The Chinese Junk "Keying" being a full account of that vessel, with extracts from the journal of Capt. Kellett. In order to furnish visitors with the information necessary to understand the nature and design of the Exhibition at Castle Garden, the following remarks have been deemed necessary (1847)

Descripción

Cross cultural exhibition, ruse or sideshow? Perhaps one of the most paradoxical episodes in cultural exchange, a beautiful 3-masted 800-ton Koochow Chinese sailing ship was purchased by unidentified British interests defying a Chinese law prohibiting such a sale to foreigners and renamed after Manchu official Keying (aka Qiying or Kiyeng) who was responsible for ending the First Opium War conducting the Treaty of Naking with Britain in 1842.( Keying's dubious activities caught up to him years later when he was sentenced to death by the Imperial Clan Court). Loaded with artifacts and oddities of Chinese culture, the Keying set sail under Captain Charles Alfred Kellett with a crew of Chinese and British sailors rounding the Cape of Good Hope in March of 1847. From the beginning its ultimate purpose was cloudy. Arriving in NYC July of 1847 by "necessity", it instantly became a sensation. Thousands paid admission each day to board the vessel. Coins were struck in its honor, Nathaniel Currier and Sam Waugh captured its image in art and both Walt Whitman and Charles Dickens were perplexed by its arrival. However, in "Romance of China" (Columbia Press 2008) Professor John Rogers Haddad describes the exhibition as more demeaning than of admiration giving a well-researched account portraying Captain Kellett as a villain. Whatever the case, this affair struck a nerve in the mid 19th century claiming to be the first Chinese trading junk to visit America. What has survived to tell the story is this original 4 X 5.5 inch 16 page single thread bound booklet. Copyrighted 1847 by Captain Kellett himself and published by Israel Sackett NYC in the same year, it no doubt tells Kellett's account of this sorted affair that was highlighted by a high profile NYC criminal trial (Haddad). There are light foxing specks to the covers without any folds or handwriting. Unlike later British editions, there are no illustrations. Available only for inspection in a few University Library special collections, this special booklet is offered for sale at a reasonable price. a deal even P.T. Barnum could not pass up. N° de ref. del artículo 003092

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