Projecting from the northeast coast of Asia and stretching out to the eastward and southward between the waters of the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea is a large peninsula whose people have today opened their gates to the commerce and civilization of the west, after a policy of nonintercourse which, according to themselves, has lasted for four thousand years. And here, as in Japan, the United States has been the first to overcome the barriers which have given them the centuries of seclusion.
Few, even of well-informed people, know more of this peninsula than that it is marked Korea, and that the interior appears on the maps very similar to the interior of Africa —a great blank.
Through the Dutch, who had for years had a settlement at Nagasaki, Japan was far better known when Commodore Perry anchored his ships on her coast and by the display of a happy combination of firmness and tact succeeded in forcing upon her reluctant people a civilization of which, today, they cannot get enough.
Korea has been literally a “forbidden land.” Familiarity has bred for its people none of the contempt that familiarity invariably does breed for the Asiatic in the minds of all foreigners. Much diversity of opinion exists as to their character and that of their country. They are represented as tall and athletic in person with complexions much lighter than the Chinese and as wearing full beards and moustaches. They are said to be haughty and domineering in their manner towards strangers, but courteous and dignified, although somewhat grave in their intercourse with friends. They are reported as brave and warlike and even cruel in their dispositions. Their country is described by some as overflowing with plenty, by others as poor and sterile. Their mountains, as glistening with precious metals, and their sovereign as possessed of fabulous revenues. Men-of- war anchoring or surveying on their coasts have been warned off and fired upon; a peaceful trading ship ascending one of their rivers was burned and her crew murdered. Roman Catholic Missionaries alone have effected anything like an entrance into their country and they and their converts have at intervals fallen sacrifice to the whims or passions of the rulers. Today the gates of the terra incognita are thrown open to the United States.
According to Oppert, the first mention of Korea occurs in Chinese chronicles of the year 2350 B.C., when some of the northern tribes became tributary to China. The part of the peninsula inhabited by these tribes was then known as Ochao-Sien, from which, Chosen, the present name for the country, among themselves and their eastern neighbors, was probably derived.
The southern part was divided among three different independent tribes, out of which three kingdoms were eventually formed. These four states waged almost continual war with each other, and with China until 935 A.D. when Kaoli, the northwest of these states, conquered the others and they were united into one kingdom called Kaoli, from which the present Korea is derived. In 960 the country gave in its allegiance to the Emporer of China, which, however was only of a temporary character. From this time down to 1397 when the Wang family was deposed by revolution of some of the powerful nobles and the Ni family seated on the throne, Korea was continually at war with China. Under the Ni dynasty, which ruled Korea in an unbroken line until 1864, the country enjoyed comparative peace for nearly 200 years until Hidiyoshi, an ambitious and warlike Shogun of Japan, conceived the daring project of conquering China. He landed his armies in Korea, with a view either of making them his allies, or subduing them so as to have Korea for a connecting link, and in case of disaster, a line of retreat to Japan. His well-disciplined veterans, fresh from their successful opposition against the rebellious princes in Japan quickly overran the peninsula, almost annihilating the Chinese armies sent to its assistance. The death of Hidiyoshi, however, put an end to the onward progress of the Japanese; they became disorganized and dispersed, and were easily defeated in detail by the Chinese. Many of the survivors settled in the southern part of the country, where their influence on the language and customs is easily discernible.
In 1627, and again in 1637, the Manchus invaded Korea but on both occasions were driven back. For more than 200 years the history of the country is uneventful, and it might have continued so for many years longer had not the daring of the French missionaries, and the dying out of the reigning line in 1864, which threw the crown upon a child of a collateral branch and gave the power to his father, an ambitious and unscrupulous man, combined to produce a train of events which has brought about the opening of Korea today.
Upon the accession of his son, the Regent, who wished to wield absolute power over the lives and property of his countrymen, saw clearly that this was impossible if the Roman Catholics were allowed to extend their already growing influence, and Christianity to become general. He began an indiscriminate slaughter of the native Christians and caused nine of the missionaries to be put to death. As soon as they learned of these atrocities the French sent a naval expedition under Admiral Roze to exact indemnity or to inflict punishment. With two ships of light draft the Admiral succeeded in ascending the Seoul River to a point within a few miles of the Capital from which he delivered dispatches and returned. The Regent became greatly alarmed and having no troops at hand with which to oppose this force endeavored to collect as quickly as possible a few bands of tiger hunters, and in order to gain time, invited the Admiral to come to the Capital to talk matters over. This, the Admiral declined to do. On the contrary he landed several hundred men and, meeting with no resistance, demolished the unoffending town of Kangwha. A day or two after this a body of marines, while reconnoitering a hill, fell into an ambush of tiger hunters and were roughly handled, 37 of them being killed and wounded. This unexpected repulse seems to have completely upset the ill-conceived and badly managed expedition, which at once departed to the great delight and no small surprise of the Regent. So great was his elation and conceit at this inglorious termination of an expedition which had promised to give him much trouble that he sent at once to the Chinese Emperor offering to expel the “barbarians” from his empire. Shortly before this expedition left Chefoo for Korea an American schooner, the General Sherman, left that port for a trading voyage on the Korean coast. Nothing more was ever seen of the ship or crew. Subsequently a Chinese junk arrived there, having on board a Chinaman, who had acted as pilot for the schooner, in her ascent of the Ping Yong River. He brought the startling intelligence that the schooner had been burned and her crew murdered by the Koreans.
In January of the next year the U.S.S. Wachusett, Commander Shufeldt, was dispatched to Korea to ascertain the truth of this report and succor the survivors, if there should be any. A few days after her arrival on the coast an officer came on board and denying all knowledge of the schooner urged the ship to go away immediately. After endeavoring, in vain, to communicate with the King, Commander Shufeldt was compelled to return to Shanghai, having satisfied himself from the stories told by friendly natives that the report of the destruction of the schooner was substantially correct and that no survivors remained. In April, 1868, the U.S.S. Shenandoah, Commander Febigcr, went to Korea to investigate a rumor that two survivors remained in captivity in the country. She began the ascent of the Ping Yong River, endeavoring to reach the spot where the schooner had been destroyed, and had not proceeded far when one of her boats, while surveying the river ahead of the ship, was fired upon from the shore. Knowing that all hopes of rescuing the supposed captives depended upon avoiding any hostilities, her commander prudently dropped down the river. From here communications were interchanged between Commander Febiger and the authorities, who denied that any survivors of the schooner remained. He came to the conclusion that they told the truth and returned to Chefoo.
On May 16, 1871, a U. S. Squadron under command of Admiral John Rogers, comprising the flagship Colorado, Benecia, Monocacy, and Palos left Nagasaki with a special envoy on board for the purpose of negotiating a treaty of friendship and commerce. They anchored in the Sal6e River, one of the mouths of the Seoul, on which the Capital is situated, and anchored near Boisie Island. Soon after their arrival a letter was brought on board the flagship of which the following is a translation:
“In the year 1868 a man of your nation, whose name was Febiger, came here and communicated and went away. Why cannot you do the same? In 1865 a people, called the French, came here and we refer them to you for what happened. This people and Kingdom have lived in the enjoyment of their own civilization 4000 years and we want no other. We trouble no other nations. Why should they trouble us? Our country is in the farthest east, yours in the farthest west. Why do you come so many thousand miles across the sea? Is it to enquire about the vessel destroyed? Her men committed piracy and murder and they were punished with death. Do you want our land? That cannot be. Do you want intercourse with us? That cannot be.”
The men who brought this, as well as a party of eight who visited the flagship the next day, seemed amiably disposed, and not the slightest suspicion was aroused of the treachery that was about to be displayed. At noon, on the first of June, the Monocacy and Palos, preceded by four steam launches, started up the Sal6e River to survey it. From the southern point of Kangwha Island, formed by the two mouths of the Seoul River, the Sal6e narrows rapidly to about three hundred feet. About nine miles above the ships’ anchorage, a peninsula, 150 feet high, projects into the river. As the launches approached this point they noticed about 100 feet above the level of the river a fortification from the embrasures of which the muzzles of about 50 guns were projecting. Between this battery and the summit of the hill, which was surrounded by a stone wall and from which flags were flying, were about 2,000 soldiers armed with matchlocks. As the launches rounded this point they noticed, on the main land, another fort whose guns were trained upon the same point as those on the hill. Hardly had this ominous fact been commented upon by those in the launches than a single gun was heard from the fort on the hill, followed by a simultaneous discharge from both forts. The fire was very severe for a few moments, but probably because the launches did not pass at the exact distance for which the guns had been depressed, only one man was wounded. The Monocacy and Palos steamed up into position as soon as possible and the former’s 8-inch guns soon silenced the forts. The ships and launches returned to the anchorage and reported what had occurred to the Admiral, who determined to land a force and destroy the forts. For this purpose the Monocacy and Palos landed below the fort; a force of 644 sailors and marines and 7 guns. The next day, under cover of a fire from the two ships, they stormed and carried the forts with a loss of only 3 killed and 7 wounded, Lieutenant McKee, one of the former, being run through by a lance as he sprang into the fort. This occurrence, of course, put an end to all hopes of a treaty and the expedition returned without having done more than give the Koreans the idea that American boats were not to be fired upon with impunity. About this time the Japanese began to cast longing eyes towards Korea and the country in 1872 and again in 1875 rang with the cry of “On to Korea.” All this, however, notwithstanding the fact that a Japanese man- of-war was fired upon by a Korean soldier, ended without war, for a fleet was sent in January, 1866, with an embassy on board which succeeded in spite of the reluctance and procrastination of the Koreans and by the adoption of much the same tactics, succeeded in effecting a treaty of commerce and amity. During her cruise around the world, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga bearing the broad pennant of Commodore Shufeldt, stopped at Fusan, one of the points opened to the Japanese, to endeavor to ascertain the feeling of Korea towards foreigners. He was, however, unable to establish any intercourse with the authorities and was compelled to leave without having done more than having awakened them to the fact that other nations desired their friendship. After two unsuccessful visits to this country, which had impressed him strongly with the idea that Korea would soon be either opened peacefully, or be taken possession of by one of the great powers, it still remained for him to negotiate a treaty. Thoroughly familiar with the methods of Eastern diplomacy, knowing the working of the celestial mind almost by intuition, from a long experience in the east, he was eminently fitted for his task and endowed by nature with a towering figure and a kindly, courteous manner, exactly those calculated to impress the oriental mind with respect and confidence. He proceeded first to China, from where a copy of the proposed treaty was transmitted to Korea. After some time spent here in perfecting his plans, he embarked at Chefoo on the eighth of May, 1882, in the U.S.S. Swatara, Commander Cooper, and proceeded to the Salée River. She anchored on the 11th, near Roze Island, finding at anchor there one Japanese and three Chinese men-of-war. On the 14th, two Koreans, appointed as Commissioners by the King, visited the ship, attended by a numerous suite. As they came on board a Mandarin salute of three guns was fired in their honor. The first Commissioner, Shin Chen, President of the Royal cabinet of Korea, was a very old man, whose tottering footsteps were supported by a man at each elbow—son and grandson. His face was pleasing with a long white beard and moustache and a pallid complexion of a light yellowish hue. He was dressed in a long flowing robe of white brocaded gauze with an under robe of pink silk showing through. His hat, only worn by high officials, was very odd. It was of black horsehair finely woven, of a conical shape and with elliptical-shaped wings of the same material standing out on each side. His feet were encased in Chinese boots. He wore a very curious square belt standing several inches out from the body in front and behind, made up in sections of polished moss agate on a dark blue ground. His manner of saluting, as he came on board, as well as of all the others, was by bringing the hands together before the face. The second Commissioner was a very young man, said to be only 25, Chin Hung Tsi, and a member of the Royal Cabinet. He was short and rather stout and had a round and intelligent face. He was dressed in all respects like his superior except that his robes were of different colors and his belt of red diamond-shaped stones, on a light yellow ground like amber. The third in rank of our visitors was the Court Chamberlain and he was, to me, the most interesting one of the party. He was a tall, slender man of about forty whose perfect nonchalance among so much that must have been new and startling to him would have done credit to the most utter of the frequenters of London salons. He evinced none of the eager curiosity that rather belittled the rest of the party, and with his regular features would either have escaped notice or have been taken for a Spaniard had he been dressed by a fashionable tailor and dropped in one of the aforementioned salons. All of the party with the exception of the two commissioners were of good height, with complexions of a light yellow and with eyes of a slight slant. Their profiles were much more prominent than those of the Chinese, some of them even having aquiline noses. While the commissioners were in the cabin one of the servants, who remained loitering about outside, addressed the officer of the deck in Pidgin English informing him that he had spent several years in Vladivostok and spoke Russian well. He told us that his clothes all came from China. His coat of brocaded silk gauze was evidently made there but his cotton under robe and trousers were of European or American manufacture, probably, from the good quality of the stuff, from America. After the reception in the cabin, where the conversation was carried on in Chinese, several of them speaking that language fluently, the crew was sent to quarters at the beat of the drum and a short exercise had for their amusement, with the 8-inch rifle, a blank charge being fired from it. As they left the ship another salute of 3 guns was fired. On the day following this visit, permission having been granted, a number of us landed on Roze Island, a small and rather high island near the ship, from the summit of which we expected to get a good view of the surrounding country. We climbed at once to the top, it was only 600 or 800 feet in height, and were amply rewarded for our pains. The day was a bright, sunshiny one with a gentle breeze blowing. The view was one of the prettiest imaginable. At our feet was a small fishing village, whose existence was, until now, unsuspected by us, as it lay on the opposite side of the island from the ship, with a long curving white beach before it on which three or four small junks had been left by the falling tide. Beyond, and separated from the island by a narrow branch of the river, was the mainland, looking somewhat desolate at first glance, with its long yellow hills, but a closer inspection revealed here and there numerous little clearings with fields of waving grain and rice paddies, and near each, in a clump of trees, we could see the straw thatched roofs of the houses, shiny in the sunshine. On our left was the river which disappeared in the distance behind the hills. We tried to pick out the hill from which the fort had fired upon the launches only eleven years before and to imagine ourselves viewing that subsequent charge up the hill. After having enjoyed the shade df the beech trees which surmounted the hill and discussed the future before this country, we started down on the other side to inspect a little village which we found to be simply a collection of fishermen’s huts. They were built in the worst manner, of mud and stone and thatched with straw. Each house seemed to be a very castle standing distinct and separate from its neighbors and being surrounded by a high fence of closely woven straw mats so that it was almost impossible to see anything of them. As we entered the village we were met by a number of children whose long hair, braided down their backs, gave them the appearance of girls. They were dressed in gayly colored cotton, pink and light blue seeming favorite colors. They approached us without the slightest manifestation of fear, a fact which struck us at once as we were accustomed to seeing the Japanese and Chinese children of towns not frequented by strangers run off crying. They were presently followed by several men with whom we soon got on good terms by giving them cigars which were accepted with profound bows and immediate return of tobacco from their pouches, which we discovered to be of good flavor. H_____ had a letter in his pocket which had been given to him by a Korean, whom he had met in Osaka, where he was studying the manufacture of glass. It was to a friend in the Capital, introducing H______ to his favorable notice, saying among other things, that although a foreigner H_____ was a man after his own heart. This letter was produced and given to a man who came up at this moment and seemed from the deference paid him by the others to be a sort of head man. He took it, put on a pair of immense horn-rimmed Chinese spectacles and began to read it aloud. Each sentence was commented upon by the bystanders, the general impression seeming to be favorable. At its conclusion he started off, beckoning us to follow him and led the way to a small house which was without the usual fence and motioned us to enter. I judged from a number of papers in Chinese characters posted on its front that this was a sort of magistrate’s office. We entered a small room covered with straw matting, following the example of our host by removing our shoes. A number of natives entered with us and we all seated ourselves Turk fashion. We passed around cigars again and endeavored to make some inquiries by signs, but the conversation would lag and we, after a few minutes stay, withdrew. The hands of the men present were very noticeable, long and slender, almost white and with perfectly trimmed and polished nails. They all wore pointed black beards and moustaches and their features were much more prominent than those of the Chinese. Different degrees of obliquity of the eyes were noticeable, some having them almost as oblique as Chinamen and others having perfectly straight eyes. We saw no women or girls for we discovered that the boys wear their hair braided down the back. This fact did not surprise us any as it was simply a verification of what we had heard, that the women are rigorously secluded. We started on through the town noticing as we reached the other end of it by the road side a number of curious poles, two of which were surmounted by rudely carved wooden ducks and the others with hideous heads, rough representations of superior beings, I suppose, as they all had winged hats that were worn by the officials who visited the ship the day before. It was afterward ascertained that these were the village idols. During our absence on shore a large junk came alongside the ship bringing presents of fowls, eggs, and rice and every day thereafter bringing fowls, pigs, beef, and vegetables. A day or two after our visit to the island four of us determined to go over to the mainland and endeavor to get into the country as far as possible so as to learn something of the people and their customs. We had a lunch provided, armed ourselves with Navy revolvers and with Ah Sam, our steward to act as interpreter and carry the lunch, landed on the mainland near Roze Island. As we approached the shore we could see the natives assembling from all directions, attracted by our boat. Their white robes, not especially adapted to running, caught the wind as they ran and made them visible a long distance. When we reached the beach we found a large crowd gathered for our reception, some in the large, broad brimmed, narrow crowned black hats that are worn by everybody, and flowing brocade silk coats; some, the majority, in white cotton and wearing either the black hat or enormous straw plaited scoop shaped hats that made them look like an army of R. Co. and some bareheaded and in rags.
We had determined to go to a town, said to be about four miles from our landing place, but had great difficulty in getting the natives to understand. They said it was too far; that the day was too hot, that we must wait until the next day when they would provide horses for us and tried every way to discourage us from going. While this conversation was going on with the head men two or three men, who seemed to be policemen, were keeping the crowd back. They wore broad brimmed hats of black shoddy with red tassels hanging from the crown. It was not until our friend who had been in Vladivostok, Mitri, appeared and in a long harangue informed them, I suppose, how very obstinate foreigners were, that the policemen cleared the way and one of the head men beckoned us to follow him, that we got started. We were accompanied also by three or four soldiers and by Mitri. They several times urged us not to walk so fast but as, when we slowed down in compliance with their entreaties, we were overtaken by the rabble, and as the noise they made was not very soothing we kept up a pretty good pace. We had walked about a half a mile when a great commotion arose in the crowd behind us and my attention was, at the same time, called to the fact that my coat had caught up behind and exposed my revolver to view. Two or three men ran up from behind and began a loud and excited conversation with the soldiers near me, one of whom started ahead on a run. We were somewhat bewildered by the loud talk and vehement gestures of our guides, and taking into consideration that we knew very little about the feeling of the populace towards foreigners, and past experience not being very assuring, we agreed to keep well together and that we would not show our revolvers except in case of absolute necessity. The excitement gradually subsided, however, if there had been any intention of doing us harm good counsels having evidently prevailed. About this time, All Sam got tired of carrying our lunch basket and suggested the propriety of getting a Coolie to relieve him of it. We told him to communicate our wants to one of the guides, who spoke Chinese, which was done and presently a young fellow appeared who took the basket, put it on his head and started off at a brisk trot. As he disappeared ahead some one observed that that was the last we would see of our lunch. Not long after we met the same Coolie coming back empty handed. Inquiries, and subsequent observation, elicited the fact that he had carried it to the first of a series of post stations along our route, where he had been relieved of it by another Coolie who had carried it to the next station, and there our basket reached our destination long before we did. The stations of the Korean Express Co., as some one dubbed it, were little straw huts at the passes over the hills. A little further along we met two officials traveling in sedan chairs. As we approached they stopped, got out of their chairs and bowed to us. We passed around a box of cigarettes and passed on. After a brisk walk of a little more than an hour we entered a small town of two or three hundred houses. They were built a little better than the fishermen’s huts we had seen on our visit to the island. What appeared to be a large Japanese temple with tiled roof and (tori or orch?) before it was visible on the hillside to our left. Our guides led us through the town up to this building, telling us, as we approached it, that it was the “Captain’s” house. Saddle ponies and sedan chairs were standing around the entrance while a great crowd of people lined both sides of our route. As we passed under the outer gate I observed a number of lances with blue silk banners attached, bearing yellow Chinese characters, leaning against the wall. Men ran on ahead as if to announce us. We traversed a wide courtyard filled with soldiers and looking ahead saw at the head of a short flight of stone steps a room entirely open in front, in which, at the farther end, was seated an old, white-bearded man. A leopard skin thrown over his chair and a tiger skin at his feet lent a barbaric splendor to the scene. It was not until he feebly arose to receive us that we recognized the chief Commissioner, Shin Chun. He welcomed us gravely and courteously saying that he hoped we were well. He was numerously attended and supported again by his son and grandson. Presently the other Commissioner made his appearance and it became evident that we had been brought to the headquarters of the Commission, during its absence from the Capital. We were seated in high Chinese chairs and a short conversation ensued. As soon as we could we rose to take our leave when they asked if we would not have some tea and brought in a table over which a red cloth was thrown and there followed an interminable succession of sweetmeats in little saucers. Saki cups were then handed around and the two Commissioners and the Chamberlain drew up to the table. Our cups were filled with a heavy looking colorless liquor and the Chamberlain, raising his cup and muttering a few words motioned to us to drink. We did so and never did anything so like liquid fire go down my throat or rather attempted to go down, for it gagged me. Our steward took one sip of his and put it down with tears in his eyes and remarked “B’long all same like Old Tom.” It is said to be distilled from millet. They then brought us tea flavored with ginger, apologizing for having no sugar. It was of good flavor and I thought rather improved by the ginger. The sweetmeats made a very pretty display and looked very tempting, but they proved to be sadly lacking in flavor. The little dishes in which they were served were of fine white porcelain, painted in a style that was neither Chinese nor Japanese and yet was very like them both. Some of them with ripe, broken pomegranates and leaves and gold borders were very pretty. We enquired if they were made in the country and were informed that they were. As we finally started to go the old Commissioner asked if we were going farther into the country, offering, if we were, to send an escort with us. It was already some hours past noon so we thanked him and told him that we were going no farther that day. He then presented us with his card, his example being followed by the other Commissioner and the Chamberlain and we took our leave. Soldiers preceded us, clearing the way with long poles with which they whacked the curious crowd right and left. On the outskirts of the town we stopped at a beautiful little grove of fir trees to have our luncheon. We were immediately surrounded by a crowd, the curiosity of our escort overcoming their discipline, for they watched our repast as closely as any. They were, however, a very orderly lot, keeping at a respectful distance and showing every desire to make us comfortable, bringing water and endeavoring to assist us as much as they knew how. When one of us motioned to them to stand back so that we could get a view they seemed to understand at once and after that they stood in three sides of a square so that our view was unobstructed. The luncheon finished, and our cigars lighted, I took from my pocket a list of Korean words with their English equivalent, which I had copied from Oppert’s book, wishing to see if I could get the pronunciation and to verify it. I began by placing my finger on my eye and pronouncing slowly the Korean word for eye. I repeated it three or four times without success until at length one of those near took it up with a little different accent, (nûng). It was immediately repeated by all the bystanders who crowded around me to see what I had on the paper. After this I had no difficulty in learning the correct pronunciation of a number of words. On our way back to the ship, while stopping for a moment’s rest, we were overtaken by two men, each leading one of the little Korean horses. They were both saddled and seemed to be only waiting for riders. I stepped up to one of them and threw my leg over him jestingly remarking that I thought I would ride back. H_____ did the same, with the same remark, with the other horse. As soon as we were well seated the men started off leading the horses at a brisk walk, which, now and then, became a shambling trot. The men leading the horses seemed to take our unceremonious ride as a matter of course. On the day previously appointed for the signing of the treaty, Commodore Shufeldt, accompanied by Commander Cooper and twelve officers of the ship, with the marine guard as an escort, left the ship for the place of meeting, which was a tent put up by the Koreans on a hillside near the anchorage and in full view of the ship. We found already assembled the Korean Commissioners with their staff, and Ma-Jaotai and Admiral Ting. The tent was surrounded by a square of Korean soldiers to keep back the crowd. Our marine guard was drawn up in front of the entrance and we entered the tent. After some conversation the treaties were produced, three in English and three in Chinese and in a few minutes the signing was over. As it was finished a signal was made to the ship and a salute of 21 guns fired to our new allies, the Kingdom of Korea. One of the most singular facts of our visit to this country is the fact that we saw no women. Once or twice, when walking along, we saw what seemed to be women, in the little enclosures surrounding their houses. As soon as they saw us they darted into their houses. Several times when, otherwise, we might have approached near enough to get a good sight, the men with us hallooed to them and they ran. The day before our departure presents were sent on board, consisting of coarsely woven cotton cloth, silk of rather poor quality, wax, India ink, combs, and a sample of their medicines, a number of large gilded balls, which they call “heart cleansing pills.” Whether there was any covert meaning in this last I am uncertain. The people we saw were strikingly distinguished from the Chinese and the Japanese by their self-reliant, dignified bearing. They seemed to possess little of the haughty contempt for foreigners that distinguished the Chinese and none of the absurd self-sufficiency that is found in the high-class Japanese. They were invariably frank and courteous, with a certain gravity of demeanor that made us think of our own Indians. Their features are much more prominent than those of the Chinese; their eyes being less obliquely set, and sometimes, especially among the higher classes, perfectly straight, aquiline noses, which I believe are never found in the Chinese, were frequently seen. Heavy beards of black, or very dark brown, are occasionally observed although the majority had a very scant growth on the chin alone. As a general thing, the higher the type of face, the more beard was found. Oppert says he met with many Koreans with clear complexions, light hair, and blue eyes. None such was seen by us, and in answer to our inquiries we were told that no such people were found in Korea. Much speculation has been indulged in as to the origin of these peculiar people. Oppert says that they are a mixture of Caucasian and Mongolian races. It seems more likely, judging from what was seen during our visit, and from a number of other circumstances, that they are a mixture of some Tartar tribe, like the Manchus, with the Chinese. The country of the Manchus, it will be seen by a reference to the map, lies on the mainland just adjacent to Korea.
Dr. Williams says of the Manchus, as found now in China—“The Manchus are of a light complexion and slightly heavier build than the Chinese, have the same conformation of the eyelids, but rather more beard and their countenances present greater intellectual capacity, etc.” Barrow says some of those he saw at Peking “had fair and florid complexions, a few had blue eyes, straight or aquiline noses, brown hair and heavy beards.” Taking everything into consideration it seems very probable that the Koreans belong to a race of Tartars, kindred to the Manchus, and that they have been modified by the Chinese.