本文探討十九世紀中期，中英商人在臺灣開港前後進行樟腦貿易的行動策略。由於樟腦是臺灣特有的物產，在臺灣開港前即已吸引洋商來此交易。然而臺灣樟腦的生產和販賣受到「軍工匠」制度控管，無法自由交易。過去研究強調英國自由貿易主義的政策與臺灣形似壟斷的軍工匠制度之衝突，導致外交協商破裂，釀成「安平砲擊事件」後，方使臺灣同意開放樟腦自由交易。不過，若透視上層外交檔案的語言，觀察下層中英商人為了謀求樟腦貿易之利而因應軍工匠制與條約體制的需求，隨時變換其商業策略的行徑，可發現真正的貿易衝突絕非「自由」或「壟斷」的概念，而是與地方官員和商人的實質利益息息相關。

This article examines how Sino-British merchants managed and competed in Taiwan’s camphor trade from 1850 to 1870. The foreign merchants traded in camphor, which was special product of Taiwan before Taiwan was opened as a treaty port. However, the leader of the Naval Shipyard Workers had the right to manufacture and sell camphor that did not allow ordinary people to trade freely. Most existing studies have pointed out that the conflict between British free trade policy and the camphor monopoly in Taiwan led to the breakdown of diplomatic negotiations and the outbreak of the so-called “Camphor War.” Rather than focusing on diplomatic negotiations and conflict, this article argues that in their competition for the profits of the camphor trade, local merchants, both Chinese and British, sometimes favored monopoly but also sometimes advocated free trade. They could change their position at any time according to their business interests at the time. This shows that the key point of the camphor disputes was not idea of free trade or monopoly, but the concrete business interests represented by local officials and merchants.

樟腦；樟腦戰爭；條約體制；軍工匠；自由貿易

camphor; camphor war; treaty system; Naval Shipyard Workers; free trade