Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/354

 350 OOREA in type. In dress, architecture, and social life they much resemble the Chinese, with the ex- ception of being the only people in eastern Asia with whom the ancient caste distinctions .are still rigidly in force. They do not cut off their hair, nor are their women kept under such restraint as in China. The language dif- fers widely from both Chinese and Japanese, but it is like the latter in its polysyllabic form, and its alphabet of 27 letters. The higher classes are well educated, use the Chinese -characters in writing, and are followers of Con- fucius. The mass of the people are Buddhists. Roman Catholic missionaries have been labor- ing in Corea since 1632, and in 185 7 there were 15,200 converts. On account of the strict laws against them, the missionaries work in secret. The Coreans oppose not only the in- troduction of Christianity, but of all foreign civilization and commerce. The only inter- course allowed with China is officially con- fined to two points, viz., Peking, which is annually visited by an envoy accompanied by a few privileged traders, and the "gate town" near the city of Funghwang in Liaotung, on the frontier dividing the two countries, where a fair is periodically held. But the Ohinese manage secretly to carry on trade at the islands on the coasts of Corea. The prin- cipal manufactures are silk, cotton, cotton pa- per, grass cloth, rice paper, arms, and horse- liair caps ; which articles, with ginseng, skins, gold, silver, iron, rice, and oil, are the chief exports. The principal trade is with Japan, from which are imported pepper, aromatic woods, horns, and European and Japanese manufactured goods. The government is des- potic, and as regards the mass of the people is unrestrained ; but powerful parties among the nobles appear to exercise a certain control over the king's actions, and decide questions of dis- puted succession, which frequently arise. Ab- solute power over the lives and property of the people seems to be in the hands of even the lowest officials, and frightful flagellations are often inflicted by their order on persons guilty only of trifling offences. The king. pays tribute to China and Japan. The ministry is divided into five departments, and the country into eight taos or administrative districts. Over each tao is a governor responsible to the king. These taos are subdivided into 41 koons, with 33 towns of the first class, 38 of the second, and 70 of the third. Kienghi-tao, or Hanching, or Wangking as the Chinese call it, literally royal capital (called by the French Seoul), the capital, is at a short distance inland on the river Han. The other principal towns are Kieng, Tsien, Piengyang on the Tatong river, and Hienhing on Broughton's bay. The whole population is liable to military service, but no standing army is maintained, unless it be a guard to the king. They know accord- ingly nothing of military discipline and tactics. The people take turns in doing duty as armed police, and while serving in that capacity wear a rounded top to the crown of their hat. They have spears, bows, and a kind of matchlocks, which, in spite of their primitive description, exhibit a very workmanlike finish. The guards are furnished with an armor of chain mail, which was found in the recent encounter with the United States naval force to be proof against sword cuts and musket balls, but not against rifle shots ; it was however so heavy, a single suit with helmet weighing about 20 pounds, that the troops were rendered almost incapable of locomotion. The Coreans live in the most frugal manner, and articles of daily necessity to the Chinese and Japanese are un- known among them. They do not drink tea, and their most palatable beverage is the water in which rice or millet has been boiled. The wealthy indulge in an infusion of ginseng, and in a kind of rough spirit distilled from various grains. The universal material for .clothing is a coarse white fabric of cotton or hemp. The lower classes wear in summer jackets and wide short trousers; the higher classes wear over a vest and trousers a long gown with buttons in front, and sometimes dyed of a blue color. Every Corean carries a belt with a tobacco pouch and a pipe, a long stem of bam- boo. Officials wear upon their hats the figures of different birds or animals, and a variety of small balls of amber or silver, securing the chin strap above the ear. Military officials denote their rank by an outer jacket of colored silks. Corea was known from a very early period to the Chinese, who claim that it was civilized by their sovereign Khil-su in 1120 B. C. In the 13th century the Mongol conquer- ors incorporated the greater part of Corea with the Chinese empire ; but in the 14th century the founder of the Ming dynasty acknowl- edged the claimant of the Corean throne, and conferred upon him the title of feudatory king, or Kao-li Wang, which designation is the origin of our word Corea (Fr. Coree), obtained from the Japanese, who represent the Chinese sound as Ku-rai. The Coreans were conquered by the Japanese in 1592, but in 1598, with the aid of the Chinese, compelled their conquerors to abandon the country. In 1866 a French expedition escaladed Kanghoa, a town on the Han, 40 m. from its mouth, and endeavored to obtain satisfaction from the Corean govern- ment for the murder of two Roman Catholic bishops and seven priests who had been put to death by order of the ministry ; but the town was found to be wholly deserted. The Coreans sent to the French some professions of desi- ring to negotiate with them, but were only bent on gaining time for the purpose of overwhelm- ing the handful of invaders. The French found themselves one day confronted by about 500 soldiers, who discharged on them a heavy fire, wounding 32 men and 3 officers. Admiral Roze had to embark his forces, and returning to Chefoo found that the French government would not support this hasty action, inaugu- rated by the ambassador at Peking. In the