Page 26 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
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As a result, a total of . voyages between destinations in Asian areas were ana- lysed in regard to the development of Dutch shipping in Asian waters until . Grouping the shipping-areas into main regions allowed both a broader view of fleet differentiations to emerge and a general overview of the development. However, these parameters could also obscure important local developments or lend inaccurate statistical weight to vessels that were just passing through a region. It is obvious that the information on the type of vessels active in the waters of west Java does not represent the most suitable fleet for this region, but rather the total VOC fleet, since most vessels would at some stage pass through the Dutch headquarters in Batavia. To a certain extent, this situation also occurs at other destinations that served as a junction in the VOC’s shipping network. Often, this problem could be avoided by a well thought-out composition of the regions. In some cases this was not that easy. Galle is a good example of a destination that was difficult to place in a certain main region. Its strategic role in the Indian Ocean routes and monsoon system meant that many ships called there on their voyages to and from the Arabian Sea. Shipping to that main region therefore is shown in Galle’s and thus in the Bay of Bengal’s statistics. As a result, the image of the development of shipping into the Bay of Bengal is distorted by the substantial number of military vessels on their way to the blockade at Goa that used Galle as an assembly point. On the other hand, if the decision had been to include Galle in the Arabian Sea region, the statistics would have been skewed by the groups of small yachts, which were very suitable for the shipping on the Coromandel Coast, but that where assumed to be unfit to operate in the military hostile waters on the west coast of India. Most of the shortcomings that are created by the choice of the region boundaries can be overcome, if in addition to the main destinations, the areas are also considered sepa- rately (see chapter , ‘Fleets per region’). In summary, the methodological problems have been addressed by (a) careful categorising; (b) supplementing the statistical data wherever possible with descriptive information based on a careful scrutiny of shipping movements in each region, so that the picture that emerges from the numbers can be qualified, if necessary; and (c) looking at the picture from several angles, including logistical and organisational perspectives and contextual factors such as the political background. Sources contributing to the database The information on the journeys in the database is derived from various historical sources. Most of the early voyages (those of the Voorcompagnieën and the VOC till around ) are described in detail in the publications of the Linschoten-Vereeniging: (Rouffaer IJzerman (, ), Keuning (, , , , , ), Foreest & Booy (, ), Unger (), Wieder (, ), IJzerman (), Booy (, ), Opstal (). Most individual trips between destinations could be recorded from these published primary sources. Only in some cases – mainly the return voyages of the vessels- additional archival research was required. Some voyages of Dutch vessels, not known through Dutch sources could be found in the early voyages of the English to Asia published in the Hackluyt-series: Foster (, a, b, Moreland (). The journals of the later journeys of Dutch vessels to the Zuidzee, such as the voyages of Schouten en LeMaire (-) Spilbergen (-), de Nassausche vloot (-) and Tasman (, / en ) are also published: Engelbrecht & van Herwerden (), Warnsinck (), Voorbeijtel Cannenburg (), Verseput () and Posthumus Meyes (). Secondary sources were initially used for the systematic description of the development of the VOC shipping in Asia after . Many voyages of destinations in Asia could be derived from: McLeod (), (de Jonge (, , ), Tiele (), Tiele & Heeres, (), Heeres (). The database was further extended and refined through additional published primarily sources and further archival research. The complete correspondence of Coen as published by Colenbrander (-) and Coolhaas (, ) provided information on almost the com- The database and methodology
