CHINESE  HISTORY  :  THIRD  PERIOD  37
tain  orderthe  Chinese  appointed  a  Resident,  after  the  pattern
of  British  Residents  in  India,  to  live  in  the  capital  at  Seoul.
In  one  of  the  quarrels  between  the  Reformers  and  the  Conservatives, ­
  the  Japanese  Legation  was  burnt  to  the  ground,
and  the  Japanese  Minister  and  his  staff  were  forced  to  flee
for  safety  to  Chemulpo.  This  led  to  the  landing  of  a
Japanese  force  at  Chemulpo,  and  the  dispatch  of  Chinese
troops  to  Seoul.  It  seemed  for  a  time  as  if  war  was  imminent
between  the  two  countries,  but  Li  Hung-chang  and  Count
Ito,  acting  for  their  respective  governments,  were  able  to
arrive  at  an  understanding.  Both  countries  agreed  to  withdraw ­
  their  troops  from  Korea  within  four  months,  and
promised  that,  in  case  any  serious  disturbance  arose  in  the
future,  before  either  country  landed  troops,  notice  should
be  previously  given  to  the  other.  At  this  time  Russia,
taking  as  a  pretext  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  country,
moved  her  troops  towards  the  northern  frontiers  of  Korea.
As  a  counter-movement,  the  British  fleet  seized  Port
Hamilton,  an  island  off  the  southern  coast,  and  threatened
to  take  permanent  possession  of  it  if  the  Russian  occupation
lasted  in  the  north.  In  1887  the  British  Government  withdrew ­
  her  forces  from  Port  Hamilton,  with  the  stipulation
that  the  island  was  never  to  be  ceded  to  any  other  power.
War  with  France  (1884-5)
As  protectors  of  Roman  Catholic  Missions  in  the  Far
East,  the  French  Government  obtained  a  pretext  for  interfering ­
  in  the  affairs  of  Annam,  and  in  1864  the  King  of  that
country  was  obliged  to  cede  Cochin  China  to  France.
After  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  when  the  French
Government  entered  on  a  policy  of  extending  its  colonial
possessions,  it  became  desirous  of  annexing  Tonkin,  lying
to  the  north  of  Annam,  as  in  that  way  it  would  be  able  to
tap  the  resources  of  Yunnan.  Tonkin,  which  for  centuries
had  been  a  vassal  kingdom  of  China,  appealed  to  the  latter
for  protection.  In  1884  the  French  troops  threatened
Sontay  and  Bacninh,  and  notwithstanding  the  protests