First published in French in Philadelphia in 1797 and translated into English for the London edition of 1798 reissued here, this travelogue by Andre 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,...