天津销烟

早在林则徐虎门销烟半年之前，天津就进行了大规模的销烟活动。清道光十二年(1832),英国大鸦片贩子查顿，开始向天津直接走私鸦片。租赁了新造的飞剪船 “气仙号”出航上海和天津，并请德籍传教士做翻译，利用传教、贿赂等手段，大量销售鸦片。鸦片走私进入天津，多数是通过福建、广东的商船，从英国鸦片贩子手中转贩而来的。
道光十八年七月二十七日(1838年9月15日),江西道监察御史狄听上奏了《请饬拿天津洋船夹带鸦片由》的奏折。
转天，道光皇帝命直隶总督琦善 “严密查拿，按律惩办”。八月十八日，琦善奏报先后拿获烟土160000余两，人犯11名，提到省里审办。九月十九日(11月5日),琦善奏报天津镇道在大沽口 “金广兴”号洋船上，查获烟土82口袋，计重13. 1536万两，并起获烟枪107根，以及烟灯、烟锅等烟具和军械。道光皇帝大为震惊称： “天津一船之内，夹带如许之多，此外浸灌各省海口者更难数计。”根据新编《红桥区志》记载：原拟将所获烟土、烟具集中在大沽口一带海河岸边积薪焚烧，但 “不免融结成块，间有存性” 。改用旧存助赈铁锅数十口，在教军场用土坯砌成锅圈，架锅于上，锅内 “沃以桐油，烧热投入烟土，顷刻成膏，再加焚烧，膏亦着火，焦枯无用。仍将余泽揉碎，抛弃海河”。一切烟具，亦同时销毁。
天津卫的教军场，原在卫城的东南，明弘治年间，兵备道刘福，移教军场于西门外； 康熙十三年(1674),总兵田进学重修，有演武厅、将台、旗纛庙等。同治年间，因演武厅储存火药，不慎被焚，后经重修，成为直隶总督每年阅兵的地方； 旁设亲兵营。清末废，旧址改为罪犯习艺所(今人民医院)址。
天津的销烟，比道光十九年四月二十二日(1839年6月3日)林则徐在虎门海滩轰轰烈烈的销烟早了半年之久。天津是当时国内一次性销毁烟土最多的口岸。
In 1832 (the 12th year of Emperor Daoguang in the QingDynasty),Jardine started to smuggle opium into Tianjin.At first,he did not get much; then he rented newly-madeship and sailed to Shanghai and Tianjin. He employeda German missionary as his translator and sold largequantity of opium through missionize and bribe. Most ofthe opium smuggled into Tianjin by merchant ships fromFujian and Guangdong provinces were bought from theBritish opium traders.
On Sep 15,1838,Di Ting,cencor of JiangxiProvince submitted a memorial to the throne titled"Request to Detain Tianjin Foreign Merchant Ships thatSmuggle Opium."
On the next day,Emperor Daoguang issued anorder to Qishan,the Governor-General of Zhili,tocrack down on the smuggling of opium and punishthose involved. Qishan reported that he had detained 11convicts and over 160 thousand liang crude opium,and aforeign ship had carried 82 bags of crude opium (about 6576.8 kilograms),107 opium pipes,and lots of opiumlights,opium pots and weapons. Emperor Daoguang wasshocked,"That`s too much,even in a ship in Tianjin. Icannot imagine how much opium has been imported bysea in other provinces." According to the newly compiledHongqiao Annual: they filled dozens of steel pots withoil,boiled the oil and put the opium into the pots; soonthe opium turned into grease and then caught fire andthen turned into nothing; in the end,they crushed theremains and dropped it into Hai River. The opium pipeswere also burned at the same time.
This action was half-year earlier before Lin Zexu`sdestroy of opium at Humen Seaport in GuangdongProvince.

·天津销烟 (国画作者季源业)