The latest report from Corea furnished to the Mainichi Shimbun states:—It is really a matter of great sorrow that the large (Japanese) merchants at Fusan are so hampered with and importuned by poor settlers that they cannot attend to their business, and that even the time of the Japanese Consulate is so fully occupied with the beggars that there is hardly any leisure left to attend to the commercial duties of the office. There are at. present more than two thousand five hundred Japanese, inhabiting about four hundred houses, in the settlement. There are only some sixty firms actually engaged in commerce between Japan and Corea,—recognised substantial traders,—whileabout one hundred and seventy are Nakagai She (commission merchants or brokers) possessed of neither funds nor capital. Then we have one hundred retailers, and the balance of tenements—about one hundred—are restaurants, or the shops and residences of artisans, workmen, and coolies. Even the retail-dealers and restaurateurs, when their legitimate business is dull act as brokers,' Thus, it will be seen only one-thirteenth of the four hundred houses of which the settlement consists, are occupied by bond fide traders, while almost all the remainder are taken be Nakagai-she. The numerical preponderance of these latter has interfered with the merchants in their dealings as, erally, no purchases could be effected without their intermediation. However, since last year two or three traders have made great efforts to put a stop to these abuses, and to carry ona direct trade' with the Coreans. "In that intent, they entered into a mutual agreement, and have managed to establish a small direct trade at the expense of the Nakagai-she. As there is unfortunately some prospect of famine in the interior of Corea this year, neither rice nor other grain has been ' brought to the ports, and the Nakagai-she were in very bad case in the course of April and May last. Hence some of them werd desirous of any émoute that might tond to better their condition. Indeed they procipitated a disturbance. About one hundred of them went in groups to Toral the 5th August. Their reason was, forsooth, that two Japanese merchant firms had been able to procure rice, while none had arrived and been disposed of through the brokers. Mizoguchi and Tomita had indecently procured some rice. This has caused great disgust amongst the Nakagaishe, who discovered that a certain citizen of the Corean metropolis named Cho-Sontatsu, had entered into an absolute contract with the two Japanese traders sent a certain native police official to Kiuho, the entrepot for the sale of cereals brought from the interior, to ensure delivery to Messrs. Mizoguchi and Tomita. 'Lhereupon several tens' of brokers resolved to remonstrate with Cho-Sentatsu and, if negotiations were fruitless, to bring an action before the Toral Fu authorities against him, Thus they wore about to proceed in force to town. Some of the older men among them, however, moderated their impatience and persuaded theta first of all to consult the Japanese Consul; and that gentleman found that official interruption of private trade was not reasonable, and proceeded, according to promise, to oral Fu on the 5th Aug. to inquire into the er. Morethanseventy Nakagai followed him. A very amicable conference ensued but the brokers are said to have behaved very rudely before they left the town, which they did not do until after nightfall.
The Tsnshima shikoku at Fusan continue to act in a most disorderly manner, and the other settlers are mach annoyed by them.
Fear of drought is universal in the interior of Corea this year. The rich rice fields in the vicinity of Toral Fu are blighted and yellow. Owing to the extreme heat, water, even sufficient for drinking, is very searce,—Japan Mail,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.