STAUNTON, Sir George. [Sir George Macartney].
An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China; Including Cursory Observations Made, and Information Obtained, In Travelling Through That Ancient Empire, and a Small Part of Chinese Tartary.
Rare first edition of the official account of Lord Macartney's voyage and embassy to the Qianlong emperor of 1792; with the rare folio atlas volume
London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for G. Nicol, 1797.
$22,500.00
In Stock
Item Number: RRB-149247
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Rare first edition of the official account of Lord Macartney's voyage and embassy to the Qianlong emperor in 1792-94, the failure of which led to the establishment of the British trading post at Hong Kong. Three volumes (two quarto volumes of text and one folio atlas volume of plates) bound by Clarke Preston in full diced calf with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers. Quarto volumes illustrated with engraved portrait frontispieces of Emperor Tchien Lung and the Earl of Macartney, one plate and 26 engraved tailpiece illustrations. The atlas volume contains 44 engraved plates, maps and charts, including one folding, and 7 double-page folding maps showing views of the Great Wall, temples, barges, a military post and an imperial procession, with descriptions of Chinese customs (including foot-binding), details of trade with Europe, and places visited en route, such as Madeira, Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, Java and Sumatra. Lowendahl 697; Cordier, Sinica 2381-3; Lust 545 & 547. From the library of Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Baronet with his bookplate to each pastedown. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.
The Macartney Embassy to China (1792–1794), the first official British diplomatic mission to the Qing Empire, embarked on a complex and extensive journey before reaching its final destination. Traveling via Madeira, Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, the Cape of Good Hope, and Indonesia, the embassy served not only diplomatic aims but also offered valuable observations of diverse regions along the route. The mission was led by Lord George Macartney and accompanied by Sir George Leonard Staunton, whose eleven-year-old son, George Thomas Staunton, would play a critical and unexpected role. Although officially assigned as the ambassador’s page, young Staunton proved to be the only member of the British delegation capable of speaking Mandarin, enabling him to converse directly with the Qianlong Emperor. This was particularly vital, given that the only other interpreters available were Chinese Catholic priests trained to translate Chinese into Latin, but not English. Staunton’s ability to bridge the linguistic divide underscored the essential role of language proficiency in diplomacy and intercultural negotiation. The mission’s experiences and outcomes were documented in An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China, co-authored by Staunton and his father.
An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China; Including Cursory Observations Made, and Information Obtained, In Travelling Through That Ancient Empire, and a Small Part of Chinese Tartary.
$22,500.00
In Stock