“阿思本舰队”事件是中国近代海军初创时期的一个重要事件。清政府在这次事件中耗费了巨大的银额。关于这个问题,史界对它的估算历来莫衷一是。本文依据有关档案资料,试图对这个问题作全面的考察,以求一个比较精确的数字,并透过这个数字认识英帝国主义侵华的实质。 (一) 要弄清阿思本舰队究竟耗费清政府多少银两,首先必须查实清政府筹建舰队时动拨的银两数。据笔者所考,这笔款数包括三次拨款、轮船月费、遣回经费和零税银等。第一项:三次拨款。第二次鸦片战争后,列强通过一系列不平等条约在华取得了更多的特取。但太平天国运动使清廷元气大衰,这势必不利于列强对中国的侵略。为了把清政府变成自己驯服的工具,以便维护自己既得利益,列强感到有必要扶一扶清政府。1861年秋,代理总税务司赫德向恭亲王奕訢提出购买外国轮船,建立新式海军以便从 The Aspen Fleet was an important event in the early days of the modern navy in China. The Qing government spent a huge amount of money in this incident. On this issue, the history of its estimates have always been mixed. Based on the relevant archives, this article attempts to conduct a comprehensive inspection of this issue in order to find a more accurate figure and to understand the essence of the British imperialist invasion of China through this figure. (A) To find out how much the Aspen fleet cost the Qing government, first of all it must check the amount of silver moved by the Qing government to build a fleet. According to the author’s test, this amount includes three appropriations, monthly shipments, repatriation funds and zero-tax silver. The first item: three appropriations. After the Second Opium War, the powers made more special gains in China through a series of unequal treaties. However, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement greatly deteriorated the Qing imperial court, which inevitably detrimental to the powers’ aggression against China. In order to turn the Qing government into a tool of its own tame in order to safeguard its vested interests, the Powers felt it necessary to help the Qing government. In the autumn of 1861, Acting General Taxation Division Hurd proposed to Prince Kung to buy foreign ships and establish a new navy to