The Punishments of China.

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VG, 1st ed, 1801, 22 coloured pls. In contemporary red straight grain morocco, decorative gilt edge tooling, corners & edges rubbed. Spine, lightly worn, raised bands, decorative gilt tooling & titles, edges worn. Internally, 2 title leaves (1 in English the other French), 1 ff contents, 2 ff prefaces, followed by 22 hand coloured stipple engraved plates, a few with the undated E&P watermark, some finger marks to pl margins, each pl with a leaf of descriptive text in both English & French, a.e.g., gilt tooling to board edges & turn-ins, blue marbled endpapers, bookplate & library label to fpd, printed W. Bulmer and Co, of Cleveland-Row, St James's and engraved by J Dadley . (256*347 mm). (Colas 2010-12. Prideaux 317). Mason's text is based on his own experiences in Canton in 1789-1790. At the time he was there, foreigners were not allowed access to the China beyond the borders of the visitor's compounds. Mason, however, was able to gain some information from interacting with the Hong merchants of Canton. The work is given structure by the series of plates, based on original drawings by Pu-Qua, that Mason purchased in Canton. Each plate is accompanied by a commentary in which Mason draws on either his own experiences or the accounts of earlier writers such as Staunton and Nieuhoff.