COREA. 



271 



tude 37 32', longitude 124 30'). The nearest 

 gateway in the city wall is about two miles 

 from the river-bank, the suburbs being densely 

 populated. Politically, Seoul is independent of 

 the governor of Kiung-kai. The climate is 

 good, equable and dry in winter, the thermom- 

 eter being near zero for two months or more. 

 There is plenty of ice, but little snow. May 

 and June are the hottest months, with the rainy 

 season just before July. The streets, as laid out 

 by the founder of the present dynasty in 1392, 

 were from twenty to two hundred feet wide, 

 with well-built drains of masonry at the sides. 

 The walls, not now including the entire city, 

 go over mountains and valleys, making a cir- 

 cumvallation of ten miles. The wide spaces of 

 the thoroughfares have been greatly encroached 

 upon for building and trade, and the drains so 

 neglected as to be choked, except during the 

 flushing of the rainy season. The population 

 of Se"oul is estimated at 200,000, and including 

 the suburbs at 400,000. There are six cities 

 officially computed to contain 20,000 houses 

 each, the reckoning of six persons to a house 

 giving a population of 120,000. Ten cities have 

 each 10,000 houses. Three ports In-chiun 

 (Uhimulpo), near Seoul, Pu-san, in Kiung-san, 

 and Wen-san, in Ham-kiung are now open 

 to foreign trade. Ohimulpo is on a small prom- 

 ontory on the left bank of the Han river, 

 near its entrance into the sea, six miles from 

 In-chiun, the prefectural town. Opened in 

 1883, it had in June, 1886, a foreign population 

 of 800 persons. Of these 24 were Europeans, 

 130 Chinese, and the rest Japanese. Of the 

 150 houses there were 3 consulates, 3 hotels, 

 2 banks (Japanese), and a telegraph station. 

 A bund, or sea-front street, and jetty have 

 been constructed. 



Foreign Policy. Corea has treaty relations 

 with most of the European countries, but for- 

 eign trade is yet in its infancy. Situated be- 

 tween two powerful and rival nations China 

 and Japan her foreign policy consists of meas- 

 ures calculated to please both these nations. 

 The real cause of its intrigues, banishments, 

 and recall of prominent men, and even the 

 riots and assassinations which have marked 

 the national history since King Hiong ascended 

 the throne in 1864, has been the struggle of the 

 pro-Chinese or the pro-Japanese politicians to 

 hold the reins of power and to mold the na- 

 tional policy. After varying fortunes, the party 

 favoring Chinese methods and ideas has since 

 1884 held power, though a group of moderate 

 Liberals, had previously possession of the royal 

 influence long enough to make the first treaty 

 with a Western nation, the United States. Ow- 

 ing to the British occupation of Port Hamilton, 

 Russia menaces the occupation of Port Laza- 

 reff, near "Wen-san. A telegraph from Se"oul 

 to New-chwang, and thence to Pekin, has been 

 constructed under Chinese auspices. 



Coreans in the United States. No Coreans were 

 known to travel outside of Japan and China 

 until the dispatch of the royal embassy in 1883 



to the United States. The refugee Liberals, 

 after the failure of their coup d'etat in 1884, 

 fled to Japan, as the Government of Tokio 

 looked with disfavor upon the literary and po- 

 litical activity of Kim-Ok-Kiun, the ex-premier, 

 and banished him in July, 1886, to the Bonin 

 islands. There are now in the United States 

 nine Coreans, refugees or students, under Gov- 

 ernment patronage. All are preparing for col- 

 lege, four for the Christian ministry. 



Americans in Corea. In Seoul, the charge d? af- 

 faires of the American legation is William 

 W. Rockhill, with Song Ik Yung as inter- 

 preter. In the employ of the royal Gov- 

 ernment are H. N. Allen, M. D., director of 

 the Royal Hospital and Medical School, with 

 J. W. Heron, M. D., and Rev. H. T. Under- 

 wood as assistants; Mr. Merrill is in charge of 

 the customs service, and Mr. H. N. Denny is 

 adviser to the State Foreign Office. The first 

 passport ever granted to a foreigner to travel 

 through the country was issued in November, 

 1883, to Mr. Pierre L. Jouey, attache of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, who, in fifteen days, 

 traversed the peninsula from Seoul to Pu-san. 

 Dr. Allen and Mr. Merrill made the land-jour- 

 ney in the autumn of 1886 from S4oul to 

 Wen-san. The number of Americans mis- 

 sionaries, merchants, and travelers in Corea 

 in 1886 was about fifty. At Pu-san there are 

 2,000 Japanese, and in all the ports about 2,800, 

 who have banks, newspapers, mail and tele- 

 graph facilities, and steamers. 



Medical Science. In the first annual report of 

 the Government Hospital, which was estab- 

 lished on the suggestion of the secretary of the 

 American legation, Lieut. Foulk, and opened 

 April 10, 1885, Dr. Allen describes the dis- 

 eases most common, which are malaria, four- 

 day ague, syphilis, dyspepsia, skin-disorders, 

 dropsy, scrofula, leprosy; with beri-beri, me- 

 lanosis, distoma, and filaria, which are less 

 frequent. The natives do not rally as well after 

 surgical operations as do the Chinese, ow- 

 ing to their stronger drinks and use of meat. 

 Acupuncture, cautery, and the use of the 

 Chinese system of medicine, in which innu-. 

 merable drugs and compounds in enormous 

 draughts are depended on by the natives. 

 Baths are not popular. Food is highly sea- 

 soned with pepper. Among the 10,460 cases 

 and 394 dispensary operations, there were of 

 fevers, 1,147 ; disorders of digestion, 2,032 ; cir- 

 culation, 114; respiration, 476 ; nervous, 833; 

 lymphatic, 214; genito-urinary and syphilis, 

 1,902; eye, 629; ear, 318; tumors, 145; bones, 

 joints, and tendons, 105 ; wounds and injuries, 

 140; skin-diseases, 845; diseases of women, 845. 

 Dr. Allen has also treated the King ; and Miss 

 Annie Ellers, an American lady, the Queen. 

 Native physicians and a corps of sixteen picked 

 students are being trained in Western medical 

 science. The Medical School was opened 

 March 19, 1886. 



Cholera. Early in the summer of 1886, chol- 

 era, introduced from Japan, became epidemic 



