Gardens'BulletinSingapore63(1 & 2): 1-15. 2011 1 Georgius Everhardus Rumphius (1627-1702), Ambon the blind seer of J.F. Veldkamp Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity-Naturalis, Section National Herbarium ofThe Netherlands, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RALeiden,TheNetherlands veldkamp(§nhn.leidenuniv.nl ABSTRACT. Georg Eberhard Rumpf. better known as Rumphius (1627-1702) was a Homo universalis and is the undisputed patriarch ofMalesian botany, zoology, geology (including fossils!), colonial history; pharmaceutical, architectural, juridical (local and Western), ethnological, linguistic, historical, and religious matters, including astrology and magic. To botanists he is best known for his Herbarium amboinense (1741-1750). the first account and sometimes the only one of Malesian plants. This is a 7-volume folio work with extensive descriptions and discussions in Latin and Dutch of about 1200 species with 811 full-page illustrations. A briefaccount ofhis life and works is given. Keywords. Ambon, Dutch United East Indian Company. Herbarium amboinense. Malesia. natural science, Rumpf, Rumphius, VOC Introduction Many articles and books have been written about Georg Eberhard Rumpf(Georgius Everhardus Rumphius in Latin), better known as Rumphius (1627-1702) and his observations in the Moluccas (Fig. 1,2), which have given him an everlasting place of honour in the history ofnatural science (see Appendix A for a selection). Only a few ofthese publications were in English, the last one by Beekman (1999), who translated d'Amboinschen Rariteitkamer (1705), the Amboinese Curiosity Cabinet. This deals mainly with animals, mineralogy, and geology, explicitly recognising zoological fossils. European scientists regarded these as remnants from before the Deluge, or were created by the Devil to confuse good Christians. Some modern Creationists still think so. Every taxonomist in Malesia has encountered species named after him: "rumphi?\ "rumphianus", or based on taxa first described in his works. Rumphius and Ambon Ambon island (Pulau Ambon) in the 17th century (Fig. 3) was the centre ofthe spice trade: cloves, nutmeg, mace, and pepper. These commodities were very much in demand in Europe and worth a fortune once there. At one time fora bag ofpepper one could buy an imposing house in a major town in The Netherlands! The organisation Fig. 1. Portrait ofRumphius at age 68 by his son Paulus. GeorgiusEverhardusRumphius 3 - i Fig. 2. ThetitlepageoftheAuctuarium manuscript inthe University LibraryofLeiden depicts a man. who might well be Rumphius. making notes under a remarkable fig. Below: roads of Ambon in 1690. 4 Gard. Bull.Singapore63(1&2)2011 that ran the business was the Dutch Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC) (the United East IndianCompany), astatewithinastatewith its ownnavy, army, fortresses, trading posts, and diplomatic treatises with local leaders and political fractions. Its settlements were the predecessors ofthe Dutch East Indies, but also ofthe Republic ofGhana, and ofSouthAfrica, with settlements in many places, ofnote in theArabian coast, S India, Sri Lanka (think ofcinnamon!), Malaysia, Japan, and through Taiwan with China (think ofthe introduction ofChina ware, silk and tea in Europe!). It is a sad thing that the identity of Rumphia amboinensis L. is unknown. Linnaeus based this on a plate in Rheede's Hortus malabaricus for a species from South India, a place where Rumphius had never been and whatever the identity of the species, it surely is not Amboinese. Itjust shows how little Linnaeus knew about geography, sometimes his provenance "India" even refers to the West Indies... Othergeneric eponyms in zoology are the gorgonianRumphella Bayer(1955), called "sea tree" by Rumphius, because at that time everything that moved was an animal, and what didn't was a plant. Linnaeus, also, regarded sponges (Spongia L.) as algae... There are also the sea urchins Rumphia Desor (1846; Miocene to Recent of the Indo-Pacific), Neorumphia Durham (1954), and Rumphiocrinus Wanner (1924). However, the butterfly Rumphia Pagenstecher (1909) is a typographical error for Fig. 3. Ambon. GeorgiusEverhardusRumphms 5 Ramphia Guinee (1852). The botanical journal Rumphia appeared between 1836 and 1849. There is even a Rumphius Range in the Lorentz Park in IndonesianNewGuinea. Rumphius was born in at the end of 1627 in Wolfersheim, Hessen, Germany. His mother came from Cleve (Kleef) near the Dutch border, where at the time Dutch was spoken, which would explain his impeccable and even innovative command of that language. His father was an engineer, a builder offortresses, and passed on this knowledge to his son. Georg had a good education and finished the Gymnasium, but did not go the University and did not get a degree in Medicine in nearby Hanau as was later suggested. As he said later he wanted to see something ofthe world and in 1646 enrolled as a soldier, thinking that he would go the East Mediterranean, but instead he headed for Barbice in the Guyanas where the West Indian Company (WIC) was involved in wars with the Portuguese and Indians. There is still a saying in The Netherlands: "going to the barbiesjes", that is, to meet certain death. Fortunately for him (and us) he somehow landed up in Portugal, where he served as a mercenary soldier for three years after which he was dismissed, possibly because the Catholics there didn't trust Protestants like him. He returned to Germany for two years. He may well have heard about the riches of the East Indies from his Dutch relatives and wished to see them for himself. And thus at Christmas 1652 he left from The Netherlands as an adelborst (midshipman) with the VOC. Note that he would have had a much higher rank if he had had an academic education and, especially, when he had been a physician. These werevery much sought afterbytheVOC inview ofthe high rate of injuries, diseases and deaths that plagued the fleets and garrisons. Laterauthors thoughthe was a medical doctor, but he denied this and in fact he was an amateur naturalist and a self-made man in the best sense ofthe word. By the end of 1653 he arrived in Pulau Ambon, never to leave the Moluccas again. His father's education now proved fruitful in the planning and construction of fortifications. However, soon after 1657, he switched from the military to the civilian and was appointed as Junior Merchant (pnderkoopman) at Larike, on the West coast of Hitu. There he married Susanna, a local woman, possibly Chinese, according to Europeanmarriagerecords. HenamedtheorchidFlossusannaeafterher.nowPecteilis susannae (L.) Raf. "in memory ofher who during her life was my first companion and assistant in the finding ofherbs and plants, she was the first to show me this flower" (Fig. 4). Larike was a back-water dump and because he had so little to do he could devote a great deal ofhis time in the studies ofthe Treasuries ofNature. Rumphius VOC sent specimens to Europe which are not recorded in the archives. This is not so strange, as the VOC did its utmost to prevent exports and forbid private mailings. Of course, everybody circumvented these rules. Rumphius is commended by all for his honesty, but apparently he had his channels. You might say that he was less corrupt than the others... In 701 he also smuggled out the manuscript ofd'Amboinsche Rariteitkamer 1 (Fig. 5) to the mayor of Delft, Hendrik d'Acquet. It is interesting to note that some drawings ofshells were made by Maria Sybille Merian (1647-1717), who also hand Gard. Bull. Singapore63(1 &2)2011 . 4. Flos susannae,Pecteilissusannae (L.) Raf. (Orchidaceae). GeorgiusE\erhardusRumphius coloured a few now priceless copies (Fig. 6). Where Rumphius was the founder of zoology and botany in the Moluccas, she was that for Surinam. He was elected as a member ofwhat is now the oldest science society in the world, the Accidentia naturae curiosorum ofthe German Roman Empire (founded in 1657. today still in existence as the Leopoldina). Members were given nicknames, his was "Plinius". a most honorific title as it was after the Roman procurator ("administrator") Gaius Plinius Secundus (23-79 A.D.), killed in the eruption ofthe Vesuvius which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. and who was one ofthe founders of European natural sciences. His influence lasted for 1500 years until the end of the Middle Ages. Actually. Rumphius was more than Plinius. as the latter compiled existing knowledge, while Rumphius did mention his sources, but added personal experience. Blume. the second Director ofthe Kebun Raya Bogor. and then the first Director ofthe Rijksherbarium. in his turn as a member, was called "Rumphius". but although a Medical Doctorfrom the Leiden University, hewas ascientistofan entirely different kind. Thirteen of Rumphius's letters were published in the Society's journal Miscellanea Curiosa. In 1682 he sent shells, sea animals, minerals, resins, fossils, and some parts ofplants in a cabinet made from 56 different kinds ofwood to the Grand- duke of Toscane. Cosimo III de"Medici (1639-1723). Unfortunately, the chest and its contents have been lost, as the original labels have probably been replaced. Some shells may be present in the State Museum in Vienna, and perhaps some fragments of palms in Florence. In 1660 he was promoted to Merchant (koopman) and moved to Hila. a much more civilised place, where he lived like a prince: daily fresh venison, plenty offish, and sheep, geese, ducks, and chickens, horses with superb bridles, some ofpure silver. He had a one-gun vessel with 40 rowers. His gardens yielded cabbages, endives, lettuce, parsley. Chinese radishes, etc. He even had a small zoo. Life was pretty good! In 1662 he became Senior Merchant (opperkoopman). He then earned the extra-ordinary salary of24 rixdollars (60 guilders, or 1200 Dutch shillings) a month. In comparison. Jan van Riebeeck. the famous Governor of the Cape, got "only" 21. He stayed there for 10 years, rather exceptional, as VOC employees usually were translocated after about 5 years to prevent too good connections for graft and smuggling. This may well be due to the good opinion his superiors had ofhis honesty. In August 1663. he wrote a letter to the Board ofthe VOC in which he asked for permission to have books sent for his work on the plants and animals ofthe East Indies. This was granted, but only in 1666 did he receive them. One ofhis arguments was. thatGod in His wisdom hadprovided local herbs tocure local diseases, soa better knowledge ofwhat was available would be beneficial to all. The medicines shipped fromThe Netherlands were ineffective andoften spoiled. He notedthat although many local recipes mightbe fables, superstitions, oroldwives'tales, they shouldbe included as there might be some truth in them. Ofcourse he lacked the occasion and time to try all medicines, but some he had "tested in mine own house, and with other families". His accounts are not bone dry enumerations as was usual for herbals at the time, but every species got an extensive description, where it occurred, what it was 1 8 Card. Bull. Singapore63(1&2)2111 used for, a recipe, anecdotes, and sometimes a joke. For instance, that newcomers (orangbarn) were fooledwith the resin ofthepineAgathis, which theyweretoldwere lumps ofsugar, with which they then went into hiding to quietly and privately enjoy the supposed delicacy. Ofcourse he speaks much ofdiseases, health, birth, death, and D AMBOINSCHE RARITEITKAMER, BESCHRYVINGE Bchclzcndc ccnc van allcrhande zoo wcckc als hardc SCHAAL VISSCHEN, te wceten raarc KRABBEN, KREEFTEN, en dicrgclyke Zecdicrcn, als mcde allcrhande HOORNTJES SCHULPEN, en die men in d'Amboinfchc Zee vindt: Daar bencven zj>mmigc , MINERAALEN, GESTEENTEN, cn foortcn van AARDE , die in d' Amboinfchc , en zom- migc omlcggcndc Eilandcn gevonden worden. Verdeelt in drie Bocken, Enmetnodige. PRINTVERBEELDINGEN, allcmar'tlevengetckent, voorzicn. Bcfchrcvcn door GEORGIUS EVERHARDUS RUMPHIUS, vinHonauw, Kooipnm'tanUuictnfcRlPiacaLdKoIionmNAfmcIbhocUinRSay,kmoipJtgseNgracdDcchrIts,CLoindUdciSntd.d'e/ntcmatatemmitvcanCuriefmimNature, TA MS T E R D A M, FRANCOIS HALMA, Gcdrukt by Bockvcrkoper in Konftantijn den Grooten. 1705. Fig. 5. Title page ot the Rariteitkamer. GeorgiusEverhardusRumphius 9 all rituals concerned with these. A lot about sex, for that is part oflife, but in a quiet, unsensational way, sometimes with a chuckle on human foolishness. In 1666, he was temporarily appointed as Secunde ("second man"), a rank immediately under that ofGovernor, but was not confirmed in it. In compensation he was allowed to buy a piece ofland. Here he created a Physic Garden, the first western type ofbotanical garden in Asia. He also had a forest garden long known as Dusun VOC Rumphius. His contract with the after having served 16 years, expired in 1668 and he was supposed to retire (at 41!) and go back to Europe. He was quite happy where he was and with what he was doing, so somehow he managed to extend his stay with retention ofhis salary forever. Life was good! Fig. 6. Arare coloured plate ofthe Rariteitskabinet by Maria Sybille Merian. Blindness and personal tragedy Things changed considerably when in April 1670. at 42. he turned incurably blind (glaucoma simplex), about the worst thing that can happen to a dedicated naturalist. With the aid ofhis son and some assistants provided by the VOC, he continued with his work. The original manuscripts were in Latin, but because his assistants didiTt know that language, he had to dictate them in Dutch. Here he showed his linguistic proficiency. Descriptive botany is a language by itself and in his time it had hardly 10 Card Bull. Singapore63(1<£2)2011 evolved, certainly not in Dutch. Consulting literature will have been a problem, as these were of course in Latin and mainly dealt with the European flora. Works on Asian plants were by the Portuguese Garcia de Orta (1501-1568) published by Carolus Clusius (1567, 1582, 1593, 1605) from Goa in India, HendrikAdriaan Rheede van Drakenstein's (1633-1691) 12-volume Hortus malabaricus (1678-1692) on South Indian ones, and a medical textbook by Jacob Bontius (1592-1631) forplants in Batavia. Later, Burman very carefully translated it all back again into Latin. On Saturday, 17 February 1674, it was near the end ofthe Chinese New Year celebrations. Rumphius didn't attend, because, as he said, he couldn't see anything. Suddenly, there was a huge earthquake followed by tsunamis, killing 2322 people. A falling wall killed Susanna, two oftheir daughters, and a maid. On Saturday, 1 1 January 1687, in Kota Ambon, where he now lived, he had another disaster. The town was razed by fire which destroyed his precious library, collections, and most ofhis manuscripts. Only parts ofthe Herbariumamboinenseand about halfofits plates were saved. Yet, undaunted by blindness and his awful losses, Rumphius dictated the lost chapters to his assistants again from memory and they managed to redraw the lost plates, probably under the supervision ofhis son Paulus. By the end of 1690 the first part of his magnum opus, six books of the Herbariumamboinensewere sentto Batavia, where theywerecopied forsafekeeping. Not without reason, for it was a long and hazardousjourney back to Europe. Indeed, the Waterman that carried them in 1692 was sunk by the French. A second copy was made includingthree additional books that had arrived in the meantime, and byAugust 1697 everything was safely in the Netherlands. Ayear later, the final three books were received. Two additional appendices were shipped by 704. 1 On May 19, 1702, the Governor ofAmbon wrote to the High Government at Batavia about Rumphius "nothing more was to be expected ofthat old gentleman, having lived his years", and on June 15 he died, 75 years old, very old for a European in the tropics. No special mention is made in the missives from Ambon, but casually, under another heading it is noted that he left 4000 rixdollars (10,000 guilders, or 200,000 Dutch shillings), quite a fortune, about two million Euro at present rates, and various pieces ofestate (land, houses), the savings ofabout 50 years ofduty. Subsequent events Ifyouthink theVOCwouldhavebeen quicktopublish thismagnumopus,youarevery much mistaken. Such a publication would be very expensive and would not provide any profits, so the Board would allow it as long as it would not cost the Company a penny. But there were no takers. Thus the manuscripts were locked up in their vaults. Johannes Burman (1707-1779) was allowed by the VOC to prepare the manuscripts for publication in 1735. He meticulously translated Rumphius's poetic and flowery Dutch back into Latin and had etchings made ofthe drawings and colour plates. Take, forinstance, the comparison Rumphius made ofthe wine-producing palm Arengapinnata Merr.: "and thus it resembles in its ugly and uncouth habit a drunken