Merauke, en wat daaraan voorafging / De Aarde en haar Volken, 1908

A descriptive historical and ethnographic account recounts early external contact with the southern coast of a large island, chronicling recurring coastal voyages, missionary and trader encounters, and the setting up of a small administrative station. It records ceremonies, barter, linguistic and geographic inquiries, and efforts by officials to establish order through persuasion and occasional armed presence. The narrative follows the deterioration of relations—petty thefts escalating to serious assaults and ambushes, disputed disappearances of seafarers, and naval search-and-recovery operations—emphasizing how miscommunication, local resistance and the limits of maritime outreach shaped subsequent engagement.