Description

First published in French in Philadelphia in 1797 and translated into English for the London edition of 1798 reissued here, this travelogue by André Everard van Braam Houckgeest (1739-1801) was received with enthusiasm by readers hungry for exotic accounts of distant lands. It vividly describes a visit to the Chinese imperial court by a delegation from the Dutch East India Company soon after the British Macartney embassy, and delivers a rare glimpse of an unfamiliar landscape and culture. Fascinated by his experiences, van Braam records that he thought it 'far better to lose a few hours rest, than to let a single remarkable object escape me'. In addition to van Braam's diary, Volume 1 includes notes on important cultural concepts, a 'correct chart' of the route taken and a full itinerary, while Volume 2 contains one of the last known descriptions of the spectacular Summer Palace, destroyed in 1860.