珠江河口における貿易秩序と海賊問題(一七八〇 一八二〇)

Abstract

The Canton trade system, connecting China and the world economy, was one of the most notable trade networks in the world, but his important trade was threatened by piracy in the first decade of the 19th century. This article examines the security of the Canton trade system by analyzing how "Europeans" -- the English East India Company (EIC), which had the largest market share, and the Macao government, which had been established in Canton 300 years before, -- and the Ch'ing China government dealt with piracy problems between 1780 and 1820. The EIC had not been concerned with the piracy problem around Canton because their interests in China were not threatened by piracy. However, in 1807, the EIC's Select Committee of Supercargoes at Canton perceived a need for an expedition by the British Forces to suppress the pirates. After an initial rejection by the Governor-General of Bengal in 1807, the Select Committee of Supercargoes petitioned again for an expedition on the pretext of taking precautions during the Napoleonic War. The Governor-General of Bengal ultimately accepted the Select Committee of Supercargoes' petition from Canton, and the British forces occupied Macao in September 1808. The intention of the expedition was to occupy Macao, which was a rival of the EIC in the opium trade. Indian opium was used to offset payments in silver for the EIC's tea trade in Canton. The Sino-Indian opium trade had been expanding since the 1780s, spurred by the dramatic increase in the tea trade that followed the Commutation Act of 1784, which reduced taxes on tea from 119% to 12.5% and increased the demand for tea in Britain. The Select Committee at Canton was eager to increase and monopolize the opium trade. Macanese merchants however held a 30% market share of opium in Canton. In addition, the Macao government levied a duty on the opium coming through Macao. Macao was thus an obstacle to the EIC's opium trade. The suppression of piracy in Canton was a mere expedient to legitimize a British expedition to Macao, and the real purpose of the expedition was to repress the opium trade of the Macanese. J. W. Roberts, the president of the Select Committee of Supercargoes from 1807 to 1809, and W. Baring, one of the Supercargoes at Canton were deeply involved in the opium trade, and attempted to monopolize the opium trade in Canton by using military force. In December 1808, the British Forces retreated from Macao because of the aggressive opposition by the Ch'ing authorities in Kuangtung and the Macao government. The exceptional plan of Roberts and Baring ended in total failure, and the EIC had little influence in the management of security for the Canton trade system after all. Piracy in Canton had been a critical problem for Macao, and the Macao government was, however, unable to implement effective measures to solve the problem before 1808. The Macao government and the Ch'ing authorities in Kuangtung had cooperated to opposite against the occupation of Macao by British forces and its experiment brought about a strengthening of the relationship between the two actors. Then, in November 1809, the Macao and Kuangtung authorities entered into an agreement for a united fleet to suppress the pirates in Canton. At the same time, the Macao government found a contact among pirate leaders to mediate in negotiations for the pirates' surrender to the Ch'ing government. In April 1810, the famous pirate leader Cheung Po Tsai surrendered to the Ch'ing government as a result of the mediation of the Macao government. The security of Canton trade was managed by the Ch'ing authorities in Kuangtung and the Macau government, and the circumstances after the piracy problem was resolved remained stable until the mid-1820s. In the late 1820s, a large amount of cheap and high quality opium dealt by country traders appeared in the Sino-India trade. The EIC, Macao and the Ch'ing authorities in Kuangtung were unable to control the new opium trade, and the international trade order in Canton started to collapse.