528 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 
The Home Office was instituted in 1884, and has to a great extent 
absorbed the functions of the Cabinet and of the six Boards. 
The Department of Maritime Customs takes its orders from the 
Foreign Office, and is organised by a chief commissioner and two com- 
missioners in the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, who are lent by 
the Chinese Government to Corea. 
The police of the capital is a military police. The city of Soul 
being divided into three wards, each ward has its own army division 
commanded by nobles. 
Besides this there are inspectors who itinerate the country and 
make reports to the King as to the good or bad administration of the 
provinces. 
The metropolis has a governor, two vice-governors, and one deputy 
governor, the last of whom acts as a judge. 
There is a Supreme Court for the country, which sits at Soul. 
The functions of the Supreme Court are to try State offences and 
charges against the higher officials. At this court the King some- 
times presides in person. Sometimes it is presided over by the Chief 
Justice, who ranks with and before the President of a Board. 
The eight provinces of Corea have 1 governor each, 4 deputy 
governors of the first grade, 5 deputy governors of the second grade, 
74 prefects, 77 district magistrates, 26 assistant magistrates, 122 sub- 
magistrates. The above officers are independent in their stations, and 
report direct to the governors of the provinces. 
The prefects of the departments in which the treaty ports of 
Gcnsan, Chemulpo, and Fusan are situated are given the further title 
of Superintendents of Customs, and act in conjunction with the Com- 
missioners of Customs lent by China. 
There are also a number of town magistrates, who are under the 
jurisdiction of the various territorial authorities. 
There are, further, the tax-collectors — that is, the collectors of 
land tax, which is paid in the form of rice. This department is ruled 
by a treasurer and deputy. 
The Eoyal granaries are under three high officials — the super- 
intendent, the director, and the treasurer. 
There are five military fortresses which guard the approach to the 
capital. 
In Soul itself there are 4,000 men, who act both as soldiers and 
police. These men are divided into three battalions. Each battalion 
has a general, lieutenant-general, colonel, lieutenant-colonel, captain, 
sergeant. There are besides sixteen brigadier generals. 
There is a commander-in-chief of the naval forces, but as yet 
the only force for him to command are some 200 or 800 men who have 
been put in uniform, but neither supplied with arms nor drilled. The 
pay of the soldiers is a certain quantity of rice and about 2s. a 
month ; but the lightness of the work of a soldier, the many privi- 
leges he enjoys, and the estimation in which the occupation is held 
attach many Coreans to the ranks, and make the profession sought 
after. Asa rule, a soldier travelling enjoys free quarters at inns, free 
