Robert Hart (赫德) | 24 Histories

Overview

Robert Hart was an administrator and Diplomat.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Lubin	鷺賓	Lù Bīn

Life and dates

Death

died of illness after 1911 辛亥後，病卒
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 159

Attested activity

AD 1895 上年六月至十二月
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 62, 64
AD 1907 光緒三十三年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 154
AD 1895 光緒二十一年十二月
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 13, 28
AD 1876 光緒二年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 7, 34; Draft History of Qing 435, passage 140
AD 1885 光緒十一年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 21
AD 1893 光緒十九年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 11-12, 61

Show 12 more source-backed claims

AD 1892 光緒十八年冬
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 42
AD 1890 光緒十六年三月
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 39
AD 1884 光緒十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 141
AD 1878 光緒四年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 8, 35
AD 1863 同治二年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 136
AD 1866 同治五年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 3
AD 1859 咸豐九年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 134
AD 1861 咸豐十一年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 135
AD 1854 咸豐四年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 132
AD 1911 辛亥後
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 159
AD 1885 迄十一年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 4-5
AD 1908 逾年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 435, passages 154-155

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Son of Hart (赫德之子)
son 子
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 157
Sibling of Hart (赫政)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 147

Key source chapters

Origins and identity

Ethnicity British 英人
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 7
British 英國人
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 131

Career and standing

consular interpreter 領事署繙譯官
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 132
Inspector General of Customs 總稅務司
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 7
deputy commissioner of Canton Maritime Customs 粵海關副稅務司
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 134
Inspector General of Customs 總稅務司
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 136
ministerial rank 尚書銜
Granted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 155
surveillance commissioner rank 按察使銜
Granted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 138

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Inspector General of Customs 總稅務司
Held
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 3, 7, 64
Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent 太子少保
Promoted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 150
provincial administration commissioner rank 布政使銜
Promoted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 139
peacock feather and Double Dragon Precious Star 花翎、雙龍二等第一寶星
Awarded
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 144
three-generation first-rank ennoblement 三代一品封典
Awarded
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 148
character Fu 福字
Granted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 151
Retired for illness
Resignation
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 155

Places and affiliations

Britain 英國
Relation Origin
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 131
Qing 清
Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passages 136, 156
Polity Qing 清 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 7, 64
At Belfast 倍爾發司
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 131
At Beijing 北京 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 8, 35
At Shanghai 上海 · Relation Active at
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 3, 5, 35

Show 2 more source-backed claims

At Tianjin 天津 · Relation Active at
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 3, 5, 8
Organization Official postal bureau 官郵政局 · Relation Headed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 64, 75

Works and attributed material

Great Qing Post 大清郵政
Relation Headed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 165
Drafted four postal regulation sets
Regulations · Author
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 62, 64-65
Noted upu in switzerland
Memorial · Author
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 67
Outlined seven key points
Proposal · Author
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 22-23

Events and relationships

Appointed to run national postal service
Administrative · Director
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 64, 76
Boxers peace talks
Diplomatic · Negotiator
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 150
Chefoo and Tonkin and Macao affairs
Diplomatic · Negotiator
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passages 140-141, 146
Concurrent oversight of mail delivery
AD 1885 迄十一年 · Administrative · Manager
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 5-6
Deliberated postal expansion
AD 1893 光緒十九年 · Administrative · Advisor
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 12, 61
Directed official mail bureaus
AD 1878 光緒四年 · Administrative · Director
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 8, 35

Show 4 more source-backed claims

Discussed yunnan case and mail bureaus
AD 1876 光緒二年 · Diplomatic · Participant
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 34
Postal and lighthouse expansion
Administrative · Organizer
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passages 137, 139, 154
Proposed postal service
AD 1876 光緒二年 · Administrative · Proposer
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 7, 34
Submitted postal regulations
AD 1895 上年六月至十二月 · Administrative · Drafter
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passages 62, 64

Assessments and attributes

Assessment called-postal-service-a-major-policy-to-enrich-state-and-benefit-people · Mode self-report Speaker Robert Hart (赫德)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 22
Assessment guest minister who fulfilled his charge · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 435, passage 181
Assessment warned-delay-would-invite-complications · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Robert Hart (赫德)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 152, passage 42

References in the histories

Search passages

History

28 passages

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 152Volume 152 Treatises 127: Transportation 4, You Zheng · 20 passages

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同治五年，改由總稅務司匯各駐京公使文件，遞天津寄上海。 In the fifth year of Tongzhi, the Inspector General of Customs took over collecting documents from all resident ministers and sent them via Tianjin to Shanghai.

迄十一年，郵務愈繁，總稅務司乃於天津、鎮江、上海各稅務司處專員理之。 By the eleventh year mail traffic had grown heavy enough that the Inspector General placed dedicated staff at the customs houses in Tianjin, Zhenjiang, and Shanghai to handle it.

此總稅務兼理郵遞之權輿也。 This marked the beginning of the Inspector General's concurrent oversight of postal delivery.

初，光緒二年，總稅務司英人赫德建議創辦郵政。 As early as the second year of Guangxu, the British Inspector General Robert Hart proposed creating a national postal service.

四年，始設送信官局於北京、天津、煙台、牛庄，以赫德主其事，九江、鎮江亦繼設局。 In the fourth year, official mail bureaus were opened in Beijing, Tianjin, Yantai, and Niuzhuang under Hart's direction, and Jiujiang and Zhenjiang soon followed.

總署付赫德議。 The Zongli Yamen referred the matter to Hart for discussion.

南洋大臣曾國荃曾據咨總理衙門，飭總稅務司赫德議復辦法。 Southern Seas Minister Zeng Guoquan had already reported to the Zongli Yamen and directed Hart to draft a plan.

赫德亦謂此舉為裕國便民大政，陳有要端七事。 Hart likewise called the project a major state policy to enrich the treasury and serve the public, outlining seven key points.

請飭總理衙門，轉飭赫德，妥議章程開辦。 I ask that the Zongli Yamen instruct Hart to draft proper regulations and launch the service.

總理衙門疏言：「光緒二年間，赫德因議滇案，請設送信官局，為郵政發端之始。 The Zongli Yamen reported: "In the second year of Guangxu, while handling the Yunnan affair, Hart proposed official mail bureaus—the first step toward a postal service.

四年，擬開設京城、天津、煙台、牛庄、上海五處，略仿泰西郵政辦法，交赫德管理。 In the fourth year, offices were planned for Beijing, Tianjin, Yantai, Niuzhuang, and Shanghai, modeled loosely on Western postal practice and placed under Hart.

十六年三月，劄行赫德，以所擬辦法無損民局，即就通商各口推廣辦理。 In the third month of the sixteenth year, Hart was instructed that the proposed rules would not harm private letter offices and that the service should be extended at treaty ports at once.

十八年冬，赫德以數年來創辦艱難，若再不奏請設立郵政局，恐將另生枝節。 In the winter of the eighteenth year, Hart warned that years of difficult startup meant further delay in petitioning for a postal bureau would invite new complications.

爰於十九年劄飭赫德詳加討論。 Accordingly, in the nineteenth year Hart was ordered to study the matter in detail.

上年六月至十二月，復與總稅務司面商屢次，先後據其遞到四項章程，計四十四款。 From the sixth through the twelfth month of last year we met repeatedly with the Inspector General, who submitted four regulatory drafts totaling forty-four articles.

應請旨敕下臣衙門，轉飭總稅務司赫德專司其事，仍由臣衙門總其成，即照赫德所擬章程，定期開辦。 We ask that the throne order our yamen to direct Hart to run the service while we retain overall supervision, opening on schedule under Hart's regulations.

應制單紙，亦由赫德一手經理。 Official forms and stamped stationery should likewise be handled entirely by Hart.

至赫德呈內稱萬國聯約郵政公會，系在瑞士國，應備照會，寄由出使大臣轉交其國執政大臣，為入會之據。 Hart's memorial noted that the Universal Postal Union sits in Switzerland; China should prepare a diplomatic note for its envoy to deliver to the Swiss government as credentials for membership.

其江海輪船及將來鐵路所通處所，應如何交寄文信，由總稅務司與各局員會商辦理。 How mail should be handed over on steamers and future railways will be arranged by the Inspector General in consultation with bureau staff.

官郵政局歲入暨開支款目，由總稅務司按結申報，臣衙門匯核奏報。」 The Inspector General will report postal revenue and expenses periodically; our yamen will compile them for imperial memorial."

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 435Volume 435 Biographies 222: Hua Er, Lei Bo Lei Dong, Fa Er Di Fu, Ge Deng, Ri Yi Ge, De Ke Bei, He De, Bo Li · 8 passages

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華爾勒伯勒東法爾第福戈登日意格德克碑赫德帛黎 Ward, Lebrethon, Foudrinière, Gordon, Giquel, von Sternberg, Hart, and Brière

赫德，字鷺賓，英國倍爾發司人。 Hart, courtesy name Lubin, was from Belfast in Britain.

十一年，總稅務司李泰國奉令購戰艦，以赫德權代之，赴長江新開各口岸置新關。 In 1861 Inspector General Lay was ordered to purchase warships; Hart acted for him and established customs houses at the newly opened Yangtze ports.

同治二年，李泰國去職，赫德實授，徙駐上海。 In 1863 Lay resigned and Hart was confirmed in the post, moving his headquarters to Shanghai.

十五年，藏兵寇哲孟雄，英兵乘勢闌入，赫德遣其弟稅務司赫政馳往，與駐藏大臣會籌劃界諸事。 In 1889, when Tibetan troops raided Sikkim and British forces intervened, Hart sent his brother Commissioner Hart to Tibet to negotiate the boundary with the resident commissioner.

赫德官中國垂五十年，頗與士大夫往還。 Hart served in China for nearly fifty years and moved widely in scholarly and official circles.

二十二年，朝議行郵政，以赫德兼領其事，帛黎實參治之。 In 1896 the court decided to establish a postal service; Hart nominally headed it while Brière ran the operation.

赫德久總稅務，兼司郵政，頗與聞交涉，號曰「客卿」，皆能不負所事。 Hart long controlled the customs and postal service, took part in diplomacy, and was known as a "guest minister"; each served faithfully.