Archive of letters and documents from the Macartney Embassy to China.

Beschreibung:

Twelve manuscripts on paper and one printed indenture with manuscript additions, each 1 to 16 pp. in extent and measuring c. 183 x 192 mm and c. 705 x 450 mm (mostly folio and 4to), two of the letters with their envelopes and wax seals, together with a typescript transcription of one item and a typescript list of a larger collection which included these papers (see below); creased from folding, occasional minor stains and soiling, a few small tears and losses (three of which affecting text but not sense), one letter with dampstains causing c. 12 words per page to be faded or lost, otherwise very good; in a custom red morocco-backed cloth slipcase with title in gilt to spine.A remarkable and largely unpublished archive from Lord Macartney's embassy to China of 1792 4 a pivotal moment in relations between China and the West including a diplomatic autograph letter signed by Macartney, autograph correspondence between him and other leading figures of the mission, and documents relating to personnel, equipment, and expenses. Commissioned in 1792 as Britain's first mission to the Chinese Empire, the Macartney Embassy is remembered both as a landmark in the West's understanding of China and as an episode of failed diplomacy and misunderstanding with long-lasting repercussions. Initiated by Henry Dundas (later 1st Viscount Melville) and led by George, Viscount Macartney, its aims were to establish formal relations and an embassy in Peking (Beijing), to improve trade conditions for Britain (then suffering a trade deficit owing to its demand for Chinese tea), and to gather intelligence about China, its people, and its way of life. With a party of ninety-four, including 'a galaxy of experts' (ODNB), Macartney set out in September 1792, reaching Peking in August of the following year and proceeding to Jehol (Chengde) to meet the Qianlong Emperor on 14September 1793. All of Britain's requests were refused, Macartney was shortly dismissed, and the embassy left from Macao in March 1794. The present group of documents spans the full length of the embassy, from its preparations to its aftermath, and contains much unpublished material on its members and activities. Two early documents sketch the personnel and expense of the embassy, showing the planning as it happened. These appear to be working copies of the tableau of the embassy drawn up by Macartney at Dundas's request in January 1792 (see Pritchard, p.277), and are very likely to have been used in arguing for its approval. They not only present an estimate of the total cost (£95,950) and a detailed breakdown of the proposed emissaries from senior members to a 'Gentleman of Science', a person 'from Manchester in the cotton and silk branches', one 'from Mr.Wedgwood in the pottery branch' (these last two with crosses pencilled next to them), as well as painters and musicians but preserve faint calculations and corrections in pencil and end with the assertion that the total expense is 'a very small sum to be risked for the Benefits that will probably be derived from it'. Also predating the voyage is an indenture dated 30August 1792 between the East India Company and John Barrow appointing him comptroller of the embassy. Barrow 'served with distinction' (ODNB), his principal duty being the care of the elaborate presents sent to the emperor (see below), and he would later author both a life of Macartney (which saw the first publication of the ambassador's journal) and Travels in China, 'one of the best illustrated English travels on China' (Hill). The indenture records his appointment on the eve of the embassy and, in addition to terms about pay and subordination, places strict limits on dealings with 'natives' and stipulates that in any such dealings Barrow will 'conduct himself with Respect and Civility' and not 'commit, permit, suffer or connive at any Outrage or Violence contrary to the Laws, Usages or Customs of China'. Among the documents from the embassy itself is a highly signifi. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers GM616

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