perhaps ten thousand, the Cossack soldiers and marines being an unknown quantity, although I was told that on an emergency Russia can mobilize twenty thousand Cossacks at this point.

During my stay in Vladivostock, I remained on the steamer in default of finding a decent hotel on shore. I was the only passenger, and with the genial Welshman, Captain Walker, I would not in fact have exchanged my quarters had there been a "Grand Hotel" in the town.

On the 26th of October the steamer left for Guensan. I was not sorry to quit Vladivostock. The place was gloomy and cold, it had all the chill which imagination had given it in advance, in fact, it was Siberia—as I had seen it in my mind's eye, and four days of Vladivostock with its skies and frigid temperature gave me more than enough of the place. At Guensan I was hospitably entertained by Mr. C————— the Collector of the Royal Corean Customs, and by Mr. B———————————, his deputy. On the 29th, having bid adieu to these gentlemen, and to Captain Walker, to whom I was indebted for his genial and sympathetic companionship, I set out to return to Seoul overland, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles. For this purpose I was provided with two pack ponies, one for my baggage and the other as a mount. The driver was a surly Corean, and the journey promised to be a lonely one, and so in fact it proved, not to mention the enforced close contact with coolies, fleas, and vermin of all sorts which swarmed in the foul and overheated kennels called cahns, the inns in which I was compelled to stop at night, which form the delight of the Corean.

A pleasant exception to this ordeal was the night of the first day's march, which I spent in the beautiful and romantic spot at the celebrated Buddhist monastery of Ampien, twenty-six miles from Guensan, where I was hospitably entertained by the jovial bonzes and by the venerable High Priest, Mr. Suit-Ho," or "Snowy River," to whom I had a special letter of recommendation from Mr. Wo, the Chinese Consul at Guensan. For the rest my way lay along rough roads, over steep mountains, and now and then through the placer gold diggings, a few of which were being worked, though in a most primitive manner.

On the second day I passed on my left a mountain from which a dense column of vapor ascended, and gathered from my guide that it emanated from boiling springs. On the following morning, having climbed a very steep mountain, I discovered in the descent, and flowing from the mountain side, a source which I followed for several hours, when it widened into a bold, rapid stream, one of the principal sources of the Han River, now visited for the first time by a white man.

On the 4th November, at noon, I arrived in Seoul, having accomplished the distance across Corea of 180 miles in the short space of six and one-half marching days, and chiefly on foot, for my pony had gone lame on the second day's march from Guensan.

His Majesty, Li, King of Corea, when informed of my return, requested me to meet him in a private audience, and accordingly, on the 10th November, I was received at the palace where, surrounded by his eunuchs and mandarin councillors, the king listened with eager attention to the account of my adventures in Chae-Ju,

and when I had finished he questioned me closely as to the proper measures to be adopted to protect the island in a military sense.* In this connection I should add that His Majesty, on two occasions since my residence in Seoul, had proffered me the command in chief of the Corean army, but I had respectfully declined that honor, chiefly because I believed it to be infra dig. whilst holding office under the United States Government to accept office under a semi-barbarous government, to say nothing of the poor results which such service attained as a rule, by reason of the jealousies and animosities provoked on the part of the native element. It was, however, my proud privilege, in recounting to the King of Corea the substance of the foregoing expedition, to add a page to the unwritten history of an island and people almost unknown to the sovereign himself, and terminate thus with this pleasant episode my journey from Corea to Quelpaert in the footprints of Kublai Khan.

Subsequently, and when I had resigned my post, I was accorded a lengthy and pleasant interview with the Secretary of State, who among other things desired to learn my opinion in regard to the concessions to be obtained from Oriental governments and which seemed to be the objective of many of our representatives to those governments. Some of them, as the Secretary well knew, were even then using their official position to secure for themselves lucrative offices under the governments to which they were accredited. Reply having been made that such action was discreditable to the United States Government, and should be made a subject of rigid action on the part of the Department, the Secretary related a case apropos to the matter where a gentleman, a United States Minister returning from his post, stopped in London and went to see Lord Salisbury, and after reciting at great length the sum of what he had succeeded in obtaining, Lord Salisbury exclaimed: “Well, Mr. Minister, I hope you have left the air in that country." It is to be assumed that the rebuke was not lost upon our countryman.

VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN THE BERING SEA.

By permission of Professor Mendenhall, Superintendent U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Professor Davidson furnishes the following information concerning the uprising of volcanic islets in the Bering Sea.

THE RECENT VOLCANIC ERUPTION OF BOGOSLOV.

The volcanic islet St. John Bógoslov, or "Old Bógoslov," lies in the southern part of the Bering Sea, thirtyseven nautical miles west by north from the north-western point of Unaláska Island, and twenty-nine miles northnorth-west from the northern point of Umnak Island. Its geographical position is latitude 53° 57', and longitude 168° oo' west. It is therefore forty-four miles west from the living volcano of Makúshin, which is 5,691 feet above the sea. It has been frequently seen in eruption since Cook passed it on the 29th of October, 1778, at a distance of eleven miles to the south-east. At that time Old Bógoslov had the Ship Rock lying a short distance to the north-west, and doubtless connected with it.

Between 1823 and 1888 there were no signs of eruption reported, when a new and much larger islet was raised, with an exhibition of flames, smoke, steam and ashes from the deep water to a height, then estimated from 800 to 1,200 feet, but which has settled down to about 700 feet.

It may however be of interest to refer chronologically to this and the immediately adjacent volcanoes in bring

ing up the history of Bógoslov, from Greywink, Weniaminoff, Tebenkof and others:

1768. Volcano Makúshin on Unaláska Island and the other volcanoes active. Bógoslov seen by

Levasheff.

1778. Bógoslov seen by Cook, showed no signs of activity.

1790.

Volcano Akután on Akután Island, 3,888 feet high, and distant 76 miles E. by N. from Old Bógoslov, smoking; Makúshin in activity at intervals to 1792.

1796. Old Bógoslov reported to have risen from the sea probably great changes took place that

1800.

1802.

year.

Old Bogoslov was increasing in size from this date to 1815.

Makúshin in eruption, vomiting forth great fires; earthquakes: Bógoslov smoking, hot geysers. 1826. Makúshin smoking; two heavy earthquakes in

June.

1830. Volcanic eruption at the south-west end of Umnak Island in August.

1838. Makúshin and Akután smoking.

1844. Makúshin smoking feebly.

1852. Volcanic eruption on the north-west side of Akután. (Archimandritoff.)

1867. Makúshin and Akután and Shisháldin smoking. Earthquake at Iliuliúk in March; great cracks in the earth visible in September; Davidson's party made first ascent of Makúshin and determined elevation.