Mr. Allen to Mr. Sherman.
Seoul, Korea, October 14, 1897.
Sir: In my No. 3, September 17, I alluded to the fact that His Majesty was being urged by his officials to assume the title of Emperor, and in my No. 14, October 5, I informed you that this step had been decided upon and the 12th instant named as the day for the ceremony of coronation.
I now have the honor to inform you that the ceremony took place on the above-named date, and I inclose an extract from the Seoul Independent, of today’s date, descriptive of the affair.
On the 10th instant the foreign representatives each received individual invitations to be present at an audience at 5 p.m. on the 13th, in full uniform, with their suites. I was asked to bring with me any naval officers I might have visiting me, and as Captain Wildes of the U. S. S. Boston had returned to his ship from a visit at the legation (see my No. 15, October 7), he allowed five of his officers to come up with their uniforms and they accompanied me to the audience, making a very creditable display for the United States.
We were received separately. The Japanese minister resident, as dean of the diplomatic corps, went in first with his secretaries, consul, and naval and military attachés. After he came out I went in with our officers, and the Russian chargé d’affaires came next with a large staff of secretaries and attaches.
At a diplomatic meeting held on the 9th instant to discuss this question, most of the representatives seemed inclined to decline the expected invitation to attend this “Imperial audience,” as they did not know how their Governments would regard it and they could not, therefore, offer congratulations. I stated that I did not think the matter was of so great importance to my Government as it seemed to be to theirs; that in one of the papers exchanged in connection with our treaty with Korea, the King was mentioned in the Chinese text as “the chief ruler of the country,” and as such I do not think it made much difference to us what he might choose to call himself; that, therefore, I did not feel inclined to decline any such invitation to audience.
The Russian representative was very anxious that all should agree to attend the audience only on condition that there should be nothing said in the invitation as to its being for the purpose of recognizing or [Page 485] congratulating the “Emperor.” As all my colleagues assented to this, and as I felt sure there would be no such mention, I also agreed to it. The invitation came the next day. They all attended and the affair passed off pleasantly.
When His Majesty formally announced to me that he had been induced to assume the title of Emperor by the insistence of his officials, but that he felt unworthy of the high title, I assured him that I would at once communicate the intelligence to my Government, and while I could not say just how it would be regarded by them, I could assure him that he had the best wishes of my Government for his happiness and for the prosperity of his country; that, being a republic, we did not look upon this matter of titles just as did some other powers.
He said to me that from my intimate knowledge of Korean matters I could better understand this question than others, and he hoped I would so explain it to my Government that they would not get the idea that he had taken the step from a desire for personal aggrandizement, but that there were good reasons for heeding the advice of his officials, referring, I presume, to the fact that his neighbors, China and Japan, being ruled by Emperors caused him to be “talked down to.”
I inclose also the official announcement of the assumption of the title of Emperor by the ruler of Korea.
I may add that this ceremony of assuming the title of Emperor has cost the country $100,000 silver.
I have, etc.,