Evening star., 1909-05-08

live. on by the palace of the dcpossd en-
peror. who Is now prisoner under the
guard of the Japanese, and into the Jap
anese part of the city. | pissed the
finance department and finally came to
the residence of Viscount Some, the act
ing resident general and the real ruler
of the country. After a short chat with
him. it was arranged that we were to
meet within a half hour at the palace and
my bearers were soon again on the way.
We now crossed the whole of Seoul, going
about two miles, from one side to the
other. The way TO the palace led up
wide street walled with squalid houses,
rooted with thatch or black tiles and IN
terspersed here and there with petty
stores, where whitegowned. g-hatted
merchants squatted among the goods ana
waited for customers.
The street was filled with the traffic of
everyday Korea, and my keso had to go
in advance to clear the way. Bullock
carts carrying great leads were turned
aside. women with green coats over their
heads rushed into the houses and even
the inrikishas veered off to the right and
to the left. We stopped a moment before
we reached the red gate with it's double
roof of black tiles which forms the en-
trance to the imperial grounds. The SOL
dierS there had been warned of our COM
ing, and we soon went in and up to the
palaces themselves These consist of a
large number Cf low buildings They are
of only one story. but the floors are well
roofs of heavy tiles which extend far
out beyond the walls and make them
quite picturesque l cannot tell you how
many buildings there are in this palace.
but the number is enough to form com
modious quarters for his ajesty and his
retinue. When 1 say that he has
two thousand servants and that the most
of these eat and sleep inside the walls,
you will see that they must be extensive.
The buildings of today are strange
combination of the old and the new. The
rulers of Korea have had palace on this
spot for more than three hundred years.
and the buildings have been patched up
and remodefed from time to time. Just
now new structures are being erected.
and the audience hall, in which his
majesty will receive in the future. will
be far different from that in which
met him today. The waiting room, where
/ was received by the court chamberlain IS
in company with Gen. Okesaki and a
number of other Japanese officers. was
evidently the result of foreign graft and
it made me think Of the Pennsylvania
state house where the furniture was pa id
for by the inch. Outwardly it was Kore-
an. but the interior was Of the cheap
est foreign style as to it's decoration and
furniture. 1t had green pine doors. such
ber yards, and the door knobs were of
the plain white porcelain variety. The
paper on the walls ana ceiling did not
actually cost those who furnished it
more than 10 cents a roll. and the
yellow velvet carpet on the floor would
be high at 81 a yard.
In striking contras. 9TH this. plainness
were the uniforms of the Korean officials
and Japanese generals. All were of Eu-
ropean cut. but they sparkled with gold
lace and brass buttons. The master of
ceremonies wore gold-hilted sword at
his side. and he had d black hat trimmed
with ostrich feathers under his arm. The
Japanese army officers were clad in fine
cloth uniforms of a khaki color. but all
wore decorations. according to rank and
service ranging in size from the diameter
of q red cent to that of pint cup
When the time for my audience came
the master of ceremonies took me
through long hall into the audience
room proper. This was. j Judge. about
fifty feet wide and hundred feet long.
The Emperor Of Korea. several of his cabi-
net and Viscount Some stood at the oppo-
site end of this room facing the door.
The emperor was in the center of the
party. and according to etiquette l
marched forward ten steps, and then