No. 21.
Mr. Low to Mr.
Fish
No. 37.]
Legation of the United States, Peking, November 22,
1870. (Received January 25.)
Sir: During the recent visit of Admiral Rodgers and
Consul General Seward to Peking, an opportunity was afforded for the
admiral, the consul general and myself, to consult together in regard to
carrying out the instructions contained in your No. 9, with reference to
opening negotiations with Corea.
It seemed in every respect desirable to select a favorable season for the
visit to the coast of Corea, of which so little is known, and at the same
time it was my desire to so arrange it as to interfere as little as possible
with the plans of the admiral and the requirements of the naval forces in
other places.
[Page 74]
It is now determined—subject however to any change which may be rendered
necessary by circumstances, either to the admiral or myself—that the
expedition shall start from Shanghai, or Chefoo, the latter if possible,
between the 1st and the 15th of May next. The line of procedure will so much
depend upon the temper of the Corean officials that no definite plan can be
decided upon at the present moment.
I shall be glad to avail myself of the services of Mr. Consul General Seward,
and shall expect to profit by his experience, if he goes. He was shown your
instructions to me, and invited to join, the expedition. If he reaches China
in season after his visit to India, where he goes for the winter, he may
accompany me.
In order that the Coreans may not have any grounds on which to base technical
objections, I have, most respectfully, to request that a commission may be
sent, by the steamer leaving San Francisco not later than the 1st of March
next, authorizing me to negotiate and sign on behalf of the United States
such treaty or treaties with the government of Corea as may be deemed
advisable.
During the winter I shall use every exertion to obtain information in regard
to this unknown country from the Chinese authorities, and also, if possible,
from the Corean officers accompanying the Tribute, which reaches Peking
annually in December or January.
The North German minister in Japan attempted to open communication with Corea
last summer. To facilitate his proceedings, he took a Japanese official with
him, hoping by this means to reach the government of Corea. I inclose copy
of an extract from a letter from the minister in Japan to the North German
minister in Peking, (inclosure A,) giving a brief account of his visit and
hasty departure. From this it appears that the Coreans are disposed to seize
upon any subterfuge to oppose the entrance of foreigners into their
dominions.
As stated in a former dispatch, I am not sanguine of favorable results at the
same time the object aimed at is worthy of the trial, and no effort on my
part shall be wanting to accomplish it.
I have, &c.,
[Translation from the
German.]
Extract from a letter from M. Von Brandt, minister of the North German Union in Japan, to Baron de Rehfues Peking.
The vicinity of Corea induced us to make a little trip in this direction,
and we arrived there on the forenoon of 1st June.
The harbor of Fusang is excellent, but the country dreadful; quite bare
and yellow, only in some few places overgrown with wood, and quite
deficiently cultivated. The Japanese station is a miserable colliery,
most houses of which are in ruins. They are inhabited by half a dozen
officials, and thirty or forty coolies, who are not allowed to absent
themselves farther than half a mile from their lodgings, and are
altogether very badly treated by the Coreans. My chief object was to
obtain a clear insight into the whole matter, and through the
interposition of an officer of the Japanese foreign office, whom we had
on board, I requested the Japanese chief of the factory to tell the
Corean officials that, in case they were desirous to receive a
communication regarding shipwrecked German subjects, I could give them
such information either oh board or in the Japanese factory.
The answer to this proposition is highly characteristic, and will convey
to you the plain truth about the state of affairs in these parts better
than anything else. The Corean authorities thought it exceedingly
impudent that the Japanese had delivered a message of this kind, and
they also declared it quite improper that some Japanese had dared to
come to Corea on board a foreign vessel. For these reasons the relations
between the Japanese officials and the Corean government must be broken
off immediately, and were not to be resumed until a Japanese on board
the foreign vessel had [Page 75] left the
country. This proof will be sufficient for you. I hastened, of course,
to assure the Japanese officials that I should be inconsolable if any
difficulties were likely to result to the Japanese from the circumstance
that some of their officers were on board our ship. We would start,
therefore, as soon as possible. This Captain Kohler did, on the 2d of
June, after some gun-practice.
During a walk on shore, the people we met in the fields were tolerably
courteous, but as we approached a village the whole of the inhabitants
assembled in the street, offering passive resistance, and declaring that
the Japanese were not allowed to go any farther. Of course we retreated
courageously, and cannot complain about the people generally, who
behaved themselves toward us in a more civilized manner than the brave
Germans would have done toward the Coreans. They are strapping fellows,
all dressed in white, as they are represented on pictures. Their
villages and towns are miserable, like their junks and boats.
No arms whatever are to be seen, and are said to consist solely of
matchlocks. During the gun-practice, a few thousand people with flags
had assembled from a large town in the neighborhood, but on this
occasion, too, no arms were seen.
