Author Description

This journal was written by English merchants who ventured up the Red River in Tonkin, later north Vietnam. Sent there on behalf of the East India Company, they were unaware that their mission had failed before it even began. Yet they carried on for five years, struggling with Vietnamese culture, climate, corruption, politics and their own company. As a historical document about early modern commerce in Asia, this journal is unsurpassed for its depth and details. It is transcribed here in a format that is accessible to all.