June 17, 1795, Qing dynasty
This letter, discreetly conveying diplomatic undertones, was handwritten by the 15-year-old British junior envoy George Thomas Staunton (1781–1859) on June 17, 1795. The letter was addressed to the 85-year-old Emperor Qianlong (1711–1799) as a note of gratitude.
George Thomas Staunton, known as “Little Staunton,” accompanied his father, George Leonard Staunton (1737–1801), a senior British diplomat, during the Macartney Embassy’s mission (led by George Macartney, 1737–1806) to China in September 1792. At just 12 years old, Thomas was already fluent in Latin, French, and Greek. He later learned Chinese aboard the ship en route to China. In 1793, when he met Emperor Qianlong at the Garden of Ten Thousand Trees in the Chengde Summer Resort, he even received gifts such as a fan and a pouch personally bestowed by the emperor.
In this letter, Staunton wrote with youthful sincerity, “We love the envoy all the more because the great emperor favors him. He brought us gifts from the great emperor, and we shall surely accept them.” He concluded by stating, “We humbly request that the great emperor accept a few of our small gifts made in London, United Kingdom.” Staunton signed it as “This letter was personally written by George Thomas Staunton,” subtly indicating his attempt to restore diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and the Qing court following the failure of the Macartney Mission.