STAUNTON, George Thomas, Sir (1781-1859). Notes of Proceedings and Occurrences, During the British Embassy to Pekin in 1816. Havant: Havant Press for Henry Skelton (for private circulation only), 1824.
8vo (216 x 133 mm). Contemporary half calf, marbled boards (rebacked to style, preserving morocco lettering-piece, corners rubbed). Provenance: Holland House (engraved bookplate, possibly the recipient of the inscription).
FIRST EDITION. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. "[This] is not a work presented to, or prepared for the public eye, but merely a series of Notes written during (what was to the Author) a very interesting journey; and now printed solely for private distribution among a few of the Author's friends, whose curiosity respecting the Embassy, the published narratives of it may not have yet wholly exhausted" (author's advertisement). Sir George Thomas Staunton was a British sinologist, politician, and important figure in early Anglo-Chinese relations. Born near Salisbury, England, he was the son of Sir George Leonard Staunton, a diplomat and Orientalist who served as secretary to Lord Macartney’s 1792-1794 embassy to China. His father’s account of the mission, An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China (1797), became a seminal work on Qing China. At age 12, Staunton accompanied his father to China as part of the Macartney Mission, where he served as a page to Lord Macartney. Having learned Chinese from two native missionaries prior to the trip, he became the only member of the embassy fluent in the language. His proficiency allowed him to engage in diplomatic exchanges, earning him a personal gift from the Qianlong Emperor. The embassy, though unsuccessful in securing trade concessions, marked Britain’s first major diplomatic effort to engage with Qing China. Staunton was promoted to chief of the Canton factory in 1816 and accompanied Amherst's embassy to Peking, which is described in considerable detail in this work.
Lust 549; not in Löwendahl.
