Rare first edition of an important early account of the Dutch East India Companys second major expedition to Southeast Asia (1605-1606), commanded by Cornelis Matelieff de Jonge (1569-1632). The present work is generally attributed to Jacques LHermite (1582-1624), who sailed as secretary both to Matelieff de Jonge and to the fleets governing council (the Brede Raad), and was promoted during the campaign to senior merchant (opperkoopman). LHermite would later achieve prominence as admiral of the Nassau fleet in its ambitious circumnavigation and attempted assault on Spanish possessions in the Pacific.
The present work offers a detailed, first-hand account of the Dutch attempt to wrest Malacca from the Portuguese, a key strategic entrepôt controlling trade through the Strait of Malacca. The expedition began in May 1605, when Matelieff departed the Dutch Republic with a fleet of eleven ships, sailing via Mauritius, where observations were made of the islands fauna, including the dodo, before continuing to Johor, where he concluded a treaty with Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III (1562-1615). This alliance aimed at the joint expulsion of Portuguese and Spanish forces from the region, with the Dutch to receive the fortified city of Malacca and the Sultan the surrounding territories.
The account describes in considerable detail the ensuing siege of Malacca (May-August 1606), including the limited effectiveness of Johors auxiliary forces, the construction of siege works in difficult marshy terrain, and the severe conditions endured by the besiegers. It further recounts the arrival of a Portuguese relief fleet from Goa and the fierce naval engagements that followed, notably the battle off Cape Rachado. These encounters are depicted with immediacy, ships grappled and boarded at close quarters, set ablaze by fire, and heavily damaged by artillery, commanders were killed, and crews decimated.
Particular attention is given to events aboard the Erasmus, where the author was stationed. Following the death of its captain, Adriaen Fransz., LHermite assumed greater responsibility, he himself was wounded during the fighting. Despite moments of tactical success, including the destruction of several Portuguese vessels, the campaign ultimately failed. The Dutch were compelled to abandon the siege owing to shortages of powder and shot, mounting casualties, disease, and the deteriorating condition of their ships.
Following the withdrawal, the fleet regrouped at Johor, before continuing operations via Bantam and the Moluccas. The narrative concludes aboard the Erasmus on 6 January 1607, providing a valuable contemporary account of the early military and commercial ambitions of the Dutch East India Company in Asia, and of the intense conflict with Iberian maritime powers at the dawn of the 17th century.
This edition is among the earliest printed accounts of Matelieffs voyage, only a single recorded sale has been traced. It derives from reports circulated among VOC officials. A related edition appeared in the same year under the title Historiale ende ware beschrijvinge.
With a minor tear in the lower margin of the third leaf. Otherwise in very good condition. Knuttel, p. 299 no. 1512b; STCN 840115687; USTC 1028784; cf. for the Historiale ende ware beschrijvinge see: STCN 840117175.