| | | 17 October |
[Seems to be a journal entry in Max's handwriting.]
We started for the palace36 at half past two, Mrs Allen going with me. Mrs Great.37 joined us en route. We were taken half way round the palace grounds by a back gate, thru' which we started half way back again only on the inside of the walk instead of out. After about 5 minutes we were put down at the gate of one of the miserable inside courts, which left us but a few steps to take before reaching the position where we were to wait. We were met at the foot of the high stone steps by Min Chong Ho, cousin of the Queen38, a handsome young man speaking English perfectly; at the top by two court ladies, old hags of nearly seventy yrs. in the most indescribable of dresses, almost fascinating in its ugliness. Tiny feet in the universal white stocking, a few inches of white trouser showing around the ankle. Then a round, balloning, bulging mass of shirts of all colors, & hitched & hoisted round in every possible way. The shoulders covered by a tiny jacket of a lighter brighter shade of green than the outside shirt. Their wizened faces were framed in by a huge head dress of false hair ??? down over the ears & touching the shoulders so that they could with difficulty move their heads about. Over this mass of hair was a spread eagled ??? arrangement of heavy black lacquered wood. A troup of maids of all ranks & grades, in simpler dresses of silk & of the same style, usually green shirts & yellow jackets, with great rount balls of hair in the backs of their heads, stood closely packed around us, while the eunuchs walked about asking questions of our interpreters. The pavillion was clean & nicely papered in Korean style with the exception of a large center table & chairs. We waited about 20 minutes, then leaving our wraps we were marched across a courtyard up a flight of stone steps to the position where the King Queen & Crown Prince stood behind little square tables, surrounded by a sinister crowd of maids as that around the ladies of the court. We walked up quite near and bowing to each in turn we came & stood before the King & Queen who were side by side, their son off on the right at right angles. It was very much like playing at school as we had the usual stereotyped questions put to us in turn. How we liked Korea? Were we comfortable? How many children etc. After about fifteen minutes perhaps less we were dismissed the Queen having expressed her regrets at not having been able to receive us before as she had been ill in the morning, but that tomorrow we should receive a present as a remembrance. Their majesties were both much interested & amused by Mr. Ducitieschy's [???] two little boys, to whom they gave small painted gauze fans & little embroidered pouches.
The Queen is small, not pretty but having grace & charm of manner. She was affable & talkative. Her face was as white as this paper with powder & paste & she also wore a huge chignon minus the wooden thing. Instead she had Chinese jewelry stuck in all around it which was quite becoming & quaint. But her teeth were horrible -- black & irregular. As she stood behind the table I could not see the detail of her dress well but it seemed to consist of a very long & voluminous shirt of dark blue gause or thin silk with a side border woven in gold. A longish Chinese looking jacket of bright ret satin thickly covered with gold & out of the side sleeves of which fell white gause sleeves also with a gold border. She kept her hands carefully concealed in these except when she put them up to her head for a moment to push forward the mass of her hair which seemed to drag; or when she gave the toys to the children. The King did not speak to us, only played with the boys across the table. I was very much pleased with him & found him almost handsome in his gorgeous red & gold gown. The Crown Prince is an idiot or looks like one. -- As we came out I noticed a delicious fragrance in the courtyard. Turning back twd. Min who was a few steps behind me, I noticed that the King & Queen had followed us out to the top of the steps. She wished my questions repeated to her, then invited me to walk about the park. -- The scent came from a number of pots of flowers but I do not know the name of the plant.
Finding our wraps in the waiting room we started for our walk but had not gone far before we came to the back of the audience hall, on the piazza of which their majesties had come out with their ???. I was standing on a raised terrace across the yard, which is as much a part of a Korean house as the front door is of ours. Mrs Greathouse on my left, Min on my right, directly in front of the King. Mrs G. pointed to a bronze sundial on a stone pedestal by which we stood, asking what it was.39 The King saw me put my hand on it & shouted across -- did we have sun dials in America? I assured him that we did not use them any more having clocks. How did we regulate them? By the sun. And how did we know -- ? By insruments one of which was called a sextant. Oh yes! That was used on ships did we use it on land too?
The whole situation was ludicrous, he with his suite, I with mine consisting of Mrs. G. Mamma, Mrs S Mrs D. with the boys, then Jap. Consul's wife, him & two Jap. amahss -- but I had some difficulty keeping my face straight when he asked if we took the position of the sun by day or by night!
There was nothing to see in the way of flowers as we returned to our pavillion where the table had been set in our absense. We were given a foreign dinner, bad of course. Two ladies in waiting taking the ends of the table. I sat between Mrs. G. and Min Chong Ho.
I managed to see so much of it all as I had asked permission to keep on my spectacles, as I said that like my father I could not see without them.
Mama wore her red gown with black lace & diamonds. I wore a pale blue silk V back & front, with a little white lace around the fichu & elbow sleeves - my parure of turqoise & diamonds. Mrs D. also in evening dress. The other ladies in walking dress & bonnets. It was all rather curious and interesting, but more so to look back upon than at the time. M. Min told me that of all the women that he saw none were allowed to marry. We got home at half past vive.
Oct. 21st. The Queen sent Mamma & me a quantity of presents. We each recieved 4 very fine bamboo window screens, 2 small mats, 2 pieces (22 yds each) of finely hand quilted silk a most marvelous work of patience; 4 piece of a very thin soft & flimsey white silk, 2 pieces of white gauze (nice), 2 écu grass cloth - coarse, a soap stone box, a small embroidered pouch smelling very strongly of sumac, and 10 common lacquered fans. A perfect pony load. All the other ladies who were received got the same.
| | | 17 October |