Lord Amherst

Lord Amherst was the head of the second formal British embassy to Qing China, after Lord George Macartney in 1793. Basil Hall was a member of this mission.

Lord Amherst's mission took place in 1816. Though they arrived in China, the members of the British mission either fell ill, or claimed to have fallen ill in order to avoid having to perform the kowtow; when this was reported to the Jiaqing Emperor by Minister of Rites Dang Dong, he is said to have been furious. He ordered the British embassy to return home, and canceled all feasts and bestowals of gifts; the British did not make further formal embassies to the Qing of this sort.

References

• Chun, Allen J. "The Ching tribute system as guest ritual: a preliminary description." Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Sinology. Vol. 169. 1989, 201.