H B Morse, Customs Comm of China

In 1874, Morse (1855-1934), a Canadian by birth, was recruited from the Harvard graduating class to work in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, which was staffed by Westerners acting as tax collectors and diplomats for the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1912). Begun by distinguished Chinese historian Fairbank (China: A New History) and completed by his colleagues Coolidge and Smith after Fairbank's death in 1991, this admiring academic study details Morse's 35-year career in China, where he lived in many different areas and rose to the rank of commissioner. Unfortunately, the ponderous text does not do justice to the dramatic events Morse lived through, such as the Sino- Japanese War and the poisoning of his wife, Nan (who despised the Chinese), by a servant. After his retirement, Morse wrote several histories of China, including The International Relations of the Chinese Empire (1910-1918), which, though well documented, reveal his imperialistic bias. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Dec.)