It is impossible to believe that the famine would have assumed its late proportions had the Government of Korea maintained its embargo against the exportation of cereals from the country. There can be no doubt that the withdrawal of this prohibition contributed to the scarceness of the food-stuffs which were procurable by the people, when their straits were most severe. Mortality returns from the areas devastated by the famine prove that the welfare of more than one million persons was affected. The action of Japan, therefore, in insisting upon the suspension of the prohibition in order that the interests of some half-dozen Japanese rice merchants might not suffer, deserves the utmost condemnation. The primary responsibility for this great loss of life rests entirely with the Japanese Government. In terrorising the Government of Korea into an act, the consequences of which brought death to one million people, the Japanese Government committed themselves to a policy which traversed alike the dictates of reason and common sense, and outraged every principle of humanity. The impartial observer must hold Korea guiltless in this matter. It is, indeed, deplorable that the vehement opposition of the Korean Government was not respected. Nevertheless, the incident is valuable, as an illustration of the objectionable attitude which distinguishes the Government of Japan in its relations with Korea.

At the beginning of the drought the inhabitants of Seoul believed that the Rain God was incensed. The Emperor and his Court offered expiatory sacrifices upon three occasions. As the rains were still withheld a period of penance was proclaimed, in which prayers and fastings were ordained, the populace ceasing from every form of labour and relapsing into a condition of supreme idleness. Unhappily, while the great mass of the people refrained from work, the Emperor continued to employ many hundreds of labourers upon the construction of the new Palace buildings. This proceeding was held by the superstitious subjects of His Majesty to account for the singular inclemency of the Rain Demon, and some anxiety was felt in the capital lest the usual calm of the city should be broken by riots. These horrors were spared to Seoul, however, by the fortuitous visitation of a passing shower. Men and women resumed their toil, rejoicing in the belief that the evil influences had been overcome. It was, however, but a brief respite only that was granted. In a short time the drought prevailed throughout the land, drying up the rice-fields, scorching the pastures, and withering the crops. Under this baneful visitation, the circumstances of the people became very straitened. Hundreds were reduced to feeding off the wild roots and grass of the wayside, and isolated cases of cannibalism were reported.

The exceptional character of the drought lends interest to the hydrometrical records for Chemulpo from 1887 to the middle of 1901, which were forwarded to the bureau by the correspondent of the Physical Observatory, St. Petersburg. The rain-fall given is for the years 1887 to 1900, inclusive, and the first half of 1901; the snow-fall is reduced to the proportion of water which the melted snow would make. Professor H. Hulbert has pointed out, however, that in estimating what is or what is not a proper amount of rain, it is necessary to know in what season of the year the rain has fallen. Thirty inches of rain in November would be of less value to the rice-fields than half that amount if it fell in June. In the cultivation of rice, rain must fall at the proper time. Otherwise it is valueless, and, although adding to the actual measurement of the fall, a very considerable deluge, under these conditions, would be of no material advantage to agricultural interests.

HYDROMETRICAL RECORD

YEARS RAINFALL SNOWFALL TOTAL FOG RAIN SNOW
inches
1887 30.86 2.00 32.86 13d 3h 19d 17h 4d 2h
1888 20.91 2.15 23.06 14d 5h 12d 6h 3d 3h
1889 28.18 0.91 29.09 25d 13h 25d 5h 5d 9h
1890 47.00 1.06 48.06 12d 18h 27d 10h 0d 64h
1891 41.04 1.66 41.70 13d 5h 30d 20h 3d 7h
1892 34.04 1.20 35.24 15d 20h 16d 10h 4d 6h
1893 50.64 3.55 54.19 31d 5h 36d 6h 8d 11h
1894 31.81 0.64 32.45 33d 18h 21d 9h 1d 8h
1895 31.88 2.06 33.94 32d 7h 29d 11h 6d 17h
1896 31.08 5.15 36.23 51d 7h 27d 0h 2d 0h
1897 48.35 3.23 51.58 24d 5h 31d 17h 4d 18h
1898 37.80 4.73 42.53 31d 14h 29d 19h 5d 15h
1899 25.07 2.05 27.12 — — 18d 19h 1d 3h
1900 29.14 0.83 29.97 — — 21d 2h 0d 20h
1901 7.09 0.06 7.15 7d 5h 3d 7h 2d 0h

I give, also, the rainfall during the years 1898-1901, at the period when a plenteous rain is of supreme importance to the rice industry:

YearJuneJulyAugustTotal
18984.510.011.025.5
18998.57.56.722.7
19002.06.24.512.7
19010.32.71.14.1

In a rice-growing country such as this is, it is essential that an adequate supply of rain should fall during the three summer months to allow of the seed-rice being transplanted and to ensure the maturing of the grain. In 1901, owing to the lack of water, the bulk of the seed-rice was never transplanted at all. It simply withered away.

It is, of course, inevitable that one of the immediate results of famine should be a general increase of mortality throughout the country. The impoverished condition, to which so many thousands of Koreans were reduced, weakened their constitutions so seriously that, in many cases, even those who were fortunate enough to escape starvation found their powers fatally impaired. There were many whose inanition and general debility, resulting from their deprivations, had rendered them peculiarly susceptible to disease. More particularly was this the case in the inland districts.