40) EXPEDITION INTO INTERIOR OF SUMATRA. 
While we were still occupied with our report, the 
Netherlands Society received an invitation from the Central 
Commission of this Congress, to send its representatives to 
the ancient City of the Doges. Amongst the delegates of our 
Society to this Congress whereso many illustrious geographers 
and famous travellers were to meet, the honour of represent- 
ing the Sumatra Expedition, fell upon two of its Members, 
Mr. D. D. Vern and myself. I was specially entrusted to ex- 
plain in this place the object of the Netherlands Scientific 
Expedition into the interior of Sumatra, and the results 
arrived at. 
I would ask, at starting, to be allowed to refer to the 
published portion of the work compiled on the return of the 
Expedition, by its Members. I trust I may be permitted 
to state briefly what was known of the interior of 
Sumatra previous to our Expedition, and what has been done 
by us to extend this knowledge. Various circumstances had 
within recent years contributed to awaken attention 
to Sumatra, and our experience of the country and its 
people was called in to supply the existing gaps. Up to 
the end of the 18th century Marspxrn’s book* was the 
only work comprising everything which at that epoch was 
known of Sumatra, butafter that time, the scientific researches 
of several later travellers had accumulated knowledge 
and discovered new facts with regard to the Eastern 
Coast ; these were most notably Junanunn,t Van DER TuuK, 
SoLomon Mitier, A. Homer, Van Oortand Korruatns, Oosta- 
orr, Trysman, Corps, Luprxine, and lastly the Italian travel- 
Jer Beccart. In the branch of geographical research, 
Bryerinck and Cruysenagr chiefly distinguished themselves, 
and in the region of topography and geology, the Engineers 
Van Discx pe Greve and Verspecx. For Bencoolen and the 
Lampong districts we had the data of Major Strcx, the travel- 
lers Du Bots and Zottincrer, General Kouumr, the philologist 
Van ver Tuvux, and various public officials of Netherlands 
* History of Sumatra, London, 1783, 1784, 1811, 4°. 
+The titles of all works and articles in Reviews treating of Sumatra will be 
found at the end of a paper upon this Island by Professor P. J. Vers, reprinted 
in the Statistical and Geographical Dictionary of Netherlands India, Amsterdam, 
1873, p. 777 et seq. 
