THE CHINO-JAPANESE WAR, 1894—95. 540 ships lay off the coast. The Chinese general at Asan had issued a proclamation calling on the rebels to submit, in which he spoke of Korea as the tributary of his Government. The Japanese protested that the old connection betweenSeoul and Pekin had been swept away that its independence was still more threatened by the Chinese general at Asan,who had talked ofKorea as a vassal State. On the 20th he sent an ultimatum to tlae king. It stated that if the required reforms were not proclaimed in three days Japan would forcibly KORfcAN SOLDIERS : THE PALACE GUARDS by treaties that gave Japan and China equal rights of interference. Acting on methods not unknown to Western diplomacy when seeking for a casus belli, Count Otori proceeded to argue that the Tong-hak rebellion was caused by the utter misgovernment of the country, and that in the interest of its own trade and introduce them. It also suggested the withdrawal of the Chinese troops.

On the evening of July 22nd the Korean Government replied,refusing to submit to dictation,and explaining that the Chinese troops had come to Korea at the king's request, and remained because he desired their presence. Early next morning two Japanese battalions marched out of the camp. It was announced that they were going to attack the Chinese at Asan, but they had not gone far when they changedthe direction of their march,surrounded the king's palace, dispersed the Korean guard after a skirmish in which they lost two men killed and five wounded, got possession of the palace, the king, and his household, and then proclaimed that thev had marched into Seoul to protect his Majesty from tlae dictation ot an its colonists in Korea, Japan would have to insist on immediate reforms. He handed to the Korean Government a detailed scheme for the reorganisation ofthe country.

On July 18th theKorean Ministers sent a note to Otori, asking for a withdrawal of the large Japanese force then at Seoul, as a necessaryprelude to any reforms. The presence of these troops, they said, excited and troubled tlae minds of the people, and destroyed the independence of the Government. Otori replied