KOREA. 



397 



CONSULATE HILL, AND HARBOR OP CHEMULPO, KOREA. 



service literary examinations. The bloody and 

 destructive Japanese invasion of 1592-'97, which 

 desolated the land and nearly stripped the coun- 

 try of its art monuments and skilled artisans, 

 and the invasion of the Manchus in 1627 (before 

 establishing their dynasty at Pekin), were fol- 

 lowed by a stagnant calm of neary two centuries. 

 The chief events of the nineteenth century are the 

 introduction and active propagation of Cnristian- 

 ity ; the advance of Russia to the sea, and as a 

 neighbor just across Tumen river ; the visitation 

 of French fleets ; military chastisement at the 

 hands of Japanese, French, and Americans ; 

 treaties with Japan and Western nations ; the 

 opening of ports of trade ; the formation of a 

 progressive or pro-Japanese and of a pro-Chinese 

 or conservative party ; the riots at Seoul in 1882 

 and 1884, with the diplomatic complications fol- 

 lowing; the rise of the Tong Haks (Eastern- 

 civilization adherents); the shock of hostile 

 Chinese and Japanese armies in the war of 1894 ; 

 and the inauguration of sweeping reforms that 

 look to radical changes of the political and social 

 structure. 



Trade, Agriculture, and Resources. All 

 accounts agree that the national resources of the 

 peninsula in fisheries, mines, and minerals and 

 fertility of soil are great. The chief drawbacks 

 are that labor is not honored ; that poor govern- 

 ment and the rapacity of the idle gentry paralyze 

 industry and afford no motive for the acquisition 

 of wealth ; while navigable rivers, land roads, and 

 a good money standard are lacking. The old 

 times and methods of trade are still largely in 

 vogue. Certain days are set apart for fairs on the 

 main streets of market towns. Transportation 

 is by means of bulls, ponies, and human beings. 

 Luxuries are rare, and the handsome shops so 

 common in China and Japan are practically un- 

 known. Nevertheless, the foreign trade is in- 

 creasing, despite fluctuations, and is silently 

 working an economic revolution. Most of the 



import trade is now in the hands of the Japa- 

 nese. The exports consist of fish, rice, gold dust, 

 hides, bones, beans, cotton, peas, grain, nutgalls, 

 and marine products. In 1886 the total value 

 of trade at the ports was $725,000 ; in 1887, 

 $850,000 : in 1888, $1,000,000 ; in 1889, $4,353,- 

 148: in 1890, $8,774,265; in 1891. $10,249,209; 

 in 1892, $9,669,400; and in 1893, $7,778,055. 

 The latter figures show the twofold results of 

 the unsettled political state caused by the Tong 

 Hak uprisings, which left unplanted fields and 

 subsequent local famines, and the furious gales 

 of September, which damaged the rice crops in 

 all parts of the peninsula. The harvest of 1892 

 also was poor. The Japanese merchants usually 

 buy up the prospective crops, and many Korean 

 farmers are heavily indebted to the Japanese 

 banks. Owing to various reasons patent in 

 Korea's low state of civilization, foreign goods 

 do not penetrate far inland. In 1886 the Korean 

 flag began to fly at the peak of purchased steam- 

 ers, and the coasting trade began a new develop- 

 ment, with the record of 7 steamers and 3 sailing 

 vessels, which under the Korean flag had entered 

 the treaty ports. In 1891 these figures had in- 

 creased to 23 steamers and 28 sailers; in 1892, to 

 33 and 65 respectively, with a total tonnage of 

 8,780. In 1893 a gain of nearly 500 per cent, 

 was shown in the figures 141 steamers, 149 sail- 

 ers, with a tonnage of 41,466. Foreign cottons 

 still represent 45 per cent, of the total imports. 

 Sundries to the value of $1,665,979 were imported 

 in 1892, and of $1,672,902 in 1893, increase being 

 noticeable in raw cotton, fruits, medicines, nee- 

 dles, petroleum, salt, skins, and paper. Decrease 

 is noted in arms, clothing, coal, dyes, fish, grass 

 cloth, matches, porcelain, provisions, building 

 materials, and umbrellas. In 1892 there were 

 9,132 Japanese, 1,604 Chinese, and about 300 

 foreign residents, the numbers of Chinese and 

 Japanese being somewhat less, but of a better 

 class, in 1893. After the outbreak of war in 



