The ‘Transactions of the natural history of the Netherlands’ overseas possessions’ were published between 1839 and 1847. This work describes the activities of the Natural Sciences Commission for the Dutch East Indies.

The purpose of the commission founded in 1820 was the exploration of mineral deposits and charting the flora and fauna of the Indonesian archipelago. A total of eighteen scientists described the archipelago in words and pictures for a period of thirty years. A number of these scientists passed away in the Dutch East Indies doing so.

The commission brought together an extensive collection, giving a unique view of the flora, fauna and inhabitants of the archipelago in the first half of the nineteenth century. Furthermore, it gives a broad insight into the academic practices at the time.