a Chinese province and lost there, to national dignity ; treating her envoys with extreme liberality and respect.^ They failed only because foiled by Portuguese priests.^ The reception of the later Dutch embassy by Kien-lung, in 1795, was none the less gracious for the new foreign policy which made their mission of small effect. Special officers were appointed to see that they had every atten- tion that had been bestowed on any other embassy, and that their time was occupied as pleasantly as possible ; and a letter was sent by the emperor to the Dutch gov- ernment, announcing that he made no distinction in his paternal love for all the nations, being entrusted by Heaven with the common care of all.^ The Russians were re- ceived disdainfully in 1650 ; for they not only refused obeisance, but were busy in securing territory on the Amoor. Yet prisoners from their defeated army in 1680, taken to Pe-king, were permitted to build a church and a college. In 1689, a caravan trade was opened by them to the capital. In 1728, a Russian spiritual mission was established at Pe-king, the terms of whose charter have been faithfully adhered to by the imperial government, and which has obtained some of the most valuable information on China thus far accessible to the Western world.* Down to the close of the eighteenth century, boundary disputes have interfered with the natural relations of trade between these two great empires ; till, in 1860, free communication with Pe-king was conceded to Russia, together with a large portion of Manchuria.
The first Portuguese comers in 15 17 were kindly received, though expelled soon after for good reasons. Occupying Macao, their commerce was developed through the seventeenth century, till
Chinese Repository, August, 1844.
2 Nieuhoff, Embassy (Ed. 1673), p. 139.
s Pauthier, Hist, des Relat., &c., pp. 51-71-
- Erman's Siberia, II., 168-170; also, Abhandl. d, Russ. Gesandsch.
