THE OBJECT AND RESULTS OF A DUTCH EXPEDITION 
INTO THE INTERIOR OF SUMATRA IN THE YEARS 
| 1877, 1878, AND 1879, 
BY 
he Aue WAN” HASSELT. 
[The following paper has been translated from the French by Mr. BR. N. 
Bland, C. 8. The original willbe found in the second Volume of the Proceedings 
of the Third International Geographical Congress (held at Venice in September 
1881), published by the Italian Geographical Society. No account, it is believed, 
has been published in Mnelish of the Dutch Mid-Sumatra Hxpedition and, in the 
absence of an English version of their official reports, it is hoped that Mr. Van 
Hasselt and his companions will not object to the publication of this translation, 
which has been undertaken unavoidably without their consent being first obtained. 
Kp. ] 
sHorT time after the Commission of the Netherlands 
A Geographical Society had decided upon a_ scientific 
expedition into the interior of Sumatra, [ was, by virtue of 
my office, as Government “ Controleur” at Soepajane, invited 
by the above-named Commission to take char ge of one of the 
sections into which the expedition Td been divided. Al- 
though convinced of the oreat difficulties of the task about 
to be entrusted to me, I ‘thought itmy duty not to refuse 
so honourable a mission. 
From February, 1877, to March, 1879, we remained in the 
districts that had been assioned to us, and though not able 
to apply “Vent, vidi, vici” to ourselves, we nevertheless 
collected a mass of details regarding the ¢ Ounbr y, of which, on 
our return, it was our privilese to render an account. 
Those who are acquainted with the work in which are 
united the results of the Sumatra expedition, and which, 
thanks to the efforts of our Commission, has taken so high 
uw place at this Geographical Congress, may have observed 
that our labours are not yet ended. 
