 With the end of the war came a peace settlement which redefined Europe . It was the British government ’ s desire to strengthen ties with China and to that end planned to send an envoy to inform the emperor of the settlement and to profess Britain 's friendship . William Amherst was the able diplomat chosen for the job and Amherst , in turn , specifically requested Maxwell and the frigate Alceste . Therefore , in 1816 , Alceste was recommissioned under Captain Maxwell again , whose previous ship HMS Daedalus had been wrecked in 1813 . The journey out was uneventful ; Alceste left Spithead for China on 9 February 1816 with Amherst aboard , and after stopping at Madeira , Rio de Janeiro , the Cape of Good Hope , Anyer and Batavia , sailed through the Bangka Strait into the South China Sea . After a short stop to pay respects at Canton , Alceste passed the Straits of Formosa and hove @-@ to in the Bohai Sea on 28 July . There she met with the 10 @-@ gun brig @-@ sloop , Lyra , despatched earlier to herald the arrival of Britain 's ambassador . 
