广西壮族自治区博物馆藏洪仁玕致艾约瑟书新考

New Textual Study of Hong Rengan’s Letter to Joseph Edkin in the Collection of the Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

广西壮族自治区博物馆藏有太平天国干王洪仁玕致英国传教士艾约瑟书信一通,与现藏于英国大英博物馆之《李秀成覆英国教士艾约瑟杨笃信书》一起被视为太平天国外交史研究中的两件“标准器”,屡被史界援引。然而,该信影印件在国内从未公开刊行,原件与录副者均略有区别,其中存在的若干问题,非广搜史料重新一考不能释疑。

The Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has in its collection one letter to the British missionary Joseph Edkin from Gan King Hong Rengan of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom,which is regarded as two“standard instruments”in the study of the diplomatic history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and is often quoted by the historical circle together with the reply letter of Li Xiucheng to the British missionary Joseph Edkin and Griffith John,now in the British Museum.However,the photocopy of the letter has never been published publicly in China,the original and the copy are slightly different,and some issues in the letter cannot be solved without a re-examination with reference to extensive historical materials.