On the basis of previously unpublished archival material, the author studies the history of contacts between the Church of England and the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the waning years of the 19th century. Te Anglican embassy in Constantinople and the negotiations with Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine V came to be the first stage in the official ecumenical contacts between the two churches in the modern era. In the second half of the article, the author uses a few examples to illustrate the character of Anglican missionary efforts in the Christian East.