Ruyssenaers

Properties2
tagsperson, dutch, colonial, civil-administrator, aceh-war, 19th-century, 1891, snouck-hurgronje, groot-atjeh
aliasesRuyssenaers, Assistent-Resident Ruyssenaers, Ruyssenaers (Groot-Atjeh official)

4 min read

Ruyssenaers — Assistent-Resident in the Dutch colonial civil administration — was the Dutch official who, as successor to Goossens as assistent-resident of Groot-Atjèh in February 1891, read in the files of the botched March 1889 visit of Snouck Hurgronje and understood that a blunder had been made, and who thereupon spoke of it with the governor Van Teijn — with the consequence that Van Teijn began to grasp something of the value of a scholarly religious-political Atjèh-reconnaissance as Snouck Hurgronje had meant to make, and requested Snouck Hurgronje’s coming to Atjèh “so spoedig mogelijk” (as soon as possible).

The Succession to Goossens (February 1891)

When in February 1891 the tidings came to Snouck Hurgronje — then at Madioen on Java, working systematically through the inland territory to acquaint himself with the native world — that the governor Van Teijn requested his coming to Atjèh “so spoedig mogelijk”, the speed-order held connection with the replacement of Goossens as assistent-resident of Groot-Atjèh by Ruyssenaers. This Ruyssenaers read in the files of the botched visit and understood that a blunder had been made. He spoke of it with the general Van Teijn, who now also began to grasp something of the value of a scholarly religious-political Atjèh-reconnaissance as Snouck Hurgronje had meant to make.

The General Understanding of 1891

In those days, the general understanding was that if one had won the sultan, all would be won: with Atjèh one would then be done. And where the sultan (pretendent-sultan, one said) remained at Keumala, one spoke of him and his as a Keumala-party, and Atjèhse chiefs and officials from within the line were sent on Keumala-tochten to bring gifts and to improve the disposition towards the government there. Also of the inevitable unfavourable disposition of the scribes, religion-teachers, mosque-officials, and other people of religion one had no understanding. About a possible improvement in the disposition of the “geestelijke partij” (clerical party) — an unfortunate term, because Islam knows no priests or clerics — one could thus still make oneself illusions.

And so the general Van Teijn wrote to Java:

“De gezindheid der geestelijke partij in het algemeen, welke richting zij zal trachten invloed uit te oefenen op de Keumalapartij. Daarom stelde hij voor om Dr. Snouck Hurgronje zoo spoedig mogelijk een reis naar Atjèh te doen ondernemen. Nu na Teungkoe di Tiro’s dood is ‘t van belang te weten, hoe algemeen is.”

The Succession by Bakker

Van Teijn found it good, but became ill, and on 23 April 23 April 1891 already retired; and also Ruyssenaers was succeeded as assistent-resident by Bakker. The colonel Pompe van Meerdervoort would become the new gewestelijke bestuurder, and was on the point of departing to Atjèh, when the heer Snouck Hurgronje visited him at Batavia. The Snouck Hurgronje Atjèh residence would eventually take place from July 1891 to February 1892 — under the governorship of Pompe van Meerdervoort, and after Ruyssenaers had been succeeded as assistent-resident by Bakker.

Significance

Ruyssenaers is the assistent-resident of Groot-Atjèh whose reading of the files of the botched March 1889 visit of Snouck Hurgronje, and whose conversation with the general Van Teijn, led to the request for Snouck Hurgronje’s “so spoedig mogelijk” coming to Atjèh. The request, though delayed by the resignation of Van Teijn and the succession of Pompe van Meerdervoort, would eventually result in the July 1891–February 1892 residence — the residence that produced the Verslag of 23 May 23 May 1892.

See Also

Source

Drie Atjeh-mannen: Snouck Hurgronje — Van Heutsz — Van Daalen, door H. T. Damsté (September 1936). OCR-filename: 20260718_105749_DLP-111-Drie_Atjeh_mannen_Nemotron-OCR-v2_OCR.txt, pp. 14–16.

Graph View

Backlinks