Directory_and_Chronicle_1908 — Page 700

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note issue by the Dai Ichi Ginko (First Bank). The old nickel coins are being gradually withdrawn, and it is hoped in time to rid the country of fractional cash. By the end of February, 1997, as many as 274,421,308 nickel pieces had been with- drawn, representing a sum of Yen 6,719,867. No attempt is being made to with- draw cash, but a linit was put upon its use in October, 1906, and it is expected that cash will ultimately be driven out of circulation by the increasing popularity of the new currency. The Customs statistics show a considerable export of these coins. Included in the scheme of financial reform is the establishment of Agricultural and Industrial Banks to assist trade by giving the necessary financial accommodation. A Notes Association has also been formed to popularise the circulation of reliable negotiable bills, and warehouses bave been established as wholly official or government subsidised enterprises for the purpose of easing the money market in agricultural districts, by making loans on the security of rice, or lending money without security for the purchase of rice.

A railway connecting Chemulpo with Seoul was opened on September 18th, 1899, and the Coreans have not been slow to avail themselves of modern conveniences for travelling. There are now something like 600 miles of railway in operation in Corea, and several new lines are projected. The Seoul-Fusan railway, 269 miles in length, opened in May, 1905, has been acquired by the Japanese Government as a state railway. This line connects Yong-dong-po with the railway to Chemulpo, and the journeyf rom Seoul to Tokyo can now be accomplished in 53 hours. The railway between Seoul and Wiju, 310 miles, hurriedly constructed for military purposes in 1904-1905, is to be gradually reconstructed at a cost of 30,000,000 yen. A railway now connects Fusan and Masampo, and the distance in covered by a through train in a little over three hours. Wiju and Yongampo on the Yalu River are to be opened to foreign trade.

The carrying trade of the country is practically in the hands of the Japanese. Out of a total of 4,725 sailing vessels (aggregating 106,319 tons) entering the open ports of Corea in 1906, Japan was represented by 2,894 (83,117 tons), and by 4,594 steamers (2,186,185 tons) out of the total of 5,549 (2,661,190 tons). Chinese vessels take second place in the list, and Corean third. The sum of yen 1,000,000 was sanctioned by the Emperor in 1900 for construction of lighthouses. It is proposed to surround the coast with 31 lights; several of them are already provided and great benefit has accrued to navigation.

SEOUL

The capital city of Han-yang, better known to foreigners as Seoul (which is merely the native term for capital), is situated almost in the centre of the province of Kiung-kei, on the north side of and about three miles from the river Han, about thirty- five miles from its mouth. It lies in 37 deg. 30 min. N. lat. and 127 deg. 4 min E. long. Han-yang means "the fortress on the Han." The city is enclosed by crenellated walls of varying height, averaging about twenty feet, with arched stone bridges spanning the watercourses. It is in the form of an irregular oblong, and stretches lengthwise in a valley that runs from north-east to south-west. The houses are about eight or nine feet high, built of stone or mud, and mostly roofed with tiles. Internally they are clean, for the Coreans, like the Japanese, take off their shoes before entering their houses. A long main street, about 100 feet wide, running east and west, divides the city into two nearly equal portions. In the northern half are the walled inclosures containing the King's Palace and the more important public buildings. A street about 50 feet wide intersects the main street at right angles, dividing the northern half of the city into eastern and western quarters. At the point of intersection stands a pavilion called Chong-kak (the "Bell Kiosk "), from a large bell about seven feet high which is placed there. This spot is regarded as the centre of the city; and from it another street, as wide as the main street, branches off to the south-west. The four wide streets which thus radiate from the "Bell Kiosk" are known as the four Chong-ro or “Bell roads. Another conspicuous feature of this central part of the city is the row of large warehouses, two storeys high, the lower portions of which are divided off into little shops, opening into a small courtyard instead of facing the street. The width of the main streets was formerly much reduced by the construction in front of nearly every house of a rude wooden shanty used for a workshop or for business purposes, which gave the streets a poor and squalid appearance, but some of the principal streets have now been cleared of these unsightly obstructions, and the people are gradually being taught

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