Cons. Five years ago, we had to record a persecution of Christians in Corea, and the unsuccessful issue of expedition undertaken by France, to punish the authors. About the fame time, the crew of the American ship General Sherman, which had pepetrated one of the Corean rivers, were puardered. After some correspondence tween the United States Government and its officials in China, a resolution negociations with: Corea, for" the purpose of securing a treaty for' the protection of shipwrecked mariners, and opening up commercial intercourse if possible (N.-C. Hi—May 5). In pursuance of this-decision, an expedition was organised Inst spring, to escort Mr. Low to Corea. The squadron, comprising the U. S, vessels-of-war Colorado, Benicia, Alaska, Monocacy, and Palos, under the command of Admiral Rodgers, sailed from Nagasaki about the middle of May and anchored in the harbour named by the French Isle Boisée, on the 29th idem. communication was had with Corean officials, who enquired into the purpose of the visit; and in pursuance of notice given to them, a survey party, comprising four steam launches and the gunboats Monocacy and Palos, set out on the 1st June to explore the river. The Ewo fort, butthoir answering fire drove rly were fired on, from the Kang-
the Coreans from their entrenchments with loss; and when they repassed the batteries on theirretura to the fleet, they were not molested. (N.-O. H.—June 9.) The American authorities waited ten days in expectation of an apology for the attack, but none such was received. Admiral Rodgers accordingly det mined to take and destroy the forts which had fired; and an expedition left the fleet with this purpose on the 10th June. It was completely successfal, after sharp action; sustaining a ess of only one officer and two men killed, and six wounded (N.C. H.—Jane 30). sit was now evident that peaceful negociations in the sense tended could not be had with Cores, t American fleet, having cleared away the insult offered to its flag, returned to Chefoo on the 3rd July (NU. H—July 14)—to await instructions from ashington. No further action has since been taken, General Grant, in his late message, leaves the matter in. the hands of Congress.
While this was going on, the N.- German bark Chusan had been wrecked on the Sir James Hall Group of Islands off the Corean coast; and one German and two English subjects had bought the wreck: and set out in a Chinese junk to\try and recover some portion of the cargo. News was received; in Chefoo, that they had been captured and imprisoned*by the Coreazs. The expedition was a foolhardy one, but the men could not be abandoned to their fate; and H. M. Consul, Mr. Mayers; went up on board the Bing-dove to try and effect their release an officer from the N.-German frigate Hertha accompanying him, to look after the interests of his national. The open Ringdove reached the. Islands on the 7th July, and after two days cruise dis-the one where the Foreigners were detained (N.-O. H.—August 4). Communication was 0} with the' authorities; and the two Englishmen were readily given up, as well as six Chinese who had been wrecked in the Chusan, and a quantity' of recovered property. The wreck itself had been burned. The German had not landed the jank men, perceiving the intent if the 'Coreans to arrest the Bnglishmen, had sailed off; and, it is feared, murdered their remaining passenger in the hope of destroying any trace of the expedition, and stifling complaint' as to their abandonment of the men on shore. The successful rescue of these latter is attributable to the promptitude with which Captain Hewett resoly-ed to despatch the Ringdove, and to Mr. Mayers' judicious conduct of negociations, on landing. Had time been allowed for communication to take place between the island and the capital, there is every reason to anticipate that they would have fallen victims to the prevalent irritation against Foreigners.
Here, for the present, our relations with Corea stand still. President Grant, in his late message to Congress, has expressed no wish nor opinion a8 to whether the~American expedition should be proceeded with; and England does not seem inclined to take any steps to establish commercit tions. In fact, experience shows that any such attempt would most likely be resisted, and the tenor of our present policy is against the use of force in such cases. The best chance of con-vineing Corea that it would do well to agree, peaceably, to the desire of Western nations for friendly intercourse, the Government la to the traditions of isolation which it has imbibed from China, it would hardly be mad enough to resist a demand backed by the figs of England, France, Germany and the United States.
Japan. The work of reform and progress has gone on rapidly in Japan during the past year. The great changes in the Governmental system, which were inaugurated after the overthrow of the Tycoon, have been carried nearer to their ultimate result, without notable opposition. The first blow at the feudal system, by depriving the Princesof their independent authority, while still leaving them in position as Governors of their provinces, has been followed by the complete subversion of the provincial regime, and the reduction of the provinces to "Ken,": or departments administered by officials ap-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.