Mr Cockburn

MY FIRST CHIEF in Seoul was Henry Cockburn, CB. He was, I believe, highly thought of at the Foreign Office; the fact that he had a CB was indirect proof of the fact. (A KCMG is common enough in the Consular service but a CB is rare.) In the office we regarded him with respect and admiration. He worked his staff hard but since he was a hard worker himself, there was no question of complaint on this score. He had one habit which I imagine was a good one but which added to the rush of work. In those days our despatches were sent at regular intervals to catch the Foreign Office bag from Tokyo. Cockburn would allow his despatches to simmer in his brain until the last minute, would then be galvanized into activity and pour his drafts in an unending stream on the office. I used to type and type them until my brain reeled. His despatches were beautifully phrased and written in a style that was lucid and incisive but I always thought they were too long. No doubt I was prejudiced!

Cockburn's appointment to Seoul was the tragedy of his career. He came from the China service in which he had held the post of Chinese Secretary with distinction. He was appointed Chargé d’Affaires at the then British Legation in Seoul towards the end of 1905 and it was obviously the intention to appoint him Minister. Unfortunately, just at that moment, Japan established its Protectorate over Corea and he became, instead, Consul-General. In place of the Corean Government, he had the Japanese Residency-General to deal with.

From every point of view except that of his own interests, the appointment was an ideal one. The affairs of the late government were in a hopeless mess and the question of protecting British rights was a ticklish one. Under a corrupt administration the title to foreign concessions for mining and utilities was rarely clearly established and, in particular, there was a constant crop of disputes with the Residency-General over mining rights held by British subjects.