經營管理與商業競爭力—1815年前後的英國東印度公司廣州商館

游博清(Po-ching Yu)

指導教授 ： 黃一農

國立清華大學/人文社會學院/歷史研究所/博士(2011年)

https://doi.org/10.6843/NTHU.2011.00609

摘要

1784年英國的「折抵法案」(Commutation Act) 大幅降低茶葉稅率，有效杜絕以往茶葉走私的情況，不久中英貿易迅速成長，英國也躍升為清朝對外貿易最大國，英國東印度公司為因應新形勢，亦改組其廣州商館 (Canton Factory) 的組織架構，常設「特選委員會」(Select Committee)，人員長年駐華，直到1834年為止。在這約半世紀裡，1815年前後可謂公司對華貿易發展的轉折時期，此時戰爭、海盜等長期干擾貿易的因素告一段落，為公司帶來運費、保險費下降等利多，但同時公司卻也面臨來自其他商人群體爭奪中國商業利益的嚴峻挑戰。
本論文一方面從經營管理的角度探究1815年前後廣州商館的組織形式，分析商館職員的任務分工、升遷快慢、休假方式、薪資與福利等；也論述商館與東印度公司內部組織如董事會、印度總督區、來華船隊等，在貨物、資金、通信、船運等方面的聯繫配合，藉此更了解商館常年管理運作的相關機制。
另一方面則從商業競爭的角度，論述此時在廣州各國商人群體間，東印度公司所具有的優勢、劣勢，及所面臨的威脅。本論文認為1813年英國實施印度貿易自由化、中國對鴉片需求的增加、美商擴大和英國非公司商人的互助等因素，增加港腳商人 (Country merchant)、英、美、葡等國商人彼此間合作經營中國貿易的機會，既使港腳商人的貿易總量逐漸超越廣州商館，也使中國商貿競爭日趨激烈，這些變化使公司對華貿易享有的獨佔權受到嚴重的破壞，非常不利於公司未來的經營發展。公司雖試圖爭取更有利的經商條件，但清廷嚴禁鴉片的立場、茶葉維持從陸路運輸的方式、阿美士德使節團的失敗等，均無法讓公司取得比其他國家商人更大的優勢。

關鍵字

英國東印度公司 ； 廣州商館 ； 商業史 ； 鴉片 ； 茶葉

並列摘要

In 1784, the “Commutation Act” of the British Parliament reduced greatly the tea duties which efficiently precluded the tea smuggling. After that, the Anglo-Chinese trade increased rapidly, and the Britian had the largest share of the China’s foreign trade. In order to accommodate this new situation, the English East India Company (hereafter EIC) decided to reorganize its Canton Factory’s management methods, a “Select Committee” was set up regularly and the personnel of the Factory resided in China all the year till 1834. Among the almost fifty years between 1786-1834, the period around 1815 was a turning point of the EIC’s China trade. The war and pirates which disturbed the trade come to an end from 1816, thereupon the EIC obtained the advantage of lowering the freight and insurance. But on that same time, the EIC faced the severe chanllenges from other merchant groups which want to grab the China commercial market’s profits.
This thesis explores the institional organization of the Canton Factory around 1815 on the one hand, including the division of labours, the methods of vocation, the time spent on promotion, the salary and welfare of the Factory’s members. It also explains the various interactions between the Factory and the internal parts of the EIC such as the Court of Directors, Indian Presidencies and the EIC’s ship, comprising the cargo, fianance, communication and shipping. As a result of these researches, we can understand more the related operations of the Canton Factory’s trade management than before.
On the other hand, this dissertation discusses the advantage and disadvantage of the EIC among various merchant groups in China, and also the challenges of the EIC faced around 1815. This study contends that some new changes then increased and provided the cooperative opportunities bewteen Country merchants and English, America, Portuguese merchants, such as free trade with India from 1813, the growing demand of the Chinese for opium and the expanding cooperate strategy between the American merchants and the British non-EIC’s merchants. These developments let the trade volume of the Country merchants surpass gradually the Canton Factory and the China trade became more competitive. These changes eorded violently the EIC’s trade monopoly with China and were very disadvantage for the EIC’s further developments. The EIC struggled to gain more advantageous commercial conditions, but due to the opium prohibition of the Q’ing dynasty, the tea transportation by land as usual, the failure of the Lord Amherst embassy etc., the EIC could’t obtain more trade advantages than other merchant groups in China.

並列關鍵字

East India Company ； Canton Factory ； Commercial History ； Opium ； Tea

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