Abraham Momber Van de Velde
Encyclopedia
Abraham Momber a.k.a. Abraham Momber van de Velde was the last commander (opperhoofd) of the Dutch East India Company
settlement on Mauritius
. He followed Roelof Deodati as the de facto Dutch governor on November 25, 1703. On November 15, 1707 the Company's premises, goods, and administration were almost entirely destroyed by a fire. The same year instructions had been received from the Company to abandon the island. Most Dutch families were transported on two ships to Cape Town
, where they arrived on January 26, 1709. After destroying everything they could not take with them, to prevent the abandoned station to be of service to anyone else, Momber and his garrison left on January 25, 1710 to Batavia
on the ship Beverwaart.
The next colonial governor did not arrive until 1715 with Guillaume Dufresne d' Arsel
of the French East India Company
.
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
settlement on Mauritius
Dutch Mauritius
Mauritius was an official settlement of the Dutch East India Company on the island of Mauritius between 1638 and 1710, and used a refreshing station for passing ships...
. He followed Roelof Deodati as the de facto Dutch governor on November 25, 1703. On November 15, 1707 the Company's premises, goods, and administration were almost entirely destroyed by a fire. The same year instructions had been received from the Company to abandon the island. Most Dutch families were transported on two ships to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, where they arrived on January 26, 1709. After destroying everything they could not take with them, to prevent the abandoned station to be of service to anyone else, Momber and his garrison left on January 25, 1710 to Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
on the ship Beverwaart.
The next colonial governor did not arrive until 1715 with Guillaume Dufresne d' Arsel
Guillaume Dufresne d' Arsel
Guillaume Dufresne d'Arsel established French rule of Mauritius under the French East India Company in 1715....
of the French East India Company
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
.
Sources
- History of South Africa Under the Administration of the Dutch East India Company, 1652 to 1795, by George M'Call Theall
- Allister Macmillan, Mauritius illustrated: historical and descriptive, commercial and industrial facts, figures, and resources., London : W.H. & L. Collingridge, 1914