MAILRAPPORTEN/MAIL REPORTS FROM THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES, 1869-1940

All parts now available

The first of the so-called Mailrapporten were dispatched in September 1869 from Batavia (Jakarta) to The Hague, thus initiating a steady flow of information to the Dutch Ministry of the Colonies up to the eve of the Second World War on a weekly or more frequent basis. Unlike the Memories van Overgave, which were a snapshot of the situation at a particular point in time, the Mailrapporten permit the study of the development of events in their continuity. Parts I-III contain the "Public" (Openbare) Mailrapporten; part IV the series of "Secret" (Geheime) Mailrapporten initiated in 1914.

Historical background

With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the authorities of the Ministry of the Colonies in The Hague were quick to seize the possibility of improving communications with the East Indies, which the lengthy sea route around the Cape of Good Hope had hampered until that point. Henceforth new rapid English and later Dutch mail boats plied the route through the Medi-terranean and Suez to the East assuring regular and reliable postal services for the first time in the history of the colony. Previous instructions to the governor general to report on a regular basis, which had largely remained a dead letter, were revived and revised to bring about a frequent and swift flow of information from the Indies to the Netherlands. By royal decree of 28 May 1869, the governor general was required to report on all important events, proceedings, proposals and other issues separately, sending where necessary transcripts of the relevant supporting documents.

 

Prices and Specifications

Part I, 1869-1899
Complete set: 2,516 microfiches plus index on microfiche
Available now
Price: € 11,170 (including printed Publisher's Guide & Concordance)
 Part I is also available in 5 installments of approximately 500 fiches (€ 2,265 per installment)
Please inquire for details
Indexes available separately
Price: € 155

Part II, 1900-1925
Complete set: 2,712 microfiches (including Mail report lists) plus indexes on microfiche
Price: € 11,170 (including printed Publisher's Guide & Concordance)
 Part II is also available in installments of approximately 550 fiches (€ 2,490 per installment)
Please inquire for details
Indexes available separately
Price: € 155

Part III, 1926-1940 [1950]
Complete set: 2,583 microfiches + Mail report lists on 219 microfiches
Available now
Price: € 11,170 (including printed Publisher's Guide & Concordance)
 Part III is also available in 5 installments of approximately 550 fiches (€ 2,490 per installment)
Please inquire for details

Part IV, Secret Mail Reports, 1914-1940 [1952]
Complete set: 1,901 microfiches + Mail report lists on 156 microfiches
Available now
Price: € 11,170 (including printed Publisher's Guide & Concordance)
 Part IV is also available in 4 installments of approximately 500 fiches (€ 2,265 per installment)
Please inquire for details

Additional finding aids under consideration

MMF Publications and the National Archives of the Netherlands are considering a project to create indexes in machine-readable form for the Mailrapporten for the period after 1925. If carried out they will form a separate publication priced separately from the above. Purchasers of the Mailrapporten will be invited to subscribe at a preferential price.