[KS] Institue of the Library of Myongji

Henny Savenije adam&eve at henny-savenije.demon.nl
Mon Jan 7 01:09:16 EST 2002


>Possibly, but I always supposed that Cespedes was a Portuguese and if so 
>to whom does this article refer"?

Actually I have read a translation of his letters, I don't recall which 
magazine anymore, but he doesn't write about Korea at all. His only 
observations refers to the masses he gave for Konishi and his men.

>    Has this theory been subsequently debunked? Have the letters of 
> Cespedes been found, or discredited?

Nope he was in Korea before Hamel, no doubt about that. I deliberately 
wrote that Hamel was the first Westerner to write about Korea.

>In any case, I think it is safe to say that Hamel is "the first Westerner 
>to write a book about Korea," if not the first to write about it from 
>first-hand experiences...

Well that is exactly what I claim. Nothing more and nothing less. I would 
have to dig up the copies of the letters of Cespedes to give you more 
information, but due to our living conditions here, that is kind of hard, 
but if you really insist on it, I could do it. If I recall right, he 
mentions only the fact that he is in Korea, but that is all he has to say 
about Korea or Koreans.



Henny (Lee Hae Kang)
-----------------------------

Feel free to discover Korea with Hendrick Hamel (1653-1666)
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl (in English)
In Korean
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl/indexk2.htm
In Dutch
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl/Dutch
Frits Vos Article about Witsen and Eibokken and his first Korean-Dutch 
dictionary
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl/FritsVos
Korea through Western Cartographic eyes
http://odin.prohosting.com/savenije/index.htm#bovenaan (in English)
Hwasong the fortress in Suwon
http://www.geocities.com/hennysavenije
The way a ship was rigged:
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl/shiprigg.htm
Old Korea in pictures
http://cloud.prohosting.com/hsavenij/index.htm#bovenaan
Genealogy
http://www.geocities.com/hennysavenije/genealogy





More information about the Koreanstudies mailing list