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Bell in Victoria in Leitimor Kastel, Ambon, the tale itself. People fall when the ground moves up and down like the ocean. Soon after came the sound of water thundering sea.

Such fragment naturalist Georg Everhard Rumphius record of devastating quake tsunami followed Ambon and Seram Island on February 17, 1674. Entry is made Rumphius in 1675 and so only one copy of it published during his life.
Kastel Leitimor Victoria is now available in the Fortress complex Victoria, Ambon. Exact location of this fortress across the Office of the Governor of Maluku Province. At this time the castle was used as office and residential complex Commando Military District XVI / Pattimura.

Rumphius's record so far is the oldest complete documentation which is made of the earthquake and water levels have risen (the term tsunami is still not known when) in the archipelago. Previously, even to hundreds of years later, the story of the tsunami across the archipelago is frequently mentioned in oral stories.

Initially, this paper was deposited in the Library of the Dutch government in The Hague in the category of anonymous. New in 1871 determined that the report is made Rumphius. In 1998, the entry was published back on W Buijze transcription.

MJ Sirks PhD, professor of genetics from the University of Groningen in the writings of Rumphius, the Blind Seer of Amboina states, Rumphius was bound to Ambon because for nearly 50 years he lived there and experienced a tragedy at once happy in his work.

Notary blind

Rumphius travels is full of tragedy. He spent his youth in Hanau, Germany, where his father, August Rumpf, a famous architect. However, it does not preclude interest in Rumphius to be adventurous. It hopes to see a larger world of Hanau.

Rumphius already asked his master, Count Ludwig von Solms-Braunfels Grifenstein, to be registered as an army of the Republic of Venice.

However, after he boarded the ship in Holland, the western Netherlands, he knowingly deceived. Rumphius thus appears to be an army, West Indies Company (WIC). Initially it will be sent as soldiers to Venice, but the ship change course and bring it to the Brazilian soldiers.

On the way, the ship Swarte Raef, who brought Rumphius, attack Portuguese ships. Rumphius was brought to the Portuguese. There he and his fellow soldiers prajuritnya trained to be Portuguese.

This period became a turning point Rumphius life. In Portuguese, bertualangnya desire come to pass to the other side. He heard so many incredible stories about the world in the east, the strange world of plants, and animals, foreign animal as strange. All that makes the desire to explore the increasingly large Rumphius.

After leaving the Portuguese in 1648 or 1649, Rumphius back to Hanau. At the end of 1652, he enrolled as a soldier East Indies Company (EIC). In June 1653, he landed at Batavia, and on 8 November he went to the island of Ambon.

An army, turned out to be satisfying. Governor of Ambon that moment, Jacob Hustaerdt, then gave him a civilian job. In 1662 Rumphius officially become a commercial officer at company EIC.

At the time of Rumphius also beginning to learn animals and plants in Ambon orderly. For many years he dedicated his spare time to study and write about the flora and fauna of Ambon.

Rumphius later became leaders in Hitu, a district in north coastal Leihitu Peninsula in the north of Ambon Island. There he lived with his family. After dibebastugaskan from corporations, Rumphius find happiness by looking at nature.

However, in the year 1770 experienced a tragedy tragic Rumphius. He lost his sight, without any explanation of the cause. Not preventing blindness suffered to continue his research on the flora and fauna of Ambon.

In geography, Rumphius produced three major works: Amboinsch Kruidboek, Amboinsch Rariteitkamer, and Amboinsch Dierboek.

Kruidboek or "Herbarium Amboinense" regarded as the greatest works of Rumphius. "Among the writings of Rumphius was writing the less significant. As a result, the noble Lords, it is not too merekomendasikannya. Some Amboinsche-Rariteitkamer, which consists of three books, and there was another book, Land-,-en Lugt Zeegedierten of the island ... "(from a letter to the Governor General Governor of Ambon in Batavia on May 20, 1697).

In 1679 and 1680, the Governor of Ambon provide assistant, Daniel Crul to help work Rumphius. Rumphius son, Paul Augustus, also helped, at least from 1686. Rumphius create a lot of work to the Governor of Ambon Dirck de Haes wrote, "Jobs seem to have been completed, and currently there are 1720 chapters, including 12 books."

However, the tragedy she could not stay away from Rumphius. In a large fire in Ambon, on January 11, 1670, books, collections, and manuscripts were destroyed Rumphius. Fortunately some of the book can be saved, but the pictures made before the year 1670 Rumphius was consumed by fire.

The greatest tragedy

For Rumphius, who suffered the greatest tragedy occurred in 1674, when the earthquake and tsunami hit turbulence. Not only because of the disaster that killed 2,322 people on the island of Ambon and Seram, but also beat the wife and one of Rumphius daughter.

Hila, near Hitu, called Rumphius as the regions most suffering. "The same earthquake shakes the beginning, the whole garrison, except a few people trapped on the (fortress), back to the ground beneath the castle, thinking they would be better off. But, too bad no one suspected that the water will rise suddenly to the veranda fort (Amsterdam), "wrote Rumphius.

The water is so high up beyond the roof of the house and swept the countryside. Coral rock stranded far from shore. A total of 1461 people were killed in Hila.

While in Hitu, according to Rumphius, water levels have risen to as high as 3 meters and houses drag companies. At least 36 people were killed.

With detailed conditions Rumphius tells villages in Ambon and Seram been destroyed by the incident. At least 11 villages who described Rumphius.

Villages that stretches along the north shore peninsula Leihitu, from Larike the western tip to Tial at the east end. On the island of Seram listed are the places in the district Huamual, such as transmission and Luhu Cape. Other entries came from OMA in the southern island of Nusa Haruku and Sea Island.

In the treasures of disaster mitigation, Rumphius entry is an important heritage as a witness that the archipelago has a history of earthquakes and tsunamis, which are very long. Long before the devastating tsunami hit Aceh on 26 December 2004, Rumphius had written about a disaster in the east of the archipelago.

Unfortunately, detailed records Rumphius was not much known to people of Ambon and Seram. Rumphius name is not even known.

"Not many know that he recorded Rumphius tsunami. If the earthquake is often felt here, but people did not flee to the hills, but quietly in place, "said Damri Lating (49), senior Hila.

Said case Lumaela consistently expressed (52), senior Kaitetu, adjoining the village of Hila. "Ever heard of Rumphius, but did not know that the question of what," he said.

Original Article by: cincinapi.com