Lagrené 本人並不是 1844 年直接前往曼谷與暹羅簽約的人；他的中國使命及其團隊在東南亞的考察，卻成為後來法國處理暹羅外交的重要經驗與參照。(Persée)
Théodose de Lagrené in 1844: China, Southeast Asia and the Road toward Siam
In the history of nineteenth-century relations between France, China and Siam, the year 1844 occupies an interesting place. It was the year in which the French diplomat Théodose de Lagrené (1800–1862) negotiated the Treaty of Whampoa with Qing China. The treaty established a new framework for Franco-Chinese commercial and diplomatic relations. But Lagrené's importance went beyond the treaty itself: his mission was part of a much wider French attempt to understand and enter the commercial world of East and Southeast Asia.
His story also has a significant connection with Siam, although the connection is more indirect than is sometimes suggested.
A French attempt to catch up in China
After the First Opium War, Britain had obtained major commercial privileges in China through the Treaty of Nanjing of 1842. Five Chinese ports were opened to British trade, and Hong Kong was ceded to Britain.
The French government under King Louis-Philippe did not want France to be left behind.
In 1843, Lagrené was appointed French Minister Plenipotentiary to China and given the task of negotiating a treaty that would secure for France commercial advantages comparable to those obtained by Britain. His mission was not simply diplomatic. It was also commercial, scientific and exploratory. (BnF - Site institutionnel)
The expedition was therefore a remarkably large enterprise. It included diplomats, interpreters, naval officers, financial officials and commercial specialists. Among them were people responsible for investigating cotton, wool, silk, textiles, trade, customs and navigation. Jules Itier, for example, was sent by the French Ministry of Finance to study tariffs and navigation. (Agorha)
This is important because France was not merely asking:
"Can we sign a treaty with China?"
It was also asking:
"How does the Asian commercial system actually work, and how can France participate in it?"
The Treaty of Whampoa, 24 October 1844
Lagrené arrived at Macao in August 1844. Negotiations were conducted with the Qing imperial commissioner Qiying (耆英).
On 24 October 1844, Lagrené and Qiying signed the Treaty of Whampoa (黃埔條約) aboard the French steam corvette Archimède near Canton.
The treaty opened five Chinese ports to French trade:
Canton (Guangzhou 廣州)
Fuzhou (福州)
Xiamen/Amoy (廈門)
Ningbo (寧波)
Shanghai (上海)
It also contained provisions concerning Catholic missionaries and the practice of Christianity. The treaty was therefore not simply a commercial agreement; it helped establish a new institutional framework for French activity in China. (Agorha)
The French government subsequently established a permanent diplomatic presence in China. The French diplomatic archives still preserve the earliest registers relating to Lagrené's mission, including records connected with the preparation of the French legation. (Archives Diplomatiques)
But Lagrené's mission was much larger than China
One of the most fascinating aspects of the expedition is that it did not treat China as an isolated market.
While the diplomatic negotiations were taking place, members of the commercial delegation travelled through parts of Southeast Asia. Their itinerary included places such as Malacca, Singapore and Manila, as well as Java and other parts of the region. The mission's official geographical itinerary also included Mindanao, the Sulu Islands, Basilan, Borneo, Java, Sumatra and Cochinchina. (Agorha)
The commercial investigators were instructed to study much more than prices.
They examined:
textile production;
silk and silk-rearing;
cotton;
dyes;
manufacturing techniques;
local consumer preferences;
European imports;
Chinese commercial networks;
shipping and ports;
the competitive position of British and other European merchants.
Claudine Salmon's detailed study of the expedition shows that the French delegation specifically investigated the textile industries of the region from China through Southeast Asia. (Persée)
In other words, Lagrené's expedition was beginning to look at East and Southeast Asia as one interconnected commercial space.
Where does Siam enter the story?
This is where some historical care is necessary.
Siam was not the principal destination of Lagrené's 1844 diplomatic mission, and the evidence for Lagrené himself conducting negotiations in Bangkok in 1844 should not be confused with the later French-Siamese mission.
His expedition's documented Southeast Asian route focused on places such as Malacca, Singapore, Manila and the Indonesian archipelago, as well as the Philippines and Cochinchina. (Agorha)
Nevertheless, the Chinese experience became highly relevant to subsequent French diplomacy toward Siam.
The reason is straightforward.
After Britain demonstrated the commercial value of treaty-making in China, European governments increasingly sought similar arrangements elsewhere in Asia. The French experience under Lagrené provided a practical model: negotiate access to ports, obtain commercial privileges, secure protection for French nationals and missionaries, and establish a permanent diplomatic or consular presence.
Siam would become particularly important because it was still an independent kingdom, situated between British influence in Burma and the Malay world and French expansion in Indochina.
From Lagrené to Charles de Montigny
The most direct personal connection between Lagrené's China mission and later French diplomacy in Siam is Charles de Montigny.
Montigny was a member of Lagrené's mission in China. After the Whampoa treaty, he became an important figure in the developing French presence in China, eventually serving as French consul in Shanghai and Ningbo. (Agorha)
More than a decade later, in the 1850s, Montigny became the French diplomat sent to negotiate with King Mongkut (Rama IV) of Siam.
This is an important historical bridge:
Lagrené → China → Charles de Montigny → Siam
The Siamese mission therefore belonged to a later generation of French diplomacy, but one of its principal diplomats had actually learned his craft within Lagrené's Chinese mission.
The Bowring Treaty changes the situation
The decisive turning point for Siam came in 1855, when Britain negotiated the Bowring Treaty with King Mongkut.
The treaty opened Siam more fully to international commerce and granted Britain substantial commercial privileges.
France then wanted comparable treatment.
Historical documentation on the later French-Siamese negotiations explicitly notes that French instructions to Montigny drew upon earlier French treaties, including Lagrené's 1844 treaty with China, alongside the British treaty recently concluded at Bangkok. (IGNCA)
This gives us a much more interesting connection than simply saying "Lagrené went to Siam."
He did not simply carry French diplomacy from Paris to Bangkok.
Rather, the Chinese experiment of 1844 became part of the diplomatic toolkit later used by France in Siam.
China and Siam: two different diplomatic environments
There was, however, a fundamental difference.
China in the 1840s had just suffered defeat in the First Opium War and was being forced into a series of treaties with Western powers.
Siam was in a different position.
Under King Mongkut, Siam actively sought to manage relations with the Western powers while preserving its political independence. The kingdom therefore negotiated with Britain, France and other foreign powers rather than simply being treated as a defeated state.
The French experience in China nevertheless gave French diplomats a valuable precedent.
They had learned that commercial treaties could create a long-term institutional presence:
trade → consuls → merchants → missionaries → information → political influence.
That pattern became increasingly important in Southeast Asia during the second half of the nineteenth century.
Lagrené's wider significance
Lagrené is therefore important for three interconnected reasons.
First, he helped establish a new phase in Franco-Chinese relations. The Treaty of Whampoa of 1844 gave France access to the five treaty ports and strengthened the institutional basis of French activity in China. (BnF - Site institutionnel)
Second, his expedition was an early example of state-sponsored commercial intelligence. French officials did not merely negotiate with governments; they systematically studied industries, markets, transport, consumers and technology across Asia. (Persée)
Third, his mission helped create a network of people and knowledge that later extended beyond China. Charles de Montigny is the clearest example: a member of Lagrené's China mission subsequently became a key French negotiator in Siam.
This is why 1844 can be seen as part of a larger transition in French Asian policy.
From China to Siam — and eventually Indochina
There is also a larger geopolitical story.
In the 1840s France was attempting to recover its position in Asia after a long period in which Britain had become increasingly dominant in Asian trade.
China offered an enormous market.
Siam offered a strategically located independent kingdom.
Vietnam and Cochinchina offered another field for French commercial, missionary and eventually military expansion.
The French experience therefore evolved progressively:
China, 1844 → Siam, 1850s → Cochinchina and French Indochina, later nineteenth century.
Lagrené did not personally create French Indochina, nor was his 1844 mission simply a colonial expedition. But his mission belonged to the early stage of the process through which France rebuilt a durable political, commercial and diplomatic presence in East and Southeast Asia.
A small but revealing historical detail
There is even a Chinese dimension to Lagrené's identity.
Modern Chinese scholarship records his name as 喇萼尼 (Lā'èní), while historical French records variously spell his first name as Théodose or Théodore and his surname sometimes as Lagrené or Lagrenée. Modern archival scholarship generally favours Théodose de Lagrené. (OpenEdition Journals)
His mission consequently left traces not only in French diplomatic archives but also in the commercial, missionary, scientific and visual records of nineteenth-century Asia.
Conclusion
Théodose de Lagrené's journey of 1844 should therefore not be remembered simply as the story of a French diplomat who signed a treaty with China.
It was part of a much broader French attempt to understand and enter the interconnected markets of China and Southeast Asia.
The Treaty of Whampoa established a new French position in China. The commercial delegation gathered information about the wider Asian economy. Members of the mission, particularly Charles de Montigny, subsequently carried their experience into new diplomatic arenas.
When France turned its attention to Siam after Britain's 1855 Bowring Treaty, the lessons of the Lagrené mission were still relevant. The connection between Lagrené and Siam was therefore not primarily a personal visit to Bangkok in 1844, but an institutional and human chain of experience: the China mission of 1844 helped shape the French diplomatic approach that was later applied to Siam.
In that sense, 1844 was not only a year in the history of Franco-Chinese relations. It was also one of the early stepping stones toward the French diplomatic and commercial expansion across Southeast Asia.
Sources: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Patrimoines Partagés; French Diplomatic Archives; INHA/AGORHA; Claudine Salmon, Archipel, 75 (2008). (BnF - Site institutionnel)
1844 年的拉格雷內：從中國、東南亞到暹羅之路
1844 年的拉格雷內：從中國、東南亞到暹羅之路
在十九世紀法國、中國與暹羅（Siam，今泰國）的關係史中，1844 年是一個很值得注意的年份。這一年，法國外交官 Théodose de Lagrené（拉格雷內，1800–1862）代表法國與清朝談判，最後簽訂著名的《黃埔條約》。
這份條約為法國在中國建立新的商業及外交關係奠定基礎。
但拉格雷內的重要性其實不止於一紙條約。他所率領的使團，同時也是法國試圖了解並進入東亞及東南亞商業世界的一次大型考察。
而他與暹羅的關係，也正是在這裡出現。
不過首先要釐清一點：
拉格雷內本人並不是 1844 年直接到曼谷與暹羅簽約的法國外交官。
他與暹羅的關係，主要是一條「間接但非常重要」的歷史脈絡：拉格雷內的中國使團 → 中國外交經驗 → 夏爾・德・蒙蒂尼（Charles de Montigny）→ 後來的暹羅外交。 (Persée)
一、英國打開中國之後，法國不願落後
第一次鴉片戰爭結束後，英國在 **1842 年《南京條約》**中取得重大商業利益，五個中國港口對外開放，香港亦割讓予英國。
法國政府自然不希望在遠東市場落後於英國。
因此，1843 年，法國國王路易・菲力浦任命拉格雷內為法國駐華全權公使，要求他與清政府談判，爭取法國獲得與英國相近的商業待遇。(BnF - Site institutionnel)
這個使團其實非常龐大。
它不只是外交使團，還包括：
外交官；
翻譯；
海軍人員；
財政及海關官員；
商業專家；
紡織業考察人員；
醫生及其他專業人士。
例如 Jules Itier（朱爾・伊蒂耶）便代表法國財政部，研究中國的關稅、海關及航運。(Agorha)
所以法國真正想知道的，不只是：
「我們能不能與中國簽一份條約？」
而是：
「中國以及整個亞洲的商業體系到底怎樣運作？法國怎樣才能真正進入這個市場？」
二、1844 年《黃埔條約》
拉格雷內於 1844 年 8 月抵達澳門。
他與清朝欽差大臣**耆英（Qiying）**進行談判。
到了 1844 年 10 月 24 日，雙方在廣州附近黃埔、法國蒸汽軍艦 Archimède 上簽署了著名的**《黃埔條約》**。
條約讓法國商人在中國五個港口進行貿易：
同時，條約也涉及天主教傳教士及基督宗教活動的問題。(Agorha)
因此，《黃埔條約》並不只是一份商業協議。
它實際上幫助法國在中國建立了一套較持久的：
外交＋商業＋領事＋傳教
制度。
法國外交檔案至今仍保存著拉格雷內中國使團最早期的檔案，包括與法國駐華使館成立有關的資料。(Archives Diplomatiques)
三、但拉格雷內使團的視野並不限於中國
這也是這段歷史最有意思的地方。
拉格雷內的任務雖然名義上是「中國使團」，但法國並沒有把中國看成一個孤立的市場。
使團成員在外交談判以外，也考察了廣大的東南亞地區。
行程涉及：
馬六甲、新加坡、馬尼拉、爪哇、蘇門答臘、婆羅洲、菲律賓、馬來地區及交趾支那等地。 (Agorha)
他們研究的東西非常實際：
絲綢；
養蠶；
棉花；
紡織；
染料；
生產技術；
商品價格；
當地人的消費習慣；
歐洲貨品的市場；
中國商人的貿易網絡；
港口及航運。
Claudine Salmon 對這次使團的研究顯示，法國人特別關注從中國延伸至東南亞的紡織品及商業網絡。(Persée)
換句話說，法國開始把：
中國＋東南亞
看成一個互相連接的經濟區域。
四、那麼，暹羅究竟在哪裡？
這裡需要特別小心。
現有可靠資料顯示，暹羅並不是拉格雷內 1844 年中國外交任務的主要目的地。
他的使團及商業考察團的東南亞行程，主要涉及馬六甲、新加坡、馬尼拉及荷屬東印度群島等地。官方資料所列出的整個行程，也包括菲律賓、婆羅洲、爪哇、蘇門答臘、交趾支那等地。(Agorha)
因此，不宜把拉格雷內寫成：
「1844 年法國派拉格雷內到曼谷與暹羅簽約。」
這並不準確。
真正有意思的是另一件事。
拉格雷內在中國建立的外交模式，後來成為法國處理暹羅問題時的重要參考。
五、拉格雷內與暹羅之間最重要的人物：蒙蒂尼
這條歷史線索中，最值得注意的人物就是：
Charles de Montigny（夏爾・德・蒙蒂尼）。
蒙蒂尼本身就是拉格雷內中國使團的成員。
後來，他成為法國在中國的重要外交官，並曾任法國駐上海、寧波的領事。(Agorha)
到了 1850 年代，蒙蒂尼又被派往暹羅，與暹羅國王**蒙固王（拉瑪四世，King Mongkut / Rama IV）**進行外交談判。
於是便出現了一條非常有意思的歷史鏈：
拉格雷內 → 1844 中國 → 蒙蒂尼 → 1850 年代暹羅
也就是說，拉格雷內本人未必需要親自踏足曼谷；他的外交經驗卻透過自己的團隊成員延伸到了暹羅。
六、1855 年《鮑林條約》改變了暹羅的局面
真正令暹羅成為歐洲列強外交焦點的另一個重要事件，是 1855 年英國與暹羅簽訂《鮑林條約》（Bowring Treaty）。
英國與蒙固王政府達成協議，使暹羅更加開放國際貿易，並給予英國重要的商業待遇。
法國當然也希望取得類似的待遇。
有趣的是，後來法國派蒙蒂尼處理暹羅問題時，法國外交指示明確參考了先前的外交條約，包括：
1844 年拉格雷內與中國簽訂的《黃埔條約》
以及剛剛由英國與暹羅簽訂的條約。(IGNCA)
這就是拉格雷內與暹羅之間最值得注意的歷史關係。
不是：
「拉格雷內本人到曼谷。」
而是：
「1844 年中國外交的經驗，後來成為法國處理暹羅外交時的一部分制度及談判參考。」
七、中國與暹羅，其實是兩種不同的外交環境
當然，中國和暹羅的情況並不一樣。
1840 年代的中國剛剛在第一次鴉片戰爭中戰敗，西方列強透過一系列條約取得商業利益。
暹羅則不同。
暹羅仍然是一個獨立王國，而且蒙固王政府相當積極地處理與西方列強的關係。
因此，暹羅不是單純被迫接受中國式的外交安排。
它更像是在：
英國、法國及其他西方勢力之間，主動調整自己的外交及商業政策。
但是，法國從中國得到了一個重要經驗：
商業條約 → 領事 → 商人 → 傳教士 → 資訊 → 更長期的政治影響
這套模式，在十九世紀後半葉的東南亞變得越來越重要。
八、從拉格雷內到法屬印度支那
如果把歷史放大來看，拉格雷內的中國使團其實是法國重新建立亞洲影響力的一個早期環節。
大致可以看到這條發展線：
1844：中國——《黃埔條約》
↓
1850年代：暹羅——法國開始尋求與英國相近的商業待遇
↓
十九世紀後半：越南／交趾支那
↓
法屬印度支那的形成
當然，不能把這條線理解為一條由拉格雷內單獨設計好的「殖民計劃」。歷史實際上由不同政府、外交官、商人、傳教士、海軍及當地政治力量共同推動。
但拉格雷內的中國使命，確實屬於法國重新建立東亞及東南亞長期存在的一個早期階段。
九、拉格雷內真正重要的地方
如果從今天回頭看，拉格雷內的重要性可以分成三層。
第一層：外交
他在 1844 年簽署《黃埔條約》，使法國取得在中國五個港口進行貿易的制度性地位。(BnF - Site institutionnel)
第二層：商業情報
他的使團並不只是「談判」。
法國派出專門人士研究：
市場、價格、產品、紡織、生產技術、航運、關稅、消費者。
這其實很像十九世紀版本的「市場研究＋競爭情報」。
(Persée)
第三層：人才及知識網絡
拉格雷內的使團培養了一批後來活躍於亞洲的法國外交及商業人物。
其中最重要的例子，就是：
Charles de Montigny。
他從拉格雷內的中國使團出發，後來又成為法國處理暹羅外交的重要人物。(Agorha)
結語：1844 不只是一份中國條約
因此，如果我們只把 Théodose de Lagrené 記成：
「1844 年與中國簽訂《黃埔條約》的法國外交官」
其實還不夠完整。
更準確的理解是：
1844 年的拉格雷內使團，是法國重新進入東亞及東南亞的一次大型外交、商業及知識考察。
它以中國為中心，但視野已經延伸到整個東南亞。
而拉格雷內與暹羅之間最重要的聯繫，並不是他本人在 1844 年到曼谷，而是：
《黃埔條約》的中國經驗 → 拉格雷內的外交團隊 → Charles de Montigny → 1850 年代法國與暹羅的談判。
因此，可以把這段歷史濃縮成一句話：
1844 年，拉格雷內為法國打開了一扇通往中國的門；而這扇門所累積的外交經驗、人員與知識，後來又成為法國走向暹羅及東南亞的一部分橋樑。
這也是為甚麼研究 1844 年拉格雷內的中國使命，其實不只是研究中法關係；它同時可以幫助我們理解十九世紀法國如何逐步建立它在中國、暹羅、越南及整個東南亞的外交與商業網絡。 (Persée)
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