Sir H.S. Parkes to Earl Granville.-(Received July 7)

(No. 89)
Tôkiô, May 31, 1883

My Lord,

WITH reference to my despatch No. 67 of the 28th ultimo, reporting that in pursuance of your Lordship’s telegraphic instructions, and acting in concert with my German colleague, I had sent Mr. Aston to Corea to arrange with the Corean Government that the time named for the exchange of the British and German Treaties should be extended until the 31st December next, I have now to add that Mr. Aston returned to Tôkiô on the evening of the 27th instant, and handed to me the inclosed general Report of his proceedings. This shows that he reached Söul on the 10th instant, and succeeded in signing on the 15th Declarations on the part of the British, German, and Corean Governments, agreeing to the above-mentioned extension of time for the exchange of the ratifications of the said Treaties. Mr. Aston left Söul again on the 16th, one day in advance of the arrival at the capital of the United States’ Minister, General Foote.
The Declaration between the British and Corean Governments was signed in duplicate, one copy of which was retained by the latter, and the other copy has been delivered to me by Mr. Aston. Pending your Lordship’s instructions I have thought it desirable to keep the original, but I inclose in my despatch No. 3, Treaty, of this date, a copy which your Lordship will perceive is identical in its wording with the draft which I forwarded in my despatch No. 67.
I also inclose a translation of the reply of the President of the Corean Board of Foreign Affairs to my note of the 28th April, accrediting Mr. Aston to His Excellency for the purpose of executing this Declaration. His Excellency states, in his reply, that he had empowered I cho-yön, one of the Secretaries of the Foreign Board, to sign the Declaration on the part of the Corean Government.
I add a copy of a note in which I communicated to Count Doenhoff a copy of Mr. Aston’s Report, and it remains for me to express my high appreciation of Mr. Aston’s proceedings, and the hope that they will receive your Lordship’s approval.

I have, &c.
(Sigend) HARRY S. PARKES

Inclosure 1

Mr. Aston to Sir H.S. Parkes.
Kobé, May 25, 1883
Sir,

I HAVE the honour to report that, in compliance with your instructions, I left Yokohama on the 28th ultimo for Shimonoseki, where I arrived on the 2nd instant. There I went on board Her Majesty’s ship “Daring,” which sailed at daybreak on the following day, and reached Chemulpho anchorage on the afternoon of the 8th, having been detained two days at Port Hamilton by a contrary breeze.
I proceeded to Söul on the 10th, and on the following day received a visit from Messrs. Kim Hong-jip, Hong Yöng-sik, and Min Yöng-ik, Vice-Presidents, and Messrs. Kim Ok-Kiun and I Cho-yön, Secretaries of the Foreign Board. These gentlemen had evidently met at my lodging by previous arrangement in order to find out on what business I had come, and I explained to them that as the Governments of Great Britain and Germany found that some portions of the Treaty required further consideration, they wished to extend the limit fixed for the exchange of the ratifications for a further period of six months, or to the end of the current European year. I had accordingly been sent to Corea to make an arrangement to this effect.
Mr. Min Yöng-ik asked me why more time was required, and why could the Treaties not be ratified at once. I replied that the instructions under which I had come to Corea were telegraphic, and did not give a detailed statement of the reasons for taking this step, but that Mr. Min Yöng-ik must be well aware that there were features in the Treaties which made it difficult to ratify them as they now stand. I might add that the state of affairs in Corea when the Treaties were concluded was very different from what it afterwards became. There were then no Chinese troops in Söul, and the King’s father was not resident in China. These important circumstances made it necessary for the Governments of Great Britain and Germany to consider very carefully their future relations with Corea. I was sure, however, that the Corean Government would see that in taking the present step the two Governments were actuated by friendly motives, one of which was no doubt a desire to avoid the discourtesy to Corea which would have been involved in allowing the period fixed for the exchange of the ratifications to expire without any notice being taken of it. I added that I was provided with letters from the British and German Ministers at Tökiö and also with the necessary document for signature, but as I had not supplied myself with translations into Chinese, preferring to have them prepared with Corean help, I would ask them to allow me the services of one of their Chinese scholars for this purpose.
Mr. Kim Hong-jip here remarked that he did not see the necessity for signing any special Declaration. He thought an answer from the President of the Foreign Board to the letters of the two Ministers would be sufficient, but when it was pointed out that, the object in view being to alter a Treaty stipulation, the document recording this modification ought to follow the form of the Treaties as nearly as possible, Mr. Kim Ok Kiun said that this was the right course, and the other gentlemen present made no further objection.
The next day I received a message from the Foreign Office asking me to arrange with M. von Möllendorf for the translation of the despatches and Declarations, and this having been done, I went to the Foreign Office on the 14th, and handed them to his Excellency Min Yöng-mok, the President of the Foreign Board, stating in a few words the object of my mission. The president made no difficulty whatever, and 2 o’clock on the following day was fixed for the signature of the Declarations. The signatures were accordingly affixed at the time appointed, in the presence of the President and a number of the other members of the Board, Mr. I Cho-yön, one of the Secretaries, signing on behalf of the Corean Government.
On the 16th I returned to Chemulpho, where I found the “Monocacy,” which had arrived a few days before with the American Minister to Corea and his suite, and I had an opportunity of calling on General Foote before his departure for Söul on the following morning. The “Daring” sailed on the morning of the 17th. I should have preferred proceeding to Kobé direct by way of Shimonoseki, but want of coal made it necessary to touch at Nagasaki. I arrived at Kobé to-day.

I have, &c.
(Signed) W.G. Aston

Inclosure 2

The President of the Board of Foreign Affairs of Corea to Sir H.S. Parkes.

(Translation)
MIN, President of the Board of Foreign Affairs of Great Corea, has the honour to communicate this reply.
Your Excellency states in your letter that you have received instructions from your Government that they desire to extend for several months the period of one year fixed for exchanging the ratifications of the Treaty concluded at Inchhön on the 6th June of last year, according to foreign reckoning, between (your country) and Great Corea, and that accordingly Mr. Aston, Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul in Japan, who has previously visited this county, has been empowered by your Excellency to return to Corea, and having communicated this intelligence to my Government, to sign with an official of my country, a Declaration extending the period for exchanging the ratifications of this Treaty; the term of such extension to be till the 31st December of the present year, according to foreign reckoning.
Accordingly, I, Secretary of the Board of Foreign Affairs, having been duly empowered by me, has, this 9th day of the 4th month of this year, being the 15th day of the 5th month, according to foreign reckoning, executed with Mr. Consul Aston, at the capital, Han-yang, an Agreement extending the period for the exchange of ratifications stated in the Treaty concluded last year at Inchhön, in proof of which they have together affixed their signatures and seals.
I have the honour to give you this reply, and beg you will take the proper steps in the matter.
The above is the answer addressed to Sir Harry Parkes, Her Britannic Majesty’s Envoy in Japan, on the 9th day of the 4th month of the 492nd year of the establishment as a kingdom of Great Corea.
(L.S)
May 15, 1883

Inclosure 3

Sir H.S. Parkes to Count Doenhoff.
Tôkiô, May 28, 1883

M. le Ministre et cher Collègue,
WITH reference to the letter which your Excellency addressed me on the 28th ultimo, I have now the satisfaction of informing you that Mr. Aston returned to Tôkiô last evening, and handed to me this morning a Report of his proceedings, which resulted in the signature, on the 15th instant, of the Declarations extending the term for the exchange of the ratifications of the British and German Treaties with Corea until the 31st December next.
I hasten to communicate to you a copy of this Report, and Mr. Aston will wait upon your Excellency this morning to supply your Excellency with any further information you may require as to his negotiations, and to hand to you the declarations which he executed on the part of the German Government.

Accept, &c.
(Signed)　　HARRY S. PARKES