Abstract
The Mining Department (Het Mijnwezen) in the Netherlands-East-Indies was set up in 1850. Its task was to assist the operations in the Tin Mines in Bangka and to find other mineable deposits of useful minerals. The primary purpose was to earn quickly lots of money for the Netherlands, which were very much impoverished and in heavy debts after the Napoleontic occupation. Starting with four mining engineers, all from the Dutch Technical School, this number would grow, to a maximum of 70 engineers and 10 geologists in 1929. The story of Het Mijnwezen is not one of succes, but rather one of perseverence. Its greatest financial contribution to the Netherlands had been the revenues from the Bangka Tin Mines, which were an inheritance from pre-colonial efforts. The most complete summary of the Mijnwezen and its geological and mining efforts and result is summarised by R.W. Van Bemmelen (1949) in 732 pages and 267 pages in Vol. II pages Economic Geology.
Universiteit Utrecht