Breeder verhael ende klare beschrijvinge van tghene den admirael Cornelis Matelief de Jonge inde Oost-Indien voor de Stadt Malacca, ende int belegh der zelver wedervaren is: als ooc den vreesselijcken strijdt ter Zee tusschen den admirael voorsz ende de Portugijsen, ende andere gheschiedenissen meer. Overgeschreven by eenen der Commisen inde Vlote.
Rotterdam: Jan Janssz, 1608.
Price: $5,500.00
Quarto: 19 x 14.6 cm. [18] pp. A-B4, C2 (- blank leaf C2)
ONE OF TWO EDITIONS, both published by Jan Jansz in 1608, priority unknown (see note at the end of this description.)
Bound in modern red crushed Morocco, the boards ruled in gold and with small floral stamps at the corners; gilt turn-ins, board-edges and spine. A fine copy. A woodcut vignette of Matelief's ships arriving at Malacca appears on the title page.
A vivid, first-hand account, written by the acting commander of the Dutch ship Erasmus, of Cornelis Matelief de Jonge's naval expedition to the East Indies on behalf of the Dutch East India Company (1605-1606). The fleet was commissioned to dislodge the Portuguese from the strategically important port of Malacca in order to advance Dutch trading interests. The narrative includes a description of the ultimately unsuccessful Siege of Malacca by the Dutch and troops provided by their ally, the Sultan of Johor.
The Dutch had made a formal pact with the Sultan of Johor to expel the Portuguese, in exchange for which the Dutch were to be permitted to control Malacca and conduct trade with Johor (in modern-day southern Malaysia). It was also agreed that the Dutch and the people of Johor would mutually respect each other's religion.
The book describes close-quarters naval engagements fought in and around the waters off Malacca, marked by boarding actions, fires, and heavy loss of life. Several engagements escalated into chaotic mêlées involving multiple ships at once. Portuguese galleons boarded Dutch vessels, and Dutch ships in turn boarded or attempted to burn Portuguese ones. Fires played a decisive role: ships were set alight intentionally or caught fire during combat, leading to their destruction and the deaths of many aboard. The narrative records the killing of senior commanders, the crippling of ships by cannon shot, broken anchors and cables, and crews reduced to a fraction of their strength by casualties. Ultimately the Dutch withdrew due to shortages of powder and shot, large numbers of sick and wounded men, and extensive damage to their fleet.
After abandoning the siege, the Dutch fleet withdrew from Malacca and sailed first to Johor, where they were received by the king and resupplied with fresh provisions while repairing their damaged ships. They then continued to other ports—passing along Sumatra, stopping at Achin and Bantam—seeking recovery, intelligence, and stability after their losses. The narrative ends at Amboyna, where Dutch commanders assessed their position, found their forces there in good order, divided their ships for further operations, and prepared to continue the war and trade according to their commission.
The unnamed author states that Adriaen Fransz., previously in command of the Erasmus, died during the voyage, after which he himself assumed Fransz.’s responsibilities. His account will deal exclusively with the experiences of the Erasmus and its crew. The narrative closes with the author’s dated subscription “Int schip Erasmus den 6 Januarij 1607” (p. 22). The finished version of the report has been ascribed by some to Matelief’s personal secretary, Jacques l’Hermite de Jonge.
The other Dutch edition was published in the same year by the same publisher under the title “Historiale ende ware beschrijvinge vande reyse des admiraels Cornelis Matelief de ionghe, naer de Oost-Indien, wtghetrocken in mayo 1605….” See Borschberg (full citation below in references). Bruijn et al. confirm this but incorrectly state that this is Matelief’s own account. Knuttel, Catalogus van de pamfletten-verzameling berustende in de Koninklijke Bibliotheek, 1512, incorrectly states that the “Historiale” is a different text.
Bibliography: Tiele, Bibliotheek van Nederlandsche Pamfletten en Geschriften betreffende de Oost- en West-Indische Compagnieën, 713; Peter Borschberg, “The Value of Admiral Matelieff’s Writings for Studying the History of Southeast Asia c. 1600–1620,” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 41, no. 2 (2010): 261–285, esp. 263–264. “The so-called ‘Breeder verhael’ and ‘Historiale ende ware beschrijvinghe’ are variant issues of the same account, drawn up most probably by Jacques l’Hermite, Matelief’s secretary, not by Matelief himself.”; J. R. Bruijn, F. S. Gaastra & I. Schöffer, Dutch-Asiatic Shipping in the 17th and 18th Centuries, vol. I: Introductory Volume (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1987), p. 54. “The Breeder verhael ende klare beschrijvinge van ’t gene den Admirael Cornelis Matelief de Jonge… (Rotterdam 1608) is a printed version of Matelief’s own report [incorrect], preserved also as Historiale ende ware beschrijvinghe vande reyse… Rotterdam 1608; the texts are identical apart from minor spelling differences.”. Knuttel, Catalogus van de pamfletten-verzameling berustende in de Koninklijke Bibliotheek, 1512 (incorrectly stating that the two Dutch editions are different texts.