i86 Voyage of the Novara. 



activity of the oldest scientific society in Java, the Bataviaasch 

 Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, which, founded in 

 1778 by the Europeans then resident in Batavia, has since that 

 period pubhshed some thirty volumes of valuable statistics 'of 

 the various objects of which it takes cognizance, and is in 

 correspondence with upwards of 150 learned societies. Since 

 1852 there has also appeared under the auspices of this 

 Society, conducted by three members of the direction, Dr. 

 Bleeker, Mr. Netscher, and Mr. Munnich, a monthly journal 

 of Indian History, as also of physical and ethnog-raphic sta- 

 tistics (the " Tijdsckrift voor Indische Taal Land en Volken- 

 Jcunde''''), of which seven volumes have already appeared, 

 published in 8vo. Not less valuable, especially in the in- 

 terests of natural science, is the Association known as the 

 " Natuurkundige Vereeniging^'' which has been in existence since 

 1850, and, under the superintendence of that indefatigably 

 active scholar Dr. Bleeker, has within that period published 

 a considerable number of most interesting memoirs, while 

 the Society for the advancementof Medical Science ( Vereeniging 

 tot Bevordering der Geneeskundige Wetenschappen in Nederlandsch 

 Indie), under the guidance of the distinguished Dr. Gr. Wassink, 

 has given to the world through its annual publications a large 

 variety of experiences and observations on the study of Medi- 

 cine.* All these scientific institutions are the more deserving of 

 commendation, when we reflect that there are but 6000 emi- 



* Several copies of these various publications of the different scientific societies 

 of Java were presented to the Expedition by the members of these learned bodies. 



