The Japanese brought over among their many advisers, one foreigner—­an American, Mr. Stevens—­who had for some time served in the Japanese Foreign Office.  Mr. Stevens was nominally in the employment of the Korean Government, but really he was a more thoroughgoing servant of Japan than many Japanese themselves.  Two foreigners, whose positions seemed fairly established, were greatly in the way of the new rulers.  One was Dr. Allen, the American Minister at Seoul.  Dr. Allen had shown himself to be an independent and impartial representative of his country.  He was friendly to the Japanese, but did not think it necessary to shut his eyes to the darker sides of their administration.  This led to his downfall.  He took opportunity, on one or two occasions, to tell his Government some unpalatable truths.  The Japanese came to know it.  They suggested indirectly that he was not persona grata to them.  He was summarily and somewhat discourteously recalled, his successor, Mr. E.V.  Morgan, arriving at Seoul with authorization to replace him.  The next victim was Mr. McLeavy Brown, the Chief Commissioner of Customs.  Mr. Brown had done his utmost to work with the Japanese, but there were conflicts of authority between him and Mr. Megata.  Negotiations were entered into with the British authorities, and Mr. Brown had to go.  He was too loyal and self-sacrificing to dispute the ruling, and submitted in silence.

As the summer of 1905 drew to a close it became more and more clear that the Japanese Government, despite its many promises to the contrary, intended completely to destroy the independence of Korea.  Even the Court officials were at last seriously alarmed, and set about devising means to protect themselves.  The Emperor had thought that because Korean independence was provided for in various treaties with Great Powers, therefore he was safe.  He had yet to learn that treaty rights, unbacked by power, are worth little more than the paper upon which they are written.

The Emperor trusted in particular to the clause in the Treaty with the United States in 1882 that if other Powers dealt unjustly or oppressively with Korea, America would exert her good offices to bring about an amicable arrangement In vain did the American Minister, his old friend Dr. Allen—­who had not yet gone—­try to disillusion him.

Early in November the Marquis Ito arrived in Seoul on another visit, this time as Special Envoy from the Emperor of Japan.  He brought with him a letter from the Mikado, saying that he hoped the Korean Emperor would follow the directions of the Marquis, and come to an agreement with him, for it was essential for the maintenance of peace in the Far East that he should do so.