No. 73.
Mr. Foote
to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Seôul, Corea, December 17, 1883. (Received Feb. 2, 1884.)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch No. 27, giving a detailed account of the reception and attentions accorded to the special mission accredited by His Majesty the King of Tah Cho-sun to the Government of the United States. It is unnecessary for me to refer to the great Interest which I have felt personally in the success of this mission.
The members of the embassy have not as yet reached Seoul, but already rumors of the cordial welcome extended to them by the Government and people of the United States are in circulation.
The opportunity afforded them to examine not only the practical working of our system of Government but to see our industries and to learn our sources of wealth and prosperity, as well as to come directly in contact with our citizens and to experience so many acts of personal kindness, cannot but produce a marked and beneficial result upon this strange and interesting people.
That they will surely and readily adopt advanced ideas there is no doubt, and out of the new growth will come national prosperity and [Page 126] individual amelioration. Aside from any commercial considerations, the part which our Government has taken in this regeneration is not devoid of satisfaction.
I am, &c.,