Wim the full consent, of the Emperor, Japan has assumed. the effective protectorate of Corea, a step' which she has been actually forced by circumstances to take. The only alternative was for the'neutra~ usation and protection of Corea to be undertaken by an. international commission, a step "which evidently did not commend itself: to the Powers. Even those who like the Coreiins best, and all who know them allow that they have. many amiable 1 Ctaape are forced to admit that rea cannot maintain herself in the twentieth century as an independent State, As long as she remained the hermit kingdom and could keep out thehustling profanum. valgus from her sacred soil, it did not matter to the. outside world how seriously she'was misgoverned. But with an gBtessive neighbour like Russia one sidé'of her, and a newly-awaken-and. "energat rgetié' neighbour. like Japan on the" other side, she: could nob jo' on fur' ever" wrapping. herself tip' in her, virtue, and dis. regarding the movement in the outer world. The Emperor of Corea is a most affable, well-informed, well-meaning, genial -old gentlemin, utterly incompetent as a ruler, with a palace filled with concubines, astrologers, soothsayers, and parasites of all kinds. The officials, metropolitan and provincial, have only one aim in life; to divert: as much: public money /as_ possible: into: their own pockets, Under this long-established and persistent oppression, pathe people have: long ago lost all heart and all energy, indispensable qualities which they muy be trusveil to reacquire with' fairly honest government sich as Jupai can'give them, There are Coreans, of course, and they have, of course, bucking froth outside, who are by' no means well-disposed' to the new protectorate their -feeling has found one expression in the attack on Marquis Ito, But.there is a' large party of moderate and intelligent Coreans who recognise that their country cannot stand alone; they, however, do not want Russian or Chinese predominance, and they recognise that the only practical alterna: tive, for a time atleest, ' is Japanese supremacy: "The: body of self-assured: patriots known as' the IL Chinhai "has just issued a manifesto which has created "great excitement in Corea. 'The following piécis of. it is to -be found in the "Jupan Daily Mail" of the 17th inst, and there is so-much solid \ruth in it, that: it is well worth reproducing. "The Manifesto," says' the" Japan Daily Mail," "is a very lengthy docu: ment... 'It sets out by postulating that when men'are competent to act, they may speak, but if not thus competent, then their best plan is keep'silent and nurture their strength.' Japan, who stands.at the head of Eastern progress; has laboured to the utmost during the past ten years for. the Gurpoie of securing the pence of the lent... But the Portsmouth. treaty and the Anglo-Japanese Alli: ance have inspired all kinds'of alarm-* ist rumours The notion ofreplaciig' the relations between Japa and Corea on their-ancient footing is like attempting to resurrect the dead. 'If it be desired to sever intercourse vith. 4 foreign States, and to'statfd indepen: \dent, then'the resolve must be'proclaimed, and the "Coreans must' be \prepared to fight to the. death, for death will be their portion, But if
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.