Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (1816-1856)
Encyclopedia
Pieter baron Melvill van Carnbee (20 May 1816, The Hague
– 24 October 1856, Batavia
) was a Dutch geographer
.
family, originally, it is said, of Hungarian extraction. Destined for the navy, in which his grandfather Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (1743-1810)
had been admiral
, he imbibed a taste for hydrography
and cartography
as a student in the college of Medemblik, and he showed his capacity as a surveyor
on his first voyage to the Dutch Indies, in 1835. In 1839, he was again in the East, and was attached to the hydrographical bureau at Batavia. With the assistance of documents collected by the old East India Company
, he completed a map of Java
in five sheets, accompanied by sailing directions, in Amsterdam, in 1842. He remained in the East until 1845, collecting materials for a chart of the waters between Sumatra
and Borneo
, which was two sheets that were published in 1845 and 1846. In his absence, Melvill received the decoration of the Netherlands Lion in 1843, and that of the Legion of Honour in 1849.
On his return to Holland he was attached to the naval department with the charge of studying the history of the hydrography of the Dutch East Indies
. He also undertook, in connexion with P. F. von Siebold, the publication of the Moniteur des Indes, a valuable series of scientific papers, mainly from his own pen, on the foreign possessions of Holland, which was continued for three years. In 1850, Melvill returned to India as lieutenant of the first class
and adjutant to Vice-Admiral van den Bosch; and after the premature death of this commander he was again appointed keeper of the charts
at Batavia. In 1853, he obtained exemption from active naval service that he might devote himself to a general atlas
of the Dutch Indies. But, in 1856, he fell a victim to climate, dying at Batavia. In spite of delays in engraving
, twenty-five sheets of the atlas were already finished, but it was not until 1862 that the whole plan, embracing sixty sheets, was completed by Lieutenant Colonel W. F. Versteeg.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
– 24 October 1856, Batavia
History of Jakarta
The history of Jakarta begins with its first recorded mention as a Hindu port settlement in the 4th century. Ever since, the city had been variously claimed by the Indianized kingdom of Tarumanegara, Hindu Kingdom of Sunda, Muslim Sultanate of Banten, Dutch East Indies, Empire of Japan, and finally...
) was a Dutch geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
.
Life
He traced his descent from an old ScottishScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
family, originally, it is said, of Hungarian extraction. Destined for the navy, in which his grandfather Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (1743-1810)
Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (1743-1810)
Pieter baron Melvill van Carnbee was a Dutch naval officer from a military family of Scottish descent, who rose to the rank of vice admiral. His name was sometimes spelled Melville van Carnbée. His grandson Pieter Melvill van Carnbee was a notable geographer.-Life:He is most noted for his...
had been admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
, he imbibed a taste for hydrography
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
and cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
as a student in the college of Medemblik, and he showed his capacity as a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
on his first voyage to the Dutch Indies, in 1835. In 1839, he was again in the East, and was attached to the hydrographical bureau at Batavia. With the assistance of documents collected by the old East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, he completed a map of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in five sheets, accompanied by sailing directions, in Amsterdam, in 1842. He remained in the East until 1845, collecting materials for a chart of the waters between Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, which was two sheets that were published in 1845 and 1846. In his absence, Melvill received the decoration of the Netherlands Lion in 1843, and that of the Legion of Honour in 1849.
On his return to Holland he was attached to the naval department with the charge of studying the history of the hydrography of the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. He also undertook, in connexion with P. F. von Siebold, the publication of the Moniteur des Indes, a valuable series of scientific papers, mainly from his own pen, on the foreign possessions of Holland, which was continued for three years. In 1850, Melvill returned to India as lieutenant of the first class
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
and adjutant to Vice-Admiral van den Bosch; and after the premature death of this commander he was again appointed keeper of the charts
Nautical chart
A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water and heights of land , natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, navigational hazards, locations of natural and man-made aids...
at Batavia. In 1853, he obtained exemption from active naval service that he might devote himself to a general atlas
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of Earth or a region of Earth, but there are atlases of the other planets in the Solar System. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats...
of the Dutch Indies. But, in 1856, he fell a victim to climate, dying at Batavia. In spite of delays in engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
, twenty-five sheets of the atlas were already finished, but it was not until 1862 that the whole plan, embracing sixty sheets, was completed by Lieutenant Colonel W. F. Versteeg.
Sources
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Pieter, Baron Melvill Van Carnbee". Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.