Page:The passing of Korea.djvu/150

 Korean government had all the facts on its side, but from the standpoint of humanity they were wrong. We must admire the heroism that made these men stay and suffer with their coreligionists, but it would be wrong to say that the government was without excuse. They needed rather enlightenment than censure. The French were not satisfied with this, but the breaking out of civil war 'in France in 1848 put an end to all negotiations for the time being. A new king came to the throne of Korea in 1849, and he was of such a mild character that nothing was done against the Catholics during his entire reign, which lasted until 1863. During this time of quiet the numbers of the adherents grew from eleven thousand to twenty thousand. So far as the government was concerned, it was a time of general degeneration, an incapable king being surrounded by incapable ministers. Nothing of importance occurred until the news of the taking of Tientsin and the march on Peking by the allied French and English burst upon the court like a stroke of lightning from the clear sky. One can hardly imagine the state of terror into which the capital and the court were thrown. A mighty host of Western savages had dared to attack the citadel of the glorious Celestial Empire. It was indeed time to be up and doing. The Emperor might seek asylum in Korea ; so every approach should be guarded. The outlaw bands that infested the neutral strip between Korea and Manchuria might invade Korea; so the border forts should be repaired and manned. Worst of all, the foreigners themselves might invade Korea. The cities would be burned, the people massacred or debauched, and the depraved religion would be established. The army should be reorganised, the forts guarding the approaches to Seoul should be repaired, forts should be built on Kang-wha, guarding the river approaches to the capital, and, last of all, every precaution should be taken lest the foreign priests get into communication with their compatriots outside. The work began, but the news of the fall of Peking precipitated a panic, in which a large part of the people of Seoul fled to the mountains, while many tried to secure from