Sir George Thomas Staunton (1781 1859), Sinologist and politician, was a key figure in Anglo-Chinese relations, as had been his father. In 1798 he began working for the British East India Company in Canton (Guangzhou), where he was the only Englishman who could understand Chinese, having begun learning it as a child. By 1815, British trade with China was worth over 4 million in tea duties alone, and there was immense pressure for the Chinese to relax their restrictions. In 1816, following earlier failed missions, an embassy, including Staunton as second commissioner, was organised to seek...
Sir George Thomas Staunton (1781 1859), Sinologist and politician, was a key figure in Anglo-Chinese relations, as had been his father. In 1798 he beg...
