Sir Rutherford Alcock : First British Minister to Japan (1859-1865), Consul (1844-1859) and Minister (1865-1870) to China / Robert Morton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morton, Robert, 1800 or 1801-1848, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Alcock, Rutherford, Sir, 1809-1897.

Alcock, Rutherford.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (315 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam, Netherlands : Amsterdam University Press B.V., [2024]

Summary:

The son of a village doctor, Rutherford Alcock trained in medicine and became a battlefield surgeon, working in Portugal and Spain during the civil wars there in the 1830s. In a major career shift, he entered the consular service, went to China, and ended up as British Minister (the equivalent of today's ambassador) to Japan and then China. This progression was unique, indeed bizarre, especially as every senior position he got was one he specifically said he did not want. Nonetheless, he was the man who commenced Britain's relations with Japan and introduced Japan's arts and crafts to the UK, in addition to playing a central role in Britain's relationship with China. He was no rampant imperialist and expressed ambivalence about Britain's position in East Asia as he contended with intractable issues like the opium trade and how to punish attacks on British interests without starting a war. This book fills a major gap in the study of Japan's opening to the West from a British perspective, as well as Britain's relationship with East Asia as a whole, through the eyes of a brilliant, but complicated and contradictory figure.

Contents:

Introduction Chapter One

A Young Man in a Hurry, London

Hexham

Paris, 1809-1828 Chapter Two

Perseverance, courage and fortitude of conduct, Portugal

Spain, 1831-1838 Chapter Three

Highly qualified for any professional situation, London, 1838-1844 Chapter Four

The most able of our Consuls in China, Amoy

Fuzhou, 1844-1846 Chapter Five

Acting with promptness and decision, Shanghai, 1846-1853 Chapter Six

Desolation around and about me, Shanghai

England

Guangzhou, 1853-1859 Chapter Seven

I can hardly say I am disappointed, Edo, 1859-1862 Chapter Eight

The scum of the earth, Yokohama, 1859-1862 Chapter Nine

A hundred petty acts of annoyance, Edo

Yokohama, 1859-1862 Chapter Ten

Sir Rutherford, 1862-1864, London Chapter Eleven

My service in the East thus terminates, Yokohama, 1864 Chapter Twelve

There is so much to fear and so little to hope, Beijing, 1865-1870 Chapter Thirteen

A Distinct and Disastrous Sacrifice of British Interests, Beijing, 1865-1870 Chapter Fourteen

Savourer the dignity of his position, 1870-1897, London Afterword Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index

Notes:

"Amsterdam University Press"

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-003-70377-1

1-04-078199-3

90-485-5765-8

9781003703778

OCLC:

1455755823