CHAPTER XXIII NON-JAPANESE INTERESTS IN KOREA IN Article I. of the treaty of Offensive and Defensive Alliance between Great Britain and Japan, the phrase occurs that "Japan, in addition to the interests which she possesses in China, is interested in a peculiar degree, politically as well as commercially, in Korea." In order to complete the discussion of the Korean question, and as a necessary complement to what precedes and follows, it is enlightening to refer rapidly to the interests Europe and America possess in the sometime Hermit Kingdom. Taking, first, the interests of the lesser Powers, or, to be more correct, the Powers that are least interested in Korea, it will be soon seen that Russia, France, Germany, Italy, and Belgium, all of whom maintain diplomatic representatives in Seoul, have mainly what may be termed fictitious interests in the peninsula Empire. These interests, which it is convenient to classify in the order given above, are of that curious order recognised by some as an indigenous growth in such countries as Korea, Siam and Morocco. Such interests are but rank vegetation VOL. II B which is only fit to be rooted out to make room for more honest plants. Scattered here and there by fussy little diplomats, the seeds from which has grown this curious crop have been ill-chosen for the political climate of Korea, and if the harvest has failed it is because diplomatists, accustomed to live in the unnatural world of gloomy papers and inkcovered memoranda, are in reality but poor farmers. to trifle with God's earth. Russian interests in Korea before the war were of a Gilbertian character, so amusing and so varied, and so unexpected, that it required no orchestra and printed score to dub them pure comic opera and nothing else. Since Russia had no bona fide interests in the country, it was the object of successive Ministers Resident and Ministers Plenipotentiary to create interests at all costs, and then, pointing to them proudly as accomplished facts, state that they entirely changed Japan's position in Korea. Thus from the year 1895-the year in which Russia stepped into the place vacated by China-everything possible has been tried and re-tried; and by dint of tremendous intriguing and tremendous advertising an atmosphere for you can give it no more solid name of Russian interests in Korea finally existed. A commencement was first made when Russian officers and drill sergeants were placed at the disposal of the Korean Emperor, and the Korean army, a laughable quantity, was for a short time drilled by these men, whilst the Palace Guard was also commanded by a Russian captain. Then some |