Recent Dutch-Language Publications

Bijdragen tot de taal- land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, vol. 177, pp. 445–459

Abstract

Willem Schenck (1772Schenck ( -1846)), born into a well-to-do family, with a record of service to the House of Orange, chose to follow a military career which mirrored the vicissitudes of revolution and restoration up until the Battle of Waterloo.In this battle he was involved with his unit as an auxiliary.In 1816 he was sent to the Dutch East Indies as a lieutenant colonel, along with his unit.His ship was part of a squadron of six that was to formally restore Dutch sovereignty on the Indies, as the British relinquished their hold on the area.Schenck steadily rose in the colonial ranks.As a subcommander he was active in the Java War (1825)(1826)(1827)(1828)(1829)(1830).He came into conflict with the commander-in-chief Hendrik Merkus de Kock.(In Bossenbroek's book, discussed in the previous issue of bki, Schenck is not mentioned.)He was granted a leave, and next returned to the Indies.He was pensioned in 1836, and wrote an extensive autobiography.Editor Eggermont-Molenaar adds two documents to this biography.Schenck kept a diary of his journey from Amsterdam to Batavia in 1814-1815 that took seven months.From July to September 1841 he made an inspection tour, on special request of the Governor General, to report on the state of the armed indigenous units that were employed by the local rulers.He wrote eight letters to the sister of his daughter-in-law about his daily experiences.In general he does not delve deeply, but his letters give insight in the life of high Dutch officials and Javanese aristocrats.He gives an interesting account of a fight between tiger and a water buffalo (kerbau), staged especially for him.The editor has spared no pains to research her subject, as 270 footnotes attest.Additional aids, such as family trees, introductions, summaries, bibliographies and an index, are all included.The notes contain numerous short biographies of Dutch members of elite families.

Authors 1

1. Harry A. Poeze corresponding Aachen KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies The Netherlands Leiden

   Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies

   Affiliation as printed

   KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies The Netherlands Leiden