The National tribune., 1894-09-27
CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA.
Fresh News from the War Countries of the
Far East-Frank G. Carpenters Asiatic

| THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE to know that
Mr.. Frank G. Carpenter, who has con-
tributed so much to the papers from different
parts of the world, is to go upon the lecture
platform during the coming season. He
has just returned from his second great
tour in Asia. During the first, which he
made six years ago, he spent more than q
year in travelling from Japan to Constantl-
nople, and THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE pub
lished his letters. His trip this year was
made in the interest of large newspaper
syndicate, comprising about 80 of the lead
ing city dailies of the United States, and
| giving his letters a circulation of more
than 100000 families Heleft America last
January for Japan, and in six months travel
| ed $4,000 miles. After spending some time at
the japanese capital, he sailed to China,
landing firstat Shanghai. Here he visited the
! great kiagnan arsenal, which is making
! 12-inch 50-ton guns, and China ut this time
feared war so little that she allowed his
| photographers to take pictures al these the
| biggest gunworks of the Empire. From
! Shanghai Mr.. Carpenter made his way mp
the Yangtse-Kiang River into the very heart
of China. He spent some time at the city OF
WI Chang, which is roo miles from the sea-
coast, and he tells us that he found here
| Viceroy who is attempting to build rail-
roads, and who has already spent S10,OO0,-
900 on the undertaking. He has so acres of
machinery under roof, and imports his coke
and steel from Belgium. He has also
cotton-mill here which contains 900 mod
ern looms, and he expects to use Chinese
| cheap labor in manufacturing. His men Will
work for 10 cents day, and he expects to
see manufactures of this kind established
all over China.
On this Yangtse trip Mr.. Carpenter had
some very narrow escapes. He went through
the most riotous parts of the Empire, where
the missionaries were killed few years
ago, and he was now and then stoned, and fire.
quently spit at as he went through the
streets He says that the nobility OF China
cause all the trouble against foreigners and
he has brought back a number of cartoons
circulated by them and melting the masses
TO kill the foreigners. He will give pictures
of these cartoons in his lectures, and will
illustrate them also by colOred lantern-slides
made from negatives which he took on the
ground. Coming down the Yangtse Mr..
Carpenter made trip along the Grand Canal,
and pushed his way into Marking. He here
saw the remains of the great porcelain
tower, and he says that its top lies just
outside of one of China's most modern
aTsenals.
After some thrilling experiences in this part
of the Empire, Mr.. Carpenter next pushed
to the north. He visited Tien Tsin for the
second time, and had another interview with
Ii Hung Chang. He went to Picking, and
saw everything there except the Emperor
and his wives. He travelled over parts of
North China on camels. He next took a
trip over the new railroad of China, and
visited the Great Wall by railroad in a
special car, which was furnished by Ii Hung
Chang. He attended big banquet which
Ii Hung Chang gave to Gen. Foster, our
ex-Secretary of State. Some of the Dishes
he says, cost So plate, and he ate with
silver chOpsticks
His next jump was to Korea, where he
was treated very well by the King, and
given an audience by both HIS Majesty and
the Crown Prince. He spent about six
weeks in Korea with his photographers,
hobnobbng with the nobility, investigating
the prisons, and getting his nose for news
into every interesting thing connected with
the country. He took photographs every
where, and had to be accompanied, during
the greater part of his trip, by soldiers. He
made an exciting journey across the coun-
try, during which he had large retinue,
and travelled for days in the mountains on
ponies, sleeping at night in Korean inns, the
palaces of the magistrates, and the rooms of
the monasteries. Sometimes he had as
many as so bedfellows in one night to say
nothing of the insect and animal creation
which swarmed through the houses. He
came out on the east coast of Korea, near
Gensan, and here got japanese steamer
which took him to Russian Siberia His
letters from our Cabinet officers enabled
him to pass the police at Vladivostock, and
he took trip over the new Trans-Siberian
road. He even secured photographs of this
line, and he has some wonderful tales to tell
about Asiatic Russia.
After spending some time here he sailed
again to Korea, visited most of the seaports.
all of which are now guarded by gunboats
and then made his way on to Japan. He
landed first at Nagasaki, On the extreme
western coast, and thence pushed his way
east to Kobe and Osaka, which, he says, is
becoming quite manufacturing city. From
Osaka he took many trips throughout CEN
trail and western Japan, being admitted to
the palace of the Mikado in Kioto and
having Government guide furnished him
for a portion of his investigation. He
travelled by railroad throughout many parts
OF the Japanese Empire, ana then went to
Toxic, the Capital. Here he had an inter-
view with Count to- the Premier, who is
now the chief Commander, under the Mi
kado, of the Army and Navy, and he had
all sorts of queer experiences He had
letters to the police which took him into
the prisons and the courts, and everything
in the Empire was thrown open to him.
He investigated the social question, inter-
viewed the greatest of the Japanese actors,
had sporting talks with the wrestlers, who
are more wonderful in their athletic per-
formances than Corbett or Sandow, and
came near being killed in the biggest earth
quake the City of Toxic has ever had.
This killed hundreds of people, and de-
stroyed millions Of dollars worth of build
ings. The new Parliament House was near
ly ruined by it, and when it occurred Mr..
Carpenter was inside the palace walls, hav-
ing a chat with the Private Secretary Of the
Mikado's Court Chamberlain. All at once
the walls began to sway in and out A
rumble like thunder was heard, and the
halls were filled with running japanese.
Mr.. Carpenter rushed to the door, and he
had just gotten outside when the rear por-
ton of the building came to the ground
large number were injured, and had he
been five seconds later he would certainly
have been killed. During his whole tour
Mr.. Carpenter has been accompanied by his
photographers. He has taken more than