Mr. Heard to Mr. Gresham.
Seoul, Korea, May 1, 1893. (Received June 12.)
Sir: Since my dispatch of April 20, nothing has occurred to disturb the quiet of Seoul, and we hear nothing more of the Tong Hâk. When Captain Dayton left on the morning of the 21st, I asked him to delay [Page 15] sailing for a few days, but on the morning of the 24th I telegraphed him: “Situation improved. Will not detain you longer.” He replied on the next day: “Leave here at noon. Alert here.”
On the afternoon of the 27th I received a letter from Commander Book, of the Alert, dated 25th, asking if there was any immediate danger here. I replied that there was not, but I should be happy to confer with him on the subject, and invited him and one or two of his officers to pay me a visit. At the same time he asked for permission to land men and practice drill on Roze Island. About half-past 8 on the same day, the 27th, I received from him the following telegram: “Orders received to sail contingent on necessity here. Please wire answer to letter of April 25.” I replied immediately: “Letter received only this afternoon. No immediate necessity here.” And at half-past 11 on the next night, the 28th, I received from him the dispatch, “Leave to-night.” I believe he left Chemulpo on the morning of the 29th.
On the 21st the situation did not look clear at all; on the 22d it was better, and on the 23d I decided that there was no necessity to keep the Petrel here, and communicated this decision to Captain Dayton by telegraph early the next day. It was blowing a gale, however, and he did not go to sea.
Soon after Koreans who had been sent to the southern provinces to investigate and report came back and declared that all was perfectly quiet there, but that everywhere they heard stories of great disturbances in Seoul. One man, a Christian, came to me on the morning of the 28th, after a tour of fourteen days through what were called the disturbed districts. He said that nowhere had he found traces of assemblages of the Tong Hâk, and in the town which was named as their headquarters in one of the incendiary placards there were only two or three of the sect. Roman Catholic priests arriving from the south for their yearly meeting in April confirmed these statements.
It is to be hoped that we shall hear no more of these disturbances, but with discontent prevalent throughout the country, owing to the exactions of the officials, we must expect the recurrence of disquieting rumors from time to time.
I have, etc.,