安全與效率：1786-1816 年間英國東印度公司對華的船運管理

Safety and Efficiency: The English East India Company’s Shipping Management of the China Trade Between 1786-1816

1780 年代末起，英國東印度公司 (English East India Company, 1600-1858) 對華貿易量顯著增長，中國也成為公司日益重視的市場。十八世紀末與十九世紀初，受到英國對外戰爭頻仍，以及中國東南沿海海盜猖獗的影響，使公司在財務、貨物、人事等因素以外，需要比平時更費心地規畫船運管理事務，包括航線安排、船隊組成方式、保持運輸的安全與效能。本文基於原始檔案，統計1786 年至1816 年間公司船隻航運的相關數據，通過事例分析，說明公司各部門如何分工管理對華的船運，遭遇意外時如何應變，以確保航行安全和運輸效率。論述在此戰亂紛擾時期，公司船運管理的成效是中英貿易能夠維持穩定運作的重要因素之一。

From the end of the 1780s, the China trade of the English East India Company (hereafter the EIC) grew rapidly, prompting the EIC to put greater emphasis on the China market. At the end of the 18th century and in the early 19th century, the British frequently engaged in war, and Chinese pirates initiated violence along the China coast. Under such conditions, the EIC, in addition to the usual arrangements of capital, cargo and personnel, needed to take more care than usual regarding shipping management, which included the planning of sea routes, the organization of the fleet, and the maintenance of transportation safety and efficiency, etc. Based on examples drawn from original files, which contain statistical data concerning the EIC’s shipping from 1786 to 1816, this article will explain how the relevant departments of the EIC cooperated with one another to manage the shipping affairs of the China trade. It will also examine how they responded to an emergency case in an effort to ensure both navigation safety and transportation efficiency. It is argued here that during such a time of war and disturbance, the success of the EIC’s management was an important element in maintaining the stability of the Anglo- Chinese trade.