晚清早期驻英公使是甲午战争前（1894年前）被清政府派至英国的常驻公使，他们是当时驻外公使中重要的一个群体。在近代中国走向世界的进程中，他们履行着特殊的职责，扮演着重要的角色。他们零距离置身于当时在各方面领先于世的英国，在向国人介绍以英国为主的西方社会情形和对英外务交涉方面，做出了应有的贡献。因此，对这一特殊职业群体进行的研究，自有一定的历史和学术价值。全文共分如下几部分：第一章简单追溯了中国自鸦片战争后，在西方外交西力东渐因素的影响之下，清政府被迫开始外派常驻公使的艰难历程。这一历程的开启为本文的研究对象——晚清早期驻英公使登上历史舞台提供了客观的制度渊源和历史背景。第二章探析了他们被举荐为驻外公使所具的共性因素和条件。这些共性与清政府规定的出使章程中驻外公使的任用条件基本吻合，成为他们被举荐为驻英公使的重要因素。第三章阐述和分析了驻英公使视野中的英国社会各领域情形以及在此基础上他们对本国相应领域的反思、建议。对驻在国英国国情的全面了解并向本国政府及时呈报是驻英公使的重要职责，他们视野中的英国社会情形为：文明有序之礼俗、繁盛之经济、君民相通之优良政情、有序的教育和丰富的文化。在对英国这些实情的赞羡中，他们同时反思了中国落后于英国的现状及其原因，对中国的富强和进步提出了一些合理化建议。第四章论析了晚清早期驻英公使对英重要的外务交涉。对英交涉是驻英公使的又一项重要职责，在英期间，他们分别承担了中英间商务及界务的交涉重任。中英镇江趸船移泊案交涉、鸦片税厘并征交涉和中英滇缅界务交涉是其中重要的交涉。在交涉中，他们态度主动，较为成功地完成了几桩棘手的外务交涉，一定程度上维护了国家的利权、主权与民族的尊严。第五章对驻英公使的职责履行情况进行了论评，并得出结论：在中国近代外交体制启始时代走出国门的晚清早期驻英公使，他们尽管在对西方的认识和外交实践方面依然存在局限，但他们的思想和外交活动顺应了近代中国社会的发展趋势，推进了近代中国思想的进步和外交的发展。

The envoys to Britain in the early period of the late Qing Dynasty are the resident ones who were appointed to Britain by the Government of Qing Dynasty before the Jia-wu War. They were an important group of envoys abroad at that time. They performed special duties and played major role in the course of going to the world. They placed themselves in Britain which was ahead of the world and made due contributions in the aspects of introducing the situations of western society , mainly Britain, to Chinese and negotiating with Britain. Therefore, the research on the special professional staffs is valuable historically and academically.The framework of the essay is as follows:Chapter One traces briefly the hard course in which the Government of Qing Dynasty was forced to appoint resident envoys abroad under the influence of Western forces to the East of the western diplomacy after the Opium War. The beginning of the course provides objective system origin and historical background for the research object of this essay——the envoys to Britain in the early period of the late Qing Dynasty coming to historical stage.Chapter Two inquires into and analyzes their common factors and qualifications of being an envoy abroad before their being sent abroad. All these common factors tallied with the appointment qualifications for an envoy abroad of the Government of Qing Dynasty , which became the important factors of their being an envoy to Britain.Chapter Three expounds and analyzes the situations of British society in various fields in their views, their reflection and suggestion of corresponding area of their own motherland. The overall understanding of the national conditions of Britain and reporting to their own government timely are their important duties. The situations of Britain society within their views was as follows: civilized custom and orderly etiquette ; prosperous economy; fine politics situation interlinking monarch and the people; good education and rich culture. In admiration of these actual situations of Britain, meanwhile, they introspected the backwardness of Chinese situations and its cause, and put forward some rationalization proposals for China’s strength and advance. Chapter Four expounds and analyzes the important negotiations of foreign affairs of the envoys to Britain in the early period of the late Qing Dynasty with Britain. The negotiation with Britain is their another important duty. When in Britain , they shouldered the hard task of negotiations on Sino-British commercial affairs and boundary affairs respectively. Sino-British negotiation on pontoon’s being moved and moored in Zhenjiang, opium’s tariff and Li tax being levied simultaneously and Sino-British negotiation on border affair between Yunnan and Burma are part of their important negotiations. During the negotiations, they fulfilled several thorny negotiations on foreign affairs positively and successfully, which to some extent protected national economic rights , sovereignty and national dignity .Chapter Five expounds and comments on the situations of their duty performance. Based on it, the conclusion has been Drawn: the envoys to Britain in the early period of the late Qing Dynasty went out of the gateway in a new era of Chinese modern diplomatic system. Their thoughts and diplomatic activities conformed to the development trend of modern Chinese society and promoted the progress of Chinese modern thought and development of diplomacy.