DR. W. R. BARON VAN HOEVELL, 
847 
eleven years he conducted and pushed it on through every difficulty 
until he established for it a reputation second to none of its kind. 
The talents of Dr. van Hoevell were so conspicuous that the Go¬ 
vernment determined to avail itself of them, and with this view ap¬ 
pointed him to the office of historian of Netherlands India. Dr. 
van Hoevell accepted the appointment on condition of its being ho¬ 
norary, refusing the salary of f 1000 per month which was attached 
to it and had been enjoyed by his predecessor. The Government 
was sensible of his disinterestedness, and in accepting his offer, 
reserved to itself the right to reward him on some future occa¬ 
sion.” The important archives of Netherlands India were now 
thrown open to him and he availed himself largely of them, by 
which literature would certainly have benefited much, had it not 
been that with the death of the Governor General D’ Kerens ap¬ 
peared to die all the desire displayed by the Government in afford¬ 
ing facilities towards the compilation of the history of Netherlands 
India, and the obstacles thrown in the way of Dr. van Hoevel were 
so many and great that he was forced to abandon his undertaking. 
IVhat those obstacles were it is needless hereto enumerate, hut they 
proceeded from a source which should have been the last to thwart 
him. His post is still vacant, and the world may deplore the loss 
of much valuable information, which can only he recovered when the 
seal now placed upon the hidden treasures shall fie again removed. 
Having been appointed one of the Committee of Instruction in 
Java, he made the interests of education one of his principal objects, 
and the numerous detailed and complete plans for its furtherance 
presented by him to Government, would certainly have advanced the 
cause if they had not, for some undisclosed reason and notwithstand¬ 
ing their utility and importance, been neglected. 
On being elected President of the Batavian Society of Arts and 
Sciences on the death of the Governor General Merkus, he found it, 
as one of his predecessors Sir Stamford Raffles did, in a state of le¬ 
thargy, and like him at once devoted his energy to rouse it into new 
life. He materially enlarged its library and enriched its cabinet of 
mineralogy and antiquities, and speedily raised it to the flourishing 
condition which it has for some years enjoyed. 
The languages (modern and ancient), the manners and customs of 
the natives of Java were his favorite studies, and his numerous and 
interesting contributions on these subjects have been fully appreciat¬ 
ed by the scientific world. 
