MARGERY CORBETT the Dutch Mission to Peking in 1655 in 1669

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MARGERY CORBETT The Dutch Mission to Peking in 1655 In 1669 John Ogilby, following the tradition established by the De Brys, had published by J. Macoch in London a one-volume collection of works as up to date as possible concerning China. Entitled An Embassy sent by the East India Company of the United Provinces to the Grand Tartar Cham of Tartary 0 or Emperour of China Delivered at Pekin, by Peter de Goyer and Jacob de Keyser. A° 1655, it was foremost a translation of Johan Nieuhof's Het Gezantschap der Neirlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie aen Den Grooten Tartarischen Cham, Den tegenwoordigen Keizer van China [ ... ], followed by a General Description of China, also from Nieuhof, A Narrative of the Success of an Embassage sent by John Maat- zuyker de Badem, General of Batavia [ ... Written by a Jesuite in those Parts, and lastly [ ... an Appendix of several Remarks taken out of Father Athanasius Kircher. The Gezantschap was edited by Hendrik Nieuhof, brother of Johan, and was published by Jacob van Meurs in Amsterdam in 1665. Ogilby employed Wenceslar Hollar to copy the engraved title-page in the Dutch edition which is by Nieuhof himself or someone in Van Meurs's workshop, and indeed it served very well as a visual introduction to all the contents.' (illus. 1.) Johan Nieuhof was a steward of the Dutch East India Company, and, probably because he was known to be an accomplished draughtsman, he was chosen to accompany the Dutch embassy to the imperial court which together with embassies from the Mongols, the Tibetans and the South Tar- tars was received in Peking after a five-month journey from Canton. Their object was to obtain free trade throughout China. By permitting these delegations the emperor was breaking with the age-old policy of keeping foreigners out of China. In fact it had already been breached by Portuguese Jesuits and others of that Order who came as missionaries but were accepted because their more distinguished members brought to China the scientific knowledge of western thought. The English were excluded because 'thirty years since they took 4 vessels containing salt, the Mandorin Prisoner and shot down a Fort'. 2 132 .

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