rumphii from Rumpf; named after G.E. Rumpf (1628-1702), who, following the custom of his time latinized his name in Rumphius, was educated at Hanau a. Main, in 1646 crimped as solder by count Ludwig von Solms, so-called for Venetia but in reality for the Dutch West Indian Company. His vessel called ’De Swarte Raef’ (the Black Raven), that would have carried him and his fellow dupes from Texel to Brazil, was conquered by the Portugese, which had as result that Rumphius entered the Portugese army. Roundabout 1652 he returned to Hanau; shortly afterwards he entered the service of the Dutch East Indian Company; he reached Java in 1653 and was transfered the same year to Ambon, where he was appointed in 1657 as undermerchant and in 1662 as merchent. Roundaboud that time he started to devote himself to the study of the flora and fauna of Ambon and surrounding islands, a study which he untiringly continued when he became incurable blind in 1770. He wrote the best herbal, that exsists, the transcendent Herbarium Ambonense, which remained unpublished for half a century by the narrow-mindedness of his superiors, but which was later published by the good care of J. Burman (see Burmannia), a often consulted rich collection things worth knowing out of which Backer cited many times in writing the manuscript of his dictionairy. Further appeared under his name the Amboinsche Rariteitkamer (the Ambonese Museum of Curiosities), an excellent description of shells and some minerals. (Backer geeft verder nog een referentie)
