COREA. 



239 



reckoned the largest since 1850, being ap- 

 parently the result of the artificial hatching 

 in 1867, when the commissioners, in connec- 

 tion with those of Massachusetts, caused forty 

 millions of young fry of that species to be put 

 into the Connecticut at Holyoke. In 1868, 

 sixty millions more of young shad artificially 

 hatched were put at the same place under the 

 direction of the commissioners of Massachu- 

 setts; and over fifty-four millions were put 

 there in 1870 by those of Connecticut. Shad, 

 most plentiful once, had in a very large pro- 

 portion disappeared. 



COREA. Among the few countries which 

 have thus far succeeded in preventing the in- 

 tercourse of their inhabitants with the civilized 

 world, and in continuing an isolated position r 

 Corea is the most important in point of num- 

 ber and intelligence of population, favorable 

 situation, and fertility of soil. 



Corea is a large peninsula in Northeastern 

 Asia, bounded on the north by the Yaluh and 

 Tumen Rivers, on the east by the Sea of Japan, 

 on the south by the Strait of Corea, and on 

 the west by the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of 

 Leao-tong. It was formerly called by the 

 Chinese Tchow-sien, which in Corea was pro- 

 nounced Tsio-sien, and in Japan Tsyoo, or 

 Tsyow-sien. Its present name among the na- 

 tives is Gaoli, in Chinese Kao-lee, in Japanese 

 Ko-rai, from which latter form Corea has been 

 derived. 



The length of the peninsula is about 600 

 miles, and the width less than 140 the total 

 area, 87,764 square miles. The country is di- 

 vided into 7 tows, which are subdivided into 

 41 koon, with 33 towns of the first class, 38 

 of the second, and 70 of the third. According 

 to the French reports, the name of the capital 

 is Seoul ; in former geographical works Han- 

 yang is called the capital. The population, 

 which in 1793 amounted to 7,343,000, is now 

 estimated at 9,000,000. Of the strength of the 

 Corean army but little is known. The fleet 

 is reported to consist of about 120 large and 

 90 smaller war-vessels. The entire length 

 of the country is traversed by a mountain- 

 range, which forms a gentle slope on the west, 

 and rises abruptly and precipitously on the east. 

 The coast is, for the most part, so rocky as to 

 be practically inaccessible, although there are 

 a few good harbors. The climate of Corea is 

 very cold in winter, while in summer rain 

 falls so abundantly that the great variety of 

 fruits which grow on the peninsula yearly be- 

 come so soaked that to the taste they are ren- 

 dered insipid. But, notwithstanding the usual 

 severity of the seasons, the soil of Corea is rich 

 and productive, and barley, wheat, cotton, rice, 

 millet, etc., are grown extensively and in great 

 quantities. Fruit-trees also flourish with trop- 

 ical luxuriance. .The mineral wealth of the 

 country has scarcely been attended to, although 

 gold, silver, copper, iron, coal, etc., are found 

 there. The domestic animals are oxen, pigs, 

 goats, dogs and cats, and a small race of horses 



called mon-Tc-neat, famous for their strength 

 and spirit. It is said that there is a royal pro- 

 hibition against the rearing of sheep, and, con- 

 sequently, that animal is almost unknown. 

 The tiger and the panther are so numerous 

 that the traffic in their skins forms an impor- 

 tant branch in their commerce with foreign 

 nations. The manufactures comprise cloths, 

 silk, pottery, and arms, the latter being the 

 best made. The Corean sabres and daggers 

 are much sought for by the Chinese, because 

 of the exquisite manner in which they are 

 made. The foreign commerce is trifling, and 

 is confined mainly to China and Japan. 



The inhabitants of Corea are said to be far 

 superior to the Chinese in mental and physical 

 resources. The government consists of a king, 

 whose ministry is divided into five depart- 

 ments, which form the centre of all civil and 

 military authority. The royal power is held 

 sacred and inviolable, from the union in his 

 own person of the hierarchal and secular sov- 

 ereignty. He divides his government into cir- 

 cles or provinces, each under the rule of special 

 governors, all appointed by the king, to whom 

 they are responsible. The revenues of the 

 Corean monarch are immense, and are derived 

 mainly from the letting out of land, and a tithe 

 of produce. The prevailing religion is Bud- 

 dhism, which was introduced about the year 372 

 of the Christian era, but there appears to be 

 another religion (Shamanism) evidently the 

 original faith of the people and the doctrines 

 of Confucius are held in high esteem. The 

 Roman Catholic missionaries, who have been 

 laboring in Corea since 1632, have gained 

 many converts (15,200 in 1857), but, on ac- 

 count of the stringent laws against Christianity, 

 the missionaries have to keep themselves con- 

 cealed, and several of them have been put to 

 death. The mission is directed by a vicar- 

 apostolic. 



In 1865 the Coreans became, for the first 

 time, involved in difficulties with a Christian 

 nation, in consequence of their having put to 

 death several French missionaries. The French 

 sent an armed expedition to Corea to avenge 

 the death of the missionaries, but the badly- 

 prepared and badly-conducted enterprise ended 

 in an inglorious retreat of the expedition, leav- 

 ing no permanent result, except the careful 

 survey of several tracts of the coast. (See 

 AMERICAN ANXUAL CTCLOPJSDIA for 1866, art. 

 CORK A.) 



In 1871 a new expedition was sent out 

 against Corea by the United States of America. 

 The difficulty leading to this expedition dates 

 as far back as 1866.* In the early days of 

 October, 1866, a trading-junk arrived at the 

 Chinese port of Chee-foo, having crossed the 

 Yellow Sea from the Corean coast. Her pilot 

 brought reports of the burning by the Coreans 



* The following account of the progress of the complication 

 between the United States and Corea, from 1866 to 1S70, is 

 condensed from a very thorough article in the New York 

 Tribune. 



