开埠后厦门海关银号与外商的纠纷——洋银与纹银兑付

Frictions Between Foreign Merchants and Official Shroffs After the Opening of Amoy-Exchanges Between Foreign Currencies and Sycee Silver

本文通过考察1843年11月厦门开埠后,替政府征税的海关银号与英国商人之间的纠纷,探讨开埠后清朝贸易管理体制重组的影响和沿海地区的白银流通情况。海关银号在纳税时只接受洋银,不接受纹银。此外,他们在汇兑时采用厦门汇率,拒绝接受广州汇率。这一行为引发了外国商人与海关银号之间的纠纷。最终,英国提出外交交涉,促使厦门接受纹银,且采用广州汇率纳税。从此,统一了五个通商口岸纳税时的白银汇兑汇率。海关银号企图利用自己的身份优势,控制对东南亚的贸易和移民业务,招致英国商人的不满。1846年2月,厦门海关银号被革退。之后,厦门的广东籍买办数量增加,广东人对厦门口岸的控制力越来越强,造成了19世纪40—50年代厦门口岸的动荡以及走私、海盗和苦力贸易等活动的泛滥。

This article explores the impact of the restructuring of the Qing Dynasty’s trade management system and the circulation of silver in coastal areas by examining the frictions between British merchants and the official shroffs that collected taxes for the government after the opening of Amoy in November 1843.These shroffs only accepted foreign silver when paying taxes,but not sycee silver.Furthermore,they applied the Amoy exchange rate to exchange foreign currency for silver and refused to accept the Canton exchange rate.This behavior led to frictions between foreign merchants and the official shroffs in Amoy.After diplomatic negotiations,these shroffs eventually agreed to accept sycee silver as well as use the Canton exchange rate.From then on,the silver exchange rate for taxation at the five treaty ports was unified.The attempt by the official shroffs to use their identity advantage to control the trade and immigration operations in Southeast Asia had aroused dissatisfaction from British merchants.The Amoy merchants were finally dismissed from the official shroffs in February of 1846.Afterwards,the number of Cantonese compradors in Amoy increased,and the control of the Cantonese over the Amoy port became stronger,resulting in the turmoil,as well as the proliferation of smuggling,piracy,and coolie trade in Amoy port in the 1840s and 1850s.