COR 



209 



COR 



Corea. 



hire and application of the plans by which the order 

 and succession in which the warp is inserted in the hed- 

 dles, or healds, of a loom, and the connecting cordage 

 between these and the treddles disposed, a few plans 

 are subjoined of the principal varieties of these articles. 



Those who are not previously acquainted with the 

 intention and use of these plans, will find these parti- 

 culars explained in a future article. For the pre- 

 sent it may be sufficient to observe, that the order 

 in which threads of warp through any number of 

 leaves of heddles are drawn, is denoted by the suc- 

 cession of figures or numerals 1, 2, &c. ; that the 

 number of treddles is found by the cross checkers at 

 the left hand of the plan, and that those connecting 

 cords which raise a heddle are distinguished by cyphers, 

 while those which sink it are denoted by blanks. The 

 succession of moving the treddles is pointed out by the 

 numerals below, (j. d.) 



CORD YLIA, a genus of plants of the class Monadel- 

 phia, and order Polyandria. See Botany, p. 272. 



CORDYLINE, a genus of plants of the class Hexan- 

 dria, and order Monogynia. See Botany, p. 194. 



CORDYLOCARPUS, a genus of plants of the class 

 Tetradynamia, and order Siliquosae. See Botany, p. 

 262. 



COREA, or Korea, a peninsular kingdom of Asia, 

 dependent upon China, called Kao-li and sometimes 

 Chau-tsien by the Chinese, and Salko by the Mantchew 

 Tartars. It reaches from the latitude of 34° 32' to 

 43° 10' both N. and from the longitude of 125° to 

 131° 34' both E. from Greenwich, measuring about 

 500 English miles from N. to S. and 200 of medium 

 breadth from E. to W. so that its area contains about 

 96,000 square miles, or 62,440,000 statute acres. At 

 one period of its history Corea is said to have contain- 

 ed 6'90,000 families ; which would then give a popula- 

 tion of about three millions and a half, or one person 

 to every 17|- acres. On the north it is separated from 

 Maudshuria by a chain of mountains, stretching from 

 E. N. E. to W. S. W. On the north-west from the 

 Chinese province of Leao-tong, by a continuation of 

 the same mountain range, and a barrier of palisades or 

 wooden piles. On the west it is separated from China 

 by the gulf of Leao-tong and the Hoang-hay or Yellow 

 Sea. It is bounded on the east by the Sea of Japan ; 

 and is separated on the south-east from the insular 

 kingdom of Japan by the straits of Corea, which are 

 about 86 English miles in breadth, and contain several 

 islands. 



The interior geography of this distant peninsula is 

 very little known, as it is inaccessible to European 

 commerce, owing to the jealous precautions of the pa- 

 ramount Chinese government, which limits all foreign 

 intercourse to the port of Canton. It is represented as 

 divided into eight large provinces, containing forty in- 

 ferior districts, in which there are said to be thirty- 

 three cities of the first class, fifty-eight of the second, 

 and 70 of the third. Its chief rivers are, the Ya-loic on 

 the N. W. the Tou-men on the N. E. both said to take 

 their rise from a very high mountain, named Chan-pe- 

 shan by the Chinese and Shunelin by the Mantchews, 

 both names signifying the ever while mountain, indica- 

 tive of its being perpetually covered by snow. There 

 are also the Li on the W. and the Han on the S. E. be- 

 sides many other inferior streams on its eastern and 

 western sides. The whole interior of the country is 

 also represented as intersected in various directions by 

 many ranges of hills, dividing it into numerous rallies, 



VOL. VII. TART I. 



King-hi-lao, in the central province of King-ti, is the 

 capital ; and the other principal cities are Ouei-yven in 

 the N. W. Kiang-si or Ping-gang in the W. and Tcin- 

 tcheou in the S. Several islands are scattered along all 

 the three sides of this peninsula that are washed by 

 the sea, the largest of which, named Quel-paert or Kel- 

 prael, is on the S. being upwards of forty miles in dia- 

 meter, and nearly sixty miles from the continent, the 

 intervening sound being studded by a great number 

 of smaller islands. 



According to Perouse, the whole southern coast of 

 Corea, from Quel-paert eastwards, until past the S. E. 

 cape of the peninsula, is thickly strewed with danger- 

 ous rocks and islands, for the distance of twelve or 

 fifteen miles from the coast ; after which, that naviga- 

 tor was able to steer close to the continental shore, be- 

 ing able to distinguish the towns and houses on the 

 coast, and to view the bays as he sailed along. He 

 also mentions having seen many fortifications on the 

 tops of the hills, exactly resembling European forts, pro- 

 bably intended for defending the country against in- 

 vasion by the Japanese. He reports the eastern coast 

 of Corea to be favourable for navigation, and free from 

 dangers, the sea at three leagues from the coast being 

 every where about sixty fathoms deep, on a bottom of 

 mud. The country appeared every where very moun- 

 tainous, and the soil seemed arid, and but little suscep- 

 tible of cultivation. The climate also seemed ungenial, 

 as the snow was not entirely melted in some hollows 

 among the hills in May 1787. A dozen or more junks 

 or sampanes were seen under sail on different parts of 

 the coast, resembling in all respects those in use among 

 the Chinese. 



Though mountainous, Corea is said to produce abun- 

 dance of wheat and rice ; and ginseng, a favourite me- 

 dicine in China, is among its productions. From a 

 species of palm found in this country, a gum or balsam 

 is extracted, of which a yellow varnish is prepared, 

 said to be little inferior in beauty to gilding. It also 

 produces gold, silver, iron, fossil salt, with sables and 

 beaver skins ; but the two last are more likely to be 

 only transmitted through Corea, by means of trade or 

 barter, from Maudshuria, and the north of eastern Asia. 

 It has a breed of small horses, only three feet high ; 

 and the hens of Corea are said to have tails three feet 

 long, though these are more probably some species of 

 pheasant. The paper of Corea, made of cotton, is in 

 great request in China, for being used, when oiled, in 

 their windows, as it is very strong, and resists the ef- 

 fects of wind and rain. The Chinese also employ it as 

 wrapping paper, and for lining clothes ; and from its 

 description, as susceptible of being split into several 

 strong layers, we suspect that it may be manufactured 

 from the bark of some species of plant, in the same 

 manner with what is called Otaheite cloth. Small 

 brushes for painting, made from the tail of some spe- 

 cies of wolf, are sent in great numbers to China, where 

 they are said to be much valued. The sea coasts abound 

 with fish of various kinds ; and many whales are found 

 every year towards the north-east, some of which are 

 said to have the harpoons of the European whale-fish- 

 ers sticking in their bodies, and must consequently 

 have come all the way from Greenland through the 

 Arctic Ocean, along the north coast of Asia or Ameri- 

 ca, and by Beering's Straits, into the Seas of Kamt- 

 shatka, Jesso, and Japan. 



The Coreans are described as stout and well made, 

 of mild and docile dispositions, much addicted to the 

 2d 



Corea. 



