126 



CHINA. 



raent mint established ; persons too powerful at 

 court to be removed, and feminine interference 

 in state affairs to be strictly prohibited, the 

 household department bring kept entirely apart 

 from politics, as it was in Japan and all civilized 

 countries ; the administration to be divided into 

 tin- Departments of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, 

 Military and Naval Aifairs, Justice. Finance, 

 Agriculture and Commerce, Education, and 

 Public Works ; and to reform and equalize 

 taxation. 



The Japanese minister summarily refused to 

 accede to the request of the Chinese minister to 

 Ki>ri>a and that of the Korean Government for 

 tin- withdrawal of the Japanese forces, lest 

 there should occur a collision between them and 

 the Chinese troops. China then invoked the 

 mediation of Russia, which had pledged itself 

 not to take possession of any part of Korea when 

 the British evacuated Port Hamilton. China 

 notified the powers that the rebels had dis- 

 persed on the arrival of the Chinese troops, 

 which were ready to retire, except that Japan 

 refused to withdraw the Japanese troops. The 

 European representatives in Seoul, in response 

 to an appeal from the King, made a joint de- 

 mand, on June 25, for the withdrawal of both 

 the Chinese and the Japanese forces from Korean 

 territory. China at once assented, while Japan 

 made no reply for nearly three weeks, and then 

 referred the members of the diplomatic body to 

 their respective ministers in Tokio. The diplo- 

 matists then asked that the treaty ports of Korea 

 should be made exempt from the operations of 

 war, to which Japan assented in principle, but 

 reserved full liberty to use the ports in any way 

 that the exigencies of events should render ex- 

 pedient. China, which was still represented in 

 Seoul by Yuan, who tried to nerve the King to re- 

 sist all Japanese demands even in the face of the 

 military occupation, was politely invited by Japan 

 to unite with her in carrying out Otori's plan of 

 administrative reform, which struck at the root 

 of the Celestial tradition and social structure in 

 Korea. This proposition was declined on July. 

 13, on the ground that it was contrary to the 

 traditional policy of China to interfere in the 

 internal affairs of her vassal states. Military 

 .instance having been promised by Li-Hung- 

 Chang, the Min faction and Yuan won over the 

 vacillating King, and on July 20 Minister Otori 

 received a communication from the Korean Gov- 

 ernment repudiating the -whole scheme of re- 

 form. To this he replied in an ultimatum on 

 July 21, giving the King twenty-four hours in 

 which to demand the withdrawal of Chinese 

 troops, M-ver all relations with China, and agree 

 to maintain the declaration of independence 

 contained in the treaty of 1876, and to carry out 

 the promised iv!'<rms. X reply having been 

 received, with the legation guard of 600 soldiers, 

 in the early morning of July 23, he forced a 

 passage through the palace guard, after a short 

 fight in which 80 Koreans and 7 Japanese fell, 

 and compelled the King to send for Tai Wen 

 Kun and appoint him regent, for the purpose of 

 entering at once upon the work of reform. 

 Having made the King a virtual prisoner and 

 taken the Government out of his hands, Japan, 

 in the face of Chinese threats of war and active 

 military preparations, presented the following 



demands at Pekin : China to acquiesce in the 

 principle of reform for the security and integ- 

 rity of Korea, and arrangements made already 

 with the King of Korea to be recognized ; China 

 to admit that Japan shall enjoy in Korea the 

 same rights as China, except in regard to Chinese 

 suzerainty, which was not to be touched, and 

 would retain its historical and ceremonial char- 

 acter ; arrangements to be made by a conference 

 of the two powers for the withdrawal of the 

 troops as soon as order was restored. Japan de- 

 clared, in conclusion, that it would consider the 

 sending of more troops into Korea as a hostile 

 menace of China, against which it would be 

 obliged to take steps in self-defense. 



Attempted Mediation. The Russian Gov- 

 ernment asked an explanation of Japanese pro- 

 ceedings in Korea, intimating that it would not 

 permit any acquisition of territory, and was in- 

 formed that no designs upon Korea were intend- 

 ed, and that Japan would withdraw its troops 

 whenever Chinese interference ceased. 



The United States Government was bound by 

 a special duty to Korea and had a special inter- 

 est in Japan,' having been the first of the West- 

 ern nations to open both countries and conclude 

 treaties with them. The treaty made at Wash- 

 ington with Korean envoys in 1882 provides that 

 "if other powers deal unjustly or oppressively 

 with either government the other will exert its 

 friendly offices, on being informed of the case, 

 to bring about an amicable settlement, thus 

 showing its friendly feelings." On June 1, 

 when the rebellion had spread through several 

 provinces and the rebels were threatening the 

 capital, the King of Korea requested the United 

 States to send war ships to Chemulpo. The 

 " Baltimore " was sent, and on receiving a warn- 

 ing from the Korean Government that the re- 

 bellion was directed against foreigners, the naval 

 authorities landed a detachment of marines to 

 protect the American legation at Seoul and the 

 lives of Americans, who were more numerous in 

 Korea than the subjects of any European power, 

 numbering about 80. When the Korean King 

 appealed to the Government at Washington 

 under the treaty, declaring that his country was 

 treated unjustly and oppressively by China and 

 Japan, in that they had stationed troops on Ko- 

 rean soil, which they refused to withdraw, the 

 United States ministers in Pekin and Tokio 

 were instructed to make representations to the 

 governments to which they were accredited em- 

 bodying the King's complaint and exert the 

 friendly influence of their Government to relieve 

 Korea's distress. China at once disclaimed all 

 intention of oppressing Korea, and expressed 

 willingness to withdraw the troops as soon as 

 Japan agreed to do the same. Japan's reply 

 disclaimed any designs on Korean territory, but 

 declined to withdraw until satisfactory measures 

 had been taken to prevent the frequently recur- 

 ring disturbances in that country, which affected 

 Japanese interests more seriously than those of 

 other countries. The United States Government 

 then offered its good offices as a mediator in case 

 they should be desired. 



The British Government on July 19 made a 

 request to the governments of France, Germany, 

 Italy, and Russia to support its efforts to avert 

 war by instructing their representatives in Pekin 



