Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-04

Chinese government and all of his customs
receipts have been mortgaged to pay the
In debt and SO hard pressed for money that
whether war occurs o. not he Is bound to
open up Corea to foreigners. He has a
wonderful kingdom, filled with enormous re-
tors to keep their eyes on the mining and
railroad possibilities of this land.
The Hermit Kingdom.
Corea Is, perhaps, the least understood
land in Asia, and 1t is one Of the most Won
derfui countries on the face Of the globe.
paid my first visit to 1t six years ago. only
a short time after 1t had been opened Up
to the world. About fifteen years ago no
foreigner could land on its coasts, and
shipwrecked sailors were forced to stay in
the country, fer fear they might cary news
of it to the barbarous people of Europe and
America. During my stay In 1t, l have
Travelled many miles over its mountains and
valleys, and l expect to push my way, II
possible, right through the interior Of the
country to the west coast. i have visited
many OF the countries of the world, but this
is the queerest and the least known. There
is little information In the books Of travel
concerning it. There are no guide books
whatever. 1t is like no other country, and
every day / hear new and strange things
about 1t and it's people. 1t is going to be a
very important country in the eyes of the
world. Its people are of their own kind.
and Gen. Clarence Greathonse. the Ameri-
can adviser of the king, tells me that the
land contains between sixteen and twenty
millions. This is about one-fourth of the
population of the United States. 1t Is, in
fact, more people than there in Spain.
1t Is half again as many as there are in
Mexico and three times as many people a.
can be counted in the state Of New York
These people are scattered over a territory
or about one hundred thousand square
miles. Take your map Of Asia. Look at
the northeastern part Of it, and YOU will
see the penir sula of Corea hanging down
like nose from the lower corner OF Siberia
and the Chinese province Of Manchu-a.
This peninsula is of about the same shape
as Florida or Italy and it has something
like the area of the latter country 1t is
between four and five hundred miles long,
and from Its extreme north to the south
ern coasts the distance is about the same
as that between Cleveland and New York
At no place is it much wider than between
New York and Washington The sea sur
| rounding it Is peppered with rocky islands,
ana Its lower coasts are only days sail
| from Japan.
The COrean Gold Mines.
Whatever be the outcome of this trouble
| with Japan and China it is bound to result
| In the opening up of the country, and the
| character of the land and it's resources will
| be matters of interest I have travelled over
| much of Corea and have asked questions
| about all parts of it. 1t Is made UP of
| mountains and valleys. There are a few
| the low lands of the Nile, and the noun
| tains are filled with all sorts Of minerals.
The gold mines of Corea turn out from two
to three million dollars worth Of dust and
nuggets every year. and practically nothing
but placer mining is done. All of the gold
belongs to the king, and hear 1t whispered
that his majesty has a great quantity of
bullion stored away In his palaces. Not