Developing colonial information networks and archives
What was the significance of information, information gathering, information-
management, exchange of information and as an administrative result of
these activities, the creation of archives in the first years after 1816 in the
relationship between the Netherlands and its East Indies colony? I will not be
able to answer all these questions in the scope of this first tentative exploration
of the subject. But as I already mentioned, territorial control and control over the
people that lived in this area became an important objective for the new colonial
state. To achieve this, a set of instruments had to be developed that could
contribute to achieving this objective. The effectiveness of this set of instruments
was largely dependent on the quality and reliability of the information that was
exchanged between Batavia and The Hague.
And at the same time this was also the problem. The communication between
the Dutch state apparatus on the one side of the world and the colonial servants
on the other was a major source of concern for the Ministers of Colonies during
the entire 19th century. As regards their exchange of dispatches, the Dutch
government and the administrative apparatus in Batavia were many months of
travelling apart late into the 19th century. This physical distance and the complete
dependency of information was the major source of the chronic concern of
the Dutch government. There was an ever-present anxiety in the King and the
Minister of Colonies about the accuracy and timeliness of the information they
got from the Governors-General about what was taking place at the other side
of the world. They never felt certain of being in control because of the risk of
an information-gap. Experienced colonial civil servants in the East Indies knew
how to play the communication game with their superiors in the Netherlands.
The friendly advice that the former governor-general and minister of Colonies
Johannes van den Bosch gave in 1835 to De Eerens, who at that moment was on
his way to the East Indies to receive training on the job under the leadership of
the interim governor-general Baud in order to take over the governor-generalship,
is revealing:
'Write frequently, my dear General, either privately or officially regarding
public affairs; provide information confidentially in your private letters about
the state of affairs and the prospects that present themselves. Do not allow
any fear of disappointment to restrain you; here we do not assume infallibility
with respect to future affairs. Describe in particular anything pleasant and
favourable that occurs. Do not withhold the unpleasant, but always present it
with visible regret, so that people will be convinced that it has occurred in
spite of your efforts, and that diligent attempts will be made to prevent or
mitigate any undesired outcomes. Please allow me, to frankly inform you,
your Excellency, of the general interests and the King's favour, for as far as it
is to the benefit and honour of your administration'.60
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COLONIAL LEGACY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA - THE DUTCH ARCHIVES
60 Gerretson and Coolhaas, Briefwisseling.
61 Nationaal Archief, 2.10.01, Ministry of Colonies, inv.no. 3151, Instruction to the governor-general [part
of the decree of 3 January 1815, no. 48]. See also Charles Jeurgens, 'Op zoek naar betrouwbare informatie.
De Commissarissen-Generaal en de stichting van de koloniale staat, 1816-1819' in: J. Thomas Lindblad
en Alicia Schrikker (red) Het verre gezicht. Politieke en culturele relaties tussen Nederland en Azie, Afrika en
Amerika. Opstellen aangeboden aan prof .dr. Leonard Blussé (Franeker 2011) 266-285.
