Attached to the English Colony in Korea, which numbers one hundred and
forty-one, there is the usual complement of clergy and nursing sisters,
under the supervision of Bishop Corfe, the chief of the English Mission
in Seoul. Miss Cooke, a distinguished lady doctor and a kind friend to
the British Colony, is settled in Seoul. A number of Englishmen are
employed in the Korean Customs; their services contributing so much to
the splendid institution which Mr. McLeavy Brown has created, that one
and all are above criticism. Mr. McLeavy Brown would be the first to
acknowledge how much the willing assistance of his staff has contributed
to his success.
The importance of the American trade in Korea is undeniable. It is
composite in its character, carefully considered, protected by the
influence of the Minister, supported by the energies of the American
missionaries, and controlled by two firms, whose knowledge of the wants
of Korea is just forty-eight hours ahead of the realisation of that
want by the Korean. This is, I take it, just as things should be. The
signs of American activity, in the capital alone, are evident upon
every side. The Seoul Electric Car Company, the Seoul Electric Light
Company, and the Seoul (Fresh Spring) Water Company have been created by
American enterprise, backed up by the “liveness” and ’cuteness of the
two concessionaires, whom I have just mentioned, and pushed along by
little diplomatic attentions upon the part of the American Minister. The
Seoul-Chemulpo Railway Concession was also secured by an American, Mr.
Morse, the agent of the American Trading Company, and subsequently sold
to the Japanese company in whom the rights of the concession are now
vested. The charter of the National Bank of Korea has also been awarded
to these Americans, and it is now in process of creation. The only mine
in Korea which pays is owned by an American syndicate; and, by the way,
Dr. Allen, the American Minister, possesses an intelligible comprehension
of the Korean tongue.
[Illustration: THE CONSULTING-ROOM OF MISS COOKE]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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