Career

Collecting localities

Collections

Literature

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

career:

A Eurasian who went to school at Batavia till the age of 16. He made extensive travels, especially with the object of collecting birds and insects, sometimes in the employ of others, likewise at his own expense. It appears that he owned land in British North Borneo, of which the tenants did not need to pay any rent, but in return yearly a dozen of them had to attend him on his tours.¹

He is the author of a vocabulary collected on the Mimika and Atoeka rivers (SW. New Guinea).²

Collecting localities:

Dutch North New Guinea. 1899. As early as January in the environs of Humboldt Bay;³ in the same year visiting the Cyclop Mts.-1900. Dumas orally communicated to Wichmann (see there) about his voyage in the ‘Camphuys’ under Capt. D. de Grooth:⁴ mouth of the Mamberomno (= Mamberamo) (Jan. 10); the river was ascended to W of the northern point of Havik Isl., when the ‘Camphuys’ returned; Dumas was put ashore on the left bank and made bivouac near the mouth of a tributary, on the last winding of the river before Havik Isl.; there was a outbreak of beri-beri among the Dyaks and about 50 days later all embarked on the ‘Camphuys’ again and returned to Humboldt Bay.-1901. In July L.A. van Oosterzee met with him in the island of Metu Débi in Jotefa Bay (Humboldt Bay), and together they made several excursions in Aug.-Sept. (cf. sub van Oosterzee, Itiner. etc.).-1902. After having returned from Humboldt Bay to Ternate, he was instructed by the New Guinea Trading Company to make a tour to the coast of SW. New Guinea (March-May); he principally stayed between Cape Buru and the mouth of the Newérip, alias Pisang Bay.⁵-1903. With Wichmann expedition (see there) to Dutch North New Guinea.⁶ He went from Manokwari to Humboldt Bay to make arrangements for their settlement in Metu Debi; Wichmann arrived on March 13th; besides the excursions together with Wichmann, Dumas made a vanguard (May 26) to the Jafuri region in order to trace a path to some unknown lakes; the same trip together with others (June 4-7); setting out from Humboldt Bay (June 11) to Walckenaer Bay, ascending the Tawarin and downstream the Erisangra; on the way back to Humboldt Bay, visiting Moegé Distr., S of Tanah Merah; D. took part in the trip to Jamoer Lake too; when the expedition was over, he went to Batavia.-1907. With 1st Lorentz expedition to Dutch South New Guinea (cf. Itiner. etc. under Versteeg). Dumas made many vanguards.-May 1908-Sept. 1912, naturalist attached to the Exploration Detachment in S. New Guinea. In May 1908 to the Bloemen River (between Hellwig and Kasteel River), ascending the river (May 30), and back to Merauke (June 15); to the mouth of the NW. Oetoemboewe River (June 29), upstream (till July 7), and back at Merauke (12); a 12-day reconnaissance of the region between Byan and Merauke River, e.g. of the basin of the Koembe.⁷ In Sept. further exploration of the same region.⁸ Exploration continued (till Dec. 29) and back by land to Merauke.⁹ Mouth of the Digoel River (Febr. 18, 1909), upstream and exploration of the basin;¹⁰ reconnaissance of the lower basin (since March 27).¹¹ Tracing a path from Central bivouac to the Fly River with brigade Nijweide;¹² exploration downstream Digoel River (Apr. 29-May 5), some small tributaries downstream (May 27) and the Ederah (May 29-June 5), the Oewimmerah (erroneously named Idala) (June 17), ascending the latter until July 1.¹³ Subsequently (since Nov. 15) exploring the region near and above the Koembe River; part of the expedition, including D., visited Frederik Hendrik Isl. (Jan. 19, 1910), which proved rather impassable; setting out to the Otakwa (Apr. 9); venturing on the way to Carstensz Mts, following the left tributary of the Setekwa; Nov. 5 the march was discontinued and the whole detachment was transferred to the Eilanden River (arriving Dec. 2).¹⁴ Reconnaissance of the Eilanden River and A and B River; back to Merauke (end of March 1911); exploration of A River and W of it (Aug.).-1917. S. Sumatra (± Apr.-June): Palembang, Rawas.

collections:

Herb. Bog. [BO]: probably only few New Guinea nos; from Sumatra, nos 1501-1668 as collector for K. Heyne (see there). He evidently collected in Br. N. Borneo too;¹⁵ as to that island we do not know any dates. The collection on behalf of Heyne also in Herb. For. Res. Inst. Buitenzorg [BZF] (with original labels); dupl. in Herb. Utrecht [U].

He tried, when Atasrip and Djibja of the Wichmann expedition had gone homeward, to complete the botanical collection as much as possible.

literature:

(1) cf. Bull. Mij Bev. Nat. Ond. Ned. Kol. no 41.

(2) cf. Bijdr. Taal-, Land- en Volkenk. 65, 1911, p. 116-127.

(3) cf. Ornith. Monatsber. Berl. 8, 1899, p. 137.

(4) cf. Rouffaer in Tijdschr. K.N.A.G. 1909, p. 119-124.

(5) cf. J.W. van Hille in l.c. 1905, p. 318-321.

(6) cf. Bull. Mij Bev. Nat. Ond. Ned. Kol. nos 44-47.

(7) cf. Tijdschr. K.N.A.G. 1909, p. 142-154.

(8) cf. l.c. p. 272-273.

(9) cf. l.c. p. 452-455.

(10) cf. l.c. p. 659-660.

(11) cf. l.c. p. 822-824, 827.

(12) cf. l.c. p. 839-840; for exploration Digoel region by others cf. l.c. p. 822-841.

(13) cf. l.c. p. 996, 1000, 1001, 1003-1012.

(14) cf. Meded. Encyclop. B ur. no 11,1916, p. 7-8; and scattered news on the exploration of SW. New Guinea in Tijdschr. K.N.A.G. 1910.

(15) A living specimen of Dendrobium reticulatum J.J.Sm., collected at the base of Mt Kinabalu (cf. Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit. sér. 2, no 13, 1914, p. 18-20).