A Young Englishman in Victorian Hong Kong: The Diaries of Chaloner Alabaster, 1855–1856
Journal: ANU Press eBooks
Year: 2023

In August 1855, 16-year-old Chaloner Alabaster left England for Hong Kong, to take up a position as a student interpreter in the China Consular Service. He would stay for almost 40 years, climbing the rungs of the service and eventually becoming consul-general of Canton. When he retired he returned to England and received a knighthood. He died in 1898. Throughout his adult