The Commission shall be kept informed by the President of the disciplinary or judicial steps taken by the Government in respect of delinquent officials.

ART. 11. All information respecting irregularities or abuses dis.covered in the working of the financial services, and particularly in the collection of taxes, including the tithe, shall be transmitted to the Commission by the competent authority.

ART. 12. All changes in the financial personnel shall be brought to the notice of the Commission, with the reasons which have suggested them. The Commission shall call for such administrative measures as it shall deem neccessary in the case of financial officials convicted of delinquencies.

ART. 13. The Commission shall have the right to be represented at all awards of contracts made for the civil and financial services of the three villayets.

ART. 14. The administrative expenses of the Commission, exclusive of the salaries of the members, shall be included in three equal portions in the Budget of each of the three vilayets.

ART. 15. The Commission will settle its mode of procedure.

Documents Relating to the Japanese-Korean Situation, 1894-1905

1. Treaty between Korea and Japan ratified on the 23rd day of the sixth moon of the five hundred and third year of the foundation of Korea and the 25th day of July of the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (July 25, 1894).

2. Memorandum between Japan and Russia of May 14, 1896. (Socalled Komura-Waeber Memorandum.)

3. Protocol concerning the question of Korea concluded between Japan and Russia on June 9, 1896. (So-called Yamagata-Lobanow Protocol.)

4. Protocol concerning the question of Korea concluded between Japan and Russia on April 25, 1898. (So-called Nissi-Rosen Protocol.) 5. Protocol concluded between Japan and Korea on Feb. 23, 1904. 6. Agreement between Japan and Korea signed Aug. 22, 1904. 7. Agreement between Japan and Korea signed April 1, 1905, regarding the communication services in Korea.

8. Agreement between Japan and Korea signed Nov. 17, 1905, by which Japan assumed charge of foreign relations of Korea.

9. Imperial Ordinance No. 267. Organization of the Japanese Residency General and Residencies in Korea. (Promulgated December 20, 1905.)

Treaty between Korea and Japan ratified on the 23rd day of the sixth moon of the five hundred and third year of the foundation of Korea, and the twenty-fifth day of July of the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (July 25, 1894).

The Korean Government hereby commissions the envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Japan, who resides at Seoul, Korea, to expel the Chinese forces from the Korean Kingdom on behalf of the Korean Government. Both Governments having agreed mutually to aid each other and help in attacking the Chinese and in defending themselves. And in order to insure the success of this joint action of both countries, the undersigned commissioners of each country are given full power to ratify the treaty, as follows:

I. This treaty is an agreement to expel the Chinese forces from the Korean Kingdom, and to strongly establish the independence of Korea, as well as to fulfill the privileges and immunities which are enjoyed by both countries.

II. As Japan has undertaken to attack the Chinese, Korea shall have to exert the utmost efforts in all possible ways to facilitate the movements of the Japanese troops to and fro and in preparing provisions for these troops.

III. This treaty shall be abolished on the date of making a treaty of amity with China.

Wherefore the commissioners of both countries have hereunto set their seals and signatures this 26th day of the seventh moon of the five hundred and third year of Ta Chosen (Korea) and the 29th day of August of the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (August 25, 1894).

KIM YUN-SIK,

(Korean) Minister for Foreign Affairs.

K. OTORI,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Japan to Korea.

Memorandum between Japan and Russia. Concluded and signed at Seoul, May 14th, 1896

The Representatives of Russia and Japan at Seoul having conferred under the identical instructions from their respective Governments have arrived at the following conclusions:

I. While leaving the matter of His Majesty the King of Corea's return to the Palace entirely to his own discretion and judgment, the Representatives of Russia and Japan will friendly advise His Majesty to return to that place when no doubts concerning his safety there could be entertained.

The Japanese Representative on his part gives the assurance that the most complete and effective measures will be taken for control of Japanese soshi.

II. The present Cabinet Ministers have been appointed by His Majesty from his own free will, and most of them held Ministerial or other high offices during the last two years and are known to be liberal and moderate men.

The two representatives will always aim at recommending to His Majesty to appoint liberal and moderate men as Ministers and to show clemency to his subjects.

III. The Representative of Russia quite agrees with the Representative of Japan that at the present state of affairs in Corea, it may be necessary to have Japanese guards stationed at some places for the protection of the Japanese telegraph line between Fusan and Seoul, and that these guards now consisting of three companies of soldiers, should be withdrawn as soon as possible and replaced by gendarmes, who will be distributed as follows: fifty men at Taiku, fifty men at Ka-heung and ten men each at ten intermediate posts between Fusan and Seoul. This distribution may be liable to some changes, but the total number of the gendarme force shall never exceed two hundred men, who will afterwards gradually be withdrawn from such places, where peace and order has been restored by the Corean Government.

IV. For the protection of the Japanese Settlements at Seoul and the open ports against possible attacks by the Corean populace, two companies of Japanese troops may be stationed at Seoul, one company at Fusan and one at Gensan, each company not to exceed two hundred men. These troops will he quartered near the Settlements and shall be withdrawn as soon as no apprehensions of such attacks could be entertained.

For the protection of the Russian Legation and Consulates, the Russian Government may also keep guards not exceeding the number of

Japanese troops at these places, and which will be withdrawn as soon as tranquility in the interior is completely restored.

Seoul, May 14th, 1896.

WAEBER, Representative of Russia.

J. KOMURA,

Representative of Japan.

Protocol Concerning the Question of Corea between Japan and Russia. Signed at Moscow, June 9, 1896

Le Maréchal Marquis Yamagata, Ambassadeur Extraordinaire de Sa Majesté l'Empereur du Japon et le Secrétaire d'État Prince Lobanow Rostovsky, Ministre des Affaires Étrangères, ayant échangé leurs vues sur la situation de la Corée, sont convenus des articles suivants:

I. Les Gouvernements Japonais et Russe, dans le but de remédier aux embarras financiers de la Corée, conseilleront au Gouvernement Coréen de supprimer toute dépense inutile et d'établir un équilibre entre ses dépenses et ses revenus. Si à la suite de réformes reconnues indispensables, il devenait nécessaire de recourir à des emprunts étrangers, les deux Gouvernements préteront, d'un commun accord, leur appui à la Corée.

II. Les Gouvernements Japonais et Russe essaieront d'abandonner à la Corée, autant que le permettra la situation financière et économique de ce pays, la création et l'entretien d'une force armée et d'une police indèignes dans des proportions suffisantes pour maintenir l'ordre intérieur, sans secours étrangers.

III. En vue de faciliter les communications avec la Corée, le Gouvernement Japonais continuera à administrer les lignes télégraphiques qui s'y trouvent actuellement entre ses mains.

Il est reservé à la Russie d'établir une ligne télégraphique de Seoul à ses frontières.

Ces différentes lignes pourront être rachetées par le Gouvernement Coréen, aussitot qu'il en aura les moyens.

IV. Dans le cas où les principes ci-dessus exposés exigeraient une définition plus précise et plus detailée, ou bien si, par la suite, il surgissait d'autres points sur lesquels il serait nécessaire de se concerter, les Représentants des deux Gouvernements seront chargés de s'entendre la-dessus à l'amiable.

Protocol Concerning the Question of Corea between Japan and Russia. Signed at Tokio, April 25, 1898

Le Baron Nissi, Ministre des Affaires Étrangères dè Sa Majesté l'Empereur du Japon, et le Conseiller d'État Actuel et Chambellan Baron Rosen, Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiaire de Sa Majesté l'Empereur de toutes les Russies, afin de donner suite a l'article 4 du 9 juin 1896 entre le Maréchal Marquis 28 mai Yamagata et le Secrétaire d'État Prince Lobanow, et dument autorisés à cet effet, sont convenus des articles suivants:

Protocole signé à Moscou, le

ARTICLE I. Les Gouvernements Imperiaux du Japon et de Russia reconnaissent définitivement la souveraineté et l'entière indépendence de la Corée et s'engagent mutuellement à s'abstenir de toute ingérence directe dans les affaires intérieures de ce pays.

ART. II. Desirant écarter toute cause possible de malentendus dans l'avenir, les Gouvernements Impériaux du Japon et de Russie s'engagent mutuellement, dans le cas où la Corée aurait recours au conseil et à l'assistance, soit du Japon, soit de la Russie, de ne prendre aucune mesure quant à la nomination d'instructeurs militaires et de conseillers financiers, sans être arrivés préalablement à un accord mutuel à ce sujet.

ART. III. Vu le large développement qu'ont pris les entreprises commerciales et industrielles du Japon en Corée, ainsi que le nombre considérable de sujets japonais résidant dans ce pays, le Gouvernement Impérial Russe n'entravera point le développement des relations commerciales et industrielles entre le Japon et la Corée.

Fait à Tokio, en double expédition, le 25 Avril 1898.

Protocol Concluded between Japan and Corea on February 23, 1904

Hayashi Gonsuke, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan and Major-General Ye-tchi-yong, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs ad interim of His Majesty the Emperor of Corea, being respectively duly empowered for the purpose, have agreed upon the following Articles:

ARTICLE I. For the purpose of maintaining a permanent and solid. friendship between Japan and Corea and firmly establishing peace in the Far East, the Imperial Government of Corea shall place full confidence