MOGES, Alfred, Marquis de.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Recollections of Baron Gros's Embassy to China and Japan in 1857-58. First edition in English, published the same year as the original French edition. Moges accompanied Baron Gros's embassy as an attaché during the Anglo-French expedition to China and later Japan (1856-1860). A contemporary review remarked: "It was a terrible voyage, that of the frigate Audacieuse, and M. de Moges describes it with all the zest of a young midshipman for the first time under canvas" (The Athenaeum, p. 786). Gros had commanded the French forces during the Second Opium War, and the Anglo-French victory likely played a significant role in persuading the Japanese to receive the mission. This ultimately led to the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce at Edo on 9 October 1858. Moges's narrative covers the voyage via the Cape; visits to Macao, Singapore, and Hong Kong; the course of the war and the signing of the Treaty of Tientsin; as well as the negotiations with the Japanese government. An uncommon and important account of this pivotal period of Western intervention in Asia.

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