No worries Maurice, but of course, no reason for the discussion to end. I should hope these discussions never depend on the back and forth of just a couple individuals and the thread will, of course, always be here for you to return to.
While Rumphius was indeed in Batavia for for 4 years from 1653-7, where he began as a midshipman and ended as an engineer and ensign, i am not convinced that he began his ethnographic studies until he left the service to continue as a civilian employee of the VOC. He didn't begin his serious studies of the flora and fauna of Ambon until 1662, 5 years after his arrival there. The book linked above wasn't published until 1705, 3 years after his death. His masterwork,
Herbarium Amboinense, wasn't published until 39 years after his death in 1741. What a shame not to have seen all his efforts come to fruition in his lifetime.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Eberhard_Rumphius
Not really pertinent to this discussion, but just because i find it odd, i wonder why the version of his portrait that you posted (also included on the Wiki page) is identical to the one included in
D'Amboinsche Rariteitkamer except that it is missing the animal hanging on the wall.
