on First Impressions of Seoul. 509 



but small discs of paper. One sedan-chair follows another ; hosts of 

 carriers and servants accompany the members of the family. There 

 is the whole tribe ; a whole brigade is riding behind the gabled cata- 

 falque. All are covered with sackcloth, even the mendicant is dressed 

 in white — the whole procession is white. And as they turn round on 

 top of the hill the effect of the picture is unique. The weeping 

 women, the monsters, the mourners and attendants, the gigantic 

 catafalques and the immense crowd were one of the strangest si<^hts 

 I ever contemplated. The furled banners, dangling texts, open sun- 

 shades, lanterns with dim lights in the darkness of the night formed 

 the quaintest setting. The light of torches, the burning fascicles of 

 bulrushes and straw are tinting in a vibrating red the long, white 

 and ghostly procession. The beating of drums, the droning of bag- 

 pipes furnish the music, and the weeping women the proper chorus ; 

 this strange funeral, in fact, is the most perfect " danse macabre." 



The full moon is rising slowly and stately behind the hills, fuller 

 than usually, as though anxious to light up the weird procession ; 

 her melancholy light filters through the night, and her silvery rays 

 intensify the ghostliness of the scene. 



The fii-st day spent in the capital of Korea is nearing its end. 

 Quietness penetrates the night, such profound quietness as can only 



be enjoyed in Seoul. As I am walking homeward, the alley leadinf^ 

 to the Legation is dark and deserted, and I try to recall to my 



memory all that I have perceived and heard, all that was new to me 



and striking ; all the contrasts and the incoherency of the earliest 



perceptions. 



I will write it down forthwith, ere knowledge spoils the glamour 



of Jirst impressions, whilst every tint is shining in glaring colour, 



whilst every detail can be observed through the microscope of 



novelty. 



On the last day of my sojourn here I will look through these short 



notes, and correct, in red ink, any mistakes that may be found therein. 



Town and people will thus be better known, but the charm of the 



first day will vanish for ever. 



2 M 2 



