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1st.(19th of 2nd Moon). Wednesday. Pleasant.
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Slept at home last night. Up at 5 to get ready for the journey.
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Left home at 6:30 a.m. bidding an affectionate fare-well to my dear mother. Went to the Russian Legation to attend to little things. Bade farewell to His Majesty and the Crown Prince at 8. Left the Legation soon after. Near the river a farewell party, composed of my father, Yi Wan Yong, Pak Chung Yang, Ko Yong Hui, Yi Chai Jung, Yi Sang Choi, Yi Kiung Chik and few others, set us up to a handsome Corean dinner. Left the river at nearly 10 a.m. Reached Orikol at 12:30. Refreshment―Left Orikol at 1:30 p.m. Reached Chemulpo at 5 p.m. Came straight to the Russian Man of War Gremiatchi. None of the Corean officers of the port came to see us.
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Slept on board. Wrote letters to home. Weighed anchor at 10 a.m. Smooth voyage all the day.
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Arrived at Woosong at 10 a.m. Shanghai at 1 p.m. L'Hotel des Colonies. Called on Dr. Allen and the Mctyeire Home. My wife and baby all well in the latter place. Met Min Yong Ik who has been, for a few weeks, a guest in the French Hotel. Found him not much improved in his characteristics-conceit, stinginess, obstinacy. Of all men he should not fail to pay a visit to His Majesty after the terrible event of the 8th of October 1895.
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4 MCT. Home parties representing Messrs.
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Haywood, Richardson, Gary, Reynold.
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Up at 5 a.m. Called on my precious wife and dear sister at the home of the latter. God take care of my Darling wife, baby and sister and all! Left the Jetty (P and O) at 7:45 a.m. Weighed anchor from Woosong at about 11 a.m.
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Collections and recollections:
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1. Mr. Min is a regulation "Yangban" of Corea. He required the service of an attendant for everything―for wearing a shirt, a gown, a pair of socks, for buttoning up his coat. Indeed, it is a wonder to me how he sleeps and eats without the aid of another man. Tobacco is a part of this too fine a gentleman. His stock of cigars, cigarettes, and of cut tobacco may easily enable him to set up a tobacco store in Russia. The medical stuffs which he has provided against any sickness might make him immortal, if medicines. Corean could do so by their quantity. At the same time, he is a gentleman―amenable to reasons and sensitive of honor. He may be willing not to eat of drink, if he were assured that by doing either he would expose himself to ridicule and shame. That is a right ring in him. By the way, he was given ＄20,000 by His Majesty for his (Min's) private use during the journey. I suppose Min got the sum on the pretex of providing against any unseen expenditure beyond the range of the special fund. I don't know. Flushed, however, with this good fortune, he promised me that he would give me ＄100 for my wife. Well, he got the sum of ＄20,000 from his cousin, Min Yong Ik. Another ＄1,000 or more form Kwak Cham Bong (郭參奉) , an agent for Yi Tuk Yu (李德裕) . With all this solid in his possession, Mr. Min, this morning, gave me a piece of paper asking Kuak to give me (or the bearer) ＄100! Would Kuak honor this order? I believe not. It is nothing but a waste paper. I gave it to Kuak and told him to hand the money, if he could, as soon as possible to Dr. F.C. Reid knowing all the time that the whole thing is nothing but a piece of practical joke which Min has played on me.
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2. Kim Tuk Nien, the private secretary of Mr. Min, is a fat man. He drinks hard, hence the honorary title, "Mr. Fish", given him by Mr. Stein, meaning that Kim drinks like a fish. His usefulness, I have not discovered so far. He advised Min, the first day we got to Shanghai, to fit Min's attendant up in the Corean paraphernalia. This wise advisor told Min last night not to use the seal bearing Min's name in his (Min's) home letters!
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3. Kim To Ⅱ, the interpreter, is a sensible little fellow and plucky.
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4. My Darling wife secured a good and comfortable room in the Trinity Home. Good is Miss Hughs. Left ＄150 for my Darling's use for 6 or 7 months.
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5. No one can realize the luxuries of Shanghai or Japan who has not endured the miseries of life in Corea for some years.
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6. The Empress is a magnificent ship. Her first class accomodations are splendidly fit up. But the intermediate class is a wretched work―with its awful smells and darkness. I have the feeling recollection of all this which I endured twice.
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7. Min Yong Ik said some days ago, that students should be sent abroad in large numbers even if His Majesty had to sell his royal robe to defray the expenses. A sensible talk. But with his tens of thousand dollars, bearing large interest in the bank, why does not Min send a few bright fellows abroad for the good of the country?
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17th.Friday. Empress of China
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Collections and recollections.
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1. While the steamer was coaling for the voyage at Nagasaki, my right leg fell into one of coal-holes. My left knee struck the edge of the hole and a prompt help from a Chinese boy saved me from the dire fate of falling 40 feet deep. The left knee was badly bruised.
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2. Got to Yokohama about noon yesterday. The Russian consul at Yokohama came on board and delivered the invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Speyer asking us to dine with them at the Russian Legation at 7 p.m. Leaving Yokohama by the 3:15 train went to Tokio and went straight to our Legation at Tokio. The old acting minister, Mr. Yi Tai Chik, had left for Corea some time ago and the new minister, Mr. Yi Ha Yong, had not arrived. Our Legation is a neat little affair, fearfully bare of furniture.
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3. Heard that 3 of the so called students in the Fukuzawa school had been caught for trying to break open a safe! Fine fellows these seem to be―the select crowds of His Excellency, Pak Yong Hio, the ex-minister of Home Affairs. His test of their qualifications was their physiognomy. He discarded intelligent fellows on the wise ground that they, being bright, could learn in Corea.
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4. With Mr. Min, called on the 2nd Prince. Absent. Went to the Russian Legation, about 1/4 to 7. Was really happy to see once more the fine face and figure of Mrs. Speyer, the worshipper of the pretty that I am. Had a nice dinner―party being exclusively Russian and Coreans. Returning to our Legation at 9., I alone, went to see the 2nd Prince. He received me decorously but rather cooly. He was dressed in the Japanese costume of the stylish silk. The first thing he said was, "Why is it that His Majesty stays in the Russian Legation? You have been an active member of the present Cabinet. Can you free yourself from the blame of keeping our King in a Legation?" Then I said, "Dear Sir, I know and I feel it is a shameful thing for His Majesty to stay in the Russian Legation. Indeed, the first thing I proposed to His Majesty was that He should return to a Corean palace. But His Majesty refused to do so. Besides, unless the King returns to the Palace of His own will, nobody can persuade Him to do so without either guaranteeing that the Japanese would not attack the Palace again, this time to murder His Majesty, or providing His Majesty with a trustworthy guard. Can you do either?" The young Prince saw the reasonableness of my answer and admitted he could not. Then he told me "Yun Chi Oh has ruined me. He made contract with Fukuzawa lending me some ＄3,000 on the condition that I should and could never leave Japan without paying the amount with interest. I have been watched like a crazy man wherever I go. I have tried to study English with Dr. Loomis. But the Japanese cry out saying that the introduction of Christianity would ruin Corea etc. So I had to stop. Fukuzawa taxed me for not studying English from one of his daughters. I am sick of heart to stay in Japan. "Why don't Your Highness study Japanese and the military system of Japan?" "I don't like to go about," said he, "I am always afraid that something might happen to me." "I heard once that Your Highness debt had been paid sometime ago." "Yes, I did have a chance of paying up the debt and am free." said the Prince, to my utter amazement. "Then why did not Your Highness do so?" "Well," said he, "I would then have only a thousand dollars to live on. So I did not."
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5. From the above conversation, the Prince is not disliking the Japanese as much as he professed. The pretty Japanese women seem to be a paradise for him! He seems to lack the spirit to soar high. Pity for the Dynasty of Yi! When I bade him good-night, the Prince flew upstairs before the salutation was finished! Too late to call on my cousin. Asked the Prince's man to tell my cousin to call on me the next morning.
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6. Slept at our Legation. Before going to bed, wrote home letters.
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7. Got up this morning early. Breakfasted about 8 a.m. Enjoyed the Corean food very much. After breakfast with Mr. Min called on the 2nd Prince. It was 8:30. Had to wait half an hour before H.H. came down. A few minutes of conversation, and we had to hurry to the station. Found Mr. Spyer pale with anxiety, as the train was just going to leave. Nothing scared me ever so much. But thanks to Lond Spencer who was also a little late, we barely had time to buy tickets and get on. The S.S. left Yokohama about 12 a.m.
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29th.Wednesday. Vancouver.
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Collections and Recollections of the Voyage.
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1. Confined to the berth all through the voyage on account of the sore leg. Read Trilby, Red Cockade, Comedies of Courtship.
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2. Fish advised Min to present Min's boy to the Czar when we get to Russia! Fish―one of those "Chung-Ins(中人) " who adopting themselves to the whims of "Yangban," grow fat―they never go into anything risky―never say anythin that has an angle.
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2. Vancouver-population between 16 or 17 thousands―asphalt streets, electric cars etc., an immense improvement on what Vancouver was 3 years ago.
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3. Soon after our arrival at the Vancouver Hotel, seeing a chamber maid with a broom, Mr. Min, to whom the word "boy" is identical with that of "servant", asked me in his matter-of-fact way, "Is that a "female" boy?" (저가 계집뵈오?) The joke was a capital one, but I had nobody to enjoy it with.
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4. Mailed letters to Waeber, Brown, cousin at Tokio, and to my dear Darling. Asked Waeber to exert his good offices in getting me the permission of His Majesty for me to stay in Russia at least 10 or 12 months after the Mission shall have finished its work. Told Brown that I had Soh Sang Chip (徐相◉) in Shanghai. That Soh's connection with the public money which Wo Yun Chung lent to a company without any security was unfortunate, but that so no law against such transactions had been in force, Soh is to be pitied. That by pressing hard on him, he would have to stay away from Corea, thus damaging his private fortune without being enabled to refund a cent of the public money. That he should be recalled and be given a chance of carrying out his original plans so that as little injury might be done as possible under the circumstances.
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5. Son Hui Yong, Mr. Min's boy, is a quiet, gentle and exceedingly neat young man―Compared with Kim To Il, he is a gentleman and scholar.
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30th.Thursday. Canadian Pacific Train.
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Left Vancouver at 2 p.m. for our Eastward trip. An English lady (now living in Canada) with 3 daughters the 3rd being the prettiest and sweetest―this party made our journey pleasant and sweet the whole day.
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