The San Francisco call., 1896-04-09
Forty Japanese Murdered al
Seoul During the Recent
Uprisings.
APPEAL FROM A RUSSIAN JAIL.
CalifornianS at V,adivostock Want
News Of the C1rbett.Fitzsimmons
Fight.

IOklO, JAPAN, March Z9.--At the cap1-
tai of Korea things are still in chaos.
Discussions in the new Cabinet at Seoul
grow more pronounced. It is believed
four leading members will sever their con-
nection with the Cabinet shortly, owing to
the arbitrariness of the three Lis. Since
the assassination Of the Queen, a worthy
successor to her has appeared in the per-
son OF Lady Om Sang, who, it is said en-
joys great favor with the King and to
have that weak-minded monarch as much
under her control as he was under that of
his late consort. While the Queen lived,
her jealousy obliged Lady ON Sang to re-
main aloof flom the court. Lady Om Sang
devised the Kings fight to the Russian
embassy, and now directs his actions from
behind the curtain, and there are likely to
be more chapters to this lmond-eyed
romance before it draws to close.
At what time the King will return to
the palace is still problematical. His re-
movai from the Russian legation to a
detached palace close by is contemplated.
The Russians have a strong feet in the
Orient, and their officers of high rank are
very much in evidence at all functions on
shore. where their fine physique and the
beauty of their uniform attract attention,
and are said to throw the American and
British naval officers in the shade in these
regards.
The number of japanese murdered in
Seoul during the recent disturbances is
forty, as officially reported, and Korean
officials have Jared no better. Nine pro-
vincial Governors have been assassinated
and three others obliged to flee for their
lives Riots have occurred in nineteen
places.
The insurgents no longer receive from
the Cabinet the title of patriots" but are
now called ''rebels'' in the official dis
patches. It had been the habit for
patriot" ringleaders to appear at the
War Office to claim reward for the move
ments they had led. The assassins of
the late Minister Of Finance audaciously
came to claim a reward, but were thrown
into prison.
Reports from Kucheng district show
that the severe measures against the vege-
tarians after the Whasang massacre have
produced a marked effect upon the people,
who now show strong disposition to en-
brace Christianity. The applicants for ad-
mission to English-speaking schools have
man begins to believe that the future is
with the foreigners; but anti-foreign feel
ing is exhibiting itself again in Cheng-Tu.
Petty acts of hostility against the Cana
dian missions are reported.
The extraordinary length of the voyage
made by the Pacific Mail steamship City
of Rio de Janeiro on her last trip between
San Francisco and Yokohama caused so
much Inconvenience to consignees that
several claims are preferred in the United
States consulate in Yokohama. Master
and officers were consequently obliged to
swear to statement that the delay was
due entirely to bad weather and lack of
fuel, and that faulty seamanship was in no
way responsible.
Last year Japanese volcano called
Kirishima, bursting suddenly into erup-
ton, caused the death of three men. On
the 18th of March of this year the pay
master OF the French cruiser Parfait de-
termined to ascend the mountain. Just
as he and a guide reached the vicinity of
the crater formed by last years eruption
the volcano developed new activity. A
large stone struck the guide on the spine,
killing him instantly.
v
ago in Osaka with the intention of cutting
into the eastern trade of the great Wal
than firm, did not prove successful. The
watches produced there could not compete
with the imported, the Japanese prefer
ring to pay little more for the latter.
The factory has now dispensed with the
services Of its American experts and prom
ises to undersell its foreign competitors.
The Japanese Diet has voted to abolish
import duty on wool. Attention is now
being actively directed to the manufacture
OF woolen fabrics in Japan and in view of
the remarkable success made in the case
of cotton yarn there seems to be no rea-
son why similar record should not be
achieved with regard to woole n fabrics.
At the opening of the Chinese Chamber
of Commerce in Hongkong the Chinese
colonel in command of the imperial forces
at Kowloon on the mainland crossed over
to the British dominion and presided at
the ceremony. That looked SO very much
like an attempt on the part of the Chinese
to interfere with Great Britain's jurisdic-
ton within the ceded territory that a
sharp remonstrance was at once addressed
by the Governor of Hongkong to the
N1cerOy OF canton. i ne T6SuIG was pun.
lie reprimand for the colonel and an init
nation that if he misbehaved similarly
again he would be dismissed.
A letter from Vladivostock jail has been
received at Yokohama from Henry Ross.
saying that he, Stephen Beeman and Ma
honey OF San. Francisco and Edward Howe
of Petaluma. sailors OF the sealer Silver
Fleece, are in jail for FIVE months for being
found in Russian waters without papers.
He hopes and expects that they will all be
free in July. He asks for newspapers and
news of the Corbett- -Fitzsimmons fight,
and says to address favors to "the Am eri-
cans in jail, +" Vladivostock.
Wholesale silk merchants are experience
ing considerable trouble owing to the de-
preston in trade and the steady fall in
prices. Over 10000 bales of silk are stocked
in Yokohama, for which no buyers are
forthcoming. The prospect is not cheer
ing, for business with America is entirely
suspended at present, and the European
demand extremely meager.
From the standpoint OF national indus