The Fourth Dutch-Anglo War (1780-1784) weakened the Dutch East India Company so much that it turned for financial and military support to the highest political institution in the Dutch Republic:... Show moreThe Fourth Dutch-Anglo War (1780-1784) weakened the Dutch East India Company so much that it turned for financial and military support to the highest political institution in the Dutch Republic: the States General. It was decided that an independent Military Commission should carry out a thorough military investigation of the Dutch overseas possessions. The Prussian-born military engineer Carl Friedrich Reimer became a member of this Commission. He kept a diary of the journey for his superiors in Batavia. An extract of this diary is preserved at the National Archives of The Netherlands. It is a valuable source since it contains not only observations on the primary activities of the Military Commission, but also of many remarkable occurrences during the trip. The manuscript includes reflections on the size and origins of Hindu monuments on Java, remarks on the use of locally cultivated gambir at Riau (Tanjung Pinang), espionage activities during a visit to Madras (Chennai), where the English fortifications were observed and the crops in the botanical garden of EIC-surgeon James Anderson were discussed. Reimer even added his personal thoughts about slavery in the diary, reasoning why, in his opinion, many Javanese were unfit as slaves, describing them as «children of nature». These subjects had little to do with the main tasks of the Military Commission. Yet, C.F. Reimer gathered all this information for his superiors to judge on its «usefulness». Also, there are indications that he may have wanted to publish some of his findings. This paper will highlight some extracts from the diary and discuss the reasons behind this kind of intelligence gathering, the choice of keeping a diary, and the possible reasons why this manuscript, and its content, remained unknown. Show less
