About this Item
London 1818, Murray. 3/4 Calf leather over marbled boards,2 vol. set,Lord Amherst frontis, two large etched folding maps foxed, gold stamped spine titles & decorations, a very solid copy, contents bright, clean, original leather. 2nd. Edition *** *** *** . . AN EARLY DIPLOMATIC MISSION TO ESTABLISH TRADE WITH CHINA . . . EXCELLENT PRIMARY RESOURCE ON EARLY CHINA RELATIONS . *** SUBTITLE: continued: . "The Embassy, of the Voyage to and From China and of the Journey From the Mouth of the Pei-Ho to the Return to Canton. Interspersed with Observations Upon the Face of the Country, the Polity, Moral Character, and Manners of the Chinese Nation. The Whole Illustrated by Maps and Drawings." . *** . WHO WAS HENRY ELLIS [1777-1855]: He was an English diplomat who traveled to Persia and China.: This is an excellent primary work, covering his early travels and first-hand experiences. Ellis was a member of Lord Amherst's diplomatic mission to China. Because Amherst and his mission members refused to KOW-TOW" to the Chinese Emperor Khien Lung in Peking, by touching their fore-heads to the ground nine times, they were sent home in disgrace. Ellis was the third member of the Commission in Lord Amherst s embassy to China 1816-17. . *** On the return journey, their ship the ALCESTE was wrecked off the coast of Sumatra. Luckily, all hands survived and they returned back to England safely. On the return voyage the ship stopped at St. Helena and included in the present text is Sir Henry's interview with Napoleon Bonaparte. On the journey out to China the ALCESTE visited Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Java, and Macao. The work is also important in containing the first detailed map of the Korean West Coast. . *** WHO WAS LORD AMHERST [1733-1857]: William Pitt Amherst, was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828. There were some 75 members of his Commission to China. twenty0-five less than accompanied Lord Macarthey . Amherst was Embassador Extraordinary, Minister Plenipotentiary, and the First Member in the Commission . Sir George Staunton: Was the third member of the Commission. . *** FIRST EDITION DETAILS: This edition with its hand-colored aquatints is much prized per Hill p. 413 below. "With fine color plates which do not appear in later editions." . OUR NOTE: The above only applies to the First Edition, second edition description below. . . *** Account of Lord Amherst's disastrous embassy to China by Ellis, "third commissioner". At the Imperil court, Amherst refused to "Kow-tow [bow] to the Emperor at the first meeting caused his efforts to fail. As an omen of further "bad luck" on homeward bound voyage he and his embassy members were shipwrecked near the Sumatra coast. Eventually getting to Batavia of a harrowing and dangerous journey in an open boat for some hundreds of miles. . This work contains accounts of and impressions of the Chinese who were quite xenophobic. It also contains the Ellis interview with Napoleon at St. Helena along the voyage back to England. . The First Edition contain the beautiful and stunning gouache aquatints from sketches by the Hon. Charles Abbot. . *** SECOND EDITION: This contains two large folding copper-etched maps. Volume 1 contains the engraved frontis of Lord Amherst. This has some darkening, foxing and a stain in lower left corner which does not affect the illustrations. The large folding map has 5 folds as issued, sheet size: 54.5 x 43.5 cm., is very clean and sharp, it has a very small tear old on the verso, else exceptionally clean map, most often missing. Text is clean, last few pages some faint stain to top margin and a touch of 'toning' not major. . Volume 2 has a copper-etched folding map frontispiece, sheet size: 27.5 x 21.8 cm, and as usual it is foxed and a bit darkened. Else the title page has a bit of 'transfer' toning the balance of the text is bright and very clean. With appendix, itinerary & index. All edges are color speckle. Seller Inventory # 91114303
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