Next message: Robert Gainer: "Re: DIP"
Henry C. Halboth wrote:
Malham's 1795 Gazetteer lists a "Nangansaqui" in Lat 32-31 N + Long
128-48 E, and further identifies Dutch Factors as resident on a nearby
island of Disnia who were ..."never suffered to come within the city,
except on arrival of their ships; at which time they are obliged to
deliver up their guns, rudders, falls and rigging, as pledges of their
good behavior." Seems like the Dutch may have gotten to Japan before many
of the others did.
I have an interest in the history of the Dutch East Asia company and while it is not about navigation still might be interesting to some of you
Desjima, in 1635-1636 in the Bay of Nagasaki an artificial, fan-shaped constructed small island,connected by a bridge with the neighbouring town of Nagasaki . From 1635 Portuguese lived here.After their expulsion from Japan the Dutch were in 1641 obliged to transfer their factory from Hirado to this little island, which has a length of 120 m and a breadth of 75 m. Since that time it acted as steppingstone during the gathering of knowledge about Japan, while Japanese scholars and artists , through the intermediary of the Dutch who resided on Desjima , tried to penetrate in everry branch of intellectual or social western activity and took note of European books and instruments. The trade stood under the guidance of a chief ('kapitan'), assisted by several clerks. On arrival of the ships of the "Vereenigde Oost-Indiscghe Compganie" the rudder, the guns, the ammunition and the Christian reading-matter were seized for the duration of the stay.( As mentioned by Henry )
As with Nagasaki I found several ways to write Desjima ( Decima, Deshima etc.)
Willem Piccer
