The actual number of British subjects in Korea is probably only half the number of the American, but the Anglo-Saxons in Korea live on the most intimate terms, and in this out of the way corner of the world it is easy to see that a common language and a common religion will sooner or later effect great things. At the present moment there are a number of Englishmen in the American missions in Korea, apart from independent bodies, and everywhere there is the closest harmony between the two kindred nations.

Because Korea has been absolutely neglected by British merchantdom in the past, it would seem but natural that England should have but little share in the trade of the country. But in this land of paradoxes the exact opposite is the case. The total of British cottons imported into Korea during the year 1904 reached 3,767,000 yen, or nearly £400,000, whilst Japanese cottons, manufactured only a stone's throw from the gates of Korea, had a net value of but 4,134,721 yen, or say £40,000 more than the British importation. When it is remembered that there is but one British firm in the whole of Korea, that no line of British steamers condescends to serve this market, and that Korea, which should be but fortyeight hours' steam from Shanghai-the warehouse of the Central Far East-is practically half a month away on account of the absence of nearly all steamer connections, the extraordinary nature of the result obtained may seen quite inexplicable. But an explanation will be given later on.

Before dealing with this interesting question, it is necessary to draw attention to the fact that in Korea, as in China, the Customs Service is a British controlled service modelled on the lines of the English Civil Services. So important do I esteem this question, and so little does it appear to be realised how firmly is England entrenched in every part of the Far East, including little-known Korea, that I make no apology for the extensive nature of the remarks which follow.

In 1883, as Treaties of Commerce had been signed with many of the Powers, it was necessary to place the commercial question on a proper basis. Accordingly Li Hung Chang, who was then Viceroy at Tientsien and oversaw the question of Chinese suzerainty in Korea, empowered Baron von Mollendorff, a German official in his employ, to organise the Korean Customs. Until September of the year 1885, it remained an independent service, but after that date Sir Robert Hart was requested to take over the establishment as a branch of his Chinese service. Accordingly a new official with the title of Chief Commissioner of Korean Customs was despatched from China together with a picked staff of assistants. Three Chief Commissioners held office prior to the appointment of the present incumbent, Mr. McLeavy Brown, C.M.G., who became head of the service in September, 1893.

The Chino-Japanese war, which freed Korea entirely from Chinese suzerainty claims, left the Korean Customs in a curiously anomalous position.

Nominally still under the direct control of Sir Robert Hart in Peking, it was of course absurd for a Chinese Government official to interfere in any way in Korean internal affairs. The Japanese, however, were only too glad to have a service in the country, necessarily opposed to the growing Russian influence, and from 1895 until now, Mr. McLeavy Brown, as Chief Commissioner of Korean Customs, has remained "linked" in a somewhat nebulous fashion to the Chinese Customs Service, his name being still borne on the active list of Sir Robert Hart's Commissioners, and his staff being largely augmented by men borrowed from the China Service.

From the moment Mr. McLeavy Brown arrived in Korea, it was apparent that a strong man had taken over the immediate control of revenue affairs, and that no matter what the original or actual status of the Korean Customs might be, it had become simply a McLeavy Brown Service, just as the Chinese Customs has always been merely a Sir Robert Hart Service and not part of the Chinese administration. Originally having to control the trade of but three ports, Chemulpo, Fusan, and Wonsan, the Chief Commissioner's task has since grown much greater. These first three ports were opened in 1883; in 1897 Chinampo and Mokpo had the same status conferred on them, and in 1899 Kunsan, Masampo, and Songchin made up a total of eight ports available for international trade. Very shortly Wiju and Yongampho will be also opened, and possibly some other ports on the east