A Chart of the Islands to the Southward of Tchu-san on the Eastern Coast of China

Mapping the first British diplomatic mission to China.

In 1793, George McCartney led a delegation to China that represented Britain’s first diplomatic envoy to the Qing Dynasty. Hoping to break free from the restrictive Canton System of international trade, the mission was an utter debacle. British arrogance clashed with Chinese imperial pride, resulting in miscommunication and snafus in decorum that derailed negotiations.

While the British achieved none of their primary objectives, they did acquire firsthand geographic knowledge, represented by this map. It was drawn by John Barrow, a participant in the envoy, using an earlier work by Alexander Dalrymple and published in George Staunton’s 1796 account of the expedition.

The image shows McCartney’s route to Zhoushan, located just south of modern-day Shanghai. Depth sounds are noted throughout and an interesting variety of geographic features, landmarks, and settlements are labeled. An inset in the lower right presents Zhoushan Harbor, while adjacent is a curious circular view of the ship resting in anchorage.

Example at the National Library of Australia.