Korea and the Koreans. 933 
4 
of the Korean pronunciation of the same; (3) that the Korean 
pronunciation of these characters is quite uniform throughout the 
whole extent of the country ; (4) that the Korean equivalents 
may be readily transliterated into English. All that is necessary, 
therefore, in fixing a geographic name is to have it .written 
correctly in Chinese and in the On-mun. From the latter the 
English equivalent may be readily obtained. The need of the 
Chinese form arises from the fact that but few of the natives 
spell correctly, while many of them write Chinese well; so that 
it becomes necessary to refer both writings to some authority, by 
whom the native spelling may be verified. 
Wide spread as is the use of the Chinese nomenclature, it is 
none the less evident that the system is an artificial one, and that 
its employment must end somewhere. . In those parts of the 
country that are the least explored, and where educational facili- 
ties are wanting, in the mountain fastnesses of the north, and 
among the many islands of the Yellow Sea, important geo- 
graphic names occur that possess no Chinese equivalents : native 
words capable of being written only in the On-mun and which 
derive their origin from local peculiarities. To ascertain these 
correctly the services of an educated Korean are required ; and 
it may be added here that no surveying party on the Korean 
coast should be without the services of a native guide, capable of 
speaking a few words of English. Such a man may be picked up 
at an open port. He would be useful in many ways: in prevent- 
ing the destruction of signals from superstitious motives by the 
natives ; in ascertaining from fishermen the existence of dangers 
in the intricate coast waters ; in marking the position of towns 
and villages not to be seen from their sea approaches ; and in 
securing supplies of fresh provisions. 
The preliminary study of the geography of an eastern country 
necessitates the comparative examination of data gathered from 
widely different sources: the early partial surveys of the coasts 
by mariners, and the rough maps made by the natives themselves. 
Inasmuch as large sections of the Korean coasts are as yet hardly 
examined, and since it is only within the last few years that for- 
eigners have been allowed to penetrate into the interior, it follows 
that no accurate map of the land exists. In selecting bases for 
future developments it becomes necessary, therefore, to examine 
’ the various approximate representations, and to determine which 
of them is best adapted to aid the work in hand. 
