1795 – British Embassy to China – Anderson | Macartney, Chinese Diplomacy | First US edition

In 1793, George Macartney headed the first British diplomatic mission to China – The Macartney Embassy. This mission was established to set ports of trade between China and Britain and establish permanent relations between the two world powers. Unfortunately, the Chinese Emperor Qianlong did not see the need for trade with Britain. Details of the mission and voyage were published by Aeneas Anderson who reported on major details of the mission. This work, entitled ‘A Narrative of the British Embassy to China’ was a highly desirable work throughout Britain in the late 18th-century, so popular in fact that abridged versions were published under different titles.

This first American edition was published in New York in 1795.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A narrative of the British embassy to China in the years 1792, 1793, and 1794
• Author(s): Aeneas Anderson
• Publisher: New-York: Printed by T. and J. Swords for Rogers and Berry
• Edition: 1795. First America edition.
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Size:  7 in x 4.25 in (18 cm x 11 cm)
• Collation: xxiv, 328 pp
• Contents Include:
  • Account of the Macartney Embassy to China
  • Descriptions of diplomatic proceedings and travel
  • Glossary of Chinese words
• References: Evans 28189
• Provenance: handwritten – Ezra C Peacock, 1836.

Condition:

Good. Full leather binding secure with a slight wiggle to the front cover; leather cracked at the top of the hinge. Text block remains firm.

Why Collect This?

• Early American printing of the Macartney Embassy narrative
• First-hand account of British diplomatic contact with Qing China
• Includes glossary of Chinese terms

Item Number: #50220