№211에 첨부

1895년, 서울.

 

Memorandum.

 

Meenting of Foreign Representation at Japanese Legation. Seoul, Oct. 8th. 1895.

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The foreign Representatives met at the Japanese Legation on the afternoon of Oct. 8th at the suggestion of Mr Waeber to Hear from His Excellency Viscount Miura what information he could give regarding the events which had occurred in the Palace that morning. There were present? in addition to Viscount Miura and Messrs Sugimura, and Hioki, secretaries of the Japanese Legation, Messrs Waeber(Russia), Allen(United States), Hillier(Great Britain), Krien(Germany) and Lefévre(France).

Viscount Miura stated that he had already made some observations on this subject in the morning to Messrs Waeber and Allen, but with the permission of his audience he would recommence at the beginning of what he had to say. With past events in Corea^{주 030}

번역주 030)

원문에 따른 철자임

, with which he was not personnally^{주 031}

번역주 031)

원문에 따른 철자임

acquainted he did not propose to deal but he would state on his arrival in Soul a few weeks ago he discovered that dissatisfaction was entertained by the Tai-won-kun at the conduct of affairs in the Capital(1.아래의 주를 보시오), - a fact that was also mentioned to him by His Majesty in person. He had not therefore called on the Tai-won-kun and had not hitherto made his acquaintance.

Last week, as hes hearers were probably aware, disputes had occurred between the troops drilled by Japanese Officers and the Police. The Minister of War had called upon him with reference to this matter and had asked for the assistance of Japanese Police in maintaining peace between the disputants. Nothing, however, had been arranged. On the previous morning(Oct. 7th) the Japanese Adviser to the Police Department had called at the Legation and reported that some 300 soldiers had assembled outside the police barracks the day before threatening the police, but when the latter opened the barrack gates the soldiers promptly dispersed. At the same time the Minister of War had again called to ask for the aid of Japanese soldiers in dispersing the Corean soldiers, whose attitude towards the police was for from peaceful. The company which was specially indicated as aggressive was company No2. Now he, Viscount Miura, had an independent report about company No2. The threatening attitude of this company had been reported on the evening of the 6th instant to a Lieutenant of the Japanese Guard stationed in barracks near the palace who had gone himself to the police station and found on soldiers at all in front of it. He then visited the Corean barracks and found company No2 all in their quarters. The Viscount mentioned these facts to show that the story of a demonstration by the soldiers was untrue. The origin of the charge against them and of their unpopularity was traceable to the jealousy of them entertained by the palace guard(2. 아래를 보시오). The Minister of War had informed him that His Majesty wished to disband these Japanese drilled corean troops(3. 아래를 보시오) and asked his advice. He had replied that while His Majesty was a free agent it would not be right in his, Viscount Miuras opinion, to disband the men on such frivolous pretexts and such action would be regarded as an act of discourtesy towards the Japanese Government who had authorised the drilling of the force by their officers at the request of the Corean Government(4. 아래를 보시오).

His Excellency went on to say that he had heard that yesterday evening(the 7th) the police had being jeering at some of the Japanese drilled soldiers and told them that the force would be disbanded the next morning; that the men had returned th barracks and informed their comrades; that they then went off in a body to the Tai-won-kun begging him to appeal for redress and that the latter had informed them that he would intercede on their behalf with the King if they would accompany him into the Palace(5. 아래를 보시오). At dawn that morning he had been roused by a messenger from the Palace who told him that a collision seemed imminent between the Japanese drilled soldiers on the one hand and King's Body-guard and the police(6. 아래를 보시오) on the other and asked for the assistance of Japanese troops. The order for them to be called out was given(7. 아래를 보시오) and he went himself to the Palace very shortly afterwards accompanied by Mr. Sugimura. On arrival at the gate he found the Japanese troops drawn up close by and order already restored. These soldiers had been strictly warned to avoid conflict if possible and the shots which had been fired had been exchanged between the Palace guard and the Japanese drilled corean troops, which fired first His Excellency could not say. The Japanese troops, he might add, arrived a little too late on the scene to prevent the corean troops from getting into the Palace(8. 아래를 보시오). He had now placed his colleagues in possession of all he knew in regard to this affair.

Mr Weaber, speaking for himself and his colleagues, asked Viscount Miura whether he could give any information regarding the escort of the Tai-won-kun by Japanese troops which had been testified to by many eye witness. - Viscount Miura replied that there were on Japanese soldiers with the Tai-won-kun and in answer to a suggestion that there were no corean police in the Palace to come into conflict with the soldiers, he stated that the police were stationed at the Palace gates. Mr Waeber then informed Viscount Miura that it had also been stated that some fifty or sixty Japanese in civilian dress armed with swords were assisting in the disturbances in the Palace.

Viscount Miura replied that it was possible that a few of the grooms and servants in attendance of the Japanese officers of the guard, who were allowed to carry swords might have accompanied their respective masters into the Palace. Their were also some Americans and Europeans who had gone into the Palace at daylight(9. 아래를 보시오). Possibly these grooms like the foreigners had made their way in to see what was going on but had certainly taken no part in the disturbances.

Mr Waeber replied and was confirmed in his statement by Dr Allen that he had himself seen some twenty or thirty Japanese civilians in the Palace some in foreign, some in Japanese dress all of whom were armed with swords, and added - in response to a rejoinder of Viscount Miura that they might still be grooms with possibly a few of the Japanese advisers and students attached to them - that it had been asserted by an eye witness that these Japanese civilians had dragged out ladies from the Queens apartments, had thrown seven feet below and had killed three of four of them, while a Japanese civilian had stood in the middle of the courtyard directing the proceedings. At least two Japanese officers in uniform were also present, the gates were guarded by Japanese soldiers and a company of Japanese drilled corean soldiers were (판독불능)^{주 032}

번역주 032)

문맥상 ‘line’으로서 뒤의 ‘up'과 함께 ’ling up'일 것으로 판단된다

up in the courtyard. Were these men, who announced that they were looking for the Queen, Japanese grooms? The men who committed the murders and ill-treated the women certainly Japanese not Coreans.

Viscount Miura replied that he had it on the authority of Japanese officers and soldiers that no outrage of the kind alleged ever occurred, and their word was certainly more worthy of credence than that of Coreans who were notoriously addicted to spreading absurd rumors.

Mr Waeber informed His Excellency that the eye witness was a European not a Corean, whose testimony was unimpeachable and could not but be believed, while as to the assertion that no outrages had been committed the dead bodies of the women which had been seen by scores of people were a sufficient proof of its inaccuracy.

Viscount Miura considered that the Japanese troops sent in to restore order had performed their duty in a very tolerable manner, and so long as he received no evidence to the contrary he should continue to believe their statement and to discredit any other.

Mr Waeber reminded His Excellency that the object of this meeting was the interchange of views. He had told His Excellency what information he and his colleagues had received, and he thought that Viscount Miura should make further investigations.

Viscount Miura agreed, but said that the story of outrages by the Japanese seemed to him most improbable, and on the face of it, it was incredible that the alleged perpetrators should ask a foreigner where the Queen was; he was still unable to believe the story.

Mr Weaber rejoined that, on the contrary, considering who ther foreigner was, it was a natural question to ask him. The man who had directed the proceedings had been carefully noted and accurately described. He and Dr Allen had met a man in the Palace answering to this description and could probably identify him.

Viscount Miura said that the matter should be investigated in conjunction with the Corean Government and was reminded that the accusation was brought against Japanese, not Coreans. It was to the interest of the Japanese Government that this matter should be sifted to the bottom, as also the statement that the Tai-won-kun was escorted by Japanese troops. These charges were to serious to be allowed to pass with a simple denial. The Japanese Government had incurred