First and only edition of an account of Van Rhijn's travels in the Dutch East Indies, originally published in 12 instalments. It describes the journey Van Rhijn made from 1846 to 1848, ordered by the Netherlands Missionary Society, to investigate the state of the missions on the Dutch islands of Java, Celebes (Sulawesi), Ambon, Timor and Roti. In his account, he criticises the lack of evangelical zeal in his compatriots and praises the Christian missions in the British colonies of Singapore and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He writes extensively about the local societies and everyday life on the islands.
Rebacked (as noted) in modern cloth with the original sheepskin backstrip laid down. Binding worn at the edges. With small tears in three of the maps, repaired with tape in the first one. An important history of the state of religion in the Dutch East Indies in the 19th century. Bastin & Brommer, pp. 163-164; Tiele, Bibl. 203; Landwehr, Coloured plates 415.