ELLIS, Sir Henry (1777-1869). Journal of the Proceedings of the Late Embassy to China. London: John Murray, 1817.
ELLIS, Sir Henry (1777-1869). Journal of the Proceedings of the Late Embassy to China. London: John Murray, 1817.

Details
ELLIS, Sir Henry (1777-1869). Journal of the Proceedings of the Late Embassy to China. London: John Murray, 1817.

4° (268 x 200 mm). Etched portrait, 3 engraved maps, one folding (repaired and lined), and 7 hand-colored aquatint plates, with the final errata leaf (slight spotting and waterstaining). (Occasional minor foxing or spotting.) Modern half calf over contemporary marbled boards.

FIRST EDITION of this contemporary account of the Amherst embassy to China (1816). The embassy “was a failure diplomatically since the ambassador refused to greet the Emperor with the traditional kow-tow and was instantly dismissed. The expedition, however, produced four major books, some finely illustrated in color. The naval aspect of the undertaking, including the voyage to the Korean coast, is also described by Captain Basil Hall and Dr. John McLeod” (Hill, p. 94).

Abbey Travel 536; Bastin & Brommer 132; Cordier Sinica III, 2393; Hill I, 94 (American edition); Prideaux pp.250-1, 335; Tooley 208; Young p.315.

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