譯者：蠶豆 編撰：馮曉暉

“九江近代史料研究”系列作為“九江文史”下的子欄目，致力于深入挖掘早期報刊書籍、檔案文件、歷史照片、地圖等原始史料，并結(jié)合當(dāng)代視角加以解讀，力求多維度展現(xiàn)九江近代歷史的真實風(fēng)貌。

一、史料來源與背景

【本篇資料】

來源：1896年4月28日，英國《泰晤士報》第10版。

標(biāo)題：A SANATORIUM FOR THE YANG-TSZE VALLEY（揚子江流域的一處療養(yǎng)地）。

作者：不詳

【背景說明】

《泰晤士報》（The Times）創(chuàng)刊于1785年，是英國歷史最悠久、影響力最大的全國性日報之一。長期以來被視為英國的“官方法定記錄報”（newspaper of record），內(nèi)容涵蓋政治、國際事務(wù)、經(jīng)濟、文化與體育等多個領(lǐng)域，被譽為“英國社會的忠實記錄者”。作為一份具有全球影響力的媒體，《泰晤士報》在世界政治、經(jīng)濟與文化領(lǐng)域均發(fā)揮著深遠(yuǎn)作用。

根據(jù)目前檢索到的資料，這篇發(fā)表于1896年的文章，不僅是《泰晤士報》上首篇有關(guān)廬山的報道，也極有可能是歐美報刊中最早介紹牯嶺避暑地的文字。

二、原文及譯文

原文：

A SANATORIUM FOR THE YANG-TSZE VALLEY

One of the most pressing needs of the foreigners resident at the various treaty ports along the Yang-tsze has been some place at a considerable elevation to which they could conveniently go during the hot season. The difficulty is that there is an almost total absence of hills in proximity to the river below Ichang. A little to the south of the treaty port of Kiu-kiang is a range called the Lushan, and after a hard struggle a site has been obtained amongst these hills at a place called Kuling, a name which for many months past has become familiar to every reader of the English papers published in the Far East.

For some years sites for bungalows at this place were easily obtainable by foreigners, but during 1894 proclamations were issued by the local authorities, forbidding the renting or selling of these sites without official permission. In December, 1894, however, Mr. Little, a resident of Kiu-kiang, leased a site on temple property, on Lushan, from the responsible temple authorities, and forthwith the district magistrate arrested all the natives concerned, and sent them to gaol until the lease was given up. Mr. Little gave up the lease and lost his money, on the promise of the magistrate to obtain another site for him, and Kuling was selected. It was at the time waste and ownerless land on the mountain top, and the consent of all the officials and people concerned having been obtained, Mr. Little got his lease in January, 1895.

Europeans in the various ports on the river went shares in making a road and preparing for putting up houses on the spot, but in April a secretary to the district governor (who had approved of the lease being granted) and some others joined in a petition against allowing foreigners to build, on the ground that they would interfere with the geomantic influences of the neighbourhood. Placards to the same effect and urging the people to attack foreigners and the workmen were put out in Kiu-kiang. In consequence the district magistrate ordered all work to be stopped. On April 25 a mob from a village 10 miles away appeared at Kuling, drove off the workmen, and destroyed two houses and all the building material. A number of persons who had assisted the foreigners were arrested and sentenced to be kept in gaol till Mr. Little should give up the deed. Torture is said to have been applied to some of the poor people, and their relatives besieged Mr. Little's residence day and night weeping and tearing their hair.

Sir Nicholas O'Conor demanded the release of the innocent prisoners and the punishment of those who incited the mob, but for many months in vain. The local authorities obstinately demanded the return of the deed and promised still another site; but ultimately the persistence of the Minister, Mr. Beauclerk, and Mr. Brady, the Consul at Kiu-kiang, was successful, and Mr. Little retained his site. It is described as an upland, 6,600ft. above the sea, in the heart of a beautiful range of mountains, and is 5.5 hours' distance from Kin-kiang. The range is celebrated in Chinese history and poetry. A rest house, called "Community Bungalow," has been erected at the foot of the range, and a suitable road has been made to the summit, where it may be hoped that the foreign communities are now in possession of the site for a sanatorium which they have long sorely needed.

譯文：

對于住在揚子江（Yang-tsze）沿岸各通商口岸的外國人來說，最急切的需求之一是在酷熱季節(jié)能有海拔高度合適、方便再前往避暑的地方。困難在于，宜昌（Ichang）下游幾乎完全找不到近岸的高處。

在九江（Kiu-kiang）的通商口岸以南不遠(yuǎn)處，有一片稱為廬山（Lushan）的山脈。經(jīng)過一番艱苦努力，終于在這片山間一個叫牯嶺（Kuling）的地方拿到了一塊地。過去的幾個月，遠(yuǎn)東英文報紙的每位讀者都已知曉了牯嶺的名字。

多年以來，外國人都能輕易在此拿到土地，建造他們的小屋。但在1894年間，地方當(dāng)局發(fā)布公告，禁止在未經(jīng)官方許可的情況下擅自出租或出賣這些地皮。不過，當(dāng)年12月，住在九江的利特爾先生（Mr. Little）*從廬山上值得信賴的寺廟負(fù)責(zé)人手中租下了一塊屬于寺廟財產(chǎn)的地皮。當(dāng)?shù)毓俑S即逮捕了所有涉事的中國人并將其送進(jìn)監(jiān)獄，直到租約被放棄。利特爾放棄了租約、損失了金錢，當(dāng)?shù)毓俑兄Z為他另外找一處地方，牯嶺就這樣被選中了。當(dāng)時，牯嶺還是山頂?shù)囊黄瑹o主荒地。在征得所有相關(guān)的官員和老百姓同意后，利特爾于1895年1月簽下了租約。

沿江各口岸的歐洲人分?jǐn)偭嗽诖诵藿ㄒ粭l道路和準(zhǔn)備建造房屋的成本。但在4月，曾批準(zhǔn)租約的地方長官的一位秘書卻和其他人聯(lián)名上書，抗議政府允許外國人在這塊地皮上建造房屋，理由是他們會影響附近的風(fēng)水。在九江，出現(xiàn)了同樣擔(dān)心風(fēng)水受到影響并煽動攻擊外國人和施工人員的標(biāo)語。結(jié)果，當(dāng)?shù)毓俑铝钔Ｖ顾泄こ獭?/p>

4月25日，牯嶺出現(xiàn)了一群來自10英里外村莊的暴民，他們趕走了工人，破壞了兩棟房屋，毀掉了所有建筑材料。之后，很多曾經(jīng)為外國人提供幫助的人士被逮捕，他們并被判處監(jiān)禁——直到利特爾放棄租約方可釋放。據(jù)說，在這些可憐的人里，有的遭到了酷刑，而他們的家屬則包圍了利特爾的住處，從早到晚嚎啕大哭、撕扯著自己的頭發(fā)。

尼古拉斯·奧康納爵士（Sir Nicholas O’ Conor）*要求釋放無辜的犯人并懲處暴民的煽動者，然而數(shù)月未果。地方當(dāng)局頑固地要求放棄租約，并再度承諾另尋一地。不過，駐清公使貝爾克勒先生（Mr. Beauclerk）*和駐九江領(lǐng)事布萊迪先生（Mr. Brady）*的堅持最終取得了成功，利特爾保住了他的地皮。

據(jù)稱，這是一片海拔3600英尺的高地，位于秀麗群山的中心地帶，距離九江5.5小時路程。此山在中國的歷史和詩歌中頗負(fù)盛名。山腳修建了一間名為“公共小屋”的休息室，還有一條通向山頂?shù)氖孢m小道。人們期待，外國社團(tuán)如今終于在此擁有了一處渴望已久的療養(yǎng)勝地。

三、注釋與解讀

* 利特爾先生（Mr. Little）：即李德立（Edward Selby Little，1864—1939），英國傳教士，牯嶺避暑地的開發(fā)者（見編者所寫的《九江歷史上的今天 · 11月22日 · 冒險家李德立的傳奇故事》）

李德立像 圖源：hpcbristol.net

* 尼古拉斯·歐格納爵士（Sir Nicholas O’ Conor, 1843-1908），英國外交官，時任英國駐清公使。另譯作“奧康納”“歐格訥”等。

* 威廉·貝爾克勒（William Nelthorpe Beauclerk, 1849-1908），英國外交官，曾在1892年、1895至 1896年間兩次出任駐清公使臨時代辦。另譯作“寶克樂。

* 赫伯特·布萊迪（Herbert Francis Brady，1854–1924），英國外交官，1876年進(jìn)入英國駐華使團(tuán)，歷任九江、宜昌、上海等地領(lǐng)事職務(wù)，1906 年升任駐福州總領(lǐng)事 。布萊迪亦為熱衷攝影與影像收藏的外交官，其攝影集《博覽中華圖志》收錄大量十九世紀(jì)末中國城鎮(zhèn)與風(fēng)景影像，涵蓋九江、宜昌及天津等地，為近代通商口岸研究的重要視覺史料。中文資料中偶作“雷夏伯”。

本篇文章介紹了李德立如何取得牯嶺租借地的過程。其中的部分內(nèi)容，在李德立所著的《Story of Kuling》（《牯嶺的故事》）中有更詳盡的記載，可參見編者所寫《九江歷史上的今天 · 11月29日 · 開辟牯嶺，中國旅游地產(chǎn)的祖師級案例》一文。文中提到的寺廟，即今日馬尾水景區(qū)內(nèi)的九峰寺。

值得注意的是，文中所反映的英帝國主義者的傲慢心態(tài)，以及他們對中國官員與民眾的輕蔑態(tài)度，在字里行間皆可見一斑。

【作者簡介】

蠶豆，26歲，江西九江人，地方文化愛好者，博士在讀。

【后記】

本文的難得之處在于：這是目前所能檢索到的最早一篇發(fā)表于英國的關(guān)于廬山避暑地的報道，也可視為一篇推廣廬山牯嶺地產(chǎn)的“軟文”。

作者“蠶豆”是一位在北京攻讀博士的九江人。因?qū)亦l(xiāng)文化懷有濃厚興趣，他查得此文后，將其譯為中文并投稿于本公眾號。能有這樣的青年學(xué)者為九江文史研究添磚加瓦，實在是令人欣慰。