The eastern coast trends south-west from the confines of Russian Manchuria to the neighbourhood of the 39th parallel of latitude, and then, changing its direction to the south-east, it forms an extensive gulf, named Broughton Bay in honour of a navigator of the 18th century. With this exception it presents no remarkable irregularity of line; but even such superficial surveys as have already been effected show that it affords a considerable number of bays and harbours. Of these the most important are Lazaref, Pingai, and Chosan. The first, called Virginia Bay on the French maps, is situated in 39° 25′ N. lat., has an area of about 36 square miles, is well protected, and furnishes excellent anchoring ground. The second in 36° 36′ is comparatively small, but completely sheltered by a conical island. The third in 35° 2′ is large enough to shelter merchant vessels of all sizes and even ships of war below the rank of frigates. Throughout its whole extent this eastern shore presents mainly a succession of steep but not very lofty cliffs, sinking at intervals into irregular dunes, or into stretches of almost level sand. The south and west coasts, on the other hand, are much more varied with inlet and promontory, estuary and peninsula; and the neighbouring sea is occupied by a multitude of islands and rocks. Of these islands the largest is Quelpart, with a length of 46 miles and a breadth of about 20; but of greater importance to the navigator is the Port Hamilton group, on account of the excellent harbour to which it partly owes its name.
Mountains.—Corea is eminently a mountainous country, and the general appearance of the surface is compared by a French missionary to that of the sea under a strong gale. The principal range winds through the peninsula from north to south. From the northern frontier, till it reaches 37° of north latitude, it keeps pretty close to the eastern coast; but from that point it trends westward, and runs obliquely across the southern extremity of the country, leaving the contour of the coast to be defined by a subordinate range. Of individual summits the highest known to Europeans are Hien-fung and Tao-kwang[1] in the Pepi Shan Mountains, to the north of Broughton Bay; and these attain no greater elevation than 8114 and 6310 feet respectively. Another of special mark, called Sedlovaya, or the Saddle, by the Russian navigators, is situated in 38° 10′ 30″ N. lat. The country to the west of the main ridge is occupied by irregular spurs; and throughout its whole extent there is no district that can properly be described as a plain.
Rivers.—Corea is well furnished with rivers and streams. In the north the boundary line is mainly marked by two of considerable size, the Ya-lu-kiang and the Mi-kiang. The former, known to the Chinese as the Aye-kiang, and to the Coreans as Am-no-kang, or the river of the Green Duck, receives numerous affluents in the early part of its course, flows first north-west and then south-west, and falls into the Yellow Sea by three distinct mouths. Its most important tributary, the Tong-kia-ula, comes from the Shan-alin Mountains in Manchuria, and forms its junction about 40° 50′ N. lat. The Mi-kiang, called by the Coreans Tu-man-kang, has a very much shorter course than the Ya-lu-kiang, but owing to the number of its tributaries, it attains no mean proportions before it reaches the eastern sea in 42° 19′ 5″ N. lat. and 130° 38′ 51″ E. long. At its mouth it is about half a mile wide, and at Hung-chung 300 yards, with a depth of about 20 feet in the middle. Its current is about 1½ knots an hour. Of the numerous streams that find their way to the Sea of Japan none require special mention till we come to the Nak-tong-kang, which rises in the eastern slopes of the main chain, and after flowing almost directly south, reaches the Strait of Corea in 34° 50′ N. lat. Among those of the western coast three at least are of considerable magnitude the Keum-kang, the Hang-kang, on which Seoul, the capital of the kingdom, is situated, and the Tai-tang-kang, which flows past the city of Pieng-iang.
Climate and Agriculture.—The temperature of Corea, though much more equable than that of the neighbouring continent, is higher in winter and lower in summer than under the same latitudes in Europe. Such advantages as it actually has over the climate of Northern China are mainly due to the effects of the south-west monsoon. In the north the rivers remain frozen for several months in the year, and even in the furthest south the snow lies for a considerable period. In latitude 35° the lowest reading of the thermometer observed by the French missionaries was 5° Fahr.; in 37° or 38° they often found it 13° below zero. The principal articles of cultivation are rice, wheat, millet, rye, tobacco, cotton, hemp, and ginseng; and of these several afford a good return. The potato, which was recently introduced, is under a Government interdict, and is only to be found in outlying districts; though its general use might do much to prevent the recurrence of the famines with which the country is ever and anon visited. Almost all the fruits of central Europe are to be obtained; but their quality is greatly deteriorated by the humidity of the climate. Water-melons and the fruit of the Diospyros Lotus (called kam by the natives) are mentioned as the best.
Minerals.—Corea has the reputation of being richly furnished with mineral resources; gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal are all said to be common. Gold-mining, however, is strictly prohibited; the permission at one time granted to work the silver ore at Sioun-heng-fu was shortly afterwards withdrawn; the copper mines are neglected, and Japanese copper imported; and the general use of coal is confined to certain districts.
Animals.—Of the wild animals the most remarkable are a small species of tiger, the bear, and the wild boar; and of the domestic kinds the principal are cattle, horses of diminutive proportions but considerable strength, swine, and dogs. The last are a favourite article of food. The king alone has the right of rearing sheep and goats, which are kept for the purpose of being sacrificed in religious ceremonials.
- ↑ These mountains, although extensively mentioned in 19th century sources, do not exist and are apparently the result of miscalculations by the Russian frigate Pallada and the French frigate Virginie during their surveys of the East Korean coast in the 1850s. "Hien-fung" was supposedly located 20–24 miles WNW of the southern entrance of Riwŏn Bay. This is actually a river valley surrounded by elevations below 3000 feet. The nearer summit Taedŏk San (4797 ft) may have been intended, but modern mariners reckon by Chudŏk San (3284 ft), due north of Riwŏn. "Tao-kwang" was supposedly the eastern summit of the Pujonryong Range, which has no summit of its name or elevation. The highest summits in the area usually ascribed to "Tao-kwang" are Mantap (8547 ft) and Turyu San (7575 ft).—ed.
