The East Indiaman Hindustan had a varied career in both Company and naval service. The original 1,248 ton vessel was built to replace or 'on the bottom of' the Nassau for Robert Williams esq. at Messr's Barnard and Company in 1789. The Hindostan (sic) undertook it's first voyage for the Company to China at the start of 1790 returning just over a year later in January 1791. The vessel's second voyage, to Peking and Canton, was less quickly completed but much more significant. On 1 October 1792 the ship departed Torbay as part of Lord Macartney's trading embassy to the Chinese Emperor, Chien-lung, it did not return to British waters until September 1794. The embassy was not particularly successful, nonetheless the painting depicts the vessel during that voyage. With the commencement of hostilities in 1795 the Hindostan was sold to the government, to become the 4th rate ship HMS Hindostan. After various operations in the Atlantic and Mediteranean it was burnt by accident on 2 April 1804 in Rosas bay, near Girona. (That vessel was apparently also replaced by a ship purchased from the East India Company in 1804). This painting is one of a series of five of the Hindustan painted by Thomas Luny, the others BHC 3403 to 3405 and 3407. The National Maritime Museum also holds an ornate telescope presented to the Chinese Emperor by Lord Macartney (NAV1579) and the Ko'ssau Tapestry which provides a Chinese interpretation of the embassy (TXT0107). The Museum also holds the log book of HMS Hindostan for the period 1795-6 and 1803, [ADM/L/H/158], and naval papers related to the salvage of the wreck [MSS/81/108.1].