The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-06-20
NUMBER 2 ..
OVER THE YELLOW SEA.
In the Ports of COrea.-The Town of Che
mulpO.-Scenes and CustOms-The Coz
reans.-At AtSeOul.-wOnders of the Land.

mulpO.-scenes and Customs.-The CO.
reans.-At seOuI-wOnde Of the Land.
ESPECIAL coRREsPoSDENcE.l
CHEMULPo, Corea.-For centuries the
little peninsula, that hangs on the skirts
of the Chinese empire and separates the
waters of the Yellow Sea from the Sea
of Japan, has been an unknown land to
the rest of the world. Its difficult ap-
proaches, its few harbors, its high and
rocky coasts its walled cities, and the
exclusiveness OF its people, denying ad.
mittance even to kindred races and max
ing themselves a hermit nation, have
barred its doors against all cOmers. Not
until very recent Cimes have the barriers,
which have shut out all people, been
broken down, and the resources and won
ders of these oriental provinces have
been revealed. First by treaty with Jap
an, then with America and England the
advent of foreign visitors and residents
in three ports and in the capital has been
permitted, and its ancient civilization
already shows the effect of its contact
with the world.
The chief seaport, know as Chemulpo,
stands midway on the western coast at
the mouth of the Salee river, which is
about two miles wide. 1t is difficult of
approach, for the rise and fall of the
tides of thirty feet compels all vessels of
any size to lie some distance from the
shore. Chemulpo is a small town, in
which scarcely any business is done, and
that by the Japanese residents, the native
Coreans being indo!ent and poor. The
streets are irregular and dirty, and most
of the houses are built of mud with roofs
Of thatch. in which the most simple ar
rangements are found, They are heated
in winter by tiues underneath the floors,
in which a fire Is made from the outside,
the radiator in the room being an eleva
tion Of stone work about two feet high,
which is kept comfortably warm, and
upon which the family spread their beds
at night. An ignorant, suspicious and
curious people, the natives watch all
strangers closely, follow them about the
streets, and gather around them if they
stop for moment.
The ordinary dress of the Coreans is a
loose robe, white in color, that reaches
nearly to the ground. On their feet are
worn straw shoes, and on their heads,
when anything at all is worn, broad
brimmed and high crowned hats. Ali
the men have long hair. the married man
wearing it in knot on the top of the
head, over which is drawn a closely fit
ting skull cap with hole in the crown
for the hair to pass through, and cover
ing all is the large hat that is held in
place by string under the chin. The
hair of the unmarried man is woven in a
braid and hangs down his back, but from
indications am led to infer that bachel-
ors are not numerous, The full Corean
costume, as worn by the kings adviser
whom we met, consists of a cloak of
black and green silk with sleeves of red,
and the usual high hat made of finely
split bamboo, forming picturesque and
simple court dress.
Wherever we went we were the center
of an admiring group of men and boys.
who crowded around US, pulling at each
other like lot of children at play, star
ing at our brass buttons and epaulets,
catching hold of us, feeling of our clothes,
and trying on our hats with the greatest
delight. To look through the field glass
WAS to them a wonderful sight. For a
time we were engaged in surveying the
numerous bays in the neighborhood of
Chemulpo, running some distance along
the coast, and required force of men
on shore to determine the length, direc-
tion and position of an accurate base
line, from which all measurements might
be taken. At first the natives we're very
curious, and were constantly in the way
then they wanted to wrestle and run
foot-races with the sailors. and after our
men had thrown several of them and
rubbed their heads in the sand, they
wanted to fight and at last, under the
influence of drink to which the Coreans
are addicted, they threatened to become
troublesome, although we were able to
prevent any disturbance. In our com
municatlon with them we were at dis
advantage, and our method was some
what novel. Through our Chinese SER
wants few ideas were conveyed in
writing, for the Coreans, although una
BILE to talk the language, managed to
write enough of the Chinese characters
to understand one another.
In all our expeditions, in city, country
and village, we did not see Corean
woman, except occasionally an old hag
who would cover her face and run away
from our presence. No sooner were our
boats in sight, off the shore, then a gen.
eral shout went up all through the
streets, and the women were seen run
ming with great haste from every direc-
themselves out of sight. Among them
strangeand interesting custom pre-
walls, which might possibly find favor
with wives in America. By a stringent
law the men are not permitted to appear
in the street after eight O'Clock in the
evening, under penalty of arrest and i'm
prisonment, TO prevent thieving. The
women, however, are allowed with inn
IFNta NafN 70 an 1Rfg
evincing a popular faith in feminine
honesty. Three times during the year
the whole people are given liberty to
stay out of doors all night, one of them
, being the Festival of the Bridges, when
the husband takes his wife by the hand
and walks with her over seven bridges,
which, it il believed, will bring to them
good luck for the remainder of the year.
The country about Chemulpo is open,
fertile and III high state of cultivation.
The trees are of small growth, and the
woodlands are sparse, making fuel ex-
tremely scarce, 80 that the people rake
the hills and mountains to gather up the
bits OF wood, grass, twigs and fallen
leaves for burning in their fire. places,
and as a result the land is clear from all
debris. A range of mountains, rising
aoONC bhC ohO" -liutt WIN spurs VI ulllS
running out in all directions, breaks up
the surface of the country into irregular
valleys which are traversed by numer-
GUS rivers and streams of water, and in
which are grown fields of rice, wheat
and other products. Wild game abounds
plentifully, and is hunted by the natives
and shot down with long guns, that are
loaded with slugs and pieces of iron and
lead, and discharged by touching slow
match to the pan. The roads of the
country lead through little villages OF
straw huts, and are hard to travel.
Small, hungry looking ponies, uncom-
fortably saddled, that may be hired for
seventy cents day. bulo;ks and chair
coolies provide means of journeying
throughout the land. The Coreans have
a respectable army. which is drilled by
Cinnamon according to French and Eng.
lsh tactics. Some of the maneuvers are
almost perfect. The corporals and ser
geants carry long bamboOs, with which
they beat without mercy those who
make mistakes.
The approach to Seoul, the capital of
Corea, is imposing. The city lies on the
bank of the tortuous river that meets
the sea at Chemulpo, and is situated
about twenty-sevtn miles away by an
overland rou e. Within it's walls it con
tains 800 900 inhabitants, with a popula-
tion nearly as great outside its gates. So
massed together are the people that the