BY R. S. GUNDRV, C.B.

The death of Mr. Archibald Little, who passed away at Falmouth in the autumn of 1908, after a long period of failing health, will be felt as a loss not only by his friends but by all who are interested in China. For his experience was in some respects unique. A merchant by the accident of career, he was a scholar and a traveller by bent of character and preference. Others have had larger and more successful commercial relations ; others have travelled more extensively ; others have acquired a more profound knowledge of the Chinese language ; others have evinced a keen and sympathetic insight into the Chinese mind and turns of thought ; others have recorded their experiences in thoughtful and sympathetic language. Mr. Little's forte was that he possessed all these qualifications in a sufficient degree to make him a capable pioneer, an interesting talker, an instructive writer, and a sympathetic host or guest with educated Chinese. I have said that the bent of his mind and tastes was towards science and travel rather than towards commerce ; and circumstances chanced, perhaps, to confirm the inclination; for he had hardly arrived in China (under engagement as tea-taster to a German firm), in 1859, ere the hindrance to commerce caused by the presence of the T'aip'ings gave him leisure to travel through the region they occupied, extending from the head waters of the Tsientang to the Poyang Lake — a journey which his knowledge of Chinese materially helped him to accomplish. It was perhaps the experience thus gained which encouraged him to start on his own account, in 1862, at the newly opened port of Kiukiang, where he created a successful business which he merged two years later in a new firm, Latimer, Little & Co., which he assisted in founding at Shanghai. This was wound up after a short term ; but he continued in business at Shanghai, in partnership with his brother, Mr. R. W. Little, till circumstances led him, in the early 'eighties, to turn his attention to the Upper Yangtse and Szechuan. Mr. Little's preferred amusement was yachting, and it may have been to some extent inclination which led him to start (in 1884) a winter service between Hankow and Ichang, in the little steamer Y-ling. Hitherto steamers had run above Hankow only in summer, but Mr. Little's example was promptly followed by the existing lines, one of which — the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company (since bought up and merged in the " China Merchants S. N. Co.") — eventually purchased or chartered the Y-ling.

阿奇博爾德·李德爾先生（Mr. Archibald Little）於1908年秋天在法爾茅斯（Falmouth）去世，這一消息不僅令他的朋友們感到哀傷，也讓所有對中國感興趣的人深感損失。 李德爾先生的經歷在某些方面是獨一無二的。雖然他因職業偶然成為商人，但他的性格和愛好使他更傾向於成為一名學者和旅行家。其他人可能在商業上取得了更大、更成功的成就；其他人或許旅遊範圍更廣；還有些人可能對中國語言有更深的理解，對中國人的思想方式有敏銳而富有同情心的洞察力，並以深思熟慮的語言記錄了他們的經歷。李德爾先生的特長在於，他擁有所有這些素質，雖然程度各異，但足以使他成為一位能幹的先驅、迷人的談話者、富有教益的作家，以及一位與受過教育的中國人相處融洽的主人或客人。

我提到過，他的興趣和愛好更多在於科學和旅行，而非商業，或許環境偶然間也鞏固了他的這一傾向。1859年，他作為一家德國公司的茶葉品鑒師來到中國，然而太平天國的存在阻礙了商業活動，這為他提供了旅行的閒暇。他得以穿越太平天國佔領的區域，從錢塘江上游一路到達鄱陽湖，而他的中文知識大大幫助了他完成這次旅程。或許正是這次經歷鼓勵了他在1862年於新開放的九江港自行創業，並在那裡創立了一個成功的商業企業。兩年後，他將這家公司與一家新公司——拉蒂默、李德爾公司（Latimer, Little & Co.）合併，並幫助在上海成立了這家公司。雖然該公司運營時間不長便結束了，但他在上海與他的兄弟R. W. 李德爾先生合夥繼續從事商業活動，直到1880年代早期，他的注意力轉向了長江上游和四川。

李德爾先生最喜愛的消遣是遊艇運動，這或許也促使他在1884年開始了冬季漢口至宜昌之間的小蒸汽船「夷陵號」（Y-ling）航運服務。在此之前，蒸汽船只有在夏季才能開往漢口以上的地區，但李德爾先生的例子迅速被現有航運公司效仿，其中之一就是上海輪船航運公司（Shanghai Steam Navigation Company，該公司後來被收購並併入「中國輪船公司」），該公司最終購買或租賃了「夷陵號」蒸汽船。**

vi FOREWORD

It was now that the most congenial (to himself) and interesting (to others) portion of Mr. Little's career began. Chungking was not formally opened to foreign trade till 1890, though provision had been made by Sir Thomas Wade in the Chefoo Convention (1876) that British merchants might reside there as soon as steamers gained access to the port. Mr. Little established himself there, however, in 1887, and induced a few friends to join him in building a stern-wheel steamer with which he hoped to pioneer the ascent of the rapids. The Ruling was, however, before her time. The Convention which declared Chungking open provided that traffic should be carried on in Chinese-built boats, and that only when Chinese steamers should convey cargo to Chungking and back might British steamers proceed there on the same footing. The Chinese authorities — technically justified by this clause — refused to allow the experiment, and he was compelled to sell the Ruling to the China Merchants S.N. Co., by whom she is, I believe, still run successfully on the lower Yangtse.

此時，李德爾先生事業中最適合他自身且對他人而言最有趣的部分開始了。雖然重慶直到1890年才正式對外開放貿易，但在1876年《煙台條約》中，湯瑪斯·威妥瑪爵士（Sir Thomas Wade）已規定，當蒸汽船能進入重慶港口時，英國商人便可在該地居住。然而，李德爾先生早在1887年便已定居重慶，並說服幾位朋友與他一起建造了一艘尾輪蒸汽船，他希望藉此開創通過長江激流的航線。但「夷陵號」（Ruling）卻提前了她的時代。《條約》中規定，重慶的貿易須以中國製造的船隻進行，只有當中國蒸汽船將貨物運送至重慶並返回時，英國蒸汽船才能在同等條件下運行。中國當局技術上依據這一條款，拒絕了李德爾的試驗。他被迫將「夷陵號」賣給了中國輪船公司（China Merchants S.N. Co.），據我所知，該船至今仍在長江下游成功運營。

FOREWORD vii

The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan swept away these restrictions, and Mr. Little — ambitious to be the first to take a British steamer up the rapids — designed and built, entirely out of his own resources, the little steam yacht Lee-chiien, with which (accompanied by Mrs. Little, but acting as his own captain and engineer), he set out from Shanghai in January, 1898, to make the attempt. The Lee-chuen's power was insufficient to enable her to surmount the worst rapids without tracking ; but he got through, and received a cordial welcome on reaching Chungking. The achievement encouraged certain of his friends to join him in building a more powerful steamer, which was manufactured (if we may use the term) in England, but sent out and put together in Shanghai. The Pioneer was a distinct success, but Mr. Little had only made one trip in her, between Ichang and Chungking (a.d. 1900), when the Boxer troubles led to her being taken up by H.M. Government to bring down British subjects who were held to be in jeopardy in the remote regions of the Upper Yangtse ; and how effectually she served the purpose may be judged from the fact that she arrived at Ichang with ninety-seven European and sixty Chinese passengers on board. She was soon after purchased, armed, manned with bluejackets, and is plying still on those waters as H.M. gunboat Kinsha.

《馬關條約》簽訂後，中日之間的這些限制被掃除，李德爾先生（Mr. Little）立志成為第一個駕駛英國蒸汽船通過長江激流的人。於是，他完全依靠自己的資源設計並建造了一艘小型蒸汽遊艇「麗川號」（Lee-chuen）。1898年1月，他與夫人一起從上海出發，並親自擔任船長和機械師，開始了這次挑戰。儘管「麗川號」的動力不足以不借助拖曳便順利通過最險峻的激流，但他最終成功抵達重慶，並受到了熱烈的歡迎。

這次成就鼓舞了他的幾位朋友加入他，建造了一艘更強大的蒸汽船，該船由英國製造（如果可以這麼說的話），但運至上海後再進行組裝。這艘船名為「先鋒號」（Pioneer），取得了顯著的成功。1900年，李德爾先生僅駕駛「先鋒號」完成了一次宜昌至重慶的航行，便因義和團事件爆發，該船被英國政府徵用，負責將上游偏遠地區處於危險中的英國公民撤回。從她的表現可見其效力之強，該船載著97名歐洲人和60名中國乘客順利抵達宜昌。不久後，「先鋒號」被購買、武裝，並由皇家海軍士兵駕駛，現作為英國皇家海軍的「金沙號」（H.M. gunboat Kinsha）在長江水域航行。

It was while engaged in his earlier trips on the Upper Yangtse that Mr. Little collected material for the interesting book (published in 1888) entitled Through the Yangtse Gorges, which estabhshed his reputation as a graphic and sympathetic writer on China. This was followed some years later (1901) by Mount Omi and Beyond, which introduced us to the little-known region of Szechuan on the Thibetan Border and to a phase of Chinese life, untouched as yet by foreign intercourse, which his linguistic acquirements and experience enabled him to depict with the perception and sense of humour that had delighted his readers in the previous work.

李德爾先生在長江上游進行早期航行時，收集了大量素材，並於1888年出版了他的著作《穿越長江三峽》（Through the Yangtse Gorges），這本書確立了他作為描寫中國的生動且富有同情心的作家的聲譽。幾年後，他在1901年出版了《峨眉山及其以遠》（Mount Omi and Beyond），這本書向讀者介紹了鮮為人知的四川藏邊地區，展示了尚未被外國勢力影響的中國生活狀態。李德爾先生憑藉其語言能力和豐富的經驗，生動而幽默地描繪了這些場景，延續了他在前一部作品中讓讀者著迷的風格。

Mrs, Little was his companion also on this journey ; and " Mount Onii " is embellished by excellent photographs taken by her under frequently difficult conditions. Mr. Little's magnum opus, however, though like other similar opera less familiarly known than his books of travel, is the descriptive work on the geography and geology of the Far East undertaken in connection with " The Regions of the World " series published at Oxford under the direction of Mr, Mackinder. It is upon this work — written, as he says in the preface, literally in intervals of business, but with the advantages of travel and local observation — that his friends would be content, probably, that his reputation as a scholar should rest. When it was published (in 1905) he was nearing the end of his career, though few who met him during his stay in England at that time would have anticipated that the final visit to China which he was contemplating would so fatally exhaust vitality which had, it is to be feared, been heavily drawn upon by earlier experiences. He returned to England in broken health, in 1907, and retiref* shortly to Falmouth, in the hope that rest and the mild air of the West country would enable him to resume the active work which he desired. The limit had, however, been passed. He retained hope and interest in affairs till nearly the end, but it was evident in the autumn of 1908, that the end was near ; and it came, on November 5, peacefully as his friends would wish.

李德爾先生在這次旅程中仍由夫人陪伴，《峨眉山及其以遠》（Mount Omi and Beyond）一書中還附有許多優秀的照片，這些照片是在經常困難的條件下由夫人拍攝的。然而，李德爾先生的代表作（magnum opus），雖然不像他的旅行書籍那樣為人熟知，卻是他為《世界各地區》（The Regions of the World）系列撰寫的描述遠東地理和地質的作品，該系列由馬金德（Mr. Mackinder）在牛津大學主導出版。這部作品，正如他在序言中所言，是在工作間隙中完成的，但受益於他在旅途中和當地的觀察。或許他的朋友們會認為，這部著作是他作為學者應該留名後世的作品。該書於1905年出版，當時他已接近職業生涯的尾聲，儘管當時與他在英國相識的人很少會預料到，他即將進行的中國最後一次訪問會如此耗盡他的精力，這種精力早在他之前的經歷中已被嚴重消耗。

1907年，他健康狀況惡化後返回英國，並很快搬到法爾茅斯，希望那裡的休養和西部地區溫和的氣候能讓他恢復活力，重返他渴望的積極工作中。不幸的是，他的健康狀況已經無法逆轉。直到生命的最後時刻，他依然保持對事務的興趣和希望，但到1908年秋天，顯然已接近終點。最終，他於11月5日平靜辭世，正如他的朋友們所期望的那樣。

He had looked forward, among other projects, to preparing for publication the essays which have been collected in the present volume ; and no one can be more conscious than those who have set themselves to carry out his purpose, how much its execution has suffered from the want of his guidance.

The essays are varied in topic and character, and varied they must have remained ; but he would have been able to avert some repetitions and to impart, perhaps, a certain coherence to chapters dealing with kindred topics and regions. By no one but the author, however.

can such a task be safely undertaken, especially where full knowledge and ripe judgment have inspired the original page. There is risk, even in a touch, of marring or distorting the thought ; so the papers have been reprinted practically as he left them — to speak for themselves.