MICHIE, Alexander.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Missionaries in China. First edition, examining the causes and aftermath of the anti-missionary riots of 1891, during which a Catholic cathedral was burnt, the British consulate at Wuhu was destroyed, and two foreigners were killed.Michie (1833-1902) left Scotland at the age of 20 to work as a merchant in Hong Kong. "Michie was active in acquiring commercially valuable information. After the drafting of the treaty of Tientsin (Tianjin), ratified in 1860, which proposed to open new ports in the north of China, Michie engaged in a secret trading expedition to the Gulf of Pecheli (Beizhili) in the spring of 1859, and was one of the first European traders to gain direct knowledge of Weihaiwei, Chefoo (Yantai), Newchwang (Yingkou), and other places on that then unexplored coast" (ODNB). During the Taiping Rebellion, he assisted Admiral Sir James Hope in his negotiations, staying in the rebel camp for several weeks to gather valuable military intelligence. In later years, he served as correspondent for The Times in China.

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