A quite reasonable but incomplete copy of this important work on China, offered without reserve. 1st Edition. Original half red leather binding with marbled boards and gilt titles. There is significant rubbing to the edges of the spine, with loss of the top 1/3rd of the spine. End papers and frontis engraving are lacking so the work begins on the title page. There are also 2 of the illustrations lacking (so three in total). The entire text of the work is complete, and there are 5 hand coloured plates, a large folding map and two further maps present. The folding map is tatty with some edgewear, but complete. Overall, the text block is clean and tidy with a little marking to pages only. Pencil ownership details to the inside board and some pencil annotations throughout. Sir Henry Ellis (1788-1855) joined the East India Company in 1805. In 1815 the English Government sent Lord Amherst, to Peking to negotiate with the Emperor Kea K'ing on behalf of the British subjects suffering under his rule. In 1816 Ellis joined the mission as Third Commissioner. Ellis was unimpressed by the Chinese, whom he considered xenophobic, ultra-traditional, and uninteresting. The mission ended in failure after Amherst refused to 'kow-tow' (nine strikes of the forehead on the ground) to the emperor. On the return voyage their ship, the Alceste, was wrecked off the coast of Sumatra. Ellis and his companions were rescued. The ship stopped at St. Helena and allowed Ellis the opportunity to interview Napoleon Boneparte. However Napoleon later disputed Ellis's account of the meeting. A mission to China was then so rare an event in Europe that Ellis's 1817 account of the voyage was authorised. The detailed aquatint plates were prepared by J. Clark.