Translation of the Emperor of China's Letter to the King of England

'Translation of the Emperor of China's Letter to the King of England from the original Chinese'. A translation of the document sent to George III from the Emperor of China after the Amherst Embassy in 1816. The letter is dated 11 September 1816 and was given to the Society by Lord Auckland in 1827. The document complains about the behaviour of the ambassadors sent and orders no further ambassador to come. The emperor has no wish to trade.

It is not known who undertook the translation.

George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, was born in Kent and educated at Eton and Oxford before being called to the Bar in 1809. He was a member for Parliament from 1810 to 1814 when he inherited his father's title and moved to the House of Lords. In 1830 he became President of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint. He also served three times as First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1836 he was appointed Governor-General of India, a position he held until 1842. He was also actively involved with the Royal Asiatic Society and served as its president from 1843 to 1849.

Daoguang, Emperor of China, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1820 to 1850. His reign included the First Opium War and the beginning of the Taiping Rebellion.

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The paper was received from Lord Auckland in 1827.

The material was catalogued by Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist, in 2022.

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The creator of the document is unknown. It was in the possession of Lord Auckland who donated it to the Royal Asiatic Society.

The Library Collections hold a copy of 'Notes of proceedings and occurrences, during the British Embassy to Pekin in 1816' by George Thomas Staunton, published 1824. Details can be found here.