Abstract
THE past few years have been marked in a peculiar degree by disturbances in the various colonial dependencies of European nations. Not only in Central Africa—where the recent forward movement for the opening up of the continent has naturally led to collisions with native races—but in many of the older colonies in other parts of the world, it has been necessary for the paramount power to maintain its supremacy by force of arms. The recently translated work of Captain W. Cool gives a detailed narrative of one such war, undertaken by the Dutch in 1894 to deliver the subject population of the island of Lombok from the oppression of their Balinese rulers. The author tells the story of the expedition in a somewhat dramatic style, giving it almost the complexion of a national epic. In fact, accustomed as we are in this country to such small colonial wars, we might be inclined to think that he has attempted to raise it to a level unwarranted by the facts of the case. But the expedition had an importance beyond what might appear at first sight. It may even be said to have formed in some way a turning-point in Dutch colonial history. The difficulties encountered during the Achin war, and the unfortunate experiences of the Flores expedition had seriously threatened the Dutch prestige in the archipelago, and failure or only partial success at Lombok might have been regarded as indicating that Holland was now unequal to the task of maintaining her hold on her extensive colonies in the East. In spite of some reverses, which necessitated the dispatch of considerable reinforcements, the general result of the war was fortunately most successful, and will, it may be hoped, have conferred a lasting benefit on the island in the form of good and settled government for the future.
With the Dutch in the East.
By Captain W. Cool (Dutch Engineers). Translated by E. J. Taylor. Pp. viii + 365. (London: Luzac and Co., 1897.)
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With the Dutch in the East. Nature 56, 171 (1897). https://doi.org/10.1038/056171a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/056171a0