Description
Justin MODERA (1803 – 1866).
Haarlem: V. Loosjes, 1830.
8° (22.5 x 13 cm): xvi,160 pp., plus 1 folding map (34 x 40.5 cm) and a copper-engraved vignette on the title, title bearing the handstamp of the ‘Leesinrichting De Bruyn Kops / Semarang [Java]’ [De Bruyn Kops Reading Room] and old inventory number in ink, bound in modern tan half cloth over plain boards with pastedown mss. title to spine, modern ex libris to front free endpaper (Very Good, overall clean and bright, just some light spots to title, tiny loss to blank upper outer corners of initial leaves, leaf before half-title with loss to blank lower outer corner; binding toned and little stained with chips to loss to title on spine).
This very rare work is the foundational first-hand account of the historic 1828 Dutch expedition to New Guinea, an ambitious imperial venture explicitly launched to annex the western half of the world’s second-largest island. Spurred by deep-seated anxiety that Britain was preparing to seize the uncharted territory, the Dutch East Indian government ordered the Royal Netherlands Navy corvette Triton and the Colonial Navy schooner Iris to map the coast and claim sovereignty. This volume represents the primary printed record of that high-stakes geostrategic move.
The narrative documents a watershed moment of the establishment of Fort Du Bus in Triton Bay, the very first formal European settlement attempted on New Guinea. Modera, who served as a 25-year-old sub-lieutenant aboard the Triton, recounts the gruelling logistics of carving a fort out of the unforgiving, dense equatorial jungle. He provides a vivid, day-by-day record of the formal annexation ceremony held on August 24, 1828, the birthday of King William I, which officially placed the region under the Dutch crown and set the geopolitical borders of what would eventually become Western New Guinea (now Papua, Indonesia). Because the isolated settlement was ravaged by malaria and abandoned a mere eight years later, in 1836, Modera’s account stands as the singular, definitive primary monument to this brief, hazardous window of early Austronesian colonization.
Modera’s Verhaal is highly prized by ethnographers, linguists, and historians for containing some of the earliest empirical observations of the indigenous Papuan coastal communities. Writing with the meticulous eye of a naval officer, Modera details his team’s complex, tense, and sometimes violent encounters with local populations and regional Moluccan raiders. The text covers indigenous customs, weapons, trading networks, and physical architecture. Crucially, the work includes vital early linguistic data, featuring comparative vocabulary lists of localized Papuan dialects recorded during trade negotiations.
A highlight of the work is Modera’s stellar folding chart, Kaart van de verkende gedeeltens der Z.W. Kust van Nieuw Guinea, bepaald op eenen togt derwaarts, door Z.M. Corvet Triton. 1828., of the southwestern coast of New Guinea, from the mouth of the Dourga River (Muli Strait), in the southeast, up to Triton Bay, in the northwest. It represents a great leap forward from the preexisting speculative charts of the region, accurately laying down coastal topography, sounding depths, and naming critical landmarks like Triton Bay, with the location of Fort Dubus, while showing the sailing tracks of the Triton corvette.
The present work is very rare. Modera originally had no desire to publish his journal of the 1828 Triton expedition, merely intending to circulate his manuscript amongst family and close friends. However, he soon came to recognize the immense public and geopolitical value of his account, so decided to bring it to press. He submitted his manuscript to the prestigious boutique publisher Vincent Loosjes of Haarlem, renowned for its high-quality literary and scientific publications, who issued the work in only a very limited print run. It was thus intended for the use of naval officials, government ministers, and elite scientific societies, as opposed the public.
While we can trace around a dozen or so examples in institutions (mostly in the Netherlands), the work seldom appears on the market.
Justin Modera: Pioneer of Colonization in New Guinea
Justin Modera (1803 – 1866) was a highly decorated Dutch naval officer whose long career epitomized the golden age of nineteenth-century Dutch maritime hydrography and colonial administration. Modera entered the naval service at a young age, displaying a brilliant aptitude for navigation, cartography, and strategic observation.
Modera’s exceptional leadership during the gruelling New Guinea campaign propelled him through the ranks of the Royal Netherlands Navy. He went on to hold several high-profile commands in the Dutch East Indies and domestic waters, dedicating much of his career to improving hydrographic charts and maritime safety. His lifelong service to the Crown culminated in his promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral.
References: Koninklijke Bibliotheek (The Hague): Magazijn 6-3000 3006 A 18; University of Leiden: KIT Collection; RN-419; OCLC: 220299752, 251783374, 165695460; Tiele 759; Rouffaer/ Muller p. 34.