The Correspondence of Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt - DWC - KNAW

Van Heiningen / 18
Of course all kinds of physical and chemical instruments were sent to Batavia, like
thermometers, eudiometers, an air pump, instruments for measuring time, depthmeters
(‘bathometers’ or ‘zeepeilders’, devised and constructed by A. van Stipriaan
Luïscius, town physician and chemist in Delft), as well as drawing paper, glassware
for chemical experiments and analyses and of course the most needed books. (De
Vriese, 49, 50). However barometers, necessary for the altimetry to be carried
out, were missing in this collection. It turned out that a royal decree, needed for
the acquisition of these instruments, had never been made. So it was decided that
on behalf of the new Indian government, Reinwardt should finally decide with
respect to the acquisition of these instruments, after his arrival in Batavia. [See: NA
2-21.204(10): J. Goldberg (The Hague) to the Commissioners General (Batavia);
24 January 1816] These experiments were carried out by Reinwardt in the course
of his various travels through Java and to the other islands. Furthermore it appeared
that not until his return to Holland, Reinwardt had the opportunity to carry
out the experiments with the above mentioned ‘bathometer’, as appears from the
correspondence between Reinwardt (Batavia) and Gerardus Vrolik, secretary of
the ‘Eerste Klasse’ of the ‘Koninklijk Nederlandsch Instituut van Wetenschappen,
Letterkunde en Schoone Kunsten’, in Amsterdam (the ‘First Class’ of the ‘Royal
Netherlands Institute of Sciences, Literature and Arts’). [See: NA-RANH KNI
175-36.59: 13 September 1821, NA-RANH KNI 175-45: 28 June 1821, NA-
RANH KNI 175-45: 9 July 1821 and NA-RANH KNI 175-45: 23 August
1821] On 21 September 1821, Van Stipriaan Luïscius expresses his feelings of
gratitude towards the secretary of the ‘Eerste Klasse’ for the interest, it has shown
for his instrument. He is eager to agree with the experiments to be carried out by
Reinwardt, although he wants to observe that his colleague and fellow member
should be warned previously about the possible failure of these experiments in
the case of corrosion of the various parts of this instrument. [See: NA-RANH
KNI 175-28(67).141: 15 September 1821] Unfortunately a previously written
advice sent by Vrolik to the Dutch government, had been lost. As a consequence,
the Minister of the Navy and the rear admiral Buyskes were ignorant about its
contents. Anyhow, the decided that Reinwardt has to be informed, before he will
return to the Netherlands.
On Wednesday 23 October 1816, about six months after the arrival of the
squadron in the roads of Batavia, the Governor General informed the residents
of the various districts of the Dutch East Indies that through his royal decree His