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of that delight of the aesthetic world 'old Satsuma faience'.  Other daimios, in whose domains were potteries, likewise transported skilled workers in clay, who afterward brought fame and money to their masters."

This transportation was so complete that no Korean potters of skill were left in the peninsula.

This Korai ware became so very valuable in Japan, that graves were opened in Korea to obtain a supply.  This became known abroad and led to the impression that great riches were buried in the Korean Royal Tombs, so that in 1867 an expedition left Shanghai under a German-American, Ernest Oppert, for the purpose of robbing the Korean Royal Tombs.  Oppert published a book in New York, in 1880, entitled "A Forbidden Land," giving an account of his expedition.

Finding that this ware was considered so very precious that foreigners were willing to come to Korea with armed vessels to rob the graves and take it away, the Korean Government very wisely decided to remove these relics from the Royal tombs and preserve them.  This was done to a certain extent, though I am assured that the find was not great as it was found most of the tombs had already been opened.

In 1887 after a bloody emeute in Seoul, I had a good fortune to save the life of a prince who was the man of most influence in Korea next to the King.  For this it was understood I would receive a costly gift.  I received a high decoration and a little gray green bowl, carefully wrapped up and encased in a lacquered box.  I thought 

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it must be a joke until informed by the then U.S. Minister that it was of this priceless Korai ware.  That piece is now in the Smithsonian museum and is described in Mr. Hough's pamphlet above cited.

Just prior to this I had had the opportunity of buying a number of pots of this ware for a mere nominal sum.  I did not know that they were valuable and missed my chance.  They were bought and finally sent to Tiffany & Co., N.Y., where I went in 1893, willing to pay well for a good specimen.  They had disappeared.

Another, poorer, collection was obtained about this time by Paymaster named Watkins, U.S.N. afterwards sentenced as a defaulter.  He had a certificate from the U.S. Minister as to their genuineness.

I was soon to learn that after such disturbed times as these following the emeute of Dec. 4, 1884, the people took advantage of the general disorder to rob right and left and that these specimens had either been looted from the Palace or had been taken from a grave.

I thereupon began the study of this ware and have the reputation of knowing it well.  I do not think I can be imposed upon with immitations, nor do I think that it would pay the Japanese at present to attempt much in the line of immitation, since the forms are never identical.  They do make a ware resembling this old Korai, and Korean dealers repeatedly bring it around for sale as genuine, they have doubtless been imposed upon themselves, for few of them really know much about the ware.