On Monday last, the 18th of September, the first passenger train ran from Chemulpo toNodol, on the Seoul Railway. Daily now, coaches that were built in' Wilmington, Delaware, United States, round the hulls, and skim' across the paddy flats, in a way most un-Corean like, leaving the villages in the distance, with their smoke, and filth and many dogs, Ie is the dragon of the hineteentl century let louse among the children of the patriarchs.
The track is already Inid for twenty-six miles, leaving only four to_cover. But there'is a bridge over the Han river to be completed, so that the first through train may not run before June next, but tirenty-six miles of railway is a hoon indeed to the benighted country. The railway exists through Japanese enterprise. Americans began it, but left the plough mid-furrow, and turned back, when the little Englishmen of the Far East took it vp. The only part the Coreans have in the affair, is to ride over the road in their Dest clothes, or stand in crowds, with every inow'h open and look at the beast going by in blind wonder. Women onlookers and destroyed several wide hats of the men that obstructed the view, and made remarks t! at cannot he translated for polite society. They added later that the cho-tha or moving principle was to them a spiritual mystery.
Cho-t'a!" (Beautiful!) said they, Yongta!" (Wonderful!) Hulywng-hata (Spifiliesting 1) On the first trip however, some coal cinders and smoke blew in thronzh the open window, and a hermit who had been accustomed all his days to " close room, with a mixture of festering bean halls, castor oil, and tobacco smoke for mosphere said De: smell thit A moment later he put. his heal out of the idded himself up toa retehseasick devil.
They had a celebration in Chemulpo, when the Japanes spoke, and i took ' part. Again the Gorean was " failure and pitiful to behold. A scaffold had been erected from which to toss Japanese machi to the crowd, and a Corean was sent up to do the manual labour. 'The scaffold fell and the poor coolie was killed, My friend says the mischief is in Corea's "Eight characters" (Pral cha). "The carrying trade is now says he, Seoul and yo, by the eternal enmity of these characters,' " but to sit down take it calmly, stupidly, indifferently, is all he expects to do.
Seoul, 23rd September.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.