Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T07:16:49.179Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Independent Fiscaals of the VOC. 1689–1719

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2010

F.S. Gaastra
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The organization of the Dutch Wast India Company (Verenigde Oostinische Compagnie, VOC) is in many respects comparable with the government bureaucracies of the 17th and 18th century. Like the officials in the administration of the state, the servants of the Company used their position to enrich themselves in a way that nowadays would be called corrupt. But it has been stressed that it would be incorrect to apply modern moral standards on the bureaucracy of the ancien regime. It is in fact impossible to draw a sharp line between what was allowed to the Company's servants overseas and what was forbidden to them. The directors or bewindhebbers of the VOC themselves were not very consistent in these matters. On the one hand, they appointed members of their families and their clients to honourable positions in order to provide them with a moderate salary and a well-spread “free” table during their stay in Asia. On the other hand, the directors tried to keep the monopoly of the VOC intact, which meant that no other Dutch merchants, not even Company's officials, were allowed to carry any trade in Asia on their own account.

Type
Articles
Information
Itinerario , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , July 1985 , pp. 92 - 107
Copyright
Copyright © Research Institute for History, Leiden University 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes

1. Meilink-Roelofsz, M.A.P., “Hoe rationeel was de organisatie van De Nederladnse Oost-Indische Compagnie?”, in: Economisch- en Sociaal-Historisch Jaarboek 44 (1981), p. 170.Google Scholar

2. Ibidem, pp. 189–190.

3. Dam, Pieter vanBeschryvinge van de Oostindische Compagnie, derde boek, ed. by Stapel, F.W., Rijks Geschiedkundige Publicatiën 82, 's Gravenhage 1976 2, pp. 435–436.Google Scholar

4. Stapel, F.W., Cornelis Janszoon Speelman, 's Gravenhage 1936, pp. 153–156.Google Scholar

5. Algmeen Rijksarchief, The Hague, VOC-archief inv. no. 154, Res. Heren XVII 13 XI 1687.

6. In Asia the Gouverneur Ceneraal en Raden (together the Raad van Indië, Council of the Indies) in Batavia formed the highest authority of the VOC; this body was also called the Hoge Regering (High Government). In the several factories, there was a Politieke Raad, in which a Gouverneur or sometimes a Directeur was the first person.

7. Research has been started in Sept. 1985 by a group of students at the Leiden University: Marijke v. Alkemade, J.Chr. v.d. Berg, T. Corbeth, F. v. Deijk, Ingrid Dillo, E. Gödde, Miryam van Goyen, P. de Gruijl, F. van Loenen, V. Loth, W. Lutgert, Ilona Mens, J. Moerman, R. Raben, R. Tummers, M. Vink and Th. v. Zanden. Some results of their work could be used for this article.

8. VOC, 154, res. Heren XVII, 30 III 1688. See also Chijs, J.A. van der, Nederlandsch-lndisch Plakaatboek, vol. III (Batavia18)Google Scholar, and Dam, P. van, Beschryvinge, derde boek, pp. 136–142.Google Scholar

9. The Raad van Justitie formed the highest court in the Companies territories in Asia; it consisted of nine members. In 1697 the salaries of the members were raised to f 150 per month. Van Dam, Beschryvinge, derde boek, p. 81.

10. VOC 244, res. chamber Amsterdam, 16 VIII 1696. The. meeting of the Heren XVII consisted of 8 bewindhebbers delegated from Amsterdam, 4 from Zeeland, 1 from each of the smaller chambers and 1 alternatively from one of the chambers outside Amsterdam. The Heren XVII decided about the appointment of the important officials in Asia and it is easy to imagine that the delegates quarreled about the candidates that were proposed.

11. Taylor, J.G., The social world of Batavia. European end Eurasian in Dutch Asia, Madison and London 1983, pp. 50–51.Google Scholar

12. See the list with the names of the independent-fiscaals. This list is based on Valentijn, F., Oud- en Nieuw Oostindiën, IV (Dordrecht-Amsterdam 1724), 382–383Google Scholar; Coolhaas, W.Ph., Generale Missiven van Gouverneurs-Generaal en Raden aan Heren Zeventien van de Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie RGP 150, 159 adn 164, 's Gravenhage 1975–1979, and the sources mentioned below in connection with personal data about the fiscaals.Google Scholar

13. , Coolhaas (ed.), Generate Missiven V, p. 552.Google Scholar About Helsdingen, Van: Dam, Van, Beschryvinge, tweede boek, part II, p. 42.Google Scholar About Resandt, Simonsz: W. Wijnaendts van, De gezaghebbers der Oostindische Compagnie op hare buitencomptoiren in Azië, Amsterdam 1944, pp. 65–66Google Scholar.

14. About Amstel, Ploos van): , Coolhaas (ed.), Generale Missiven V, p. 552.Google Scholar About Van Bleiswijck: Gemeente archief Delft, Oud. Archief, 2291, no. 29; van 1683 tot 1703 was een Hendrik Ewout van Bleiswijck bewindhebber van de kamer Delft. About Resandt, Boudaen: Wijnaendts vanDe gezaghebbers, 156Google Scholar, Alsem, Van: Elias, J., De vroedschap van Amsterdam 1578–1795, II, Haarlem 1905, p. 553.Google Scholar

15. M. van der Bijlldee en Interest. Voorgeschiedenis, verloop en achtergronden van de politiek twisten in Zeeland en vooral in Middelburg tussen 1702 en 1715, Utrecht 1981, p. 367 (about Diodati), and p. 392 (about Macaré).

16. VOC 828, Personal index on the res. of G.G. and R. (about Van Ceulen en Bogaard).

17. Resand, Wijnaendts vanDe gezaghebbers, p. 251 (about Backer), p. 290 (about Hurgronje).Google Scholar, Coolhaas (ed.), Generate Missiven VI, … (about VanLoon).Google ScholarLequin, F., Het personeel van de Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie in Azië in de achttiende eeuw, meer in het bijzonder in de vestiging Bengalen, vol. II, Leiden 1982, p. 249 (about D'Assonville).Google Scholar

18. Resandt, Wijnaendts van,De gezaghebbers, pp. 66–67Google Scholar (about Hendrik Backer, son of a merchnt and regent of Amsterdam); (about Simonsz). , Coolhaas (ed.), Generate Missiven VI, p. 200, 235 (about Fereris).Google ScholarLequin, , Het Personeel, II, p. 429 (about D'Assonviile), p. 468 (about Van Heugel), p. 489 (about Loten).Google Scholar

19. Coolhaas, , Generate Missiven V, p. 760.Google Scholar

20. Gaastra, F.S., “Merchants, Middlemen and Money: Aspects of the Trade between the Indonesian Archipelago and Manila in the 17th Century”, in: Papers of the Dutch Indoensian Historical Conference, 23–27 June 1980, Leiden/Jakarta 1982, pp. 313–314.Google Scholar

21. VOC 160, res. Heren XVII, 14 III 1711, The subordinates of Weir and Van Steelant, who had returned home in 1710, were severely punished; , Coolhaas (ed.), Generale Missiven, VII, p. 106.Google Scholar

22. Van Dam, Beschryvinge, tweede boek, Part II, pp. 133–203.

23. About Gupta, Diodati: A. Das, Indian Merchants and the Decline of Surat 1700–1750, Wiesbaden 1978, pp. 20–21.Google Scholar

24. VOC 1818, Overkomen Brieven 1713, Letter of Boudaen to Heren XVII, 12 XII 1712.

25. This value of the bills of exchange is calculated from the data that are given by the letters of the Governor General and Councillors (the “Generale missiven”) during the time that Van Straaten was in Asia. See also Valentijn, Oud- en Nieuw Oostindien, IV.

26. , Coolhaas (ed.), Generale Missiven, V, p. 740, 775.Google Scholar

27. , Coolhaas (ed.), Generale Missiven, VI, p. 231, 312Google Scholar ; Stapel, F.W., “Bijdragen tot de geschiedenis der rechtspraak bij de VOC”, in: BKI 89 (1932), p. 69Google Scholar.

28. VOC 165, res. Heren XVII, 27 X 1711; VOC 165, id., 7 IV 1731; Resandt, Wijnaendts van, De gezaghebbers, p. 212.Google Scholar

29. , Coolhaas (ed.), Generale Missiven, VI, pp. 784–785.Google Scholar