1886.) Geography ana Travels. 715 
where the Naktong empties into the Broughton strait not far 
from the port of Fusan. The rise and fall of the tide along the 
eastern coast is very slight, at Gensan only two feet, while at 
Chemulpo, on the west coast, there is a rise and fall of thirty- 
eight feet. From Fusan westwards, and along the west coast, 
there are numberless islands and mud banks, interfering greatly 
with navigation. The Amnok is by far the grandest river, but 
the Tai-dong, Han (on which Soul is situated), Keum and Mok- 
pho are important. 
The northern portions of Korea are mountainous and the 
Scenery fine, but further south the mountains diminish until at 
length they are but low-lying hills. 
There are in Soul few houses more than ten feet high, for even 
the dwellings of the better classes are low. The smallness of the 
Ouses seems to be compensated by the size and variety of the 
hats worn by the men. High conical hats, black or white, and 
of open texture, made of split bamboo, horse-hair, or wicker work, 
seem to be common, and some of these are topped with a little 
bee-hive covering of oil-paper to protect them from rain. 
Drains are unknown in Soul, and the foul mass of decomposing 
matter lying on each side of the street is never cleaned save by a 
rain-storm. e houses- are heated by a chamber below the 
winter rooms, at one side of which is the repository for the fuel, at 
the other a flue leading to the chimney, which is detached. At 
the ends of a house are the summer rooms, raised above the 
Sround on corner-stones. The dwellings are built of wooden 
pillars Supporting a heavy roof of wooden beams and tiles, The 
-ters are pared away so as to fit into sockets on the top of the 
Pillars. The spaces between the posts are filled with masonry, 
the stones of which are often tied together with millet stalks, on 
account of the high price of lime. Eight feet by six feet, and five 
t high, is a good room in a Korean cabin. 
€ road to Wi-ju, on the Amnok, is the high road of com- 
merce north of Soul, as every track west of the mountains con- 
verges on it. Kai-song, Phyong-yang and -Wi-ju, on this route, 
are three of the most important cities in the country after Soul. 
Hill towns, or cities of refuge, guarded by priest-soldiers, are 
found all over orea ; and message that the coast is clear is sent 
to the capital every evening from all parts of the provinces by 
means of beacons, e Laie : 
__4\al-sOng was the capital of the last dynasty, has about 30,00: 
People, and is the daite of ginseng cultivation. Phyong-yang, 
sA the ai-dong, is the most interesting town in Korea, and 
Koatifully situated. Here are the grave and the portrait of ae 
Wiju (30 i t s sent by the over- 
; 30,000) is the depot of all goods sent by the ove 
land route to Chana Comenia HetwestiABe two adjoining = 
tes, even now that the strip of neutral ground once —— ae 
