The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1888-01-29
For the AsheviIlo CITIZEN.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
THE NEW CUREAN EMBASSY.

WAsHINGroN, d. c., Jan. 81, 1888.
Nations have business with each other,
as individuals have. and their govern.
ments employ agents t. represent them
and transact business in their name. By
these means their political ard CONNER
ciai rela'ions and intercourse are made,
and any disputes that may arise between
them settled. Officers of this kind have
been employed from very early times,
and by all nations The United States
! has its representatives in nearly all
civilized nations and in turn those ma
! tons have Representatives IN this govern
Dlcnt. All the foreign ministers to this
country reside in Washington and a.
| each i rcFants tho various customs,
! habits an% Fer'5iisritieG sof his nation
! thy attract Eo. little attention. The
! !a,t-l acressiont the tHndre.ls of foreign
] ri e 5a.atlYes Sln tdy loOattd hare il
tuat Il tie Corean Embassy.
! by fikrcing at the map of Asia it will
be- seen that Corsa is a s.rall neck of
!ai:d sTinsiRg out between the japan
and yellow seas towards the North Paci-
nc Ocean and is perhaps about twice the
sze OF NORTH Carolina. The history of
Corsa oates back to 1120, about which
time the Chinese gained possession of it.
The Japanose ruled it for a number of
years during the Seventeenth Century,
and it then reverted to China. Tho ca
plta, of this little kingdom is Seoul, q
city Ct about 100000 inhabitants. (Just
here it will be well for you to not get the
name ci this city confounded with one
o! Eimliar sound, usually found in the
new version Of the Bible.)
China las had her big foot in Corea
for l,.k Al, =
try Is nov about to get out and leave the
Celestial Empire with only toe-hold on
her soil. CoTSa is now looking around
for friends to assist her in maintaining
her lndependence-and she is in position
to get help when she wants it from her
i:te and more prosperous neighbor, ia
pan. ana from her big burly friend,
Russia; and with the friendly relations
she ls now endeavoring to establish with
tile nltcd States she may be anticipa-
tins TO call upon US for help in some
shape Some of these days. She has
evidently fully repented of the outrag-
eous act towards this government in 1868
when she burned the Sheridan and kill
ed all on board The Sheridan was on
a tiiiibuBtering expedition along the coast
OF Curea when it met the i'll fate. About
tha same time number of French priests
WY I'NAI W uCdtn III OOTSa. AS NQlQ8
lad always claimed Corea as a depend
ency, both France and the United States
demanded reparation for these outrageE
from China, but that nation then declar-
Ell that CUrez was q Sovereign State and
as such RESPONSIBLE for her own acts.
These tvs offended nations then proceed
ed to administer a chaEtisement which
finally led to an amiCable settlement, and
as late as five wears ago a treaty was
renewed with the United States. China
having cut her Loose when she was in
trouble she has determined to act for
herself now that she has settled her
IN SCI tliaz: forth Ler minis
ters pienlpotentiary, Cores sends one to
W Washington and one each to the five
nations of Europe.
The Embassy that recently arrived in
Washington is attracting considerable
attention from all sides. 1t il composed
of eleven persons of whom seven are
Corean Noblemen. They have been
formally recognized by the Department
af State, have called on the President,
fitted up legation quarters and are
settliRg Themselves down to the study of
Ana: rican ways as though they were in
about cutting themselves loose
from the swaddling clothes which have
bound them down for centuries.
ToM L1NsoE.