No. 107
Yedo, May 15, 1879

My lord,

I have the honour to acknowledge the script of your lordship’s Despatches No. 17, 18, and 29 relative to Mr. Satow’s mission to Quelpart in November last.
Your lordship disapproves of my having sent this mission but it is gratifying to me to observe that the conduct of the officers to whom the service was entrusted is appreciated by your lordship.
Your lordship regards the mission as a failure, and considers that the occasion did not justify the expense of a special mission in one of Her Majesty’s ships, especially as your lordship is of opinion that Mr. Paul had already represented Her Majesty’s legation in the matter.
One of my principal reasons for sending Mr. Satow was that Mr. Paul had been unable to represent the legation and I fear I may not have made this point clear to your lordship. Owing to his having gone to Quelpart in a private ship he was unable to see the Chief Authority of the island, although the latter invited him to do so. I was guided by precedent in sending on of Her Majesty’s ships, as I could mention several instances in which those ships have been sent to greater distances in those seas in order simply to deliver presents in acknowledgment of services rendered to our shipwrecked people. In this case of I incurred no expense on account of presents, knowing that the Corean officers would in all probability refuse to accept them, but I know of no instance in which they would been better deserved. They kept the crew of the wrecked ship for more than a month, housed them, fed them, and clothed them, salved the cargo, and stored and reshipped it – all without fee or reward of any kind. I thought that such services coming for the first time from the Authorities and people of a nation which numbers about eight millions, and on whom I presume it is desirable to create a friendly impression was at least deserving of thanks. When such acknowledgements can alone be offered the mode of conveying them may add greatly to their value, and I thought that it would be more complimentary to that Coreans and more dignified on the part of Her Majesty’s government to deliver their thanks by one of their own officers sent in one of Her Majesty’s ships instead of through the intervention of the Japanese Authorities, who are not held in high repute in Corea.
The cost of the mission amounted to $352.87 £66.33, being a much smaller sum than I have experienced by the authority of Her Majesty’s government on many occasions in presents to Japanese who have rendered smaller services in other cases of shipwreck. It may be said that the cost of the coal consumed by Her Majesty’s ship should be taken into account, but the same amount of coal would have been expended in one ordinary cruize between port and port such as the same vessel would have taken if she had not gone on this mission.
I had hoped that Your Lordship would not have regarded the mission as a failure if only for the reason that I trust it will it have the effect of dissuading the Corean Authorities from banning foreign vessels in future when stranded on their coasts. The local Corean Authorities at Fusan promised to bring my representations on this subject to the notice of their government at the capital in order that they might rescued the existing decrees which require the destruction of all foreign wrecks – If such new orders should be issued, the advantage to our shipping which may accrue from them will, I respectfully submit, have been cheaply gained by an expenditure of sixty six pounds.

I have the honor to be, with the highest respect,
My Lord,
Your Lordship’s most obedient, Humble Servant,
Harry S Parkes