Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan in the Years 1857, '58 and '59 (2 Volume Set)

New York: Augustus M. Kelley Publishers, 1969. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7" - 9" tall. BC01C Two Volume reprint of the 1859 Edition. Bindings tight square, corners sharp. Pages clean, no writing. All maps and plates present and in as new condition. As Lord Elgin's private secretary,Laurence Oliphant (1829-1888) provides the most important and comprehensive account of British diplomacy and military intervention in the Far East during the years discussed. The primary result of Elgin's mission was the completion of the 1858 Treaty of Tientsin,which the Chinese were finally compelled to sign in 1860,under the threat of a military assault on Peking by a combined British and French expeditionary force. The treaty resulted in the guarantee of the rights of Europeans to travel and to send missionaries into the interior of China. At the same time,a new tariff agreement was signed which legalized the importation of opium. Oliphant's account deals with all of the important preceding events,including the "Arrow Affair," the Indian Mutiny,the bombardment of Canton,the signing of the 1858 treaty at Tientsin,the Chinese attack on Sir Frederick Bruce's naval escort in 1859,and the landing of the expeditionary force at Taku. He provides detailed descriptions of his extensive travels throughout China and of the mission's visit to Japan..