The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-13
A LAND LITTLE KNOWN.
Corea and the Coreans--A Presenta-
tiOn at Court.

COrea and the COrcans--A Ffesenta.
tion at Court.
Mr.. Percival Lowell, who accompanied
the Corcan embassy to the United States
in 1858. with the rank of foreign secre-
/ tary and counselor, and afterwacd spent
q whole winter in Corea as guest OF
the government, has given his impress
sions of this strange land and its people
in book just published. Corea. or
| Chosen, to use the native name, is among
all the civilized lands in the world the
| one of which we know the least, and it
is also one of the most curious. The
people are akin to the Japanese, and
! they obtained from China most of their
arts and learning, but they differ greatly
from both their neighbors, and in some
respects the differences 60 very deep.
There are no wheeled vehicles of any
kind in Corea. and consequently no
roads except rude tracks which are never
repaired. Bulls are the principal beasts
of burden. Horses are used to some ex-
tent for riding. Travellers above the
rank of the common people are usually
carried in a close palanquin, sort of
box without seat in which the unfortun-
ate passenger must gather himself upon
! his launches. There are no inns. The
traveller carries his own provisions and
depends for shelter upon private hospi-
tality.
Soon after her arrival in Soul, the
capital of Corea, Mr.. Lowell was pre-
sented to the king. He was received at
the palace by o number of court officials
| in their costume of ceremony, which, in
; spite of its oddity, was not without a
certain picturesque beauty:
1T began with hat made OF finely
woven silk in the form of rounded
cone terraced in front. On either side
of this projected wings, like gigantic
ears, fitted into the lower part of the
crown, from which they stuck out at
right angles. They arc said to be ap-
purtenauces to typify the ready receiving
| of his majesty's commands. The dress
WAS composed of long silk tunic of a
pale pink or an equally pale blue, reach
: ing to the ankles, and tied by ribbon
in bow over the right breast. Outside
of this was worn belt. rectangular in
shape, which fitted the body on the
sides, its shortest diameter, and stuck
: out several inches in froot and behind.
! As it would never have stayed on of it.
self, it was unostentatiously tied on Sc
curely by silken cord. Sewn on to the
tunic Just below the chest was an embroi-
! dered plastrou in gold thread, represent
ing two cranes in flight, corresponding
ly fitted to each other by being mutually
upside down. TO the lower ranks is
permitted but one of the birds. The
crane is, in some sort, Corean official
symbol. as the dragon is Chinese one.
Around the neck the tunic was cut out
in an oval, and filling this, sewn on to
the inside of the stuff, was white col
! lar of cotton. On their feet, instead Of
the customary low shoe. they all wore
.ligh boots, the tops of which were lost
under the tunics. Those impaired to
the wearcrs a certain accoutred appear
ance, suggestive of heavy weather. The
reason of this reversal of the natural or
der of things, as it seems to us, was at
loss to understand till after had OBJ
served the ways of the court, when it no
longer struck me as strange"
After tasting a collation., with the
American minister (Mr. Foote) and vari-
Gus court dgnitaries. the stranger was
/ summoned to the royal presence. Pre-.
ceded by Mr.. Foote and Corcan func-
tioaary named Hong, he tramped across
several muddy courts, until he reached a
flight of steps leading to an open pavil-
ion where the king sat behind table.
! mo sooner had we reached the top of
, the steps than Hong fell nearly fiat on
his face-thc usual Corean prostration
! before royalty-whie we began series
Of three bows, and then continued alter
natcly bowing and advancing till the
! last one landed US on the further side of
the table His ma, .,esty rose for the in
terview. He was man of about thirty
! years of age. In stature he was rather
under the Corean height than over it.
i He may have been five feet seven inches
without his shoes, which raised him an
! inch more.
"Thc king was dressed in what rescm-
blcd, in general, the court dress, and
! differed from it ONLY in the det2ils. His
hat was somewhst similar to that of the
officials; but instead of being black, was
of very dark blue color. 1t also had
wings; but they were fastened straight
uD behind as if folded in rest. His
/ tunic which was after the same fashion
as theirs and similarly tied, was of a
brilliant rcd-in CoIea the kingly color.
| The belt was richer in material, but sim
/ liar in shape; and the plastron, instead
of having cranes embroidered OF it. had
the Chinese dragon. In place of the
boots, he wore the ordinary shoe. This,
in some sort, carried out my theory of
the mud, as he alone needs not to walk
about.
"His face was singularly pleasing-one
of those faces that you like from the mo-
ment you first see it, and that in time you
grow to love; and my after-acquaintance
with him taught me that his face was
truly the mirror of his character. His
smile especially was winning. As
stood there with his eyes fixed upon
mine, feeling crept over me that he
| was really as glad to see me as his words
formally expressed. Presentations are
not prolific in conversation. The fact is
its own best expression. Like all mo-
ments which are long prepared for. it
was quickly passed. To prolong an eff
feet is in some sort to dull it. A few
sentences and the interview was over"
Another banquet was followed by a
presentation to the crown prince, boy
of ten, who said what his attendants
WHISPERED in his ear. Then tea was
served; and the traveller was packed into
his palanquin and carried away half