The Correspondence of Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt - DWC - KNAW

Van Heiningen / 36
1.000 guilders (for overdue membership’s fees). On 23 May 1816, Siberg promised
to pay as soon as possible, holding out the prospect of giving Reinwardt objects of
art as a present, objects, which were to serve the enrichment of the collections of the
‘Koninklijk Kabinet’. He also thankedVan Marum for sending him several volumes
of the transactions of the ‘Maatschappij’ through Reinwardt. [NA-RANH HMW
444-95] On 14 December 1816, the Commissioner General Elout proposed two
prominent members of the Dutch community of Batavia for directorship of the
‘Maatschappij’: Mr. H.W. Muntinghe (president of the National Audit office of
the Dutch East Indies) and A. de Wilde (superintendent of the vaccination in the
Dutch East Indies). Furthermore he proposed the naturalist Dr.Th. Horsfield, who
started to explore the natural resources of Java under the English government of
the Dutch East Indies. Unfortunately, Horsfield did not publish any important
scientific works until now. In order to prevent disappointments, the Commissioner
general Elout had decided not to sound Horsfield on this membership until he
would have receivedVan Marum’s answer. [See: NA-RANH HMW 444-95]
Many years later, more than a year after Reinwardt had returned to Holland,
J. van der Vinne – secretary of the ‘Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en
Wetenschappen’ – expressed his need to underline the good relationship between
the two societies and explains the inevitable breakdown of the correspondence
during the years of English occupation. Of course he was eager to serve the
‘Maatschappij’.Therefore he offered the volumes 7, 8 and 9 of the Verhandelingen’
of the ‘Bataviaasch Genootschap, which had been published since 1793. In return
he asked Van Marum to do him the favour of sending him the volumes of the
Verhandelingen of the ‘Maatschappij’, which have been published since that year,
because these works are important sources of knowledge to the ‘Genootschap’.
[See: NA-RANH HMW 444-102: J. van der Vinne (Batavia) to M. van Marum
(Haarlem): 8 April 1824]
The relation between the ‘Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en
Wetenschappen’ (Batavia) and the ‘Koninklijk Instituut’ (Amsterdam)
As a matter of fact the relation between the ‘Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten
en Wetenschappen’ and the ‘Koninklijk Instituut van Wetenschappen, Letterkunde
en Schoone Kunsten’ (Amsterdam) has always been far less frequent and less
profound than the connection Batavia has maintained with the ‘Hollandsche
Maatschappij der Wetenschappen’ (Haarlem).This fact is undoubtedly due to the
position held by Reinwardt in Batavia between 1816 and 1822, as well as it has
been a consequence of his deep friendship with Martinus van Marum.