[CHINA] ELLIS, HENRY, Sir. Journal of the Proceedings of the late Embassy to China. Comprising a Correct Narrative of the Public Transactions of the Embassy, of the Voyage to and from China, and of the Journey from the Mouth of the Pei-Ho to the Return to Canton.
London: John Murray, 1817. First edition. Old half calf, marbled sides, recased retaining original spine. 10 5/8 x 8 1/4 inches (27 x 21 cm); viii, 526, [2] pp. last leaf errata and imprint; frontispiece portrait, 7 hand-colored aquatints, 3 engraved maps (one folding). Recased retaining original spine and boards, minor offsetting internally, still generally a clean copy.

Ellis's account of William Pitt Amherst's failed embassy to China is a classic of the early literature of Chinese travel. Intending to protest the ill-treatment of British subjects and to broaden trading opportunities, the expedition foundered after Amherst's refusal to perform the kow-tow ritual at his presentation to the Emperor Khien Lung in Peking. On the return journey, their ship was wrecked (without loss of life) off Sumatra. Abbey Travel 536.

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