Mr. Foulk to Mr. Bayard .
Seoul, Corea , October 14, 1885. (Received December 7.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that on the 4th instant a Chinese revenue steamer arrived at Chemulpo, bringing Mr. H. F. Merrill, an American, late of the Chinese customs service, who is to become, through [Page 359] China’s nomination, the inspector-general of the customs of Corea, vice Mr. P. G. von Möllendorff, dismissed.
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The position of inspector-general of customs in Corea is regarded as the first of those foreigners may nil. It is at present attended by very great difficulties, the affairs of the customs being in a wretchedly corrupt and confused state. * * *
The customs service has, for the past two years, been more than self-sustaining; estimates place the surplus revenue at about $45,000 per year. Up to the present time, however, as I have been informed by the president of the foreign office, the General Government has not received for its disposition a single dollar of revenue, the whole having been disbursed in impracticable schemes.
I have repeatedly endeavored to secure statistics of the customs for transmission to the Department, but learned that no returns have ever been made by the head customs office to the Government. The returns for the past three years can never be made public, as the statistics are said to have been destroyed during a conflagration, together with the customs office, at Chemulpo in July last, at the time the Government began an investigation of Mr. von Möllendorff’s work.
Trade is increasing at each of the open ports. At Chemulpo the monthly gross receipts of revenue are $20,000, and are increasing each month.
I have, &c.,
Ensign, U. S. Navy, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.