For the last week Seoul has been enlivened by the visit of Commander Prince Fushimi; and the opening core-many of the Seoul-Fusan Railway. For two weeks and more, the railway authorities have been busy with elaborate protions outside of the South Gate, immense gateways in various designs of tower and archway, and drossed out in pine branches, occupied the central entrance to the new station yards. To the east, above them on the hillside, wore erected an audience-hall and dining-rooms. Hideous bamboos and straw ropes tin roofs to begin with were, by the wave of some magic wand, transformed, and touched off, and ornamented till the effect was most pleasing in its combination of form and colour, restful to the eye, and delightful in contrast to the disorderly clay surroundings of the old city of Seoul.
The ceremony did not last long enough to weary the audience, and although spoken in a language unintelligible to most Westerners, it was highly interes by reason of the precision, order, and method that marked it. One could read through the lines of that opening cere-care and exactness that explains Japan's success in the stupendous war now on hand.
At about eleven o'clock Prince Fushimi and his staff took their seats on the platform, followed by the foreign representatives and Corea's old and oft-tried officials.
Corea was at first chagrined that Prince Fushimi, junior, and not the father, the Lieutenant-General, should be the visitor; but she has no reason to regret the choice, for what Corea needs to-day most of all, is to seo a young man in the highest walk of life who does not think his hands too soft, or his birth too distinguished to make the rough places of the world undignified for a matter of deep interest to Coreans tu know that this soldierly Prince had faced the trid hed boon, wounded like aay Sommodt twelve-inol guns on the of 10th 4 august
jockey. At his side sat Prince Yi Cha-Corea's representative, youthful and gentlemanly, a delightful man to meet, but unsuited to the "whips and scorns of time."
Behind the Privee sat General Hasegawa, the cut of whose face gave one to Know why he was appointed commander of the Imperial Guards, A pleasant twinkle xt times too looked out from the island and. the Emperor over the soa, and then the afternoon was given up to the beautiful gardens on the hill top that had been extemporised, with their flowering plants and old froos, and other interesting pieces of Japan, transplanted into the abode of the Hermit.
Outside of the enclosure, from a bamboo tower, buns, and fruit, and coins, and candy were scattered by the barrowful among the people. The scramble that ensued was surely equal to tha retreat of Kuropatkin from Mukden. If Corea had been ighting for her life her people could not have exhibited more perspiring earnestness than they did over that shower of buns from the bamboo heavens above them. But noone was reported hurt and all were happy.
in the evening there was an exhibition of fireworks which, for variety and beauty, were well up to other items of the day. On a black sky that rolled up from the west and threatened rain, the bursting of star balls and rockets was wonderfully beautiful. From "town lighted up.by long lines of Japanese lanterns anc lights, went up the hum of swarmi multitudes, that burst into shouts anc hburrahs at the report of the bombs mid-ai When one reads these days of star balls and flashlights illuminating the ghastly carnage of war, how delightful, it was to know that all this bombard-mont and exploding of gunpowder meant holiday and delighted people, fed to satiety and overwhelmed with the wonders of the occasion.
Essen Tuinp.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.