Office of the Historian
No. 232.

Mr. Foote to Mr. Frelinghuysen.

Legation of the United States,
Seoul, Corea, January 9, 1885. (Received March 16.)
No. 140.]

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that a convention has been concluded between the Corean and Japanese plenipotentiaries, a copy of which is herewith transmitted, whereby all differences growing out of the late troubles are amicably adjusted.

I am, &c.,

LUCIUS H. FOOTE.
[Inclosure in No. 140.—Translation.]

The late trouble in Seoul having been serious, His Imperial Japanese Majesty was deeply concerned about the same, and therefore has sent his special ambassador, Count Inouye, to Corea with full powers for the settlement of the matter. His Corean Majesty was equally anxious for an amicable settlement, therefore he appointed Kim-Hong-Chip, and gave him full powers to negotiate the matter with the Japanese ambassador, and to settle the question on such terms as would be agreeable to both parties, so that friendly relations might be restored and trouble in the future prevented. Thereby, credentials being presented, the convention was signed and sealed by both parties, as follows:

(1)
His Corean Majesty shall apologize to His Imperial Japanese Majesty by letter.
(2)
The Corean Government shall pay $110,000 as damages for the benefit of the families of the Japanese citizens who have been killed, as well the wounded people, and for the losses of merchandise.
(3)
The murderer of Mr. Isobayachi, a lieutenant of the Japanese army, shall be arrested and punished by death.
(4)
The Japanese legation shall be built in another location, and sufficient ground shall be granted by the Corean Government for the legation and consulate, and $20,000 shall be paid by the Corean Government as the cost of the aforesaid buildings.
(5)
An additional lot may be selected adjacent to the ground of the legation for the station of the Japanese guard, in accordance with the conditions of the 5th article in the supplemental convention made in the year 1882.

Copy of the article in the supplemental convention made in 1882.

“Some Japanese soldiers may be kept in the Japanese legation as a guard, their station being built at the expense of the Corean Government, but they may be removed one year hereafter, if the Corean people should preserve order, and the Japanese minister finds it is unnecessary to keep the guard.”

Eleventh month and twenty-fourth day of the four hundred and ninety-third year of the present Corean dynasty.

KIM-HONG-CHIP
,
Prime Minister, His Corean Majesty’s Special Ambassador.
Japanese Meiji 18 year, January 9, 1885.

Count INOUYE-KAORU,
His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Special Ambassador.