厦门记忆：鸦片战争期间厦门社会状况

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2020年大年初七，厦门历史影像研究会副会长陈亚元先生专门发给我他最近从美国拍得的藏品的照片。从照片显示这个名为《便士》的杂志中有关于厦门的文章。

由于在两年前也是通过亚元先生，我翻译了1843年1月21日出版的名为《星期六》的杂志中关于厦门文章。这个春节时间特别充裕，因此我也饶有兴趣地对这篇文章进行了研究。

首先借助必应国际版我们可以了解到《便士》杂志是面向劳动阶层的英国古杂志，出版时间是1832年3月31日至1845年10月31日。每周六发行。通过亚元先生我得知该报道出版于1843年，其中一张照片显示了出版日期3月15日。离《南京条约》的签订时间 1842年（道光二十二年）8月29日大约七个月时间。

文章共分11个段落，对厦门的地理、贸易状况、风土情特别是战争后的城市状况进行了描述。从文章可以看出英国人对厦门乃至中国的整体状况非常熟悉，第六段麦克弗森博士对当时厦门城市地位的进行了评价。“Dr. Macpherson says of it:“ Amoy is a principal third- classcity of China ; it has an excellent harbor, and from its central situation iswell adapted for commerce.”麦克弗森博士（Dr. Macpherson）这样评价它：“厦门是中国中的三等城市；但由于有一个极好的港口，因此厦门很适合商业。”。这个评价十分精准，这个对厦门的评价在此后的一百多年中都可以说是准确的。文中透露出的许多细节很值得各位研究。

比如第三段原文如下：

“During the south-westmonsoon, the merchants of Amoy freight their vessels at Formosa with sugar,which they sell at various ports to the northward, returning home with cargoesof drugs.”大家都知道“drugs”的意思为“药品、毒品、麻醉药”，难道当时厦门的商船参与了贩卖鸦片的活动？这在所有官方和非官方的记载中是没有的（众所周知的原因也是不可能有的）。如果不是鸦片那“drugs”又做何解释？带着这个问题我在网上进行了一番搜索工作。想要解释清楚这个问题，我们应该对鸦片战争前，满清政府治下的鸦片贸易状况有个大概的了解。

鸦片贸易给英美资产阶级带来了巨额利润。1817年﹐一箱印度鸦“公班土”成本仅二三百卢比﹐在印度的拍卖价格为1785卢比﹐在中国的卖价达2618卢比﹐因此﹐输运印度鸦片进中国被视为发财快捷方式。怡和洋行﹑沙逊洋行等外国企业均以私贩鸦片起家。鸦片贸易使英国改变了对华贸易的入超地位﹐单靠鸦片一项﹐就接近抵消从中国进口的全部货值。而鸦片贸易又为英属印度政府增加了一笔巨大的收入。1829年鸦片税收超过100万英镑﹐占英印政府岁入的1/10。英国商人以走私鸦片所得资金﹐从中国向英国本土输入茶叶﹐使英国政府每年增加数百万镑茶叶税收。 （以上资料来源于网络）

根据刘诗平在其著作《洋行之王——怡和与它的商业帝国》中09鸦片：“最有绅士气派的投机生意”中我们可以了解了鸦片战争前鸦片走私体系的情况：

“1826年，两广总督设立巡船，以查禁鸦片从海上走私进口。巡船船队的建立，对鸦片走私贩起到了一定的震慑作用。可是，也有史料记载，巡船建成后，并不总是查禁鸦片走私，而是“每月受规银三万六千两，放私入口”。这样，缉私的巡船便成了走私的保护者。

在珠江口，鸦片走私是公开进行的。当时马地臣创办的英文报《广州纪事报》（CantonRegister）等报纸就像登载其他进口商品一样登载鸦片的价格，公开公布那些运着鸦片抵达的船名，并且记录鸦片交易情况。

伶仃洋鸦片基地建立后，逐渐形成了一套完整的鸦片走私体系。从内地“大窑口”的银钱交收，到伶仃鸦片趸船上的按单发货；从专司从印度进货的飞剪船队，到伶仃基地囤积鸦片的趸船，再到专事向中国沿海送货的船队，鸦片走私贸易迅速扩张。猖獗的鸦片走私，使伶仃洋面处于一派畸形的喧嚣与繁忙之中。

有来到此地的外国人如此记述这里的鸦片走私景象：“从日出到日落，你都可以看到，在那些趸船旁边一艘艘的走私船载着鸦片开走……登上趸船，你更可以看到，到处都是买卖兴隆、财源茂盛的景象。在你的这一侧，你会看到成排成排的‘公班土’和‘刺班土’堆放在船舱上；在你的另一侧，则堆放着‘白皮土’……转过身来，你会看到请来的中国验银师正将银子从钱袋里倒出来，进行查验。”

同一年《中国丛报》上的一篇文章这样描述：“现在，从澳门到舟山的中国沿海，是20艘鸦片船经常往返航行的区域。广州水域则变成了30多艘鸦片船的大型集合地。在澳门，除了几家商行在大规模地从事鸦片贸易外，还有五六十个小商贩也在按斤论块地分售鸦片。”

由于厦门地理位置位于南亚往中国北方海上运输的中点位置，因此天然成为鸦片贸易中重要的中转站，根据《厦门历史》编写组1992年出版的《厦门》乡土历史教材中记载1847年前后，厦门附近以及泉州、金门等地的趸船，已经成为全国鸦片贮藏量最多的地方。 而以厦门为基地的闽南海商第一依托其清代前期厦门作为往南洋的发舶中心的地位；第二依托其遍布东南亚和中国沿海各港口的闽南籍商贸网络和移民；三是长期垄断对台交通和移民。这三个原因一直主导海外华商网络直至鸦片战争前夕。诚如《厦门志》所载：“服贾者以贩海为利薮，视汪洋巨浸如衽席，北至宁波、上海、天津、锦州，南至粤东、对渡台湾，一岁往返数次。外至吕宋、苏禄、实力、葛拉巴，冬去夏回，一年一次。初则获利数倍数十倍不等，故有倾产造船者，然骤富骤贫，容易起落，舵水手等藉此以为活计者以万计”。

从以上材料我们不难看出厦门为基地的闽南海商最有能力也最有条件成为专事向中国沿海运输鸦片的船队。但从运输方向来看鸦片应是从南向北运而不是从北方运回来的，因此在翻译时，该部分存疑，而且鉴于当时鸦片贸易实际已公开化，当时满清腐朽统治下，普通民众对鸦片的认识也不像我们现在的认识，我们不应以现在的眼光苛责当时历史条件下的闽南海商。

类似以上情况的细节还有许多，比如在1843年1月21日出版的名为《星期六》的杂志关于厦门的文章和本文中都提到了阿默斯特号（Theship Amherst）轮船在1832年访问了厦门的事情，而且通过这次访问同样得到贸易的障碍都来自当局，而不是人民的结论。比如文中关于厦门城的许多细节描述可以作为厦门鸦片战争期间战备情况以及当时社会状况的侧面补充材料。这篇的文章可以认为是观察鸦片战争期间厦门社会状况的微窗口。

为全面反映这篇珍贵史料的内容，后面每段英文文字稿和参考翻译均以数字标出，经亚元先生同意，在文后附上这篇史料的照片件，感谢亚元先生的慷慨，由于本人历史知识水平有限，翻译过程必有谬误。希望各专家及研究学者能不吝赐教，共同进步。

1、Amoy is a smallisland near the coast of China, with a town of the same name, lying towards thesoutheaster 1extremity of the province of Foo-Kien. It is in 20° 45' N. lat. and 118° E. long. InMandarin dialect the name of the place is Hea-mnn, which is pronounced by the natives Ha-moy.

1、厦门是一个靠近中国海岸的小岛，岛有一个厦门城，厦门位于福建省东南端。位于北纬20°45'和东经118°。在普通话中，这个地方的官话名字是“Hea mnn”，本地人对厦门的发音是“Ha moy”

2、The districtdirectly adjacent to this flourishing town, theemporium of the commerce of the province, is one of the most barren in allChina: but this character does not seem to extend very widely, as LieutenantMurray, in his work” Doings inChina.” says :— “The country in the immediate vicinity of Amoy is miserably barren : hence the means of subsistence are scanty and expensive.A few miles distant, however, the soil is rich and affords abundantsupplies. Green peas, potatoes, and other European vegetables were brought to marketin great abundance when the general panic had ceased.” Notwithstandingthis serious disadvantage, the merchants of Amoy are among the most wealthy andenterprising in the Chinese empire; they have formed connexions all along thecoast, and have established commercial houses in many parts of the EasternArchipelago. Most of the colonists in Formosa emigrated from the district ofAmoy, with capital supplied by its merchants; and in proportion as that islandhas flourished, so has Amoy increased in wealth and importance.

2、这个繁荣的城镇是该省的商业中心，与其直接相邻的地区，则是中国最贫瘠的地区之一，但这个贫瘠地区似乎并不大，像尤特南·默里（Lieutenant Murray）那样在他的作品《在中国的所作所为》中这样描述：“厦门城附近的地区贫瘠不堪，因此，生活资料匮乏，而且昂贵。然而，几英里远的地方，土壤肥沃，供给充足。豌豆、土豆和其他欧洲蔬菜会在恐慌停止时大量上市，”尽管有这种严重的缺点，厦门商人是中国帝国最富有和最有进取心的人之一，它们在沿海一带布局广泛。在东南亚群岛的许多地方建立了商业据点。台湾的居民大多是从厦门地区移民过来的，由于厦门商人在台湾贸易中占很大份额，随着台湾岛的繁荣，厦门的财富和重要性也相应增加。

3、During the south-west monsoon, the merchants of Amoy freight theirvessels at Formosa with sugar, which they sell at various ports to thenorthward, returning home with cargoes of drugs. They maintain commercialrelations with Manila, as well as with Tonquin and Cochin-China-: they annuallyemploy forty large junks in trading with Bankok, the capital of Siam. Junks ofthe largest class—some of themeight hundred tons burden—go to Bornco, Macassar,Java, and the Soo-loo islands; and many of them annually visit Singapore, inorder to procure goods of British manufacture.

3、在西南季风期间，厦门的商人满载台糖的船只行驶到北方的各个港口出售台糖，然后载着药材（鸦片？）回来。他们与马尼拉以及越南（越南当时还和中国保持“藩属”关系，文中称为通昆（Tonquin-China）和科钦（Cochin-China））保持着商业关系：他们每年雇佣40艘大型帆船与暹罗首都曼谷（Bankok）进行贸易往来。最大级别的中国式帆船——其中一些载重量可达800吨——运往博恩科岛（Bornco,）、马卡萨岛（Macassar）、爪哇岛（Java）、和索卢岛（Soo-loo）；其中许多每年都会访问新加坡，以采购英国制造的货物。

4、This port has not always been closed against Euro pean vessels,According to the records of the. EastIndia Company. u the King of Tywan, on taking Amoy in 1675, issued aproclamation inviting both Chinese and foreign merchants to trade thither, exempting them from the payment of all duties forthree years.Many vessels in consequence resorted to the port, but the exemptionwas speedily revoked. In 1681 the townwas taken by the Tartars, but Europeans were still allowed to trade thither,and continued to do so until 1734, when the exactions of the Mandarins deterredthem from continuing so unprofitableanintercourse; and when an English ship went there ten years after, many vainendeavours and much fruitless discussion were employed to induce the Chinese totrade so that the vessel was obliged to proceed to Bengal for a cargo.

4、这个港口并不总是对欧洲船只关闭。根据东印度公司记录。1675年，台湾王（应为郑成功之子郑经。郑成功于1662年在台湾去世-译者注）在接手厦门时，发布公告，邀请中外客商到这里交易，免除他们三年的所有关税。因此，许多船只都去了港口，但豁免很快就被取消了。1681年，这座城市被鞑靼人占领，但欧洲人仍然被允许在那里进行贸易，并继续这样做，直到1734年，（满清）官员的勒索使得欧洲人在厦门的贸易无利可图。十年后，一艘英国船去了那里，（这艘船）做了许多徒劳的努力和徒劳的沟通来诱使中国人进行贸易，（但他们失败了）使船不得不去孟加拉邦装货。

5、The ship Amherst visited Amoy in 1832 with no better success: it appears, however,that the obstacles to her tradingall proceeded from the authorities and not fromthe people, by whom our countrymen were received in the most friendly manner.

5、阿默斯特号（Theship Amherst）轮船在1832年访问了厦门，但没有取得更好的成功：然而，这种贸易的障碍都来自当局，而不是人民，他们以最友好的方式接待了我们的同胞

6、The lateexpedition has extended our knowledge of Amoy, having been captured by our troops. Dr. Macpherson says of it:“ Amoy is a principal third- class city of China ; it has anexcellent harbor, and from its central situation is well adapted for commerce.It is a great emporium of trade, and has constant communication, not only with the neighboring states, butalso with Singapore and othersettlements in the straits. The city is about eight miles in circumference: itis surrounded in part by a wall, and nearly its whole length by the innerharbor. Its population is fluctuating, from the major portion being so frequentlyabsent on mercantile pursuits. It is at all timesmuch infested by native robbers, who come in boats and attack the inhabitantsat night. These daring marauders paid repeated visits to the city even while itwas in possession of our troops, and plundered the temples and publicestablishments of much valuable property, The citadel is about a mile in circumference.

6、由于厦门已在最近的远征中被我们攻占，我们对厦门有了更深入的了解。麦克弗森博士（Dr. Macpherson）这样评价它：“厦门是中国中的三等城市；但由于有一个极好的港口，因此厦门很适合商业。”。她是一个巨大的贸易中心，不仅与邻国，而且与新加坡和海峡中的各个地区有着密切的联系。厦门城大约有八英里的周长：它的一部分被一堵墙包围，几乎整个厦门城都被内港包围。厦门城的人口波动很大，由于频繁的海上贸易活动人口呈周期性波动。（厦门城）经常被许多本地强盗滋扰，他们在晚上乘船袭击居民。这些大胆的掠夺者在我们的军队占领这座城市的时也多次造访这座城市，他们掠夺了寺庙和公共设施，这些寺庙和公共设施的价值很高，厦门要塞（应指厦门古城-译者）的周长约为一英里。

7、It entirely commands thesuburbs and inner town, and is surrounded by a wall which is occasionallyturreted, and varies in height from twenty to thirty- six feet. In this citadelwere several extensive granaries well filled, arsenals containing enormousquantities of jingalls. wall-pieces, matchlocks, military clothing, shields,bows and arrows, spears and swords of all descriptions, besides extensivemagazines of powder and material for constructing it. There was also a foundry,with moulds for costing guns. But few war-junks were seen, the Chinese admiralhaving shortly before our visitproceeded on a cruise with the fleet. Large quantities of timber and navalstores were found, and several war-junks were on the stocks: one two-decker, monldedafter the fashion of ours, and carrying thirty guns, was ready for sea. ....From the point of entrance into the inner harbour, the great sea-line ofdefence extended in one continued battery of granite upwards of a mile. Thisbattery was faced with turf and mud several feet in thickness so that at adistance no appearance of a fortification could be traced. The embrasures wereroofed, and the slabs thickly covered with turf, so as to protect the men whileworking their guns. This work mounted about one hundred guns, and it terminatedin a high wall, which was connected with a range of rocky heights which runparallel to the beach. The entrance into the harbor is by a channel six hundredyards across, between the island of Koo-langsoo and Amoy. On each side of thispassage there were also strong fortifications.

7、厦门要塞完全控制着市郊和市中心，要塞由墙环绕，墙上有塔楼，塔楼高度从20英尺到36英尺不等。在这座城堡里有几座宽阔的仓库，里面装满了大量的火药枪、石块、枪械零件、军装、盾牌、弓箭、长矛和各种各样的剑。除了大量的火药和配制火药的材料，另外还有一个铸造厂，里面有用来制造枪支的模具。但是战舰很少，中国海军上将在我们攻占前不久和舰队一起进行过一次巡航。我们发现了大量的木材和造船用油脂，几艘战舰停在仓库：有一艘仿照我们的方式的双层甲板船已基本建造完成，（这艘船能）载着三十门大炮，准备出海....从进入内河的入口开始，海边防线在一排连续的花岗岩中延伸了一英里。炮台（应指白石炮台-译者注）正面是几英尺厚的草皮和泥土，因此在远处看不到防御工事的痕迹。炮眼是有屋顶的，石板上覆盖着厚厚的草皮，以便在用枪时保护士兵。这个防御工事内装备了大约一百支枪，工事的高墙与一系列平行于海滩的岩石高地相连。港口的入口是一条600码宽的海峡，在鼓浪屿和厦门之间。这条通道的两边都有坚固的防御工事。

8、Sir HughGough has given a few additional particulars in his despatch. He says—“ The outer town is divided from the city by a chain ofrocks, over which a paved road leads through a pass that has a covered gatewayat its summit. The outer harbor skirts the outer town, while the city isbounded in nearly its whole length by the inner harbor and an estuary whichdeeply indent the island. Including the outer town and north-eastern suburb,the city cannot be much less thanten miles in circumference; and that of the citadel, which entirely commandsthis suburb and the inner town, though itself commanded by the hills withinshot range, is nearly one mile.”

8、休·高夫爵士（SirHugh Gough）还补充了一些细节。他说：“外城与内城被一串岩石隔开，一条铺好的道路穿过一个山口，山口有一个有盖的大门（应是指镇南关-译者）。外港位于外镇的边缘，而城市的整个长度几乎都被内港和深深凹陷岛屿的河口所包围。包括外城和东北郊，这座城市的周长不能少于10英里；厦门要塞周长将近1英里，完全控制着厦门的郊区和内城，虽然本身也在周边山丘射程内。”

9、The Chinese were somewhat vain of theirfortifications at Amoy. “Their batteries,” says Dr. Macpherson, “ having ontwo former occasions driven off the barbarian ships, they were by theChinese considered impregnable. The capture of them, therefore, must have beena sad blow to their pride. Their magazines were blown up; their arsenals andtheir contents utterly destroyed；their best war-junks and dockyards wereburnt; upwards of five hundred guns of various caliber rendered unserviceable, andtheir fortifications experienced much the same fate as did those of the BoccaTigris.”

9、中国人对他们在厦门的设防有些自视甚高。“他们的炮台，”麦克弗森博士（Dr. Macpherson,）说，“曾经有两次逼退过入侵船只，被中国人认为是坚不可摧的。”因此，攻占他们，一定是对他们自尊心的沉重打击。他们的弹药库被炸毁；他们的兵工厂和里面的东西被彻底摧毁；他们最好的军舰和船坞被烧毁；超过500门不同口径的火炮无法使用，他们的防御工事经历的命运与虎门之战的几乎相同。”

10、Both Sir Hugh and Dr. Macpherson remark onthe greater degree of confidence reposed in us here by the natives than wasshown at other places. The Doctor says — “ Several of the merchants never lefttheir shops: these showed far greater acquaintance with European customs andmanners than is even to be found at Canton. They could enumerate the productionsand describe the government of many places in the Indian Archipelago. But the name of Singapore was familiar to alland produced many remarks in favour of the British nation. There, they said,property is always safe: no duty is paid, and there are no mandarins tosqueeze.” These are favourable indications towards our future intercourse withthem

10、休爵士（Sir Hugh）和麦克弗森博士（Dr. Macpherson）都谈到了当地人对我们的信任程度比其他地方更高。博士说：“有几个商人从来没有离开过他们的商店：他们对欧洲风俗习惯的了解远远超过在广州所能看到的。他们可以列举印度群岛上许多地方的物产和政府，而且大家对新加坡的名字都很熟悉，还发表了许多有利于英国的言论。他们说，在那里，财产永远是安全的，没有交税，也没有官吏压榨他们，这些都是我们今后与他们交往的有利迹象。

11、Having on a former occasion given anaccount of Macao and Canton (Nos.533 and 535) ,and more recently of Hong-Kong(No. 688), Ning-po (No. 639}，Shang-hae (No. 701), and Foo-choo-foo (No. 704),this notice of Amoy completes the list of places which have been opened to theexertions of British industry; and we trust that the blessings arising from anintercourse with us. and the consequent knowledge attained of a more elevatedreligion, a higher morality, and a more perfect civilization, may ultimatelycompensate the Chinese for the severe sufferings endured by them in the recentcontest.

11、在过去的段时间中，我们报道了澳门和广州 （第533和535号），最近又报道了香港 （第688号）、宁波 （第639号）、上海 （第701号）和福州府 （第704号），厦门的这份报道完成我们对（中国）向英国开放的通商口岸的报道；我们相信，来自与我们的交往所获得的祝福，由此而获得的更崇高的宗教、更高尚的道德和更完美的文明，最终可能会补偿中国人最近所遭受的严重痛苦。

LOOKERS鹭客社 守望共同的尘世故乡