Synopses & Reviews
George Macartney (1737-1806) was a British statesman, diplomat and administrator who held a succession of important appointments. In 1764 he was sent as envoy extraordinary to Russia, but described the Russian nobility as 'vain, petulant, inconsequent, indiscreet, and changeable'. After several years as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1767-1772) and a governorship in the West Indies, he served as Governor of Madras in the early 1780s, a difficult role surrounded by controversy and intrigue. In 1792-1794 he travelled to China on behalf of the government and the East India Company on a mission to negotiate a trade agreement, but was unsuccessful. He ended his career as Governor of the Cape Colony. This 1908 biography, which includes extracts from previously unpublished letters by Macartney and other newly-researched archival material, complements the two-volume 1807 account of Macartney's life by Sir John Barrow, also reissued in this series.
Synopsis
A 1908 biography of the British statesman George Macartney (1737-1806) based on previously unpublished letters and documents.
Synopsis
This 1908 biography of the British statesman, diplomat and administrator George Macartney (1737-1806) made use of much previously unpublished material, including letters and documents from the family archives. It complements the two-volume 1807 account of Macartney's life by Sir John Barrow, also reissued in this series.
Table of Contents
Preface; 1. Early days and mission to Russia; 2. Mission to Russia; 3. Marriage, Parliament, Ireland; 4. Chief Secretary for Ireland; 5. Governor of Grenada; 6. Madras; 7. India, London, Ireland; 8. Journal of embassy from London to China; 9. Straits of Sunda and Batavia; 10. A journal of the embassy to China in 1792-1794; 11. Embassy to China; 12. Embassy to China; 13. Mission to Verona; 14. Governor of the Cape, and the last days; Index.