemulpo I found that unless I proceeded to
Chefoo by the steamer
in which I arrived, I should not be able to get another
boat for a fortnight.
As I was determined, if possible, to visit Seoul, and
could not afford to be
delayed so long, I decided to make the expedition up to
that city in the
twenty-four hours at my disposal. I had telegraphed to
the Consul-General, Mr.
Jordan, and he very kindly had a chair and bearers
waiting ready for me on
landing. The chair is fixed at the centre of two long
poles and is carried by
four men at once — I had eight men, so that they might
take turn and turn
about. I might have gone up the river by boat, but the
boat had left an hour
before my arrival, and the railway in course of
construction was not yet
available. I preferred, however, to be taken in the
old-fashioned manner.
Unfortunately there had been heavy rains, and as there
are no macadamised roads,
but only tracks across the country, the bearers were
often ankle-deep in mud.
The plains which we had to cross, on which rice is
grown, were also inundated,
and I was often carried for a hundred yards together,
with the water up to the
men's waists. This they enjoyed thoroughly — laughing
and joking all the time.
We had also to be ferried across three rivers in the
course of the twenty-six
miles traversed. The weather was perfect, and after the
heavy rain the strong
perfume of flowering shrubs was exquisite; the birds
were singing gaily. Crowds
of men, women, and children were squatting about in
every village through which
we passed, many of them smoking long pipes, and numerous
groups were playing
games, this too at an hour of the day when one would
naturally expect them to
be at work. GENERAL
SCENERY The
land in the valleys has a rich alluvial soil and is very
fertile, but the bare
hills with reddish-coloured earth exposed here and there
on their slopes appeared
useless from an agricultural standpoint. The Koreans
have been prodigal in
denuding the country of timber, but pine-trees which
have re-sown themselves
are springing up everywhere. The roadway through the
villages was decidedly
deeper in mud than in the open country — no effort being
made to clear it away.
Korean houses are thatched with straw, and have walls
composed largely of mud.
They look picturesque in the distance, especially when
nestling amid a cluster
of big trees. They have no mills in
Korea for grinding their grain, but they place it in
large stone or wooden
basins and work over a lever a long piece of wood with
an arm attached. With
this they crush the grain by pounding it. We met a good
many pack-bulls on the
way, and occasionally a small Korean pony. Rice and
Indian corn are the crops
mainly grown between Chemulpo and Seoul. Some of my bearers
had the most ragged white garments that I ever saw. They
really prefer to wear
as little clothing as possible. On their feet they wore
sandals woven of straw,
replacing them frequently with new ones, which they
could pur- chase at every
hamlet we passed. Instead of stockings they bound long
pieces of linen round
their feet. They are evidently
not very fond of applying soap and water to their
children, as the condition of
the multitude of naked little children whom I saw
showed. When my bearers
carried me through the water they took off their scanty
garments and tied them
round their necks, and then raised my chair shoulder
high. One man, holding his
clothes above his head, walked in advance, in order to
discover, if possible,
whether there were any big holes in front of us. SEOUL
We
approached Seoul in brilliant sunshine, and I was able
to get a very fair idea
of the city and the surrounding country. The mountains
on two sides are
precipitous and rocky, with splendidly broken outlines.
The valley in which
Seoul is situated is well timbered, which adds much to
the beauty of its
appearance. As we passed through
the portion of the city outside the walls, the most
prominent object was a
curious gateway, which, together with the ancient
loopholed walls to the right
and left of it, looked extremely picturesque. I arrived at a quarter
to six, the journey having occupied eight and a quarter
hours. Within five
minutes I began half an hour's interview with Dr.
Morrison, the Times
correspondent at Pekin. Mr. Jordan and I then strolled
through the main streets
of Seoul, which were thronged with possibly the most
picturesque and gaily
dressed people in the world, except the Burmese. The
Koreans display more taste
in their attire than the Burmese, and though the colours
of their garments are
not so brilliant, the general effect of the white robes
of the men and the
green mantles of the women is very pleasing. We went to
two or three points
from which, in the bright evening sunlight, we had
perfect views over the city
and surrounding country. We discussed, as we
walked along, various matters on which I desired to have
information. I left
for Chemulpo at a quarter to ten, having thus remained
only four hours in the
most interesting city of Seoul, but having none the
less, thanks to Mr. Jordan,
seen the main sights. ELECTRIC
TRAMWAY I
was much surprised to find an electric tramway at work
in Seoul; it had been
opened only a few weeks. One day a child was killed,
whereupon a crowd of
Koreans stormed the electric cars, drove off the
conductor and attendants,
overturned the cars, and burnt them on the spot. It was
only after the feeling
thus aroused had died down that the Company ventured to
start running the cars
again. To show how good the
climate is, I may say that Mr. Jordan told me he grew
strawberries, cherries,
pears, plums, and other English fruit and vegetables at
Seoul just as well as
at home. FOREIGN
LEGATIONS It
is a significant fact that whilst the Russians and the
French have no trade
interests whatever in Korea, yet the former have a most
palatial Legation, and
also an emissary living in great style, with Cossacks in
connection with his
household. He is not known to have any definite
position, but occupies himself
in fomenting difticulties. The French have just
completed the erection of a splendid Legation at a cost
of 8,000 L., though
they have no interest in the country except their Roman
Catholic Missions. They
have a French cathedral in Seoul, and a bishop, and
thirty priests working
throughout the country with 30,000 converts. Japan has also an
excellent Legation in Seoul, but this is not surprising
when we have regard to
the fact that 15,000 of its people are settled in that
country, and that the
association of Japan with Korea has existed through many
centuries. The Japanese have a
system of telegraph lines established in Korea, and 800
troops divided among
the various places where any considerable number of
their people are settled.
It is only natural that Japan should have the necessary
force on the spot to
safeguard her interests. The staple products
of Korea are rice and beans, and enormous quantities of
these are sent to Japan
— indeed, she takes 90 per cent, of the exports of
Korea. England has a
comfortable but, comparatively speaking, modest
Legation. In Mr. Jordan we have
a man of marked ability, who looks vigilantly and
carefully after our
interests, though he receives only half the salary that
is paid by other
Governments to their representatives. THE
RETURN JOURNEY For
the return journey I engaged twelve bearers. Japanese
lanterns were carried
before and behind, and with the light given by the moon
we were able to get
along very well so far as the first part of the journey
was concerned. Just
after starting we arrived at the city gates, which were
already closed. The
gate-keepers refused to open them without a written
order. Mr. Jordan, who had
accompanied me thus far, succeeded in overcoming the
difficulty. We then
proceeded rapidly along a fairly well made road to the
river three miles away,
which we crossed by a ferry-boat. After traversing a
long stretch of sand, we
reached a second river, which had also to be passed in a
ferry. Then the road
became a broken track, the moon disappeared, and we were
left to be guided only
by Japanese lanterns, which a shower of rain or a little
wind would have
extinguished, leaving us hopelessly stranded.
Fortunately, the night was still
and fine, and we reached the flooded rice-fields without
much delay. Then our
difficulties began. Two of the men with the Japanese
lanterns waded in the
water in advance of the bearers to try and prevent our
falling into deep holes.
Amidst a roar of laughter one of them disappeared from
view, extinguishing his
lantern, but he came to the top all right and swam into
shallower water. It was
a case of slow and sure, and the few hundred yards that
we thus traversed
occupied considerable time. We came to the third river
only to find that there
was no ferry-boat (known there as a 'sampan ') on our
side. We all called out
together at the top of our voices to try to attract the
attention of some one
on the other shore, but without success. Further
progress would have been
impossible had it not been that one of our bearers was
an expert swimmer. He
dived into the stream without hesitation, and swam
across at a most astonishing
pace, roused the sleepers in the sampan, and very soon
it was brought across
and relieved us from our difficulties. When we reached
the halfway house the
men all wanted ‘chow ' (food). This chow had to be
prepared m their own
particular way, and it was only after more than an
hour's delay and by dint of
the strongest possible pressure that I induced them to
move on again. This was
urgently necessary, as my steamer was timed to leave at
nine o'clock that
morning. We arrived without further incident at Chemulpo
at a quarter to eight,
and a comfortable English breakfast at the Vice-Consul's
was most welcome after
the long night's journey. After breakfast I went on
board, and was soon on my
way to Chefoo, the first port of call in China. I
arrived there as described on
page 1.
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