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Archives created in The Netherlands
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2. Outgoing Documents
he
archives of the Amsterdam Chamber and the Heren
XVII contain a series of letter-books of outgoing documents
to the kantoren (establishments)
in Asia (inv. nos. 312-344). Generally, instructions to the
subordinate establishments were only passed on through the
Governor-General and Council in Batavia. In the series of
outgoing documents, the letters to the heads of the subordinate
establishments which corresponded directly with the Dutch
Republic (Cape of Good Hope, Persia, Malabar, Ceylon, Coromandel,
Bengal and, in some eras, China and Surat) are therefore of
less importance. The letters to the Governor-General and Council
contain orders and reflections upon reports received from
all the individual establishments. These letters are divided
up into chapters according to establishments, the name of
which is noted in the margin. There are also chapters pertaining
to general policy in Asia. The letter-books also contain decisions
passed in the Dutch Republic concerning matters in the area
under charter, for which one will seek in vain among the resoluties.
The letters often betray a marked difference of opinion between
the Heren XVII and the administration
in Asia. In view of the great importance of these letters
in the administration of the VOC, alphabetical subject indexes
were compiled for them both in the Dutch Republic (inv. nos.
345-349) and in Batavia.
Up to 1642 the letters from
the Amsterdam Chamber to the establishments in the octrooigebied
have been included in the series of kopieboeken
van uitgaande missiven (letter-books of outgoing documents)
of the Heren XVII. After 1642
there is a separate series of kopieboeken
van uitgaande missiven van de kamer (letter-books of
the outgoing letters of the chamber) (inv. nos. 350-354).
In the archives of the Zeeland
Chamber just one single register of the letters from the chamber
to the octrooigebied has been
preserved (inv. no. 7313). It covers the years 1773-1794.
Besides this, the archives of the Zeeland Chamber contain
a series of kopieboeken van uitgaande
missiven to the Heren XVII
and to the other chambers. This series is of great importance
for an understanding of the relationship of the chambers to
one another (inv. nos. 7290-7311).
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